Heaven on earth! All Margie could think of while on this site was, "All I need is a tent out here with this view and I'd be happy." The small weekend home on the flank of the rolling grassy coastal plain in Hollister Ranch (near Gaviota, CA) faces breath-taking panoramic views of ocean, islands, coastal plain, foothills and mountains. This place is all about a great outdoor space with just enough house for in case it rains! The pocket sized garden makes a titanic impact bringing a little intimate, livable space to the expansive scenery. Restrained plantings take their cue from the glorious setting. Sweeps of native grasses and succulents dot the garden with olive trees for shade. Dramatic succulents in pots as juxtapose the simple background. The goal was to blend a few practical uses such as wind protected dining and lounging, a hot tub and a fire pit into the nearly undisturbed surroundings. The cedar hot tub is tucked into hillside and surrounded by fieldstone walls and fish-scale flagstone. A small flash-heater provides a warm water shower under an olive next to the tub for de-sanding before plunging into the tub for post-surf warm-up. Meandering gravel paths and lyrical fieldstone "tole work" on the floor plane brings movement to the garden and ties the long narrow space together. The campfire circle (fueled by propane) and lanterns in the trees invite outdoor evening entertainment. Driftwood details - surf rack, stools around the fire pit, posts for hanging lanterns - complete this idyllic surf camp. Cowabunga, dude!

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

Chuck Williams
Example of a large minimalist dark wood floor front door design in Houston with gray walls and a dark wood front door

Blades of Spring by Jon Allen - Energy is depicted and a sense of motion and movement is truly conveyed in 'Blades of Spring'. Green is woven throughout this mostly silver five panel piece of original hand-etched metal artwork. This abstract metal wall art measuring 64" x 24" x 2" (162.56 cm x 60.96 cm x 5.08 cm) overall including suggested 1" spacing between panels. My unique, abstract metal wall sculpture is the perfect metal accent to add excitement and intrigue to your decor. This handmade piece of original artwork features beautiful silver and green tones and will be that modern touch you've been searching for. My signature-defined hand textured intricacies and carvings into the metal capture and reflect surrounding light sources creating enhanced interaction with dramatic illusions of depth and 3D movement as viewed from different angles. Hang it in your living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, office, or outdoors. This abstract metal art will wow and impress your guests. Display under natural lighting or make this original artwork the show stopping centerpiece of any room with track lighting or gallery spot lights for dramatic effect. Lighting and other environmental factors interact with metal artwork in a unique, organic way.

These Brown Fantasy Leathered quartzite countertops are the star of this kitchen. With sweeping hues of brown, tan, gray, and white, the movement in this natural stone carries your eye throughout the space. The homeowners' installed a complimentary glass tile backsplash which looks fabulous against their white cabinetry. A framed insert of glass and stone mosaic tile above the stove makes a great focal point.

Blades of Harvest by Jon Allen - Energy is depicted and a sense of motion and movement is truly conveyed in 'Blades of Harvest'. Gold is woven throughout this mostly silver five panel piece of original hand-etched metal artwork. This abstract metal wall art measuring 64" x 24" x 2" (162.56 cm x 60.96 cm x 5.08 cm) overall including suggested 1" spacing between panels. My unique, abstract metal wall sculpture is the perfect metal accent to add excitement and intrigue to your decor. This handmade piece of original artwork features beautiful silver and gold tones and will be that modern touch you've been searching for. My signature-defined hand textured intricacies and carvings into the metal capture and reflect surrounding light sources creating enhanced interaction with dramatic illusions of depth and 3D movement as viewed from different angles. Hang it in your living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, office, or outdoors. This abstract metal art will wow and impress your guests. Display under natural lighting or make this original artwork the show stopping centerpiece of any room with track lighting or gallery spot lights for dramatic effect. Lighting and other environmental factors interact with metal artwork in a unique, organic way.

This specatacular back splash showcases a stunning white 3x6 tile. The uniqueness of the shade variation gives it all the character. Layed out in a basket weave gives it an even more fantastic look.

