These homeowners loved to host, but their original layout was completely failing them functionally. Through our guided process, we transformed the space into a transitional masterpiece, layering crisp stacked cabinets with a character-stained oak island and a hidden forest green pantry. We backed the entire build with our Ownership Promise, absorbing the technical and logistical risks so they could navigate the renovation with absolute peace of mind. The outcome is a master-grade entertainment hub that delivers daily inspiration and a profound sense of pride the moment guests walk through the door.

Their Kitchen Remodel Siene & Kentay’s tired kitchen needed some attention. The large and heavy stone covered hood vent paired with the dark stained cabinets sucked the life and light out of the room. One thing that struggled was lighting. Even with the walls of windows the dark features just absorbed the light. We started by using a soft white shaker cabinet called Dove White as the main cabinet color in the kitchen. We removed the stone from the hood and the dark slate from the backsplash. We also removed the dated shape of the peninsula by squaring it off. By doing this, the new walking area improved and allows for transitioning between rooms. The oddly shaped island in the center struggled to give them the storage they needed. They were large cabinets, but items usually got stuck or lost. After determining that Siene wanted to prepare food here, we opted to do deep drawer cabinets to store a lot of her prep items at arm’s reach. The Island and bar cabinets are in a natural stain called Fawn. This color complimented the existing slate flooring. We also lined the hood in trim that matches the island. The island is also waterfalled on both sides with quartz from Arizona Tile called Ivory White Honed. Kitchen getting remodeled before & after photo Kitchen being remodeled before and after photo Just off the kitchen there was a bar, however it was hidden from all rooms. We decided that we would move the bar to a more prominent place in the home, and the existing would be turned into an appliance pantry. A place for the coffee maker, microwave, and other smaller appliance storage. We finished the kitchen with a simple backsplash in a lantern white mosaic with a natural tan grout. The door hardware, faucet from Delta and the new pendant lighting are all in the stainless family allowing for depth and consistency. The new bar features a Sub-Zero wine column with refrigerated storage below. The upper lit glass cabinets offer a chance to showcase stemware and spirits. This custom cabinet install allows the wood to shine and offers storage. Lastly, the additional lighting installed in all areas now is controllable. Siene and Kentay have full control and can direct the light and how much is used. When they want a night in, they can turn down the lights and relax. In their new updated family room in front of a newly integrated modern fireplace. Kitchen getting renovated before and after photo Laundry Room Remodeling Jokingly, Siene called her Laundry Room the Christmas Box. We traded the red and green wallpaper for paint called Drift of Mist from Sherwin Williams. The new white cabinetry offers a lot of storage they are , and a dedicated folding station was integrated for easy transitioning between loads of laundry.

This 1924 beauty deserved a well planned and carefully detailed main level remodel. My goal for this project was to restore some of the original design flavors and mix with modern day living and materials. Removing the wall between kitchen and dining space allowed the Gravelly Lake view to be absorbed from every angle. By carrying similar colors, styles and materials around the different rooms the home now has a cohesive style.

Italian Marble and Design Firm, which has developed a unique and innovative product line of glass furniture for interiors and exteriors. We want to specify that all products are anti-breakage and do not absorb the heat of the sun as it does with all the patios furniture, sidewalks benches, and chairs found in Miami.

Over a span of two years we completed several projects at this Tokoma Park, Maryland property. We cleaned up the backyard, renovated an existing swale, and installed water loving plants. The following year, we replaced the old pea gravel driveway with a permeable paver driveway. While doing the driveway we encountered spongey clay that was saturated from a leaking water line. We had to install concrete piers down to virgin soil to bear the weight of the walkway. The driveway excavation had to take into account the root zones of large trees. To avoid the surface roots we used a minimal excavation design. Our ultimate goal with this project was to ensure that the new walkways provided a safe and comfortable path for the homeowners and guest to get from their cars to porch whether parked along the street or in the driveway. To provide an extra layer of security, we added low-voltage lighting to accent trees and light the walkway, which were programmed to come on at dusk and turn off automatically at dawn. The new plantings are native species including River Birch, Swamp Hibiscus, Blue Flag Iris, and Common Rush, that are adapted to growing in wet soils. The permeable paver driveway will reduce runoff by storing rain in gravel base while allowing it to be absorbed into the soil below. The paver surface eliminates the tracking of pea gravel into the house while allowing heels to walk on it without sinking in. The swale handles runoff from all the uphill properties and the gravel keeps it from becoming a soggy mess. 
 During seasonal months, snow and leaf removal are greatly eased by having a hard surface to shovel or rake. The permeable pavers used are Techo-Bloc Villagio in Shale Grey and we installed a granite Belgian block border. We replaced existing broken concrete walkway with new curving flagstone walkway and connected the front steps to the driveway and side steps. All projects were consulted with the City of Takoma Park’s Urban Forest Manager, and the Montgomery County Historical Preservation Commission.

