This beautiful Birmingham, MI home had been renovated prior to our clients purchase, but the style and overall design was not a fit for their family. They really wanted to have a kitchen with a large “eat-in” island where their three growing children could gather, eat meals and enjoy time together. Additionally, they needed storage, lots of storage! We decided to create a completely new space. The original kitchen was a small “L” shaped workspace with the nook visible from the front entry. It was completely closed off to the large vaulted family room. Our team at MSDB re-designed and gutted the entire space. We removed the wall between the kitchen and family room and eliminated existing closet spaces and then added a small cantilevered addition toward the backyard. With the expanded open space, we were able to flip the kitchen into the old nook area and add an extra-large island. The new kitchen includes oversized built in Subzero refrigeration, a 48” Wolf dual fuel double oven range along with a large apron front sink overlooking the patio and a 2nd prep sink in the island. Additionally, we used hallway and closet storage to create a gorgeous walk-in pantry with beautiful frosted glass barn doors. As you slide the doors open the lights go on and you enter a completely new space with butcher block countertops for baking preparation and a coffee bar, subway tile backsplash and room for any kind of storage needed. The homeowners love the ability to display some of the wine they’ve purchased during their travels to Italy! We did not stop with the kitchen; a small bar was added in the new nook area with additional refrigeration. A brand-new mud room was created between the nook and garage with 12” x 24”, easy to clean, porcelain gray tile floor. The finishing touches were the new custom living room fireplace with marble mosaic tile surround and marble hearth and stunning extra wide plank hand scraped oak flooring throughout the entire first floor.

The upper deck includes Ipe flooring, an outdoor kitchen with concrete countertops, and a custom decorative metal railing that connects to the lower deck's artificial turf area. The ground level features custom concrete pavers, fire pit, open framed pergola with day bed and under decking system.

Front entryway was created to control change a small sloping front yard to a landscaped entryway using retaining walls for planters and flowing stairway to front door. Raised patio by house was added for a front sitting area. Product used - Allan Block - AB Europa Collection. Photo by Allan Block Retaining Walls

Builder: John Kraemer & Sons | Photography: Landmark Photography
Mid-sized minimalist concrete floor kitchen photo in Minneapolis with flat-panel cabinets, limestone countertops, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and dark wood cabinets

Inspiration for a transitional bedroom remodel in Other

Upon entering the home from the screened porch, MOSS installed floor to ceiling semi-custom cabinetry to be used as a sort of butler’s pantry to store kitchen items, additional entertainment ware, guests’ coats, cleaning equipment and supplies, and more. The use of the unique green tone was a beautiful touch as the color green is used throughout the home’s updated décor and brings a sense of unity to the overall space. Immediately off the long hallway is the home’s kitchen, which was completely updated. Square footage was not affected but MOSS re-designed the space so that it could be used in a more functional manner. A massive kitchen island with a beautiful soapstone countertop dominates the room. Semi-custom white cabinetry lines the perimeters. New large windows provide an incredible view of the yard. Finally, a seating area with built-ins was added to supply more space for seating and for the dining room table to be moved from the center of the kitchen, previously, to the side. The kitchen also features a beautiful fireplace which had its wooden surround updated. The home’s sunroom, located next to the kitchen, was previously a few feet lower than the rest of the home. To bring a better flow to the space, MOSS raised the entire floor of the room up to meet the rest of the main level. Stunningly, the hardwood floor matches to a “T”. In the home’s living room and office, full wall built-ins were added, allowing the homeowners to display their favorite books on topics ranging from art to history, as well as showcasing statues and art sculptures and other items that are meaningful to their family. The living room fireplace’s stone and wooden surrounds were updated by MOSS as well.

Example of a small transitional open concept light wood floor and beige floor living room design in Vancouver with white walls, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace and a media wall

Photo: Rikki Snyder ©2016 Houzz
Staircase - eclectic staircase idea in Providence

Beach style bathroom photo in San Diego

These homeowners came to us to design several areas of their home, including their mudroom and laundry. They were a growing family and needed a "landing" area as they entered their home, either from the garage but also asking for a new entrance from outside. We stole about 24 feet from their oversized garage to create a large mudroom/laundry area. Custom blue cabinets with a large "X" design on the doors of the lockers, a large farmhouse sink and a beautiful cement tile feature wall with floating shelves make this mudroom stylish and luxe. The laundry room now has a pocket door separating it from the mudroom, and houses the washer and dryer with a wood butcher block folding shelf. White tile backsplash and custom white and blue painted cabinetry takes this laundry to the next level. Both areas are stunning and have improved not only the aesthetic of the space, but also the function of what used to be an inefficient use of space.