Spectrums Indulgence quartz, manufactured right here in Latta South Carolina, went into this kitchen in Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that works quietly hard in a room people actually cook and live in. It's engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, blended and pressed to give a background that stays consistent slab to slab. That matters more than people think when you're trying to keep a kitchen looking pulled together across a run of cabinets, an island, and a backsplash. The color reads as a soft, workable background with movement in it, enough character to give the room some depth without turning into something that fights with the cabinets or the floor. That's the appeal of a pattern like this one. It's not a plain solid, but it's not so busy that it limits what else goes in the space. Kitchens live a long time with the same countertop, and a stone that holds up visually over the years is worth choosing over something flashier that gets tiring. Quartz like this is also just practical for a working kitchen. It doesn't need sealing the way natural stone does, it resists staining from wine, oil, and citrus, and it shrugs off the daily scratches from knives and pans that would show on a softer stone. Heat is the one thing we tell people to respect, a hot pan straight off the stove can shock the resin, so a trivet is the smart habit to build. Otherwise it's about as low-maintenance a surface as you can put in a kitchen. We set the edge as eased, which is the clean, simple choice that lets the stone itself do the talking instead of the profile. Templating and fabrication on a job like this comes down to getting the seams tight and matching the pattern across the island and the runs so it reads as one continuous piece even where the slabs meet. Jobs like this are what we like doing around Columbia and the rest of the Midlands, where a kitchen remodel means getting the material, the layout, and the fit all right in a space a family's going to use every single day.

Spectrums Indulgence quartz, manufactured right here in Latta South Carolina, went into this kitchen in Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that works quietly hard in a room people actually cook and live in. It's engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, blended and pressed to give a background that stays consistent slab to slab. That matters more than people think when you're trying to keep a kitchen looking pulled together across a run of cabinets, an island, and a backsplash. The color reads as a soft, workable background with movement in it, enough character to give the room some depth without turning into something that fights with the cabinets or the floor. That's the appeal of a pattern like this one. It's not a plain solid, but it's not so busy that it limits what else goes in the space. Kitchens live a long time with the same countertop, and a stone that holds up visually over the years is worth choosing over something flashier that gets tiring. Quartz like this is also just practical for a working kitchen. It doesn't need sealing the way natural stone does, it resists staining from wine, oil, and citrus, and it shrugs off the daily scratches from knives and pans that would show on a softer stone. Heat is the one thing we tell people to respect, a hot pan straight off the stove can shock the resin, so a trivet is the smart habit to build. Otherwise it's about as low-maintenance a surface as you can put in a kitchen. We set the edge as eased, which is the clean, simple choice that lets the stone itself do the talking instead of the profile. Templating and fabrication on a job like this comes down to getting the seams tight and matching the pattern across the island and the runs so it reads as one continuous piece even where the slabs meet. Jobs like this are what we like doing around Columbia and the rest of the Midlands, where a kitchen remodel means getting the material, the layout, and the fit all right in a space a family's going to use every single day.

We put MSI Calacatta Vernello into a kitchen in Cayce, and it's the kind of quartz that makes a room feel brighter the second you walk in. The background's a clean, soft white, with gray veining moving through it in long, broken threads that catch the eye without taking over. Calacatta Vernello is engineered to give that bright, upscale look while still being a consistent, dependable surface to work with and live with. That consistency is the real draw with a quartz like this. You get a bright white background and that dramatic veining, but without the maintenance headache natural stone can bring. There's no sealing to keep up with, no worrying about etching from a lemon left on the counter or a glass of wine sitting out overnight. For a kitchen that actually gets used, that matters more than people think going in. Fabricating a quartz like this still takes real care. We template the counters to the room, not the other way around, so the seams land where they'll be least noticed and the veining keeps moving in a way that looks natural across the span. At the sink and the cooktop, that's where people's eyes land first, so we pay close attention to how the pattern falls there and at any seams nearby, keeping the movement consistent instead of letting it jump or mismatch. We finished the edges eased, which keeps the lines of the counter clean and lets the stone itself do the talking. Day to day, this countertop is going to take a beating and keep looking good. Quartz is non-porous and tough against scratches and stains, and it handles the daily traffic of a working kitchen, cutting boards, hot pans set down too quick, kids doing homework at the island, without showing wear. It's a surface built for a kitchen that's lived in, not just looked at. Cayce's seen a good bit of kitchen work like this lately, folks wanting that bright, clean look that still feels upscale without the upkeep some stone surfaces ask for. This one came out clean and bright, the kind of kitchen that photographs well and holds up even better once the cabinets are full and the coffee's going every morning.