Complementing the Home This homeowner approached the experts at Braen Supply to help him select materials for his newly constructed home. The style and design of the house was already completed, therefore, the selected materials needed to complement the features of the home. The homeowner’s one request was to find a patio stone that would emulate a bluestone; however, it would not absorb as much heat as bluestone, allowing swimmers to comfortably move from the pool to the patio without having to worry about shoes. Working With the Experts The experts at Braen Supply were able to find the perfect material to meet the homeowner’s needs and then used that to find materials for the façade, fireplace and outdoor kitchen, while still maintaining a concise look throughout the home. The materials that were selected gave the home a unique, yet classic look.

Update your space easily with Globe Electric's Memphis 2-Light Flush Mount Ceiling Light. The straight clean lines and clear glass panes bring a contemporary yet industrial feel to any decor. The simplicity of the design allows you to change the look and feel of any room easily and without clutter. Add a Globe Electric vintage inspired bulb to create a look that is truly unique. The dark bronze finish, wonderfully smooth and rich to the touch, absorbs the light in just the perfect way while the clear glass panes showcase the bulbs of your choice. Includes all mounting hardware for quick and easy installation and requires two medium based 60w bulbs (sold separately).

This lovely landscape sports a poured in place concrete slab patio with drought tolerant sedum plants between the slabs. This sedum mix is sold in sheets then cut to fit but it’s actually grown for green-roof application. It works perfectly in this hot environment too as it is extremely drought tolerant and can go a month without water. Because the water runoff is absorbed between the slabs the patio drainage works perfectly and there are no need for drains.The swimming pool is of the fiberglass variety. Though the initial investment is greater than that of vinyl pools the ROI is greater over a 10 year period. Fiberglass pools retains more heat as the pool shell is all one piece and they don’t ever require a new liner.. This fiberglass pool has cool built-in benching and steps. And there is even a swim jet built into one side great for those cardio blasting swims. The pool interior colour is grey though it shows a soft blue/grey when water is added due to the reflection of the sky and other surroundings. The pool coping is natural stone with rock face edge. The steel arbour was custom made. Metal (steel) was chosen for it’s slim strength as wood placed here would have been too chunky. The best rooms (indoors or our) have a subtle layering of textural elements. To me this landscape needed a structure here to define the “rooms” It will look even better in a few years when the vines reach the top and the Miscanthus on either side reaches its 7′ height!The 12′ x 16′ pavilion is also made of steel and houses an alfresco dining table and sofa set. The pavilions built in cupola makes the warm breezes comfortably pass through with no need for a fan. It’s also sunken 2′ from the pool/patio height and nestled nicely in the corner. I must also mention the large slim planters with “Red Shades” Canna lily within. They are the perfect boldness/balance!Step through the arbor and a linear pond with “floating” natural stone step is revealed! Two smooth flow scuppers are responsible for the quiet waterfalls either side. A wood deck overhangs the pond adding softness to the setting. A modern retaining wall with natural stone cap runs the full width of the pond and pool adding interest and dimension. In the covered outdoor living area this wall is the perfect seat wall - adding lots of extra party seating! The lesson to be learned here is that good design can be applied to any space. This backyard is only 50′ x 45′ and look what can be achieved! Landscape design and photography by Melanie Rekola

This photo was taken when it finally rained. The swale will catch the water and slow it down to be absorbed into the water table. This garden has little supplemental irrigation.

