Photos by Kristi Zufall, www.stellamedia.com
Trendy single-wall medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen photo in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Sometimes it take a few tries to get a space to work how you want it to and that’s exactly what happened with this Hinsdale client. Their desire for a family friendly, open floor plan had them reworking an opening between the kitchen and family room and relocating some pantry cabinets in an attempt to make their home’s flow more suitable to their lifestyle. After living with this small change for a few years, they decided that a full kitchen remodel was really what was needed to make their home function the way they desired. They came in with the stereotypical “sketch on a napkin” done by an architect friend, and we proceeded to make that design come to life with a few tweaks along the way. The space was quite unique and also a bit challenging because of its multiple angled walls. While interesting, angles can be a challenge when trying make a space functional. The new kitchen has a great lineup of large appliances, including a large built-in fridge, steam oven and Galley workstation, which is a large prep sink that utilizes several inserts such as strainers and cutting boards and acts as a very large prep space. The new induction cooktop is easy to keep clean and a microwave drawer in the island is located away from the main prep space for convenient access. The main perimeter has tons of countertop space, with additional prep space available at the island and a slightly raised peninsula for casual meals and nice homework spot for the couple’s teenaged children. The kitchen also included a large shallow depth pantry and a large counter height desk area for keeping track of paperwork. The weathered finish on the cabinets and custom metal hood are a nice juxtaposition to the more sleek glass mosaic backsplash and waterfall countertops. The pendants and cabinet hardware provide modern details that provide an overall casual yet sophisticated feel in this transitional design. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Mike Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Pony wall from entry replaced an open iron rail. New wider wall provides privacy at entry, a display area for artwork and a more secure feeling in the living room. Before this new wall was built, the stairway was 8' wide. It was an attempt at grandeur, but left those traveling them feeling small and a bit lost in the too wide stairway. By reducing the scale of the stairway the path became more inviting. A bit counter intuitive, but sometimes you feel your way to good design.

The project site is a three story apartment building with a full basement, which had recently been subject to an apartment fire. Four separate residential units were contained in the structure, including one two bedroom unit and three single bedroom units. A laundry room/basement and a pair of lofts were also housed within the building. The result of the blaze and the subsequent water damage from attempts to extinguish it left the interior of the building primarily gutted. All interior finishes, fixtures, stairways, mechanical and electrical systems were destroyed beyond repair. The exterior of the building was charred in some places, and destroyed completely in others. The project location, the City of San Rafael, determined that due to the extent of the damage to the structure, the resulting project would be considered a “new building”. Our first task was to review the current building code and apply the current regulations to the existing structure (originally built in the early 1900’s) and bring it up to current code. We performed occupant load calculations, a code summary, square footage calculations and egress code analysis for each floor/use. This information was then compiled in order to determine how the project could legally be designed within the current code, all while minimizing modifications to the existing structure. Once all data had been analyzed, the new floor plans were organized and laid out in a manner which retained the heritage of the original building while remaining true to current code. The site was revised to allow for code compliant parking areas while retaining the family friendly outdoor spaces inherent in the original design. The foundation was reinforced, and the building structure as a whole was strengthened to cope with modern seismic loads. Spray foam insulation, low E glazing, skylights, ceiling fans, high efficiency HVAC, etc…were all added to make the building more efficient and environmentally friendly. The use of Class “A” materials, fire separations (both vertical and horizontal) and a commercial sprinkler system were employed in order to avoid any future fires. Reconstruction of the project was recently completed in the summer of 2014. Photos by B. James

In an attempt to diminish irrigation and maintenance cost we greatly reduced the lawn and added drought tolerant plants that would be easy for the homeowner to maintain. By placing plants in a pseudo-agricultural rows we were able to give the landscape a contemporary feel without working against the more traditional lines of the home. Bright colors, interesting textures and seasonal changes keep the landscape from becoming stale. A new gathering space complete with bistro lights in the existing pine were incorporated to accommodate both large and intimate affairs. Through creative and cost effective measures this property now offers a contemporary setting without conflicting with the homes original design.