We put MSI Calacatta Vernello into a kitchen in Cayce, and it's the kind of quartz that makes a room feel brighter the second you walk in. The background's a clean, soft white, with gray veining moving through it in long, broken threads that catch the eye without taking over. Calacatta Vernello is engineered to give that bright, upscale look while still being a consistent, dependable surface to work with and live with. That consistency is the real draw with a quartz like this. You get a bright white background and that dramatic veining, but without the maintenance headache natural stone can bring. There's no sealing to keep up with, no worrying about etching from a lemon left on the counter or a glass of wine sitting out overnight. For a kitchen that actually gets used, that matters more than people think going in. Fabricating a quartz like this still takes real care. We template the counters to the room, not the other way around, so the seams land where they'll be least noticed and the veining keeps moving in a way that looks natural across the span. At the sink and the cooktop, that's where people's eyes land first, so we pay close attention to how the pattern falls there and at any seams nearby, keeping the movement consistent instead of letting it jump or mismatch. We finished the edges eased, which keeps the lines of the counter clean and lets the stone itself do the talking. Day to day, this countertop is going to take a beating and keep looking good. Quartz is non-porous and tough against scratches and stains, and it handles the daily traffic of a working kitchen, cutting boards, hot pans set down too quick, kids doing homework at the island, without showing wear. It's a surface built for a kitchen that's lived in, not just looked at. Cayce's seen a good bit of kitchen work like this lately, folks wanting that bright, clean look that still feels upscale without the upkeep some stone surfaces ask for. This one came out clean and bright, the kind of kitchen that photographs well and holds up even better once the cabinets are full and the coffee's going every morning.

Spectrums Indulgence quartz, manufactured right here in Latta South Carolina, went into this kitchen in Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that works quietly hard in a room people actually cook and live in. It's engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, blended and pressed to give a background that stays consistent slab to slab. That matters more than people think when you're trying to keep a kitchen looking pulled together across a run of cabinets, an island, and a backsplash. The color reads as a soft, workable background with movement in it, enough character to give the room some depth without turning into something that fights with the cabinets or the floor. That's the appeal of a pattern like this one. It's not a plain solid, but it's not so busy that it limits what else goes in the space. Kitchens live a long time with the same countertop, and a stone that holds up visually over the years is worth choosing over something flashier that gets tiring. Quartz like this is also just practical for a working kitchen. It doesn't need sealing the way natural stone does, it resists staining from wine, oil, and citrus, and it shrugs off the daily scratches from knives and pans that would show on a softer stone. Heat is the one thing we tell people to respect, a hot pan straight off the stove can shock the resin, so a trivet is the smart habit to build. Otherwise it's about as low-maintenance a surface as you can put in a kitchen. We set the edge as eased, which is the clean, simple choice that lets the stone itself do the talking instead of the profile. Templating and fabrication on a job like this comes down to getting the seams tight and matching the pattern across the island and the runs so it reads as one continuous piece even where the slabs meet. Jobs like this are what we like doing around Columbia and the rest of the Midlands, where a kitchen remodel means getting the material, the layout, and the fit all right in a space a family's going to use every single day.

Spectrums Indulgence quartz, manufactured right here in Latta South Carolina, went into this kitchen in Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that works quietly hard in a room people actually cook and live in. It's engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, blended and pressed to give a background that stays consistent slab to slab. That matters more than people think when you're trying to keep a kitchen looking pulled together across a run of cabinets, an island, and a backsplash. The color reads as a soft, workable background with movement in it, enough character to give the room some depth without turning into something that fights with the cabinets or the floor. That's the appeal of a pattern like this one. It's not a plain solid, but it's not so busy that it limits what else goes in the space. Kitchens live a long time with the same countertop, and a stone that holds up visually over the years is worth choosing over something flashier that gets tiring. Quartz like this is also just practical for a working kitchen. It doesn't need sealing the way natural stone does, it resists staining from wine, oil, and citrus, and it shrugs off the daily scratches from knives and pans that would show on a softer stone. Heat is the one thing we tell people to respect, a hot pan straight off the stove can shock the resin, so a trivet is the smart habit to build. Otherwise it's about as low-maintenance a surface as you can put in a kitchen. We set the edge as eased, which is the clean, simple choice that lets the stone itself do the talking instead of the profile. Templating and fabrication on a job like this comes down to getting the seams tight and matching the pattern across the island and the runs so it reads as one continuous piece even where the slabs meet. Jobs like this are what we like doing around Columbia and the rest of the Midlands, where a kitchen remodel means getting the material, the layout, and the fit all right in a space a family's going to use every single day.

