It is an especially fulfilling Project for an Interior Designer when the outcome exceeds Client expectations, and imagination. This remodeling project required instilling modern sensibilities, openness, styles and textures into a dated house that was past its prime. Strategically, the goal was to tear down where it made sense without doing a complete teardown. Starting with the soul of the home, the kitchen, we expanded out room by room to create a cohesiveness and flow that invites, supports and provides the warmth and relaxation that only a home can. In the Kitchen, we started by removing the wooden beams and adding bright recessed lighting. We removed the old limestone accent wall and moved the sink and cooktop from the island on to the countertop – the key goal was to create room for the family to gather around the kitchen. We replaced all appliances with modern Energy Star ones, along with adding a wine rack. The first order of business for the Living Room was to brighten it up by adding more lighting and replacing an unused section with a glass door to the backyard. Multi-section windows were replaced with large no-split glass overlooking the backyard. Once more, the limestone accent was removed to create a clean, modern look. Replacing the dated wooden staircase with the clean lines of a metal, wire and wooded staircase added interest and freshness. An odd bend in the staircase was removed to clean things up. The flooring was upgraded throughout the house to reflect the contemporary color scheme. Each of the smaller bedrooms were similarly upgraded to match the clean and modern décor of the rest of the house. After such a transformation inside, it was only appropriate that the exterior needed an upgrade as well. All of the legacy limestone accents were replaced by stucco and the color scheme extended from the interior of the house to the gorgeous wrap around balconies, trim, garage doors etc. to complete the inside outside transformation.

Example of a mid-sized mountain style backyard concrete paver patio kitchen design in Denver with a pergola

This beautiful home is truly a labour of love. The homeowners, previous clients, custom built their own home. They wanted a traditional and elegant look and a home suited to host large family gatherings. The homeowners relied on us to select the appropriate furnishings and finishes for each room. We helped them select the right style, size, colour and shape of all furniture and drapery to suit the architecture of the home. Project by Richmond Hill interior design firm Lumar Interiors. Also serving Aurora, Newmarket, King City, Markham, Thornhill, Vaughan, York Region, and the Greater Toronto Area. For more about Lumar Interiors, click here: https://www.lumarinteriors.com/

Xeric landscape designed and built by Southern Landscape. This Austin homeowner reduced their turf area by over 17,000 square feet, reducing water consumption and maintenance. The remaining turf areas were required for the septic leach field. Limestone retaining walls with leuders caps control erosion. The plant palette contains lantana, plumbago, various grasses, and yuccas, all chosen for their specific water usage appropriate to the area. Landscape lighting was also added to highlight the beauty of this large xeriscape.

This 1956 John Calder Mackay home had been poorly renovated in years past. We kept the 1400 sqft footprint of the home, but re-oriented and re-imagined the bland white kitchen to a midcentury olive green kitchen that opened up the sight lines to the wall of glass facing the rear yard. We chose materials that felt authentic and appropriate for the house: handmade glazed ceramics, bricks inspired by the California coast, natural white oaks heavy in grain, and honed marbles in complementary hues to the earth tones we peppered throughout the hard and soft finishes. This project was featured in the Wall Street Journal in April 2022.

This bathroom was thoughtfully renovated in the Art & Crafts style utilizing period appropriate materials and details, including push button light switches and board and batten wainscoting. The floor to ceiling storage cabinet separates the toilet and shower and includes a pull-put storage drawer hidden behind the base moulding.

Downtown highrise condo staging
Living room - small modern open concept light wood floor and beige floor living room idea in San Francisco with white walls and no fireplace

Nestled in amongst much larger homes, this Preston Hollow Spanish Mediterranean might be a bit deceptive. Scaled appropriately for the 100 x 150 lot, the house is surprising 5000 sq ft. Regarding its age, are you still trying to figure out whether it is new construction or a renovation? Built less than five years ago, it has the timelessness of a 1920′s Hollywood Hills home though designed with all of today’s amenities.

Beautiful modern kitchen in Elkins Park with island seating and shaker style cabinetry.
Transitional galley eat-in kitchen photo in Philadelphia with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and granite countertops

Inspiration for a landscaping in Minneapolis.

