Location: Nantucket, MA, USA This classic Nantucket home had not been renovated in several decades and was in serious need of an update. The vision for this summer home was to be a beautiful, light and peaceful family retreat with the ability to entertain guests and extended family. The focal point of the kitchen is the La Canche Chagny Range in Faience with custom hood to match. We love how the tile backsplash on the Prep Sink wall pulls it all together and picks up on the spectacular colors in the White Princess Quartzite countertops. In a nod to traditional Nantucket Craftsmanship, we used Shiplap Panelling on many of the walls including in the Kitchen and Powder Room. We hope you enjoy the quiet and tranquil mood of these images as much as we loved creating this space. Keep your eye out for additional images as we finish up Phase II of this amazing project! Photographed by: Jamie Salomon

Architecture & Interior Design: David Heide Design Studio Photo: Susan Gilmore Photography
Enclosed kitchen - traditional u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Bright, colorful dining room with teal grasscloth, graphic banquette, marble dining table, leather sling chairs, and brass burst chandelier. Photo Credit: Mary Costa

Pavilion at night. At center is a wood-burning fire pit with a custom copper hood. An internal fan in the flue pulls smoke up and out of the pavilion. Octagonal fire pit and spa are on axis with the home's octagonal dining table up the slope and inside the house. At right is the bathroom, at left is the outdoor kitchen. I designed this outdoor living project when at CG&S, and it was beautifully built by their team. Photo: Paul Finkel 2012

This home is a custom home built by Homes by Tradition located in Lakeville, MN. Our showcase models are professionally staged. Please contact Ambiance at Home for information on furniture - 952.440.6757 Thank you!

The "main room" in the apartment had to serve multiple functions - a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, as well as a place to store items like our client's bicycle. Because space was tight, we used a small bistro table so that our client could sit with one other person (or more by pulling up other chairs) and enjoy a meal. By using a wall mounted bike rack that also incorporated some storage for his helmet + lock, we were able to save some space, and love the way that it highlights our client's graffiti art purchased on the streets of NYC! Photos by Matthew Williams

Anthony Pippo Photography
Transitional family room photo in New York with gray walls

William Quarelles
Example of a mid-sized beach style dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Charleston with no fireplace

Photography by Ron Ruscio
Trendy dark wood floor dining room photo in Denver with blue walls and a standard fireplace

Three apartments were combined to create this 7 room home in Manhattan's West Village for a young couple and their three small girls. A kids' wing boasts a colorful playroom, a butterfly-themed bedroom, and a bath. The parents' wing includes a home office for two (which also doubles as a guest room), two walk-in closets, a master bedroom & bath. A family room leads to a gracious living/dining room for formal entertaining. A large eat-in kitchen and laundry room complete the space. Integrated lighting, audio/video and electric shades make this a modern home in a classic pre-war building. Photography by Peter Kubilus

A soft subtle Toasted Antique finish gives Aristokraft Cabinetry's Durham its distinguished, enduring character that adds an effortless grace to any room. Shown here against light oak floors and dark gray countertop.

Bill Taylor
Example of a classic wooden curved staircase design in Boston

The living room layout allows a couch lounger to chat with someone in the kitchen. We covered the sofa in a casual Pierre Frey fabric and added a few soft faux fur pillows for touchable texture. A graphic David Adler moroccan rug contrasts with red and turquoise Roman shades (one of our favorite color combinations ever). Crisp white side tables, breezy lamps and a modern-meets-rustic wood and acrylic coffee table were picked for ultra-cool “chic cabin” flair. Design Detail: To break up the long, skinny space and maximize the conversation area, we placed the furniture on opposite walls. Punchy window treatments provide texture and movement for the eye. The gorgeous watercolor titled “Pop” by Peter Haslam-Fox offers a bit of quiet simplicity to an otherwise colorful room. Photographer: Carrie Patterson

photos by Steve Chenn
Elegant family room photo in Houston with beige walls

Adrienne DeRosa © 2014 Houzz Inc. Sharing a pass through with the kitchen. the tv room is flooded with light. Its modest size makes it the coziest area of the house, and because of that it is the couple's favorite wintertime spot. "It's so comfortable to just lay around in," Jennifer says. "You sit down and all of a sudden you're falling asleep." The Milo Baughman settee is currently Jennifer's favorite piece. A recent birthday gift from Raymond, Jennifer found the tufted leather sofa on Etsy and drove 10 hours across Pennsylvania to pick it up. Always up for a design adventure, "It was well worth it," she says. "It's amazing." Martini SIde Table, in brass: West Elm Photo: Adrienne DeRosa © 2014 Houzz

photo credit: Sebastian Bach
Bathroom - transitional 3/4 bathroom idea in New York with white walls