We put MSI Calacatta Vernello into a kitchen in Cayce, and it's the kind of quartz that makes a room feel brighter the second you walk in. The background's a clean, soft white, with gray veining moving through it in long, broken threads that catch the eye without taking over. Calacatta Vernello is engineered to give that bright, upscale look while still being a consistent, dependable surface to work with and live with. That consistency is the real draw with a quartz like this. You get a bright white background and that dramatic veining, but without the maintenance headache natural stone can bring. There's no sealing to keep up with, no worrying about etching from a lemon left on the counter or a glass of wine sitting out overnight. For a kitchen that actually gets used, that matters more than people think going in. Fabricating a quartz like this still takes real care. We template the counters to the room, not the other way around, so the seams land where they'll be least noticed and the veining keeps moving in a way that looks natural across the span. At the sink and the cooktop, that's where people's eyes land first, so we pay close attention to how the pattern falls there and at any seams nearby, keeping the movement consistent instead of letting it jump or mismatch. We finished the edges eased, which keeps the lines of the counter clean and lets the stone itself do the talking. Day to day, this countertop is going to take a beating and keep looking good. Quartz is non-porous and tough against scratches and stains, and it handles the daily traffic of a working kitchen, cutting boards, hot pans set down too quick, kids doing homework at the island, without showing wear. It's a surface built for a kitchen that's lived in, not just looked at. Cayce's seen a good bit of kitchen work like this lately, folks wanting that bright, clean look that still feels upscale without the upkeep some stone surfaces ask for. This one came out clean and bright, the kind of kitchen that photographs well and holds up even better once the cabinets are full and the coffee's going every morning.

Spectrums Indulgence quartz, manufactured right here in Latta South Carolina, went into this kitchen in Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that works quietly hard in a room people actually cook and live in. It's engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, blended and pressed to give a background that stays consistent slab to slab. That matters more than people think when you're trying to keep a kitchen looking pulled together across a run of cabinets, an island, and a backsplash. The color reads as a soft, workable background with movement in it, enough character to give the room some depth without turning into something that fights with the cabinets or the floor. That's the appeal of a pattern like this one. It's not a plain solid, but it's not so busy that it limits what else goes in the space. Kitchens live a long time with the same countertop, and a stone that holds up visually over the years is worth choosing over something flashier that gets tiring. Quartz like this is also just practical for a working kitchen. It doesn't need sealing the way natural stone does, it resists staining from wine, oil, and citrus, and it shrugs off the daily scratches from knives and pans that would show on a softer stone. Heat is the one thing we tell people to respect, a hot pan straight off the stove can shock the resin, so a trivet is the smart habit to build. Otherwise it's about as low-maintenance a surface as you can put in a kitchen. We set the edge as eased, which is the clean, simple choice that lets the stone itself do the talking instead of the profile. Templating and fabrication on a job like this comes down to getting the seams tight and matching the pattern across the island and the runs so it reads as one continuous piece even where the slabs meet. Jobs like this are what we like doing around Columbia and the rest of the Midlands, where a kitchen remodel means getting the material, the layout, and the fit all right in a space a family's going to use every single day.

Spectrums Indulgence quartz, manufactured right here in Latta South Carolina, went into this kitchen in Columbia, and it's the kind of stone that works quietly hard in a room people actually cook and live in. It's engineered quartz, so what you're looking at is a mix of ground quartz and resin, blended and pressed to give a background that stays consistent slab to slab. That matters more than people think when you're trying to keep a kitchen looking pulled together across a run of cabinets, an island, and a backsplash. The color reads as a soft, workable background with movement in it, enough character to give the room some depth without turning into something that fights with the cabinets or the floor. That's the appeal of a pattern like this one. It's not a plain solid, but it's not so busy that it limits what else goes in the space. Kitchens live a long time with the same countertop, and a stone that holds up visually over the years is worth choosing over something flashier that gets tiring. Quartz like this is also just practical for a working kitchen. It doesn't need sealing the way natural stone does, it resists staining from wine, oil, and citrus, and it shrugs off the daily scratches from knives and pans that would show on a softer stone. Heat is the one thing we tell people to respect, a hot pan straight off the stove can shock the resin, so a trivet is the smart habit to build. Otherwise it's about as low-maintenance a surface as you can put in a kitchen. We set the edge as eased, which is the clean, simple choice that lets the stone itself do the talking instead of the profile. Templating and fabrication on a job like this comes down to getting the seams tight and matching the pattern across the island and the runs so it reads as one continuous piece even where the slabs meet. Jobs like this are what we like doing around Columbia and the rest of the Midlands, where a kitchen remodel means getting the material, the layout, and the fit all right in a space a family's going to use every single day.

