Designed By: Richard Bustos Photos By: Jeri Koegel Ron and Kathy Chaisson have lived in many homes throughout Orange County, including three homes on the Balboa Peninsula and one at Pelican Crest. But when the “kind of retired” couple, as they describe their current status, decided to finally build their ultimate dream house in the flower streets of Corona del Mar, they opted not to skimp on the amenities. “We wanted this house to have the features of a resort,” says Ron. “So we designed it to have a pool on the roof, five patios, a spa, a gym, water walls in the courtyard, fire-pits and steam showers.” To bring that five-star level of luxury to their newly constructed home, the couple enlisted Orange County’s top talent, including our very own rock star design consultant Richard Bustos, who worked alongside interior designer Trish Steel and Patterson Custom Homes as well as Brandon Architects. Together the team created a 4,500 square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom contemporary house where R&R get top billing in almost every room. Two stories tall and with lots of open spaces, it manages to feel spacious despite its narrow location. And from its third floor patio, it boasts panoramic ocean views. “Overall we wanted this to be contemporary, but we also wanted it to feel warm,” says Ron. Key to creating that look was Richard, who selected the primary pieces from our extensive portfolio of top-quality furnishings. Richard also focused on clean lines and neutral colors to achieve the couple’s modern aesthetic, while allowing both the home’s gorgeous views and Kathy’s art to take center stage. As for that mahogany-lined elevator? “It’s a requirement,” states Ron. “With three levels, and lots of entertaining, we need that elevator for keeping the bar stocked up at the cabana, and for our big barbecue parties.” He adds, “my wife wears high heels a lot of the time, so riding the elevator instead of taking the stairs makes life that much better for her.”

This modern kitchen was designed keeping potential buyers in mind. The design was geared towards allowing two people in the kitchen at once and having an island big enough to make entertaining easy.

The kitchen was at the top of the list for a total overhaul – the worn oak cabinets, dated appliances, and clunky layout all had to go. Removing the decorative soffits allowed us to take the new cabinetry all the way to the ceiling, adding functional storage and visually extending the room’s height. We reconfigured the layout from a modified U to an L-shape which accomplished several things – it opened up the kitchen to the dining room, redirected circulation, and most importantly, created space for an island. A brand new pantry was created for overflow food storage, bulk items, occasional dishware and small appliances, ensuring that our client’s goal of uncluttered countertops was achievable. The finish selections and clean lines give a nod to the home’s mid-century bones. The wood island provides warmth and the light quartz countertops, textured backsplash and white cabinets keep the kitchen feeling light and bright. We opted to install open shelving above the sink which provides display space and needed storage without the bulkiness of an overhead cabinet. The matte black faucet, hardware and decorative pendants add another level of visual interest to the modern kitchen. To unify the kitchen and dining room, we replaced the drab kitchen flooring with select red oak hardwoods that were expertly installed and refinished to match the gorgeous wood flooring throughout the home.

This is a breakfast area that's right off of the kitchen. We added this feature to maximize the space in the room; allowing for maximum seating potential while maintaining open flow.

Example of a trendy kitchen design in Chicago

The designers at Fordham Marble created a soothing feel with grey and white Marble bubble mosaic pattern on the floors. Completely unexpected.
Bathroom - mid-sized traditional kids' blue tile and ceramic tile marble floor and gray floor bathroom idea in New York with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops and a hinged shower door

Modern organic kitchen with blush zellige tile, open shelving, custom black island, brass lighting, brass hardware, quartz countertops, pantry cabinet, small kitchen, small laundry room, airy kitchen, white oak flooring, vintage runner, turkish rug, open airy kitchen, natural lighting, white cabinets, farmhouse sink, apron front sink

This welcoming family lake retreat was custom designed by MossCreek to allow for large gatherings of friends and family. It features a completely open design with several areas for entertaining. It is also perfectly designed to maximize the potential of a beautiful lakefront site. Photo by Erwin Loveland

BC&J Architecture designed a floating home that is now located at its permanent location on the Willamette River in Portland. The home was constructed at a Marina an hour from the final home location. Upon completion, the home was floated up the Willamette River to the current site. The homeowners were looking for a river side, cottage style house well suited to entertaining. At 2,100 square feet, the home has an open floor plan with a large kitchen opening to a dining room and the living room with views onto the river. Upstairs, the master bedroom extends toward the river under a large centered dormer. On the opposite side of the master bedroom is a bonus room under a symmetrical dormer that will serve as guest quarters when adult children and grandchildren visit.

This older home on the Southside of Birmingham has an open airy look and feel. Removing the wall between then eat in area and working kitchen allows for a much larger kitchen. A desk area was added as the client works from home. Integrated appliances keep the cabinets front and center. The Chef's range is beautiful and sets in a very functional work space with plenty of room left and right for prep. The wide galley allows for the small peninsula and space for three to four seats at the bar.

