This Great room is where the family spends a majority of their time. A large navy blue velvet sectional is extra deep for hanging out or watching movies. We layered floral pillows, color blocked pillows, and a vintage rug fragment turned decorative pillow on the sectional. The sunny yellow chairs flank the fireplace and an oversized custom gray leather cocktail ottoman does double duty as a coffee table and extra seating. The large wood tray warms up the cool color palette. A trio of openwork brass chandeliers are scaled for the large space. We created a vertical element in the room with stacked gray stone and installed a reclaimed timber as a mantel.

Appliance garages with bi-fold doors flank both sides of the sink, minimizing clutter while still providing easy access. Cambria countertops make up the outside perimeter.

Architect of Record: David Burton, photographer: Paul Dyer
Small transitional concrete floor home office photo in San Francisco

An Arts & Crafts Bungalow is one of my favorite styles of homes. We have quite a few of them in our Stockton Mid-Town area. And when C&L called us to help them remodel their 1923 American Bungalow, I was beyond thrilled. As per usual, when we get a new inquiry, we quickly Google the project location while we are talking to you on the phone. My excitement escalated when I saw the Google Earth Image of the sweet Sage Green bungalow in Mid-Town Stockton. "Yes, we would be interested in working with you," I said trying to keep my cool. But what made it even better was meeting C&L and touring their home, because they are the nicest young couple, eager to make their home period perfect. Unfortunately, it had been slightly molested by some bad house-flippers, and we needed to bring the bathroom back to it "roots." We knew we had to banish the hideous brown tile and cheap vanity quickly. But C&L complained about the condensation problems and the constant fight with mold. This immediately told me that improper remodeling had occurred and we needed to remedy that right away. The Before: Frustrations with a Botched Remodel The bathroom needed to be brought back to period appropriate design with all the functionality of a modern bathroom. We thought of things like marble countertop, white mosaic floor tiles, white subway tile, board and batten molding, and of course a fabulous wallpaper. This small (and only) bathroom on a tight budget required a little bit of design sleuthing to figure out how we could get the proper look and feel. Our goal was to determine where to splurge and where to economize and how to complete the remodel as quickly as possible because C&L would have to move out while construction was going on. The Process: Hard Work to Remedy Design and Function During our initial design study, (which included 2 hours in the owners’ home), we noticed framed images of William Morris Arts and Crafts textile patterns and knew this would be our design inspiration. We presented C&L with three options and they quickly selected the Pimpernel Design Concept. We had originally selected the Black and Olive colors with a black vanity, mirror, and black and white floor tile. C&L liked it but weren’t quite sure about the black, We went back to the drawing board and decided the William & Co Pimpernel Wallpaper in Bayleaf and Manilla color with a softer gray painted vanity and mirror and white floor tile was more to their liking. After the Design Concept was approved, we went to work securing the building permit, procuring all the elements, and scheduling our trusted tradesmen to perform the work. We did uncover some shoddy work by the flippers such as live electrical wires hidden behind the wall, plumbing venting cut-off and buried in the walls (hence the constant dampness), the tub barely balancing on two fence boards across the floor joist, and no insulation on the exterior wall. All of the previous blunders were fixed and the bathroom put back to its previous glory. We could feel the house thanking us for making it pretty again. The After Reveal: Cohesive Design Decisions We selected a simple white subway tile for the tub/shower. This is always classic and in keeping with the style of the house. We selected a pre-fab vanity and mirror, but they look rich with the quartz countertop. There is much more storage in this small vanity than you would think. The Transformation: A Period Perfect Refresh We began the remodel just as the pandemic reared and stay-in-place orders went into effect. As C&L were already moved out and living with relatives, we got the go-ahead from city officials to get the work done (after all, how can you shelter in place without a bathroom?). All our tradesmen were scheduled to work so that only one crew was on the job site at a time. We stayed on the original schedule with only a one week delay. The end result is the sweetest little bathroom I've ever seen (and I can't wait to start work on C&L's kitchen next). Thank you for joining me in this project transformation. I hope this inspired you to think about being creative with your design projects, determining what works best in keeping with the architecture of your space, and carefully assessing how you can have the best life in your home.

Ease facing kitchen and adjacent screened porch. photo by Whit Preston
Cottage exterior home photo in Austin

The 3,400 SF, 3 – bedroom, 3 ½ bath main house feels larger than it is because we pulled the kids’ bedroom wing and master suite wing out from the public spaces and connected all three with a TV Den. Convenient ranch house features include a porte cochere at the side entrance to the mud room, a utility/sewing room near the kitchen, and covered porches that wrap two sides of the pool terrace. We designed a separate icehouse to showcase the owner’s unique collection of Texas memorabilia. The building includes a guest suite and a comfortable porch overlooking the pool. The main house and icehouse utilize reclaimed wood siding, brick, stone, tie, tin, and timbers alongside appropriate new materials to add a feeling of age.

Inspiration for a contemporary patio remodel in DC Metro

This blank-slate ranch house gets a lively, era-appropriate update for short term rental. Vintage albums, an original mid--century coffee table and a retro lamp pair with modern reproductions to create modern, livable, pet-friendly space.

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Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Dallas

This is an example of a large modern drought-tolerant and partial sun backyard concrete paver garden path in San Diego.

Ken Vaughan - Vaughan Creative Media
Enclosed kitchen - small traditional galley light wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Dallas with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and no island

Randall Perry Photography
Cottage bedroom photo in New York with a corner fireplace

John Benson Photography / SSA Landscape Architects
Elegant patio photo in San Francisco

Jeri Koegel
Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless master gray tile marble floor bathroom remodel in Orange County with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, marble countertops and gray walls

Luxury Closet Design and Space Planning Photo by Lisa Duncan Photography
Example of a mid-sized minimalist women's light wood floor and beige floor walk-in closet design in San Francisco with shaker cabinets and gray cabinets

Building Design, Plans, and Interior Finishes by: Fluidesign Studio I Builder: Anchor Builders I Photographer: sethbennphoto.com
Inspiration for a large timeless l-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Decomposed Granite path between Giant Sequoias leads to repurposed, reshaped and stained rear concrete slab. Micro-climate appropriate plants complete the picture. Photo by Ketti Kupper.

The home’s modest proportions call for appropriate deck treatment. But discreet pops of color hint at an exciting interior. In the same way, the horizontal metal rail fades at distances but up close makes a statement.

To read more about this project, click here or start at the Great Lakes Metal Fabrication metal railing page.