Patio - modern patio idea

Purchased by Piperbear in 2012 from the original owners, this 1950s Cape Cod needed a complete stylistic makeover. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was mostly removed, and the kitchen was redone with a new layout, granite countertops and new appliances; the downstairs bathroom was updated with new fixtures and period appropriate black and white hexagon tile. Upstairs, 220 feet of square footage was added by raising the roof and pushing into the dormers, creating a new full bathroom and laundry area.

This modern beach house in Jacksonville Beach features a large, open entertainment area consisting of great room, kitchen, dining area and lanai. A unique second-story bridge over looks both foyer and great room. Polished concrete floors and horizontal aluminum stair railing bring a contemporary feel. The kitchen shines with European-style cabinetry and GE Profile appliances. The private upstairs master suite is situated away from other bedrooms and features a luxury master shower and floating double vanity. Two roomy secondary bedrooms share an additional bath. Photo credit: Deremer Studios

Designed and built in conjunction with Freemont #2, this home pays homage to surrounding architecture, including that of St. James Lutheran Church. The home is comprised of stately, well-proportioned rooms; significant architectural detailing; appropriate spaces for today's active family; and sophisticated wiring to service any HD video, audio, lighting, HVAC and / or security needs. The focal point of the first floor is the sweeping curved staircase, ascending through all three floors of the home and topped with skylights. Surrounding this staircase on the main floor are the formal living and dining rooms, as well as the beautifully-detailed Butler's Pantry. A gourmet kitchen and great room, designed to receive considerable eastern light, is at the rear of the house, connected to the lower level family room by a rear staircase. Four bedrooms (two en-suite) make up the second floor, with a fifth bedroom on the third floor and a sixth bedroom in the lower level. A third floor recreation room is at the top of the staircase, adjacent to the 400SF roof deck. A connected, heated garage is accessible from the rear staircase of the home, as well as the rear yard and garage roof deck. This home went under contract after being on the MLS for one day. Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

Architect: Patrick Ahearn Architect LLC Construction: Rosbeck BuildersInteriors: Slifer Designs Photography By: Greg Premru “Rigorously symmetrical yet relaxed in shape and proportions, this house is very well executed inside and out. It feels appropriately sized for its site and is well detailed. It’s by far the best of the Shingle Style submittals.” The project is a new construction of a family compound consisting of two new houses and associated site development along South Beach. Due to the topography of the nearby dunes, the living spaces of the main and guest houses were located on the second floor in order to gain the panoramic views of the ocean and extended coastline beyond. The challenge was to create a shingle-style island vernacular architecture that did not reflect the upside-down nature of the primary living space. The inspiration was based on the desire to take a large program and break it into smaller architectural elements based on the idea that the homes could have originally been constructed in the 1920s or 1930s and then added onto over time. This concept of "implied history" is one that creates a legacy of a seaside architecture from the rich history of New England’s past, yet has evolved into how people want to live today. The Marvin products, with their hurricane-resistant capabilities, were a clear choice based on this locale. The use of the folding door systems allowed for the ease of flow from indoor to outdoor spaces in a timeless way.

For this job, we finished an completely unfinished basement space to include a theatre room with 120" screen wall & rough-in for a future bar, barn door detail to the family living area with stacked stone 50" modern gas fireplace, a home-office, a bedroom and a full basement bathroom.

THEMES: WOODLAND/ WOODLOT Garden Enhancements. Woodland border areas host a tremendous array of understory plants, particularly with an appropriate amount of TREE Canopy Thinning. To get the most bang for your buck and least maintenance requirement, design must emphasize substantial or predominant amount of small trees and large shrubs, such as those shown here. This photo was taken just 3 months after Spring 2014 plant installation.

APLD 2021 Silver Award Winning Landscape Design. An expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive travertine natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

This 1956 John Calder Mackay home had been poorly renovated in years past. We kept the 1400 sqft footprint of the home, but re-oriented and re-imagined the bland white kitchen to a midcentury olive green kitchen that opened up the sight lines to the wall of glass facing the rear yard. We chose materials that felt authentic and appropriate for the house: handmade glazed ceramics, bricks inspired by the California coast, natural white oaks heavy in grain, and honed marbles in complementary hues to the earth tones we peppered throughout the hard and soft finishes. This project was featured in the Wall Street Journal in April 2022.