Our clients came to us with a desire to completely renovate their master bathroom and enlarge the shower. We were able to double the size of the shower in width by taking space from an adjacent room. By not including a shower door, we were able to maximize the full potential of the space. An off set vanity bowl allowed us to provided four functional drawers for plenty of storage. Using a lighter tile in the shower and the floor we were able to create an interesting contrast in the vanity and granite. The bathroom fixtures in the Venetian Bronze was and excellent finish to this elegant master bathroom. Photographer: Ilona Kalimov

This kitchen is a great example of casual elegance. The color palette is made up of whites and creams, making the kitchen soft and appealing to the eye. The cabinets and hardware are unfinished, allowing the homeowners to repaint their kitchen for a future project and it gives the kitchen a touch of countryside . -Allison Caves, CKD Caves Kitchens

These homeowners found a new house in a new city with the potential to become their dream home. Their journey to the perfect home took a full remodel project that Showplace was proud to be a part of. From kitchen to fireplace mantle see how cabinetry elements throughout the home become beautiful touches of design by adding light and natural elegance. Bases, Floating Shelves, Vanity, Family Room: Door Style: Pendleton Construction: International+/Full Overlay Wood Type: Maple Finish: Cashew Uppers: Door Style: Pendleton Construction: International+/Full Overlay Wood Type: Paint Grade Paint: Showplace Paints - Heron Plume

Shown in the open position, the outer sections of the architectural photograph slide apart to reveal shelving concealed within the custom storage wall. When closed, the three sections form one continuous panoramic image; when open, the artwork frames frequently used books, files and office supplies. This flexible design allows the wall to shift between a clean visual focal point and accessible working storage.

The custom gas fire pit is built on a raised patio. Natural stone pavers were selected to contrast the walkway and main patio pavers. Both the change in material and the elevated patio distinguish this area as a separate outdoor room--one of seven on this 1/2 acre property.

Inspiration for a modern dining room remodel in Orange County

This dream bathroom has everything one can wish for an ideal bathroom escape. It doesn’t just look fabulous – it works well and it is built to stand the test of time. This bathroom was designed as a private oasis, a place to relax and unwind. Spa-like environment is created by expansive double-sink custom vanity, an elegant free standing tub, and a spacious two-person barrier-free shower with a floating bench. Toilet is concealed within a separate nook behind a pocket door. Main bathroom area is outlined by a tray ceiling perimeter. The room looks open, airy and spacious. Nothing interferes with the ceiling design and overall space configuration. It hasn’t always been that way. Former layout had serious pitfalls that made the room look much smaller. The shower concealed behind solid walls protruded into the main area clashing with the tray ceiling geometry. Massive shower stall took up significant amount of the room leaving no continuous wall space for a double sink vanity. There were two separate vanities with a dead corner space between them. At the same time, the toilet room was quite spacious with just one fixture in the far end. New layout not only looks better, it allows for a better functionality and fully reveals the space potential. The toilet was relocated to occupy the former linen closet space slightly expanded into adjacent walk-in closet. Shower was moved into the bigger alcove, away from the tray ceiling area. It opened up the room while giving space for a gorgeous wall-to-wall vanity. Having a full glass wall, the shower extends the space even further. Sparkling glass creates no barrier to the eyesight. The room feels clean, breezy and extra spacious. Gorgeous frameless shower enclosure with glass-to-glass clamps and hinges shows off premium tile designs of the accent shower wall. Free standing tub remained in its original place in front of the window. With no solid shower walls nearby, it became a focal point adorned with the new crystal chandelier above it. This two-tier gorgeous chandelier makes the bathroom feel incredibly grand. A touch of luxury is showing up in timeless polished chrome faucet finish selections as well. New expansive custom vanity has his and her full height linen towers, his and her sink cabinets with two individual banks of drawers on the sides and one shared drawer cabinet in the middle containing a charging station in the upper drawer. Vanity counter tops and floating shower seat top are made of high-end quartz. Vessel sinks resemble the shape and style of the free-standing tub. To make the room feel even more spacious and to showcase the shower area in the reflection, a full size mirror is installed over the vanity. Crystal sconces are installed directly into the mirror. Crisp classic white tile gives the room a timeless sense of polish and luxury. Walls around the perimeter of the entire bathroom are tiled half way. Three rows of 12”x 24” porcelain tile resembling white marble are crowned with a thin row of intricate glass tiles with marble accents, and a chair rail tile. Tile design flows into a spacious barrier-free two-person walk-in shower. Two more tile patterns of the same tile collection are brought into play. Rear wall is adorned with a picture frame made out of 12”x12” tiles laid at 45 degree angle within the same chair rail and glass tile border. Shower floor is made of small hexagon tiles for proper drainage. Shower area has two hidden from plain sight niches to contain shampoo bottles and toiletries. The rear side of the niches is made of glass mosaics for a waterfall effect. To showcase the picture frame inside the shower, the accent shower wall is washed with cascading light from a discrete LED strip tucked in a cove behind “floating” shower ceiling platform. Multiple shower heads (two ceiling-mount rain heads, one multi-functional wall mount shower head, and a handheld shower) are able to provide a fully customizable shower experience. Despite of many hard surfaces and shiny finishes, which can sometimes lead to a cold impersonal feeling, this bathroom is cozy and truly welcoming. This sense of warms is maintained by exclusive multi-functional layered lighting. Carefully designed groups of lights (all having a dimmer control) can be used simultaneously, in various combinations, or separately to create numerous different effects and perfect atmosphere for every mood and occasion. Some lights have smart controls and can be operated remotely. Amazing effect can be achieved by dimmable toe kick perimeter lighting. With the ceiling lights turned off, the vanity looks as if it is floating in the air. Multifaceted crystal fixtures produce cascades of sparkling rainbow reflections dancing around the room and creating an illusion of a starry sky. Programmable radiant heating floor offers additional warmth and comfort to the room. This bathroom is well suited for either a quick morning shower or a night in for ultimate relaxation with a champagne toast and a long soak in the freestanding tub.

Gracious half porch with room enough for rockers and table. No maintenance metal roof overhead and curved entry to mimic beautiful front doors. Designed and built by Georgia Front Porch.

Tash Hopkins
Inspiration for a contemporary two-story wood exterior home remodel in Auckland