The owners of this kitchen had spent the money to upgrade the finishes in their kitchen upon building the home 12 years ago, but after living in the space for several years they realized how nonfunctional the layout really was. The (then) two preschool aged children had grown into busy, hungry teenagers with many friends who also liked to hang out at the house. So the family needed a more functional kitchen with better traffic flow, space for daily activities revolving around the kitchen at different times of day, and a kitchen that could accommodate cooking for and serving large groups. Furthermore, the dark, traditional finishes no longer reflected the homeowners’ style. They requested a brighter, more relaxed, coastal style that reflected their love of the seaside cities they like to visit. Originally, the kitchen was U-shaped with a narrow island in the middle. The island created narrow aisles that bottle-necked at the dishwasher, refrigerator, and cooktop areas. There was a pass-through from the foyer into the kitchen, but the owners never liked that the pass-through was also located so close to the powder room. The awkward proximity was unappealing and made guests feel uncomfortable. The kitchen’s storage was made up of lots of narrow cabinets, apothecary drawers, clipped corner units, and very few drawers. It lacked useful storage for the larger items the family used on a daily basis. And the kitchen’s only pantry was small closet that had only builder-grade, narrow shelving with no illumination to be able to see the contents inside. Overall, the kitchen’s lighting plan was poorly executed. Only six recessed cans illuminated the entire kitchen and nook areas. The under cabinet lighting was not evenly distributed either. In fact, the builder had mis-placed the under cabinet lighting around the decorative pilasters which made for choppy, dark cubbies. Further, the builder didn’t include any lighting over the sink or the bar area, which meant whoever was doing the dishes was always in their own shadow. That, coupled with the steep overhang of the game room above made the bar area feel like a dim, cavernous space that wasn’t inviting or task oriented. The kitchen looked out into the main living space, but the raised bar and a narrow wall (which held the only large cabinet in the kitchen) created more of a barrier than a relationship to the living room or breakfast nook. In fact, one couldn’t even see the breakfast nook from the cooktop or sink areas due to its orientation. The raised bar top was too narrow to comfortably sit to either dine at or chat from due to the lack of knee space. The the homeowners confided that the kitchen felt more like a dark, dirty prison than place where the family, or their guests, wanted to gather and commune. The clients' needs and desires were: ➢ to create a kitchen that would be a space the family loved to be in; to relate to the adjacent spaces all around, and to have better flow for entertaining large groups ➢ to remove the walls between the breakfast nook and living area and to be able to utilize the natural light from the windows in both those areas ➢ to incorporate a functional chopping block for prepping fresh food for home cooked meals, an island with a large sink and drain board, 2 pull out trash cans, and seating for at least the 2 teens to eat or do homework ➢ to design a kitchen and breakfast nook with an airy, coastal, relaxed vibe that blended with the rest of the house's coastal theme ➢ to integrate a layered lighting plan which would include ample general illumination, specific task lighting, decorative lighting, and lots of illuminated storage ➢ to design a kitchen with not only more storage for all the husband’s kitchen gadgets and collection of oils and spices, but smart storage, including a coffee/breakfast bar and a place to store and conceal the toaster oven and microwave ➢ to find a way to utilize the large open space between the kitchen, pantry area, and breakfast nook Twelve Stones Designs achieved the owner's goals by: ➢ removing the walls between the kitchen and living room to allow the natural light to filter in from the adjacent rooms and to create a connection between the kitchen, nook, and living spaces for a sense of unity and communion ➢ removing the existing pantry and designing 3 large pantry style cabinets with LED tape lights and rollout drawers to house lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets, and tons of groceries. We also took the cabinets all the way up to the 9’ ceiling for additional storage for seasonal items and bulk storage. ➢ designing 2 islands - 1 with a gorgeous black walnut chopping block that houses a drawer for chopping and carving knives and a custom double pull out trash unit for point of use utilization - and 1 that houses the dishwasher, a large Blanco Gourmet sink with integrated drain board, woven baskets for fresh root vegetables and kitchen towels, plenty of drawer storage for kitchen items, and bar seating for up to 4 diners. ➢ closing off the space between the kitchen and the powder room to create a beautiful new private alcove for the powder room as well as adding some decorative storage. This also gave us space to include more tall storage near the new range for precision placement of the husband’s extensive oil and spice collection as well as a location for a combo-steam oven the wife wanted for baking and cooking healthy meals. The project is enhanced functionally by: ➢ incorporated USB and standard receptacles for the kids’ laptops and phone charging in the large island ➢ designing the small island to include additional open shelving for items used on a daily basis such as a variety of bowls, plates, and colanders. This set up also works well for the husband who prefers to “plate” his dinners in restaurant-style fashion before presenting