Photo: Carolyn Reyes © 2015 Houzz
Closet - industrial closet idea in Los Angeles

Grays add a softness to the design, whether as a primary color, shown in the kitchen here, or as a secondary color, often on an island. Gray is the perfect fit for the growing trend of Transitional design. The washed look and character of Peppercorn cherry paired with our Boardwalk door style creates a naturally calm and simple space. Designing with consistent horizontal sight lines, linear crown and a blended color palette are a few of the key elements to create a Transitional haven. Pairing gray toned finishes, such as stain and paint, allows you to showcase multiple textures and values for creating depth through a layered approach.

New entry mudroom featuring custom cabinetry with cubby storage and bench seating.
Mudroom - mid-sized transitional ceramic tile and gray floor mudroom idea in Boston with white walls and a medium wood front door

Josh Beeman Photography
Inspiration for a transitional single-wall dark wood floor and brown floor dedicated laundry room remodel in Cincinnati with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, blue walls, a stacked washer/dryer and black countertops

Maple/ painted: Built in breakfast nook with lots of additional storage!! Photo by Madison Cabinets
Inspiration for a small transitional kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Other

Robert Granoff
Elegant medium tone wood floor walk-in closet photo in Denver

Inspiration for a contemporary white tile multicolored floor bathroom remodel in New York with white walls, an undermount sink and white countertops

Elena Almagro
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Madrid

With the large addition, we designed a 2nd floor laundry room at the start of the main suite. Located in between all the bedrooms and bathrooms, this room's function is a 10 out of 10. We added a sink and plenty of cabinet storage. Not seen is a closet on the other wall that holds the iron and other larger items.

Martin Tessler
Farmhouse gender-neutral medium tone wood floor childrens' room photo in Calgary with white walls

PhotoSynthesis Studio
Farmhouse single-wall dedicated laundry room photo in Atlanta with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a side-by-side washer/dryer and gray countertops

Architecture: UMK Architecture / Design: Surrina Plemons Interiors / Landscape Design: REL Designs / Build: Start2finish Construction / Photography: Agnieszka Jakubowicz

Sophisticated and fun were the themes in this design. This bathroom is used by three young children. The parents wanted a bathroom whose decor would be fun for the children, but "not a kiddy bathroom". This family travels to the beach quite often, so they wanted a beach resort (emphasis on resort) influence in the design. Storage of toiletries & medications, as well as a place to hang a multitude of towels, were the primary goals. Besides meeting the storage goals, the bathroom needed to be brightened and needed better lighting. Ocean-inspired blue & white wallpaper was paired with bright orange, Moroccan-inspired floor & accent tiles from Fireclay Tile to give the "resort" look the clients were looking for. Light fixtures with industrial style accents add additional interest, while a seagrass mirror adds texture & warmth. Photos: Christy Kosnic

One homeowner of a particular model home in the Sun City Roseville development that came with a rather large space for a laundry room, was faced with this dilemma recently. After relocating her washer and dryer into the garage and setting up a make shift office of her own in the laundry room, the homeowner realized that, although she succeeded in turning the space into a somewhat functional work area, it just wasn’t up to par for all of her wants and needs. Hoping to come up some new small home office ideas that would squeeze all of her needs into the tiny space, she decided to seek help from a home organization specialist and sat down with The Closet Doctor. There were several requirements and obstacles that made the development of an office design which satisfied the homeowner particularly difficult. One was the need for two workstations which would have enough desk space for each person to sit comfortably and not be on top of each other. Another obstacle was the new design had to work around a cut-out in the corner of the wall, which contained built-in shelves for the components of a nearby entertainment center. Finally, the designer also had to be sure to incorporate “lots of legal sized filing drawers” into its new design. The Closet Doctor went to work and was able to design a solution that, not only met all of the homeowner’s needs, but was attractive, and within her budget. The new built-in design included two work areas that were spacious and each with its own overhead cabinet, storage drawer, and single letter size file drawer for active projects. In between the two overhead cabinets, additional open shelving allowed for display items as well as space for a small TV in the center. Extra storage and organization space was also put behind doors for a clean and neat look. In addition, in order to maintain as much space as possible, the cabinets on the end and left side wall were made just deep enough to fit legal size lateral file drawers. Finally, the built in component shelves were left open in the corner for easy access, with the desk top passing in front of the space at the same height as one of the shelves, which gave the corner a neat and organized appearance as well. To top it off, low energy under cabinet LED lights with a dimmer switch were installed in order to illuminate the work area. The Client loved the result of her home improvement project, in both the look and functionality of the new design compared to the “temporary setup” she had in place before. With the additional storage space and organization that the new built in office unit provided, the satisfied homeowner was able to achieve the clean and organized look as well as optimum functionality that she preferred.

Sequined Asphault Studio
Kitchen - transitional dark wood floor kitchen idea in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets and gray backsplash

The Garden Tool Stash by Teracottage is a convenient little storage hide away that you place in the garden to house your trowel, twine, pruning shears, etc. www.teracottage.com

Example of a transitional gray tile gray floor alcove shower design in Other with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door, gray countertops and a freestanding vanity

This project was completed for clients who wanted a comfortable, accessible 1ST floor bathroom for their grown daughter to use during visits to their home as well as a nicely-appointed space for any guest. Their daughter has some accessibility challenges so the bathroom was also designed with that in mind. The original space worked fairly well in some ways, but we were able to tweak a few features to make the space even easier to maneuver through. We started by making the entry to the shower flush so that there is no curb to step over. In addition, although there was an existing oversized seat in the shower, it was way too deep and not comfortable to sit on and just wasted space. We made the shower a little smaller and then provided a fold down teak seat that is slip resistant, warm and comfortable to sit on and can flip down only when needed. Thus we were able to create some additional storage by way of open shelving to the left of the shower area. The open shelving matches the wood vanity and allows a spot for the homeowners to display heirlooms as well as practical storage for things like towels and other bath necessities. We carefully measured all the existing heights and locations of countertops, toilet seat, and grab bars to make sure that we did not undo the things that were already working well. We added some additional hidden grab bars or “grabcessories” at the toilet paper holder and shower shelf for an extra layer of assurance. Large format, slip-resistant floor tile was added eliminating as many grout lines as possible making the surface less prone to tripping. We used a wood look tile as an accent on the walls, and open storage in the vanity allowing for easy access for clean towels. Bronze fixtures and frameless glass shower doors add an elegant yet homey feel that was important for the homeowner. A pivot mirror allows adjustability for different users. If you are interested in designing a bathroom featuring “Living In Place” or accessibility features, give us a call to find out more. Susan Klimala, CKBD, is a Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS) and particularly enjoys helping her clients with unique needs in the context of beautifully designed spaces. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel

Example of a transitional light wood floor hallway design in Minneapolis with white walls