Our designer has achieved a stylish look by combining dark cabinets and light-colored marbles.

Inspiration for a rustic brown one-story wood gable roof remodel in Seattle

Looking for a nice clean crown molding, but what something different? These homeowners did just that with a simple clean flat molding applied to the wall and ceiling to create this look.

Photo: Ten Ten Creative
Wet bar - transitional single-wall dark wood floor and brown floor wet bar idea in Dallas with shaker cabinets, black cabinets, black backsplash, subway tile backsplash and gray countertops

Inspiration for a contemporary outdoor patio shower remodel in New York

Shou sugi ban, weathered mesquite wood and white walls around found throughout this modern home, including in the stairway.
Staircase - modern wooden straight metal railing staircase idea in Austin

*Spatial Composition & Architectural Volume** This terrace operates as an outdoor room in the fullest architectural sense: a discrete volume carved from the open air of the upper Manhattan skyline, its perimeter defined not by masonry but by a disciplined green architecture of clipped boxwood parterre hedging and multi-stemmed dogwood standards. The plan is organized on a clear axial logic — the rectilinear dining table sits centered on the sightline that threads between the flanking specimen trees and terminates in the middle distance on the Central Park tree canopy and the Columbus Circle towers beyond. That deliberate framing device is the composition's essential move: the trees function as proscenium, the hedge line as a low balustrade wall, and the powder-coated metal railing as a nearly dematerialized threshold, so the borrowed landscape is enlisted as the room's fourth elevation. Vertical enclosure is calibrated in three tiers — ground-plane ivy at ankle height, hedge and planter coping at seated eye level, and the airy tracery of tree canopy overhead — producing a ceiling plane implied rather than built, dappled and permeable. To the left, the load-bearing buff brick of the building's flank grounds the scheme with genuine architectural mass and reads as a masonry pilaster anchoring an otherwise open-sided plan, while at right a low stone-topped service console with recessed pull hardware and a monumental orb planter provides an asymmetrical counterweight, terminating circulation and articulating a secondary zone without interrupting flow. Large-format square paving, laid in a regular grid, provides the module against which all furniture placement is measured. **Materiality, Color & Texture** The material palette is restrained to a narrow tonal band of warm neutrals, allowing chlorophyll green to carry the scheme's entire chromatic charge. Underfoot, honed grey-taupe stone pavers offer a matte, slightly granular surface with a cool undertone; adjacent, the brick wall introduces a sandy, oatmeal-toned masonry with visible mortar coursing whose horizontality and faint striation supply the composition's only decorative pattern. Furniture is executed in a matte white or bone powder-coated aluminum frame with woven cord or resin-strap seat backs — an open basketweave that reads as textile rather than metal and softens the geometry with a hand-crafted grain. Cushions in pale greige linen-weave add a further degree of tactile compliance. Planters are dark bronze-toned metal, deliberately recessive so that mass reads as foliage rather than container, while the pale cast-stone orb planter introduces a sculptural, slightly chalky, faceted surface that catches light like unglazed ceramic. The horticultural texture work is the true material sophistication here: the tight, fine-leaved matte density of boxwood set against the broad, glossy, lacquer-like foliage of the ivy, and both played against the dogwoods' larger leaves already turning bronze, oxblood, and citron at the edges. The single note of saturation — a low, tightly massed arrangement of coral, apricot, and chartreuse blooms in a white cachepot — functions as a deliberate chromatic accent, keyed precisely to the autumnal leaf-turn overhead. **Lighting, Atmosphere & Style Profile** Natural light is the primary design instrument. The photograph captures a high, diffuse, slightly overexposed sky that renders the skyline in soft atmospheric perspective while raking light filters through the canopy to scatter mobile dappling across the paving — a chiaroscuro that animates an otherwise static geometry and shifts the room's character hourly. Artificial lighting is intentionally understated and architectural in intent: a suspended conical pendant in dark matte metal, hung at the right beneath the canopy, signals evening use and provides a small, precise silhouette against the ivy screen, while low-level integrated fixtures within planters and hedging would supply the subdued wash appropriate to a terrace that must never compete with the ambient glow of the city. The resulting atmosphere is one of considered seclusion — a green-walled cloister suspended above the metropolis, contemplative rather than performative. Stylistically, the project reads as Soft Minimalism in dialogue with a distinctly European, formal-garden discipline: the axial planning, clipped topiary, and standard-trained trees derive from classical parterre tradition, but they are executed with contemporary restraint — no ornament, no historicist detail, a single furniture gesture, a monochrome envelope. The synthesis might be termed Tailored Naturalism: an aesthetic in which rigorous geometry and a near-silent material palette exist precisely to give primacy to living texture, seasonal change, and the framed view.

