Organized Living Classica closet design in bisque. Organization tip & image from pro organizer, Amanda LeBlanc: store shoes heel to toe - not only does make it easy to see them, it also help you save space! See more Classica designs: http://organizedliving.com/home/products/classica/inspiration-gallery

The homeowners wanted to improve the layout and function of their tired 1980’s bathrooms. The master bath had a huge sunken tub that took up half the floor space and the shower was tiny and in small room with the toilet. We created a new toilet room and moved the shower to allow it to grow in size. This new space is far more in tune with the client’s needs. The kid’s bath was a large space. It only needed to be updated to today’s look and to flow with the rest of the house. The powder room was small, adding the pedestal sink opened it up and the wallpaper and ship lap added the character that it needed

The homeowners wanted to improve the layout and function of their tired 1980’s bathrooms. The master bath had a huge sunken tub that took up half the floor space and the shower was tiny and in small room with the toilet. We created a new toilet room and moved the shower to allow it to grow in size. This new space is far more in tune with the client’s needs. The kid’s bath was a large space. It only needed to be updated to today’s look and to flow with the rest of the house. The powder room was small, adding the pedestal sink opened it up and the wallpaper and ship lap added the character that it needed

Easton, Maryland Traditional Kitchen Design by #JenniferGilmer with a lake view http://gilmerkitchens.com/ Photography by Bob Narod

Previously renovated with a two-story addition in the 80’s, the home’s square footage had been increased, but the current homeowners struggled to integrate the old with the new. An oversized fireplace and awkward jogged walls added to the challenges on the main floor, along with dated finishes. While on the second floor, a poorly configured layout was not functional for this expanding family. From the front entrance, we can see the fireplace was removed between the living room and dining rooms, creating greater sight lines and allowing for more traditional archways between rooms. At the back of the home, we created a new mudroom area, and updated the kitchen with custom two-tone millwork, countertops and finishes. These main floor changes work together to create a home more reflective of the homeowners’ tastes. On the second floor, the master suite was relocated and now features a beautiful custom ensuite, walk-in closet and convenient adjacency to the new laundry room. Gordon King Photography

This expansive Victorian had tremendous historic charm but hadn’t seen a kitchen renovation since the 1950s. The homeowners wanted to take advantage of their views of the backyard and raised the roof and pushed the kitchen into the back of the house, where expansive windows could allow southern light into the kitchen all day. A warm historic gray/beige was chosen for the cabinetry, which was contrasted with character oak cabinetry on the appliance wall and bar in a modern chevron detail. Kitchen Design: Sarah Robertson, Studio Dearborn Architect: Ned Stoll, Interior finishes Tami Wassong Interiors

New Yorkers are always on the prowl for innovative ways to make the most of the space they have. An upper east side couple, challenged with a slightly narrow L shaped apartment sought out Decor Aid’s help to make the most of their Manhattan condo. Paired with one of our senior designer, Kimberly P., we learned that the clients wanted a space that looked beautiful, comfortable and also packed with functionality for everyday living. “Immediately upon seeing the space, I knew that we needed to create a narrative that allowed the design to control how you moved through the space,” reports Kimberly, senior interior designer. After surveying each room and learning a bit more about their personal style, we started with the living room remodel. It was clear that the couple wanted to infuse mid-century modern into the design plan. Sourcing the Room & Board Jasper Sofa with its narrow arms and tapered legs, it offered the mid-century look, with the modern comfort the clients are used to. Velvet accent pillows from West Elm and Crate & Barrel add pops of colors but also a subtle touch of luxury, while framed pictures from the couple’s honeymoon personalize the space. Moving to the dining room next, Kimberly decided to add a blue accent wall to emphasize the Horchow two piece Percussion framed art that was to be the focal point of the dining area. The Seno sideboard from Article perfectly accentuated the mid-century style the clients loved while providing much-needed storage space. The palette used throughout both rooms were very New York style, grays, blues, beiges, and whites, to add depth, Kimberly sourced decorative pieces in a mixture of different metals. “The artwork above their bureau in the bedroom is photographs that her father took,” Moving into the bedroom renovation, our designer made sure to continue to stick to the client’s style preference while once again creating a personalized, warm and comforting space by including the photographs taken by the client’s father. The Avery bed added texture and complimented the other colors in the room, while a hidden drawer at the foot pulls out for attached storage, which thrilled the clients. A deco-inspired Faceted mirror from West Elm was a perfect addition to the bedroom due to the illusion of space it provides. The result was a bedroom that was full of mid-century design, personality, and area so they can freely move around. The project resulted in the form of a layered mid-century modern design with touches of luxury but a space that can not only be lived in but serves as an extension of the people who live there. Our designer was able to take a very narrowly shaped Manhattan apartment and revamp it into a spacious home that is great for sophisticated entertaining or comfortably lazy nights in.

