C.C. Knowles - designer Vincent Ivicevic - photographer Craig McIntosh - architect Joe Lynch - contractor
Inspiration for a transitional master beige tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile double shower remodel in Orange County with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a hot tub, a one-piece toilet and white walls

We’re often asked about decorating kitchen ledges and countertops… This photo, of a recent project, illustrates how to "dress" these spaces, without being cluttered or overly busy. The key is symmetry, and orderly, repetitive elements ; for example, see the sculptural décor on ledges, and duplicate ceramic urns and glass jars on the countertop.

Our Austin studio furnished the living room, dining room, and primary suite in this spacious, family-friendly home. Our clients have two children and wanted a home that is fun and functional. We furnished the living room with large sofas in subtle hues and accessorized the seating with colorful, printed pillows and cushions. The sofas are complemented with sleek chairs, a practical center table, and a printed rug that completes the look. We turned the fireplace into an accent wall with glass shelving and cabinets on either side. The dining room flaunts a simple round table with modern angular chairs, and the statement piece here is the chandelier. The palette in the bedroom is light and fresh with pastel linen, wood side tables, and glass lamps. We added mirrors behind the lamps for a unique look, and an intricate white chandelier adds the finishing touch. --- Project designed by Sara Barney’s Austin interior design studio BANDD DESIGN. They serve the entire Austin area and its surrounding towns, with an emphasis on Round Rock, Lake Travis, West Lake Hills, and Tarrytown. For more about BANDD DESIGN, click here: https://bandddesign.com/ To learn more about this project, click here: https://bandddesign.com/austin-interiors-fun-elegant-design/

The apple-green paint color was borrowed from the custom tropical rug and creates a soothing space to relax and read. Designed to accommodate a large collection of books, the wall unit includes built-in pull out trays, surface mounted wall sconces and a convenient home office area at the end. Photographed by Bruce Miller

Tufted teal ottoman surrounded by clean white furniture creates a focal point for the room. Small end tables and a wall mounted TV make the space usable for the whole family

This is the dining room, I wanted this room to make a statement. The paneling design on the wall was already white, so I decided to paint the walls needlepoint navy. I dressed the window with a white custom drapery and bronze drapery rod. I used a live edge table with white dining chairs. The rug was my inspirational piece for this room, it just brought everything together. The one piece that the customer had to have was cotton, so I accessorized the table with a vase with cotton and brought in a blue table runner and some white dishes.

A closer view of our focal built-in bookcase, playfully accessorized. Renee Streett, Domus Aurea Design and Photography
Example of a mid-sized transitional nursery design in Houston

Our Long Island studio gave this Manhattan home an eclectic, colorful look. The home flaunts multiple living areas like a mid-sized, open concept family room with medium-tone wood flooring, gray walls, a metal fireplace, and no tv. The other living areas are accessorized with comfy furniture, quirky accents, and pops of bright color, while the L-shaped kitchen has a medium-tone wood floor and white flat-panel cabinets.

This little guy was growing out of his crib and changing table and needed an update to his room. His parents are avid golfers and he in turn has picked up the sport. His parents requested a room that he can grow in to, so the space will last many years before having to redesign it again. His mom suggested a golf theme room and I loved the idea, so we rolled with it. We kept the original plantation shutters and millwork and built a toddler-friendly space he can enjoy for years and years. I had my muralist paint an argyle wall to set the tone. I used new custom furniture combined with some store bought pieces. Accessorizing the space was a fun task. Instead of using store bought items, I had some custom wall art made for him to personalize the space. I had his great grandmother’s golf clubs mounted onto graphic green and white fabric studded with chrome nailheads. An Etsy seller made us a custom metal piece with all their favorite golf brands. Another Etsy seller made us wall hooks fashioned from golf balls. No golf theme room would be complete without a putting green, so had one of those thrown in to so he can practice his putts. He now loves his new room and enjoys spending time in there (not to mention now sleeping in there too!).

This client wished to reorganized the layout of existing furniture, recover several pieces, accessorize, and add lighting and window treatments. A new rug tied everything together.