A family that spends a lot of time in and around their beautiful saltwater pool, did not have a place in their home that provided them a visual or physical connection. They also lacked any storage for all their pool “stuff”. With small children and a love for entertaining, they needed a room that served and supported their watery lifestyle. We took over an empty and unused notch along the back of the house adjacent to the pool patio to create a new bright and airy pool house. The new out building attempts to unify 4 areas; an existing deck, an upper master bedroom balcony, a lower lawn, and the pool itself, and provide the missing storage. By locating the pool house at the juxtaposition of these areas, the new room was able to provide a new expanded rooftop balcony for the master, anchor and define the dining and barbeque deck, extend and connect to the pool and patio, and create a new access to integrate the lower lawn – and carve out the much needed storage for the variety of pool toys and equipment. The building itself is 400 sf with bath, laundry, storage, mechanical, kitchen, and living. A single new secure connection is made into the house through the existing mudroom. Clad with crisply detailed ship lap cedar, it draws on the existing material palate of the house and nods to the boat aesthetic in expression and efficiency. With pocketing glass walls the pool house is both the utility building needed, and an expansion of the vibrant pool scene itself, inside and outside, along the poolside. Photographer: Brandon Stengelwww.farmkidstudios.com Location: Edina, MN Completed: 2013 Project Team: Ben Awes AIA, Principal-In-Charge Bob Ganser AIA Christian Dean AIA Nate Dodge

In this project, an attempt was made to show the architecture in the gentle spirit of the warm life of the family members, and the design of the details was done in coordination with the employer's furniture. One of the most important demands of the project employer is originality, splendor and minimal design.

This is painted as part of Tree series. I chose Aspen for their lovely white trunks and flower-like leaves. The artwork has been accepted to be displayed in the juried show. Painted on premier quality canvas stretched on a 1.5 thick frame, using artist grade oil paints, the work is a humble attempt to bring focus on the beauty of nature. Painting is sealed with acrylic varnish and sides are painted black. It is unframed and hangs with d-link and wire assembly. It can be framed as needed. The painting is shipped with certificate of authenticity and care instructions. About Artist About the Artist Bhavna is a San Francisco based independent artist who tries to make a difference through her passion for arts and portraiture. More info at https://bhavnamisra.com/ Email: bhavna.misra@gmail.com

Vorrath Woodworks completely refurbished these Swedish made mid century modern swivel base club chairs. The new East Indian rosewood veneers are even more stunning than the original. Someone attempted a refinish job on the original wood using an orbital sander and left the backs destroyed. We purchased new veneer to bring these beauties back to their original glory. All new foam and fabric round out the restoration job.

Inspiration for a contemporary bedroom remodel in Mumbai

This unfinished basement job was offered to us after an attempt by someone else, it came out beautifully and the client couldn't be more happy with the final results!

VISION AND NEEDS: Our client came to us with a vision for their dream house for their growing family with three young children. This was their second attempt at getting the right design. The first time around, after working with an out-of-state online architect, they could not achieve the level of quality they wanted. McHugh delivered a home with higher quality design. MCHUGH SOLUTION: The Shingle/Dutch Colonial Design was our client's dream home style. Their priorities were to have a home office for both parents. Ample living space for kids and friends, along with outdoor space and a pool. Double sink bathroom for the kids and a master bedroom with bath for the parents. Despite being close a flood zone, clients could have a fully finished basement with 9ft ceilings and a full attic. Because of the higher water table, the first floor was considerably above grade. To soften the ascent of the front walkway, we designed planters around the stairs, leading up to the porch.

Designed by Richard Freitag of Reico Kitchen & Bath in Falls Church, VA this transitional kitchen design features kitchen cabinets from Merillat Classic in the Portrait door style in Cherry with an Amaretto finish. Kitchen countertops are granite in Absolute Black with a Honed finish. Photos courtesy of BTW Images LLC / www.btwimages.com.

