Short on space, our clients turned to us to add a sense joyful play to their otherwise standard New York City apartment interior design with hints of eclectic style and casual chic nuances. With a restrained hand, out interior designer set about bringing a new life in our clients petite apartment while also introducing easy to maintain, durable surfaces and furnishings as they love to entertain and have a lively St. Bernard. And as they had an extensive book collection and a single three-foot wide closet, the key challenge here was to make the best use of the entire space while injecting it with charming whimsy. After falling in love with our designer’s presentation, our clients went for a complete apartment overhaul and started from scratch. Since the space is small, our designer Anna S. wanted to create an urgent sense of vibrancy without coming off as too heavy handed. So she worked in expressive colors and decorative extras in small doses for subtle impact. Starting the project by changing several of the unit’s light fixtures for brighter, more minimal styles, Anna surveyed the apartment room to room to devise clever storage solutions that are easy on the eye. As they have friends over often, Anna created a warm and inviting living room boasting a slightly feminine take on mid-century modern layered with colorful pillows, patterned rugs, and eclectic art that doesn’t take over the apartment. In the kitchen, she added a strong yet gender neutral burlap wallpaper, floating wooden shelves, and new plumbing fixtures that were more sophisticated than the original, standard ones in place. However, our favorite part of the apartment is the moody, statement-making foyer. Though it was a long and narrow barely used, neglected space, Anna brought in wallpaper from Tempaper that features a matte black background covered with gold bird and floral illustrations, and added a long row of black glass cabinets and several large gold mirrors for an added sense of glamorous drama and an extra amount of storage space to boot.

Knowing that their lot offered privacy and idyllic ocean views, Bare Point Custom Home was designed to take advantage of its unique and beautiful location. This waterfront home takes full advantage of its prime location with multitudes of large windows and an open concept design to bring in natural light and offer breathtaking views from every room. The Great Room offers a wall of windows, vaulted ceilings, and three skylights. Sliding glass doors lead from this space to the outdoor living area with three levels of decking. The west coast modern style of this home is accented in the exterior finishing choices. A mix of Hardie Board and cedar lap siding help this home to blend with the surrounding landscape.

A complete desert landscape renovation — from demo through final planting — designed to honor the Sonoran Desert character of the property while adding structure, drama, and year-round visual interest. The scope opened with full site demolition: removal of approximately 20 existing plants, regrading for a new curved pony wall and mounded terrain, and excavation for a new river run. Existing granite was preserved and redistributed rather than removed, reducing waste and maintaining the site's established material palette. Hardscape & Structure A 20-linear-foot curved retention wall built from standard block with a stucco cap defines a planting border along the property edge. The facing side is clad in 45 square feet of stone veneer matched precisely to the home's exterior — a detail that ties the landscape directly to the architecture. Five 500-pound surface boulders are placed throughout the mounded areas, grounding the composition with natural scale and weight. River Run & Materials Three tons of 3"x6" rip rap create a dry river run that flows through the redesigned grade, channeling storm water naturally while adding texture and movement. Three tons of fill dirt support the contouring and mounding work, and approximately 17 tons of the site's original granite was respread across the finished landscape. Planting Design The plant palette is entirely desert-adapted. Twenty-six five-gallon desert shrubs and ground covers layer the mounded areas. Sixteen five-gallon cacti and succulents — including Mexican Fence Post, Gopher Plant, assorted agaves, Argentine Giants, and Golden Barrels — provide sculptural structure. A six-foot bare root ocotillo serves as a dramatic vertical accent. Irrigation A new two-zone drip irrigation system — including a Febco backflow preventer, pressure regulator, timer, valve box, and poly line with emitters — was installed to maintain separate watering schedules for the plant and cactus zones. Lighting Five commercial-grade antique brass landscape spotlights were integrated throughout the space, wired with 500 feet of cable tied into the home's existing transformer. The result is a fully illuminated evening landscape that highlights boulder groupings, the river run, and key specimen plants.

Knowing that their lot offered privacy and idyllic ocean views, Bare Point Custom Home was designed to take advantage of its unique and beautiful location. This waterfront home takes full advantage of its prime location with multitudes of large windows and an open concept design to bring in natural light and offer breathtaking views from every room. The Great Room offers a wall of windows, vaulted ceilings, and three skylights. Sliding glass doors lead from this space to the outdoor living area with three levels of decking. The west coast modern style of this home is accented in the exterior finishing choices. A mix of Hardie Board and cedar lap siding help this home to blend with the surrounding landscape.