Beautiful bergere chair softly draped and accessorized with hand knit throw.
Bedroom - traditional bedroom idea in Los Angeles

This East Coast shingle style traditional home encapsulates many design details and state-of-the-art technology. Mingle's custom designed cabinetry is on display throughout Stonewood’s 2018 Artisan Tour home. In addition to the kitchen and baths, our beautiful built-in cabinetry enhances the master bedroom, library, office, and even the porch. The Studio M Interiors team worked closely with the client to design, furnish and accessorize spaces inspired by east coast charm. The clean, traditional white kitchen features Dura Supreme inset cabinetry with a variety of storage drawer and cabinet accessories including fully integrated refrigerator and freezer and dishwasher doors and wine refrigerator. The scullery is right off the kitchen featuring inset glass door cabinetry and stacked appliances. The master suite displays a beautiful custom wall entertainment center and the master bath features two custom matching vanities and a freestanding bathtub and walk-in steam shower. The main level laundry room has an abundance of cabinetry for storage space and two custom drying nooks as well. The outdoor space off the main level highlights NatureKast outdoor cabinetry and is the perfect gathering space to entertain and take in the outstanding views of Lake Minnetonka. The upstairs showcases two stunning ½ bath vanities, a double his/hers office, and an exquisite library. The lower level features a bar area, two ½ baths, in home movie theatre with custom seating, a reading nook with surrounding bookshelves, and custom wine cellar. Two additional mentions are the large garage space and dog wash station and lower level work room, both with sleek, built-to-last custom cabinetry. Scott Amundson Photography, LLC

For more info and sources, copy and paste this link into your browser. http://carlaaston.com/designed/dining-room-designed-by-carla-aston / Miro Dvorscak, photographer

C.C. Knowles - designer Vincent Ivicevic - photographer Craig McIntosh - architect Joe Lynch - contractor
Example of a transitional ceramic tile entryway design in Orange County with white walls and a glass front door

This little guy was growing out of his crib and changing table and needed an update to his room. His parents are avid golfers and he in turn has picked up the sport. His parents requested a room that he can grow in to, so the space will last many years before having to redesign it again. His mom suggested a golf theme room and I loved the idea, so we rolled with it. We kept the original plantation shutters and millwork and built a toddler-friendly space he can enjoy for years and years. I had my muralist paint an argyle wall to set the tone. I used new custom furniture combined with some store bought pieces. Accessorizing the space was a fun task. Instead of using store bought items, I had some custom wall art made for him to personalize the space. I had his great grandmother’s golf clubs mounted onto graphic green and white fabric studded with chrome nailheads. An Etsy seller made us a custom metal piece with all their favorite golf brands. Another Etsy seller made us wall hooks fashioned from golf balls. No golf theme room would be complete without a putting green, so had one of those thrown in to so he can practice his putts. He now loves his new room and enjoys spending time in there (not to mention now sleeping in there too!).

Formal Dining in a relax setting by Tania Scardellato – TOC design Remodeling your home can be a lengthy and time consuming process, especially if you opt to renovate the entire house rather than just one room. However, even just by updating the decor in your home you can create a beautiful and fresh looking space. One space that is particularly easy to overhaul is the dining room. This is one of the smaller rooms in the home and contains a minimal amount of furniture, making the remodeling process quick and simple. An essential factor of dining room design is the color scheme of this space. When searching for the best paint colors for a dining room you should keep a few things in mind, including your design, the size of the room, and the décor of the rest of your house. Because it tends to be smaller than most rooms in the home you do not want to choose a really dark or overwhelming color like black or bright fuchsia. Rather save these hues as accents in dark wood furniture, curtains, pictures, and other wall art. In this dining room we kept the colors neutral and added more accents to hi-gloss moldings, highlighting the architecture of the space and creating space definition with a TOUCH OF CLASS - TOC When it comes to lighting for the dining room you have a lot of options such as chandeliers or wall sconces, however natural light is always best. If you already have windows in this space try to keep them uncovered or use sheer fabric curtains to allow optimum illumination in throughout the day. If your dining room does not have windows there are other options available that can help to brighten and open up this area Accessorizing your dining room with the right accents is very important to tie in all aspects of the design. For example, an elegant table centerpiece can make the dining space feel more homey and relaxed. You can accent a kitchen island or dining table with a stunning vase of festive flowers, ornamental fruits and vegetables, or a basket of decorative glass ornaments. However, try to keep the ornamentation to a minimum to prevent cluttering the countertops. Sometimes the table itself can be an accent piece. The dining room creates an elegant focal point that contains different colors, textures, and patterns. Similarly, leather chairs surrounding solid oak dining room furniture add the element of texture and color while creating a rustic, old world atmosphere. Regardless of the look you are trying to obtain, or the room in which you are redecorating, we can help create the style custom to suit your needs