them to the table. ➢ the integration of specific storage units, such as double stacked cutlery drawers, a custom spice pull-out, a Kuerig coffee and tea pod drawer, and custom double stacked utensil drawers ➢ moving the refrigerator to the old oven location - this eliminated the bottle neck as well as created a better relationship to the eating table. It also utilizes the floor space between the pantry, nook, and kitchen ➢ creating a banquet style breakfast nook - this banquette seating not only doubles the amount of seating for large gatherings but it better utilizes the odd space between the kitchen and the previous nook area. It also helps to create a distinct pathway from the mudroom room through the pantry area, kitchen, nook, and living room. ➢ the coffee/breakfast bar area which includes the perfect location for the concealed microwave and toaster oven, convenient storage for the coffee pods and tea accoutrements. Roll-out drawers below also house the smoothie maker, hot water kettle, and a plethora of smoothie-making ingredients such as protein powders, smoothie additives, etc. Furthermore, the drawers below the Keurig house measuring utensil, cutlery, baking supplies and tupperware storage. ➢ incorporating lots of wide drawers and pullouts to accommodate large cookware. ➢ utilizing as much vertical space as possible by building storage to the ceiling which accommodates the family’s abundant amount of serving platters, baking sheets, bakeware, casserole dishes, and additional cutting boards. The project is enhanced aesthetically by: ➢ new 5-piece Versailles pattern porcelain tile that now seamlessly joins the entire down stairs area together creating a bright, cohesiveness feeling instead of choppy separated spaces - it also adds a coastal feeling ➢ designing a cabinet to conceal the microwave and toaster oven ➢ the coastal influenced light fixtures over the nook table and island ➢ the sandy colors of the Langdon Cambria countertops. The swirling pattern and sparkling quartz pieces remind the homeowner of black-and-tan sandy beaches ➢ the striped banquet seating whose creamy white background and blue-green stripes were the inspiration for the cabinet and wall colors. ➢ All the interior doors were painted black to coordinate with the blacks and grays in the backsplash tile and countertop. This also adds a hint of tailored formality to an otherwise casual space. ➢ the use of WAC's Oculux small aperture LED units for the overhead lighting complimented with Diode LED strips for task lighting under the cabinets and inside the pantry and glass wall cabinets. All of the lighting applications are on separate dimmer switches. Innovative uses of materials or construction methods by Realty Restoration LLC: ➢ Each 1-1/2” x 3” block of reclaimed end-grain black walnut that makes up the center island chopping block was hand milled and built in the shop. It was designed to look substantial and proportional to the surrounding elements, executed by creating the 4 inch tall top with a solid wood chamfered edge band. ➢ The metal doors on either side of the vent hood were also custom designed for this project and built in the Realty Restoration LLC shop. They are made 1x2, 11-gauge mild steel with ribbed glass. Weighing 60 lbs a piece, heavy duty cabinet hinges were added to support the weight of the door and keep them from sagging. ➢ Under-cabinet receptacles were added along the range wall in order to have a clean, uninterrupted backsplash. Design obstacles to overcome: ➢ Because we were removing the demising walls between the kitchen and living room, we had to find a way to plumb and vent the new island. We did this by tunneling through the slab (the slab had post tension cables which prevented us from just trenching) to run a new wet vent through a nearby structural wall. We pulled the existing hot and cold lines between upper floor joists and ran them down the structural wall as well and up through a conduit in the tunnel. ➢ Since we were converting from wall overs to a gas range it allowed us to utilize the 220 feed for the wall ovens to provide a new sub panel for all the new kitchen circuits ➢ Due to framing deficiencies inherited from the original build there was a 1-1/2” differential in the floor-to-ceiling height over a 20 foot span; by utilizing the process of cutting and furring coupled with the crown moulding details on the cabinet elevations we were able to mask the problem and provide seamless transitions between the cabinet components. Evidence of superior craftsmanship: ➢ uniquely designed, one-of-a-kind metal “X” end panels on the large island. The end panels were custom made in the Realty Restoration LLC shop and fitted to the exact dimensions of the island. The welding seams are completely indistinguishable - the posts look like they are cut from a single sheet of metal ➢ square metal posts on the small island were also custom made and designed to compliment and carry through the metal element s throughout the kitchen ➢ the beautiful, oversized end panels on the pantry cabinets which give the breakfast nook a tailored look ➢ integrating a large format 5 piece Versailles tile pattern to seamlessly flow from the existing spaces into the new kitchen space ➢ By constructing a custom cabinet that jogged around a corner we could not remodel (housing the entry way coat closet) we were able to camouflage the adjacent wall offset within the upper and lower cabinets. By designing around the existing jog in the structural walls we accomplished a few things: we were able to find the space to house, and hide, the microwave and toaster oven yet still have a clean cohesive appearance from the kitchen side. Additionally, the owners were able to keep their much needed coat closet and we didn’t have to increase the budget with unnecessary structural work.