We used: Custom cherry cabinetry in Arts & Crafts Shaker style by Kabinart in Boulder and Espresso stains. Liberty Hardware Venetian bronze 1-1/2" cabinet knobs. KitchenAid Architect II Series 22 CF counter-depth French door refrigerator. KitchenAid Architect Series II 27" convection single wall oven. KitchenAid 36" 6-burner dual fuel freestanding commercial-style range. KitchenAid Architect II Series 24" dishwasher. Sharp Insight Pro Series 24" built-in microwave drawer (Model #KB6524PS). Crystorama Solaris 12" wide pendant lights in English bronze. Granite countertops in Brown Fantasy. 3"x6" polished marble backsplash. Paint colors: Walls: Glidden Silver Cloud 30YY 63/024 Ceilings/Trims/Doors: Glidden Swan White GLC23 Robert B. Narod Photography

Rising amidst the grand homes of North Howe Street, this stately house has more than 6,600 SF. In total, the home has seven bedrooms, six full bathrooms and three powder rooms. Designed with an extra-wide floor plan (21'-2"), achieved through side-yard relief, and an attached garage achieved through rear-yard relief, it is a truly unique home in a truly stunning environment. The centerpiece of the home is its dramatic, 11-foot-diameter circular stair that ascends four floors from the lower level to the roof decks where panoramic windows (and views) infuse the staircase and lower levels with natural light. Public areas include classically-proportioned living and dining rooms, designed in an open-plan concept with architectural distinction enabling them to function individually. A gourmet, eat-in kitchen opens to the home's great room and rear gardens and is connected via its own staircase to the lower level family room, mud room and attached 2-1/2 car, heated garage. The second floor is a dedicated master floor, accessed by the main stair or the home's elevator. Features include a groin-vaulted ceiling; attached sun-room; private balcony; lavishly appointed master bath; tremendous closet space, including a 120 SF walk-in closet, and; an en-suite office. Four family bedrooms and three bathrooms are located on the third floor. This home was sold early in its construction process. Nathan Kirkman

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.

Collaboration with Canonbury Homes and Frank Neely Design Associates.
Inspiration for a timeless open concept kitchen remodel in Atlanta with beaded inset cabinets and two islands

Pool and backyard landscaping are the only previous features that remained from the original home, minus a few walls on the interior and newly installed waterless grass for the ground cover. Exterior patio with Porcelain Wood Grain tiles. Designed with a standing seam metal roof, with internal drainage system for hidden gutters design. Rain chain and rain barrels for rain harvesting. Retrofitted with Hardy Frames prefabricated shear walls for up to date earthquake safety. Opening both walls to the backyard, there are now two 14' folding doors allowing the inside and outside to merge. http://www.hardyframe.com/HF/index.html Amy J Smith Photography

It’s no surprise these Hanover clients reached out to Cathy and Ed of Renovisions for design and build services as they wanted a local professional bath specialist to turn their plain builder-grade bath into a luxurious handicapped accessible master bath. Renovisions had safety and universal design in mind while creating this customized two-person super shower and well-appointed master bath so their clients could escape to a special place to relax and energize their senses while also helping to conserve time and water as it is used simultaneously by them. This completely water proofed spacious 4’x8’ walk-in curb-less shower with lineal drain system and larger format porcelain tiles was a must have for our senior client –with larger tiles there are less grout lines, easier to clean and easier to maneuver using a walker to enter and exit the master bath. Renovisions collaborated with their clients to design a spa-like bath with several amenities and added conveniences with safety considerations. The bench seat that spans the width of the wall was a great addition to the shower. It’s a comfortable place to sit down and stretch out and also to keep warm as electric mesh warming materials were used along with a programmable thermostat to keep these homeowners toasty and cozy! Careful attention to all of the details in this master suite created a peaceful and elegant environment that, simply put, feels divine. Adding details such as the warming towel rack, mosaic tiled shower niche, shiny polished chrome decorative safety grab bars that also serve as towel racks and a towel rack inside the shower area added a measure of style. A stately framed mirror over the pedestal sink matches the warm white painted finish of the linen storage cabinetry that provides functionality and good looks to this space. Pull-down safety grab bars on either side of the comfort height high-efficiency toilet was essential to keep safety as a top priority. Water, water everywhere for this well deserving couple – multiple shower heads enhances the bathing experience for our client with mobility issues as 54 soft sprays from each wall jet provide a soothing and cleansing effect – a great choice because they do not require gripping and manipulating handles yet provide a sleek look with easy cleaning. The thermostatic valve maintains desired water temperature and volume controls allows the bather to utilize the adjustable hand-held shower on a slide-bar- an ideal fixture to shower and spray down shower area when done. A beautiful, frameless clear glass enclosure maintains a clean, open look without taking away from the stunning and richly grained marble-look tiles and decorative elements inside the shower. In addition to its therapeutic value, this shower is truly a design focal point of the master bath with striking tile work, beautiful chrome fixtures including several safety grab bars adding aesthetic value as well as safety benefits.

Runnels in the concrete function to drain water out of the patio area but also add a subtle inlay detail. Here the runnel is filled with both beach pebbles and dry-laid bluestone. Renn Kuhnen Photography

A fun, hip kitchen with a mid-century modern vibe. The homeowners wanted a kitchen to make them happy. We think you can't help but smile! NEXT Project Studio Jerry Voloski

Staircase - mid-sized traditional wooden straight wood railing staircase idea in New York with painted risers

Unique pivot front door with frosted glass.
Front door - large contemporary dark wood floor front door idea with beige walls and a glass front door

Inspiration for a transitional home design remodel in Minneapolis

Living space with curved clear cedar ceilings, built-in media and storage walls, custom artwork and custom furniture - Interior Architecture: HAUS | Architecture + LEVEL Interiors - Photography: Ryan Kurtz