Window Quilt (Muskoka) Recommends Hunter Douglas Hunter Douglas Advantage. The Art of Window Dressing... Well-designed window fashions do more than simply cover a window. At Hunter Douglas, form and function are inseparable. Great design is beautiful to live with, provides variable light control, insulates rooms against heat and cold while saving energy, protects your furnishings from damaging UV rays, and even absorbs sound, improving the acoustics in a room. And, our advanced operating systems make using our products a pleasure every day. Now that’s artful window dressing. Lifetime guarantee. Privacy and Light Control Hunter Douglas window fashions are available in a wide variety of product designs with fabrics and materials that come in a range of opacities from sheer to opaque—offering varying degrees of privacy and light control options. Energy Efficiency Up to 50% of your home’s heating and cooling energy can be lost through your windows. At Hunter Douglas, we're an industry leader in making a big energy savings difference at the window. Keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer At Hunter Douglas, we're an industry leader in making a big energy savings difference at the window. In 1985, we invented the highly energy-efficient Duette® honeycomb shades in response to the energy crisis of the late 1970s. Our latest innovation is the Duette Architella® honeycomb shades featuring a honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb design for even greater energy efficiency. Today, we continue to think about the impact all of our window fashions can make. Without energy-efficient window treatments, as much as 50% of a home's heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows. Hunter Douglas products help conserve energy at the window in many important ways: Insulation In winter months, your home heating escapes to the outdoors through your windows while in the summertime, the outside heat flows into your home through these same windows. With window treatments that provide insulation, you can reduce energy consumption, save on heating and cooling costs, and create a more comfortable atmosphere. At Hunter Douglas, we're an industry leader in making a big energy savings difference at the window. In 1985, we invented the highly energy-efficient Duette® honeycomb shades in response to the energy crisis of the late 1970s. Our latest innovation is the Duette Architella® honeycomb shades featuring a honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb design for even greater energy efficiency. Today, we continue to think about the impact all of our window fashions can make. Without energy-efficient window treatments, as much as 50% of a home's heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows. Hunter Douglas products help conserve energy at the window in many important ways: The Duette Energy Efficiency Story Video Thumbnail The Duette® Honeycomb Shades Energy Efficiency Story Insulation Icon Insulation In winter months, your home heating escapes to the outdoors through your windows while in the summertime, the outside heat flows into your home through these same windows. With window treatments that provide insulation, you can reduce energy consumption, save on heating and cooling costs, and create a more comfortable atmosphere. Solar Heat Control Icon Solar Heat Control The warmth provided by the sun, its solar energy, may be desirable during the winter to help heat your home, but in the summer, it can make a room overly hot and uncomfortable—driving up air conditioning costs. Many Hunter Douglas window fashions help to control solar heat by allowing it into your home in the winter and minimizing the amount that comes in during the summer. Daylighting Daylighting is the practice of lighting rooms with natural light rather than artificial light.By drawing natural light into a room many of our window treatments reduce the need for other types of lighting, thereby reducing your energy use 5 Tips for Saving Energy at the Window: 1) Ensure your windows and doors are properly weather-stripped. 2) Caulk around basement and storm windows. 3) When heating or cooling, keep windows locked. 4) Open your window coverings during sunny winter days to catch free solar heat then close them at night to keep that heat in. 5) Close your window coverings during summer days to keep the heat out. Innovation: All of our window fashions are designed and custom-assembled in the U.S. Our longstanding commitment to quality and innovation means you’ll enjoy choices at Hunter Douglas that you won’t find anywhere else. Child Safety: From cordless manual and motorized operating systems, retractable lift cords, cord tensioners and wand controls, we offer a wide array of innovative lifting system options for enhanced child and pet safety as well as especially easy operation. Advanced Operating Systems: Power View Motorization-Intelligent Shades that Simply your Life: Our brilliant new wireless operating system gives you the power to control and schedule your Hunter Douglas window treatments from your smartphone, tablet, or a remote control.

This is a vertical garden wall installation in a shaded location. The plants are growing in pockets made of a horticulture fabric made entirely from recycled, non-toxic plastics which will last a lifetime. The automatic drip irrigation system delivers water to the top row of plants.The water is absorbed by the fabric, and then drips down through the entire wall, hydrating all the plants evenly on an adjustable schedule. The fabric is designed to hold and release moisture. As the plants continue to grow, the fabric will become less and less visible, until entirely hidden, resulting in a solid wall of attractive plants.

This 1924 beauty deserved a well planned and carefully detailed main level remodel. The goal for this project was to restore some of the original design elements and mix with modern day living and materials. Removing the wall between kitchen and dining space allowed the Gravelly Lake view to be absorbed from every angle. By carrying similar colors, styles and materials around the different rooms the home now has a cohesive style.

Located on a wooded lot on the south side of Mount Orford in Estrie, this country house is designed to enjoy views of the wooded slope down to a stream at the bottom of the valley and rising to the opposite cliff. The south offers a splendid view of distant mountains. Of modest size, the house is simple, modern and showcases natural materials. It opens towards the forest and the landscape while preserving the intimacy of the customers. The interior is spacious; the living spaces are communicating and friendly, with a high ceiling above the living room and a large picture window in front of the master bedroom, on the mezzanine. The living areas open onto an outdoor terrace that anchors the house to its rocky terrain, protected from the weather and hidden from the street. The rock of the land is highlighted at the edge of the terrace, where a rock face down the slope. A large roof overhang protects the house from the sun in the summer, and the low-level concrete floors absorb sunlight in the winter. The house has been designed according to the criteria of LEED and Novoclimat.