Except for general cleaning this multi-coloured slate floor had not been professionally cleaned since installation eleven years prior. Any sealer that had once been applied to the slate had long since worn off and dirt was now ingrained in the pores of the stone causing it to look dull and un-attractive. The property was in the lovely town of Staines Upon Thames, obviously situated on the banks of the River Thames and a popular place to live for London commuters. I visited site to take a closer look at the floor and provide the client with an accurate price for renovating the stone. It turns out that the client had used all sorts of different household cleaners in an attempt to get the floor clean. Unfortunately, they were probably making the situation worse as these strong cleaning products would have actually stripped the sealant off the stone leaving it open to dirt. I carried out a test clean for them and they were very pleased to see how the floor could look. We agreed a price for the work and arranged a suitable date to carry out the work. Cleaning a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor My first task was to strip off what was left of the old sealer and deep clean the stone using a dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go mixed 50:50 with Tile Doctor Pro-Clean. This powerful cocktail was applied to the floor and left to soak in for ten minutes before being scrubbed in using a rotary machine fitted with a black scrubbing pad. The grout was hand scrubbed using more of the cleaning solution along the grout lines until I was happy the floor was as clean as it possibly could be. The floor was rinsed with water and the soil extracted by using the wet vacuum. Once the floor was clear the Slate was inspected, and any stubborn areas were spot treated using the same process as before. After a final rinse and extraction, the floor was dried as much as possible using the wet vacuum and left to dry off overnight. Sealing a Multi-Coloured Slate Tiled Kitchen Floor I came back the next day and checked the moisture levels of the tiles using a damp meter. The floor had dried well so I had a green light for applying a new sealer. For this I used four Coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, allowing each coat to dry before applying the next. This product works really well on Slate and gave the tiles a nice sheen finish, the fresh sealer will also make maintenance cleaning far easier in the future. The client was very happy with the result, the floor now looks great and the natural colours of the stone is so much more evident. For aftercare I recommended they throw away all those supermarket products and use Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a pH neutral product that won’t prematurely erode the new sealer with use. Jonathan Oldham South Middlesex Tile Doctor

The kitchen was closed off from the living room, and the client cut out a hole in an attempt to connect the two rooms.
Living room - shabby-chic style dark wood floor living room idea in San Diego with blue walls

A family that spends a lot of time in and around their beautiful saltwater pool, did not have a place in their home that provided them a visual or physical connection. They also lacked any storage for all their pool “stuff”. With small children and a love for entertaining, they needed a room that served and supported their watery lifestyle. We took over an empty and unused notch along the back of the house adjacent to the pool patio to create a new bright and airy pool house. The new out building attempts to unify 4 areas; an existing deck, an upper master bedroom balcony, a lower lawn, and the pool itself, and provide the missing storage. By locating the pool house at the juxtaposition of these areas, the new room was able to provide a new expanded rooftop balcony for the master, anchor and define the dining and barbeque deck, extend and connect to the pool and patio, and create a new access to integrate the lower lawn – and carve out the much needed storage for the variety of pool toys and equipment. The building itself is 400 sf with bath, laundry, storage, mechanical, kitchen, and living. A single new secure connection is made into the house through the existing mudroom. Clad with crisply detailed ship lap cedar, it draws on the existing material palate of the house and nods to the boat aesthetic in expression and efficiency. With pocketing glass walls the pool house is both the utility building needed, and an expansion of the vibrant pool scene itself, inside and outside, along the poolside. Photographer: Brandon Stengelwww.farmkidstudios.com Location: Edina, MN Completed: 2013 Project Team: Ben Awes AIA, Principal-In-Charge Bob Ganser AIA Christian Dean AIA Nate Dodge

For more information visit http://www.cdwindows.com.com or call (800) 639-9463. This curved window sunroom we made for our client David E. in Downtown Los Angeles, California was our most challenging and proudest project yet. We had to perfectly design a never-before-attempted template to remove the ugly grids his older, aluminum window frames had made. His majestic view of Los Angeles was replaced by 16 ugly aluminum windows which were deteriorating right before his eyes. His exact comments were, "Thank you for reminding me why I moved in here and purchased this home in the first place. You guys gave me my view back." We could not be happier.

The Ossido line stems from a wager against time, in an attempt to crystallise a material at a specific point in its life and have it stay that way forever. Specifically, it entails the reproduction of a oxidation process on slabs of copper and metal, which generates a very strong and rich colour, yet which inevitably disappears as the oxidation process progresses.

This is a Craftsman era home and the attempt at a "New California landscape" was a fail. Teri Enright
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Sacramento.