This Sag Harbor home is designed for year-round gatherings, offering a welcoming atmosphere for family and friends with stylish, cozy spaces perfect for entertaining and relaxation. This dining room features a round table perfect for intimate holiday set-ups, complemented by a gorgeous rug, sleek furniture, and statement lighting for a stylish and inviting atmosphere.

This Houston kitchen remodel turned an outdated bachelor pad into a contemporary dream fit for newlyweds. The client wanted a contemporary, somewhat commercial look, but also something homey with a comfy, family feel. And they couldn't go too contemporary, since the style of the home is so traditional. The clean, contemporary, white-black-and-grey color scheme is just the beginning of this transformation from the previous kitchen, The revamped 20-by-15-foot kitchen and adjoining dining area also features new stainless steel appliances by Maytag, lighting and furnishings by Restoration Hardware and countertops in white Carrara marble and Absolute Black honed granite. The paneled oak cabinets are now painted a crisp, bright white and finished off with polished nickel pulls. The center island is now a cool grey a few shades darker than the warm grey on the walls. On top of the grey on the new sheetrock, previously covered in a camel-colored textured paint, is Sherwin Williams' Faux Impressions sparkly "Striae Quartz Stone." Ho-hum 12-inch ceramic floor tiles with a western motif border have been replaced with grey tile "planks" resembling distressed wood. An oak-paneled flush-mount light fixture has given way to recessed lights and barn pendant lamps in oil rubbed bronze from Restoration Hardware. And the section housing clunky upper and lower banks of cabinets between the kitchen an dining area now has a sleek counter-turned-table with custom-milled legs. At first, the client wanted to open up that section altogether, but then realized they needed more counter space. The table - a continuation of the granite countertop - was the perfect solution. Plus, it offered space for extra seating. The black, high-back and low-back bar stools are also from Restoration Hardware - as is the new round chandelier and the dining table over which it hangs. Outdoor Homescapes of Houston also took out a wall between the kitchen and living room and remodeled the adjoining living room as well. A decorative cedar beam stained Minwax Jacobean now spans the ceiling where the wall once stood. The oak paneling and stairway railings in the living room, meanwhile, also got a coat of white paint and new window treatments and light fixtures from Restoration Hardware. Staining the top handrailing with the same Jacobean dark stain, however, boosted the new contemporary look even more. The outdoor living space also got a revamp, with a new patio ceiling also stained Jacobean and new outdoor furniture and outdoor area rug from Restoration Hardware. The furniture is from the Klismos collection, in weathered zinc, with Sunbrella fabric in the color "Smoke."