Extensive renovation to kitchen in 20 year old house facing the Marsh on Savannah's Wylly Island. Kitchen was pushed two feet into adjacent family room in order to expand the Island. We also absorbed an adjacent pool closet to add the hutch cabinet. A small existing window was enlarged into sliding doors matching those elsewhere. Layout by Matthew Hallett, Interior design by Kelly Waters of Ellsworth-Hallett. Cabinets by Medallion Cabinetry, counters are seagrass limestone, floors are porcelain 'travertine'. Refrigerator is subzero with custom cabinet panels. The Bosch dishwasher is concealed behind a custom cabinet panel as well. Photos by Amy Greene of Creative Images & Marketing

A homeowner who we’d worked with previously (a bathroom we’d remodeled for him was named ‘Bathroom of the Year’ by Boston Globe Magazine in 2007.) contacted us with a new project in mind. Following a divorce and second marriage, he and his family had moved into mid-sized home that felt too cramped for two adults and four children. Working within its existing frame, we set to work creating a more functional and pleasant living experience. The family’s main gathering area is the kitchen. We began improving the space by absorbing square footage from what had been a mudroom/laundry area behind the kitchen. This allowed us to introduce an island, creating a focal point for meal prep, cooking, and socializing. New custom cabinetry increased storage. We added a homework nook for the kids. Wider openings to the foyer and the dining room made flow between spaces easier. At the home’s entry, we re-treaded and re-finished the staircase, adding new railings and newell post. An orange fiberglass exterior door contrasts playfully with the home’s deep blue exterior. Finishing the basement allowed the introduction of a new laundry area, a cozy family room/kids play space, and a workshop. In this last space we reconfigured some kitchen items that had been ordered but were unusable due to a last-minute change in plans, including a cabinet now used for tool storage and a wall panel that became a workbench. On the home’s second floor, one bedroom had been accessible only by passing through another bedroom. The family’s two teenage children had been enduring this arrangement via solutions that included placing duct tape along the floor to mark passage boundaries. We were able to give each child much-desired private space by borrowing square-footage from a closet and carving out a hallway with separate entries for each room. Another bedroom on the second floor was refreshed with a new coat of paint. Photo by Shelly Harrison

This beautiful master bathroom gives not only visual pleasure but a complete bathing experience. The air jet bathtub has a heated seat, back and neck, also with a drop of oil over a heated element the oils are absorbed directly through the skin. The custom designed cabinetry has a beauty and strength to it as well as providing plenty of storage.

Çimstone applies European Standards for its quality control and produces with the Italian BRETON technology. Combining the natural stone textures with the robustness of quartz, Çimstone is reliably used for laboratories in particular due to its anti-bacterial hygienic composition. Further, it may be applied to such different areas of use as internal walls, facade, stairs, window sills, skirting and flooring. Not absorbing liquid due to its compact composition, Çimstone is stain-proof and displays a high resistance to the abrasive effects of acids and bases thanks to this property. It may be produced in different colours compatible with cupboard covers, which suit different expectations, with texture and design alternatives. Capable of being provided with effects with such different materials as mirror, glass, seashells colored with pigments, Çimstone offers such alternatives different from those surface covering materials which have come to be accustomed up to the present time and completes the changing kitchen and bathroom culture and modern designs of the present day.

Moroccan interior design looks luxurious and exotic. In this project we paid attention to details, added original Moroccan furniture to the rooms and then combined them with rich colors of Moroccan decor to create unique appeal of ethnic decorating style. Moroccan Interior Decors are a creative blend of African, Arab, and Mediterranean decorating style. Moroccan decor includes ethnic motifs and decoration patterns that have been absorbed from different cultures.

Yarraville Extension & Renovation Project I can confidently recommend A.P.T. Construction Group Pty. Ltd. as a skilled and reliable construction company, and experts in their field.” -Zvi Belling Director ITN Architects (Collingwood, VIC) Modern architectural extension to rear of residence Additional container converted into studio & storage. New modern Laminex kitchen with Caesar stone top to island bench Raked high ceiling Timber floor board Timber decking Natural timber wall cladding Large glass areas to backyard and to also absorb the natural daylight In-built book shelving Sunken bath & many more architectural features