Photo by Jim Raycroft When these homeowners first came to us in 2011, they had a list of major projects to adapt their Victorian home to the needs of their growing family. The first phase of work was a basement renovation to provide informal hang out space. The second was a garage. Finally they turned their attention to the master bedroom and bathroom. FROM BALCONY TO BATHROOM At one end of the suite was a cramped and outdated bathroom. At the other end was an underutilized, high-maintenance, exterior balcony. A leaky door to the balcony, as well as inadequate insulation and air-sealing and a poorly designed heating system, made the bedroom difficult to keep comfortable in the winter. We chose to capture the old balcony as indoor space and relocate the bathroom to that end of the master suite. This strategy not only gave us the opportunity to install much better insulation and good, tight windows, it created enough new floor area that we were able to include a large walk-in shower, separate vanities, a toilet room, and a make-up counter in the new master bathroom. ADAPTING AND UPDATING The project allowed us to find a prominent place for an old leaded glass window sash that the homeowners had been hanging onto for several years in anticipation of this project. The flow and layout of the master suite are now much better suited to a 21st century lifestyle. But best of all (to us, anyway), the homeowners report that the bathroom—where the old balcony had been—is now the most comfortable room in the house.

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Ooh baby our client is excited and so are we! New room, new kiddo, new accessories, new adventure! Little cutie Carter needs a crib to crash… (so the parents can try to get some sleep) There’s nothing quite like preparing for one’s first child. From the crazy anticipation to the silliest worries, adding a plus one to the family can be a lot (not to mention the hormones and why do pickles sound SOOO good?!?) Luckily, Paxton Place is more than happy to help! We can’t bring ice cream at 2am (sorry) but we can design a cute and cozy space for you and the baby to bond together. Our client wanted a modern twist on the classics for little Carter. We chose various blues and whites for our boy; but notice the fun patterns on the ceiling and sheets. There’s a refined minimalist design with the furniture that feels timeless but looks 21st century. Transitioning, a new baby isn’t just for the parents; grandparents have to make room, also. They opted for a more traditional approach for grandbaby number 1. To accommodate, we installed soft lacy curtains and blankets for our special man. There’s also antique plates and mirrors to reflect a more mature design that matches the rest of their home. We loved creating two unique environments, connecting generations to come.

Our design for the expansion and gut renovation of a small 1200 square foot house in a residential neighborhood triples is size, and reworks the living arrangement. The rear addition takes advantage of southern exposure with a "greenhouse" room that provides solar heat gain in winter, shading in summer, and a vast connection to the rear yard. Architecturally, we used an approach we call "willful practicality." The new soaring ceiling ties together first and second floors in a dramatic volumetric expansion of space, while providing increased ventilation and daylighting from greenhouse to operable windows and skylights at the peak. Exterior pockets of space are created from curved forces pushing in from outside to form cedar clad porch and stoop. Sustainable design is employed throughout all materials, energy systems and insulation. Masonry exterior walls and concrete floors provide thermal mass for the interior by insulating the exterior. An ERV system facilitates increased air changes and minimizes changes to the interior air temperature. Energy and water saving features and renewable, non-toxic materal selections are important aspects of the house design. Environmental community issues are addressed with a drywell in the side yard to mitigate rain runoff into the town sewer system. The long sloping south facing roof is in anticipation of future solar panels, with the standing seam metal roof providing anchoring opportunities for the panels. The exterior walls are clad in stucco, cedar, and cement-fiber panels defining different areas of the house. Closed cell spray insulation is applied to exterior walls and roof, giving the house an "air-tight" seal against air infiltration and a high R-value. The ERV system provides the ventilation needed with this tight envelope. The interior comfort level and economizing are the beneficial results of the building methods and systems employed in the house. Photographer: Peter Kubilus

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

“In order to write about life first you must live it.” Ernest Hemingway quote. The Hemingway Series, highly anticipated 2nd series released from Vengerick Art. This series is inspired by Hemingways love of life, travel, and drink. The paintings in the Hemingway series allow the viewers perspective to experience the vastest of their realities. The scale of the paintings wash over the viewer allowing them to immersed in these masterful works of art from their own lives reality. Vengerick believes this famous quote to be very true of his work. Vengerick has lived a storied life of adventure. While life for Vengerick has not always been the easiest life. But to truly experience life one must suffer at the hands of defeat from time to time. The original original paintings of the Hemingway Series will be sized 3-5 meters in width. The paintings will incorporate dynamic technique of the masters painting and the expansive size. Certain artists have made it impossible to write the history of modernism without them. In the earlier 20th century such towering innovators as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian Marcelduchamp, spring to mind almost at random. Likewise, after 1945 their counterparts include Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon. Without a doubt, Mark Rothko stands firmly in this pantheon.

  Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   This homeowner’s daughter originally contacted us on behalf of her parents who were reluctant to begin the remodeling process in their home due to the inconvenience and dust. Once we met and they dipped their toes into the process, we were off to the races. The existing bathroom in this beautiful historical 1920’s home, had not been updated since the 70’/80’s as evidenced by the blue carpeting, mirrored walls and dropped ceilings. In addition, there was very little storage, and some health setbacks had made the bathroom difficult to maneuver with its tub shower. Once we demoed, we discovered everything we expected to find in a home that had not been updated for many years. We got to work bringing all the electrical and plumbing up to code, and it was just as dusty and dirty as the homeowner’s anticipated! Once the space was demoed, we got to work building our new plan. We eliminated the existing tub and created a large walk-in curb-less shower. An existing closet was eliminated and in its place, we planned a custom built in with spots for linens, jewelry and general storage. Because of the small space, we had to be very creative with the shower footprint, so we clipped one of the walls for more clearance behind the sink. The bathroom features a beautiful custom mosaic floor tile as well as tiled walls throughout the space. This required lots of coordination between the carpenter and tile setter to make sure that the framing and tile design were all properly aligned. We worked around an existing radiator and a unique original leaded window that was architecturally significant to the façade of the home. We had a lot of extra depth behind the original toilet location, so we built the wall out a bit, moved the toilet forward and then created some extra storage space behind the commode. We settled on mirrored mullioned doors to bounce lots of light around the smaller space. We also went back and forth on deciding between a single and double vanity, and in the end decided the single vanity allowed for more counter space, more storage below and for the design to breath a bit in the smaller space. I’m so happy with this decision! To build on the luxurious feel of the space, we added a heated towel bar and heated flooring. One of the concerns the homeowners had was having a comfortable floor to walk on. They realized that carpet was not a very practical solution but liked the comfort it had provided. Heated floors are the perfect solution. The room is decidedly traditional from its intricate mosaic marble floor to the calacutta marble clad walls. Elegant gold chandelier style fixtures, marble countertops and Morris & Co. beaded wallpaper provide an opulent feel to the space. The gray monochromatic pallet keeps it feeling fresh and up-to-date. The beautiful leaded glass window is an important architectural feature at the front of the house. In the summertime, the homeowners love having the window open for fresh air and ventilation. We love it too! The curb-less shower features a small fold down bench that can be used if needed and folded up when not. The shower also features a custom niche for storing shampoo and other hair products. The linear drain is built into the tilework and is barely visible. A frameless glass door that swings both in and out completes the luxurious feel. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

  Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   I am still sometimes shocked myself at how much of a difference a kitchen remodel can make in a space, you think I would know by now! This was one of those jobs. The small U-shaped room was a bit cramped, a bit dark and a bit dated. A neighboring sunroom/breakfast room addition was awkwardly used, and most of the time the couple hung out together at the small peninsula. The client wish list included a larger, lighter kitchen with an island that would seat 7 people. They have a large family and wanted to be able to gather and entertain in the space. Right outside is a lovely backyard and patio with a fireplace, so having easy access and flow to that area was also important. Our first move was to eliminate the wall between kitchen and breakfast room, which we anticipated would need a large beam and some structural maneuvering since it was the old exterior wall. However, what we didn’t anticipate was that the stucco exterior of the original home was layered over hollow clay tiles which was impossible to shore up in the typical manner. After much back and forth with our structural team, we were able to develop a plan to shore the wall and install a large steal & wood structural beam with minimal disruption to the original floor plan. That was important because we had already ordered everything customized to fit the plan. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief once that part was completed. Now we could move on to building the kitchen we had all been waiting for. Oh, and let’s not forget that this was all being done amidst COVID 2020. We covered the rough beam with cedar and stained it to coordinate with the floors. It’s actually one of my favorite elements in the space. The homeowners now have a big beautiful island that seats up to 7 people and has a wonderful flow to the outdoor space just like they wanted. The large island provides not only seating but also substantial prep area perfectly situated between the sink and cooktop. In addition to a built-in oven below the large gas cooktop, there is also a steam oven to the left of the sink. The steam oven is great for baking as well for heating daily meals without having to heat up the large oven. The other side of the room houses a substantial pantry, the refrigerator, a small bar area as well as a TV. The homeowner fell in love the with the Aqua quartzite that is on the island, so we married that with a custom mosaic in a similar tone behind the cooktop. Soft white cabinetry, Cambria quartz and Thassos marble subway tile complete the soft traditional look. Gold accents, wood wrapped beams and oak barstools add warmth the room. The little powder room was also included in the project. Some fun wallpaper, a vanity with a pop of color and pretty fixtures and accessories finish off this cute little space. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Designing our 3rd home for this long-standing client was a real treat when she moved to a big, bright, newly built home in Celina. Being entrusted with every aspect from the floor to the ceiling, down to the last accessory we filled this home with color, comfort and casual elegance. The client was ready for some out of the box thinking and more progressive design ideas from where she’d been in the past. The moody media room, jewel box home office and color pops in the family room exemplify how a home can evoke many different emotions and represent all of the different styles that appeal to her. The backyard is now a relaxing paradise with covered lounging space, an expansive pool, a putting green and a firepit area for intimate fireside chats. Home is now the haven the client anticipated we would create for her and told us she has to sometimes pinch herself to remind her that all this is really hers!