Do you love the look of wide plank custom hardwood floors but prefer something less expensive & more durable? Cost cutting solution #5, These engineered hardwoods were substantially less, but better yet, they're extremely durable according to the client. The homeowners were leery how they would look at first, but the photos we found on Houzz gave them confidence. Design tips - the blown glass lamp, Art, Fern and linen bench detract your eye so the flat screen TV doesn't demand as much attention. Notice how the fern thrives in mid day sun!

Updated Spec Home: Foyer and Great Room In our last post, we introduced you to my mom and sister’s Updated Spec Home; the Foyer and Great Room will be featured in this post. Foyer As you enter their home, to the right is a hall closet and a french door which leads to the Basement. To the left is a long wall which was perfect for an extra long console table in a rustic finish that served as a sofa table in their previous home. I love repositioning furniture, and by using this table in the entry, it makes it feel new. Additionally, we placed a vibrant piece of art previously used in my sister’s Bedroom above the table. This piece not only sets the tone for our color palette, it also makes the kind of statement you want in your Foyer – Wow! We added accessories and an unique lamp to complete the space. Great Room In the Great Room which is open to the Foyer, we installed our inspiration artwork in the place of honor over the mantel. Since the piece was vertical, it did not take up enough space. I do not like a “fussy” mantel with lots of accessories so we found these two vases in a silver leaf finish. They were perfect because they were large enough, but not too deep. Accessorizing mantels can be tricky because the majority of them are not deep. We went to Jan’s Floral Design to add vibrant color and interesting textures to the vases. The original mantel was too small and uninspired. Therefore, we had our contractor Brad Anderson built a new one based on a photo of a mantel we liked. The new mantel has lots of great detail and is the appropriate proportion for the fireplace. We replaced beige 12×12 ceramic tiles with gorgeous large pieces of smoked carrara marble for a striking fireplace surround. Check out this other mantel that we updated. For furniture, we purchased a shorter sofa in a gray tweed fabric. Typically, two throw pillows come with a sofa.We added a fun fringe to the pillows that came with the sofa. I recommend ordering pillows that match your sofa fabric and layering with custom pillows that support your color palette. We added a patterned custom pillow and a striped throw. Next, we got a small scale recliner in a yummy gray leather for my mom and a chair and ottoman in a small scale mint and gray geometric pattern for my sister. We added an accent chair in a fun small scale stripe to fill a corner and add additional seating – which is always a good thing. Remember that this was a Spec Home so there were no built-ins. As a result, we needed a media cabinet for the television and some bookcases to display my mom’s decorative box collection and my sister’s collection of blown colored glass. This set from Ballard Designs fit the bill perfectly. The back is open and airy with nice detail. The wood finish also adds a richness to the space. My mom needed a space for her computer, and this small writing desk fit the space perfectly. Finally, for finishing touches, we added a patterned rug, cornice boards in a mint leaf fabric, and great lamps for ambient lighting. These two rooms are stunning, vibrant and livable. Can’t wait to show you more in our next post! Enjoy! Photo by Tim Furlong Jr.

Example of a mid-sized beach style staircase design in New York