One small window, faux woodgrain cabinets and lots of doors made this closed-off Arlington kitchen feel dark and drab, the total opposite of the vibrant young family of four that lives here. To brighten and open up the small kitchen, we removed the wall separating the dining room, expanded the window above the sink and installed a French door to let even more light in from an adjoining sun room. Light now pours into the kitchen, making it feel welcoming, airy and bright. To accommodate the expanded kitchen, we removed a hulking set of built-ins from the dining room which provided two extra feet to work with. The larger footprint allowed us to relocate major appliances and provide a generous amount of storage and prep space including a food safe butcher block to the right of the range. Natural wood elements such as the chopping block, reclaimed shelves and beautiful new floors add character and warmth to the all-white kitchen. One of the must-haves in this renovation was a farmhouse sink which is a great way to maximize function when a smaller sink base is used. We opted to take the tile backsplash all the way to the ceiling along the window wall, creating a more polished look with the added bonus of making the ceiling feel taller. The subway tiles’ subtle texture adds depth to the simple white-on-white motif and the change to a herringbone pattern behind the range adds visual interest without feeling too busy. A crisp white backdrop is perfect for adding pops of color with dishware, accessories and the family’s vintage stand mixer. The newly renovated kitchen-dining area is much better suited for this family’s active lifestyle and the updated design now complements the rest of their stylish home. Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Tessa Neustadt
Kitchen - kitchen idea in New York

A front yard planter was added to give definition to the front yard and a easy to maintain planting area. Product used - Allan Block - AB Europa Collection. Allan Block Retaining Walls

This is a great idea to shield out neighbors while still abiding by code regulations.
Example of a small classic backyard concrete patio design in Orange County

Photo: Caroline Sharpnack © 2018 Houzz
Eclectic bathroom photo in Nashville

A walnut butcher block was added to the end of the island to create a location for prep and to tie in with the wood floor and the wood vent accent.
Eat-in kitchen - large transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops

1st floor bathroom - featuring custom mini circle windows
Example of a small trendy red tile and ceramic tile concrete floor and single-sink bathroom design in Austin with flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, black countertops and a built-in vanity

This was a major remodel where the kitchen was completely gutted, flooring and soffits were removed and all the electrical in the kitchen had to be reworked and brought up to code. We used Waypoint Living Spaces for the perimeter cabinets and used a riser and crown molding to connect the cabinets to the ceiling. We chose Medallion Cabinetry for the island because the customer had her heart set on a green painted island. The hardware we used is from the Mulholland collection by Amerock. The customers have large family gathers and it was very important for them to have an island that was moveable. We used casters from Richelieu to create and island that could move easily, as well as having brakes to keep the island in place when they wanted. Giallo Traversella granite was used on the perimeter countertops to tie together the greens and beige tones of the cabinetry and we used John Boos, walnut butcher block countertop for the island to compliment wood tones from the existing millwork in the home. The customer provided me with an inspiration picture for a backsplash, she knew she wanted a glass patterned backsplash. Ceramic Tiles International had released their Debut Petal mosaic tile and the customer loved it. Prior to the remodel, the kitchen was very dark and very crowded, it did not function in a way that worked for my customer. We added under cabinet LED lights, one general ceiling fixture and LED Brio Disc lights with dimming capabilities so the customers could adjust the lighting to their specific needs. Light fixtures were updated in the hallways as well as the kitchen. My customer didn’t know exactly what they wanted as far as plumbing was concerned. They wanted products that were durable and easy to maintain. I chose the Blanco Performa undermount sink in the Truffle color due to is durability and the color complimented the other materials. We used Moen’s Arbor single handle pull down spray faucet and transitional soap dispenser due to its simplistic design, functionality and warranty. We used a ¾ horsepower Insinkerator disposal and a deluxe Steamball strainer basket. The customer originally had Parquet flooring and they liked the look of real hardwood. Madeira 5” planks in Dark Gunstock oak was chosen for its color and durability. The flooring brought in warm neutral tones to compliment other materials. My customer wanted a larger window, but they had some safety concerns. We addressed their concerns by providing a larger Awning style window, using tempered glass and double locks.

After going through the tragedy of losing their home to a fire, Cherie Miller of CDH Designs and her family were having a difficult time finding a home they liked on a large enough lot. They found a builder that would work with their needs and incredibly small budget, even allowing them to do much of the work themselves. Cherie not only designed the entire home from the ground up, but she and her husband also acted as Project Managers. They custom designed everything from the layout of the interior - including the laundry room, kitchen and bathrooms; to the exterior. There's nothing in this home that wasn't specified by them. CDH Designs 15 East 4th St Emporium, PA 15834