This home remodel is a celebration of curves and light. Starting from humble beginnings as a basic builder ranch style house, the design challenge was maximizing natural light throughout and providing the unique contemporary style the client’s craved. The Entry offers a spectacular first impression and sets the tone with a large skylight and an illuminated curved wall covered in a wavy pattern Porcelanosa tile. The chic entertaining kitchen was designed to celebrate a public lifestyle and plenty of entertaining. Celebrating height with a robust amount of interior architectural details, this dynamic kitchen still gives one that cozy feeling of home sweet home. The large “L” shaped island accommodates 7 for seating. Large pendants over the kitchen table and sink provide additional task lighting and whimsy. The Dekton “puzzle” countertop connection was designed to aid the transition between the two color countertops and is one of the homeowner’s favorite details. The built-in bistro table provides additional seating and flows easily into the Living Room. A curved wall in the Living Room showcases a contemporary linear fireplace and tv which is tucked away in a niche. Placing the fireplace and furniture arrangement at an angle allowed for more natural walkway areas that communicated with the exterior doors and the kitchen working areas. The dining room’s open plan is perfect for small groups and expands easily for larger events. Raising the ceiling created visual interest and bringing the pop of teal from the Kitchen cabinets ties the space together. A built-in buffet provides ample storage and display. The Sitting Room (also called the Piano room for its previous life as such) is adjacent to the Kitchen and allows for easy conversation between chef and guests. It captures the homeowner’s chic sense of style and joie de vivre.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

For this project, the entire kitchen was designed around the “must-have” Lacanche range in the stunning French Blue with brass trim. That was the client’s dream and everything had to be built to complement it. Bilotta senior designer, Randy O’Kane, CKD worked with Paul Benowitz and Dipti Shah of Benowitz Shah Architects to contemporize the kitchen while staying true to the original house which was designed in 1928 by regionally noted architect Franklin P. Hammond. The clients purchased the home over two years ago from the original owner. While the house has a magnificent architectural presence from the street, the basic systems, appointments, and most importantly, the layout and flow were inappropriately suited to contemporary living. The new plan removed an outdated screened porch at the rear which was replaced with the new family room and moved the kitchen from a dark corner in the front of the house to the center. The visual connection from the kitchen through the family room is dramatic and gives direct access to the rear yard and patio. It was important that the island separating the kitchen from the family room have ample space to the left and right to facilitate traffic patterns, and interaction among family members. Hence vertical kitchen elements were placed primarily on existing interior walls. The cabinetry used was Bilotta’s private label, the Bilotta Collection – they selected beautiful, dramatic, yet subdued finishes for the meticulously handcrafted cabinetry. The double islands allow for the busy family to have a space for everything – the island closer to the range has seating and makes a perfect space for doing homework or crafts, or having breakfast or snacks. The second island has ample space for storage and books and acts as a staging area from the kitchen to the dinner table. The kitchen perimeter and both islands are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Paper White. The wall cabinets flanking the sink have wire mesh fronts in a statuary bronze – the insides of these cabinets are painted blue to match the range. The breakfast room cabinetry is Benjamin Moore’s Lampblack with the interiors of the glass cabinets painted in Paper White to match the kitchen. All countertops are Vermont White Quartzite from Eastern Stone. The backsplash is Artistic Tile’s Kyoto White and Kyoto Steel. The fireclay apron-front main sink is from Rohl while the smaller prep sink is from Linkasink. All faucets are from Waterstone in their antique pewter finish. The brass hardware is from Armac Martin and the pendants above the center island are from Circa Lighting. The appliances, aside from the range, are a mix of Sub-Zero, Thermador and Bosch with panels on everything.

This little laundry room uses hidden tricks to modernize and maximize limited space. The main wall features bumped out upper cabinets above the washing machine for increased storage and easy access. Next to the cabinets are open shelves that allow space for the air vent on the back wall. This fan was faux painted to match the cabinets - blending in so well you wouldn’t even know it’s there! Between the cabinetry and blue fantasy marble countertop sits a luxuriously tiled backsplash. This beautiful backsplash hides the door to necessary valves, its outline barely visible while allowing easy access. Making the room brighter are light, textured walls, under cabinet, and updated lighting. Though you can’t see it in the photos, one more trick was used: the door was changed to smaller french doors, so when open, they are not in the middle of the room. Door backs are covered in the same wallpaper as the rest of the room - making the doors look like part of the room, and increasing available space.

Photo: Hoi Ning Wong © 2014 Houzz Design: Sarah Warto, Boxleaf Design
Inspiration for a craftsman landscaping in San Francisco.

A 90's builder home undergoes a massive renovation to accommodate this family of four who were looking for a comfortable, casual yet sophisticated atmosphere that pulled design influence from their collective roots in Colorado, Texas, NJ and California. Thoughtful touches throughout make this the perfect house to come home to. Featured in the January/February issue of DESIGN BUREAU. Won FAMILY ROOM OF THE YEAR by NC Design Online. Won ASID 1st Place in the ASID Carolinas Design Excellence Competition.

Sophie Mutevelian
Example of a minimalist white tile and subway tile light wood floor bathroom design in London with a vessel sink, light wood cabinets, white walls, a one-piece toilet and open cabinets

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

The Dura Supreme double vanity is painted in a bold but neutral gray. A tall central storage tower in the middle allows for extra storage and allowing the countertops to be free of clutter.

The pergola, above the uppermost horizontal 'strip' of cedar, is a bronze poly-carbonate, which allows light to come through, but which blocks UV rays and keeps out the rain. It's also available in clear, and a few more colors.

Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic boy nursery remodel in Los Angeles with blue walls

The walkway that we closed up in the kitchen is now home to the new stainless steel oven and matching hood vent. Previously, the oven sat on the reverse side of the kitchen which did not allow for an overhead vent. Our clients will certainly notice a difference in cooking now that the space is properly ventilated! The new wall also allows for additional cabinet storage. A space-saving Lazy Suzan sits in the lower cabinets to the left of the oven, while a stack of wide utensil drawers conveniently occupies the right side. Final photos by Impressia Photography.