We put MSI Calacatta Vernello into a kitchen in Cayce, and it's the kind of quartz that makes a room feel brighter the second you walk in. The background's a clean, soft white, with gray veining moving through it in long, broken threads that catch the eye without taking over. Calacatta Vernello is engineered to give that bright, upscale look while still being a consistent, dependable surface to work with and live with. That consistency is the real draw with a quartz like this. You get a bright white background and that dramatic veining, but without the maintenance headache natural stone can bring. There's no sealing to keep up with, no worrying about etching from a lemon left on the counter or a glass of wine sitting out overnight. For a kitchen that actually gets used, that matters more than people think going in. Fabricating a quartz like this still takes real care. We template the counters to the room, not the other way around, so the seams land where they'll be least noticed and the veining keeps moving in a way that looks natural across the span. At the sink and the cooktop, that's where people's eyes land first, so we pay close attention to how the pattern falls there and at any seams nearby, keeping the movement consistent instead of letting it jump or mismatch. We finished the edges eased, which keeps the lines of the counter clean and lets the stone itself do the talking. Day to day, this countertop is going to take a beating and keep looking good. Quartz is non-porous and tough against scratches and stains, and it handles the daily traffic of a working kitchen, cutting boards, hot pans set down too quick, kids doing homework at the island, without showing wear. It's a surface built for a kitchen that's lived in, not just looked at. Cayce's seen a good bit of kitchen work like this lately, folks wanting that bright, clean look that still feels upscale without the upkeep some stone surfaces ask for. This one came out clean and bright, the kind of kitchen that photographs well and holds up even better once the cabinets are full and the coffee's going every morning.

We put MSI Calacatta Vernello into a kitchen in Cayce, and it's the kind of quartz that makes a room feel brighter the second you walk in. The background's a clean, soft white, with gray veining moving through it in long, broken threads that catch the eye without taking over. Calacatta Vernello is engineered to give that bright, upscale look while still being a consistent, dependable surface to work with and live with. That consistency is the real draw with a quartz like this. You get a bright white background and that dramatic veining, but without the maintenance headache natural stone can bring. There's no sealing to keep up with, no worrying about etching from a lemon left on the counter or a glass of wine sitting out overnight. For a kitchen that actually gets used, that matters more than people think going in. Fabricating a quartz like this still takes real care. We template the counters to the room, not the other way around, so the seams land where they'll be least noticed and the veining keeps moving in a way that looks natural across the span. At the sink and the cooktop, that's where people's eyes land first, so we pay close attention to how the pattern falls there and at any seams nearby, keeping the movement consistent instead of letting it jump or mismatch. We finished the edges eased, which keeps the lines of the counter clean and lets the stone itself do the talking. Day to day, this countertop is going to take a beating and keep looking good. Quartz is non-porous and tough against scratches and stains, and it handles the daily traffic of a working kitchen, cutting boards, hot pans set down too quick, kids doing homework at the island, without showing wear. It's a surface built for a kitchen that's lived in, not just looked at. Cayce's seen a good bit of kitchen work like this lately, folks wanting that bright, clean look that still feels upscale without the upkeep some stone surfaces ask for. This one came out clean and bright, the kind of kitchen that photographs well and holds up even better once the cabinets are full and the coffee's going every morning.

We put MSI Calacatta Vernello into a kitchen in Cayce, and it's the kind of quartz that makes a room feel brighter the second you walk in. The background's a clean, soft white, with gray veining moving through it in long, broken threads that catch the eye without taking over. Calacatta Vernello is engineered to give that bright, upscale look while still being a consistent, dependable surface to work with and live with. That consistency is the real draw with a quartz like this. You get a bright white background and that dramatic veining, but without the maintenance headache natural stone can bring. There's no sealing to keep up with, no worrying about etching from a lemon left on the counter or a glass of wine sitting out overnight. For a kitchen that actually gets used, that matters more than people think going in. Fabricating a quartz like this still takes real care. We template the counters to the room, not the other way around, so the seams land where they'll be least noticed and the veining keeps moving in a way that looks natural across the span. At the sink and the cooktop, that's where people's eyes land first, so we pay close attention to how the pattern falls there and at any seams nearby, keeping the movement consistent instead of letting it jump or mismatch. We finished the edges eased, which keeps the lines of the counter clean and lets the stone itself do the talking. Day to day, this countertop is going to take a beating and keep looking good. Quartz is non-porous and tough against scratches and stains, and it handles the daily traffic of a working kitchen, cutting boards, hot pans set down too quick, kids doing homework at the island, without showing wear. It's a surface built for a kitchen that's lived in, not just looked at. Cayce's seen a good bit of kitchen work like this lately, folks wanting that bright, clean look that still feels upscale without the upkeep some stone surfaces ask for. This one came out clean and bright, the kind of kitchen that photographs well and holds up even better once the cabinets are full and the coffee's going every morning.