A complete desert landscape renovation — from demo through final planting — designed to honor the Sonoran Desert character of the property while adding structure, drama, and year-round visual interest. The scope opened with full site demolition: removal of approximately 20 existing plants, regrading for a new curved pony wall and mounded terrain, and excavation for a new river run. Existing granite was preserved and redistributed rather than removed, reducing waste and maintaining the site's established material palette. Hardscape & Structure A 20-linear-foot curved retention wall built from standard block with a stucco cap defines a planting border along the property edge. The facing side is clad in 45 square feet of stone veneer matched precisely to the home's exterior — a detail that ties the landscape directly to the architecture. Five 500-pound surface boulders are placed throughout the mounded areas, grounding the composition with natural scale and weight. River Run & Materials Three tons of 3"x6" rip rap create a dry river run that flows through the redesigned grade, channeling storm water naturally while adding texture and movement. Three tons of fill dirt support the contouring and mounding work, and approximately 17 tons of the site's original granite was respread across the finished landscape. Planting Design The plant palette is entirely desert-adapted. Twenty-six five-gallon desert shrubs and ground covers layer the mounded areas. Sixteen five-gallon cacti and succulents — including Mexican Fence Post, Gopher Plant, assorted agaves, Argentine Giants, and Golden Barrels — provide sculptural structure. A six-foot bare root ocotillo serves as a dramatic vertical accent. Irrigation A new two-zone drip irrigation system — including a Febco backflow preventer, pressure regulator, timer, valve box, and poly line with emitters — was installed to maintain separate watering schedules for the plant and cactus zones. Lighting Five commercial-grade antique brass landscape spotlights were integrated throughout the space, wired with 500 feet of cable tied into the home's existing transformer. The result is a fully illuminated evening landscape that highlights boulder groupings, the river run, and key specimen plants.

A traditional curly cherry kitchen is a showstopper for a busy Bucks County family. Maintenance friendly countertops combined with plenty of storage space makes this so much more than just a gathering space.

Knowing that their lot offered privacy and idyllic ocean views, Bare Point Custom Home was designed to take advantage of its unique and beautiful location. This waterfront home takes full advantage of its prime location with multitudes of large windows and an open concept design to bring in natural light and offer breathtaking views from every room. The Great Room offers a wall of windows, vaulted ceilings, and three skylights. Sliding glass doors lead from this space to the outdoor living area with three levels of decking. The west coast modern style of this home is accented in the exterior finishing choices. A mix of Hardie Board and cedar lap siding help this home to blend with the surrounding landscape.

A complete desert landscape renovation — from demo through final planting — designed to honor the Sonoran Desert character of the property while adding structure, drama, and year-round visual interest. The scope opened with full site demolition: removal of approximately 20 existing plants, regrading for a new curved pony wall and mounded terrain, and excavation for a new river run. Existing granite was preserved and redistributed rather than removed, reducing waste and maintaining the site's established material palette. Hardscape & Structure A 20-linear-foot curved retention wall built from standard block with a stucco cap defines a planting border along the property edge. The facing side is clad in 45 square feet of stone veneer matched precisely to the home's exterior — a detail that ties the landscape directly to the architecture. Five 500-pound surface boulders are placed throughout the mounded areas, grounding the composition with natural scale and weight. River Run & Materials Three tons of 3"x6" rip rap create a dry river run that flows through the redesigned grade, channeling storm water naturally while adding texture and movement. Three tons of fill dirt support the contouring and mounding work, and approximately 17 tons of the site's original granite was respread across the finished landscape. Planting Design The plant palette is entirely desert-adapted. Twenty-six five-gallon desert shrubs and ground covers layer the mounded areas. Sixteen five-gallon cacti and succulents — including Mexican Fence Post, Gopher Plant, assorted agaves, Argentine Giants, and Golden Barrels — provide sculptural structure. A six-foot bare root ocotillo serves as a dramatic vertical accent. Irrigation A new two-zone drip irrigation system — including a Febco backflow preventer, pressure regulator, timer, valve box, and poly line with emitters — was installed to maintain separate watering schedules for the plant and cactus zones. Lighting Five commercial-grade antique brass landscape spotlights were integrated throughout the space, wired with 500 feet of cable tied into the home's existing transformer. The result is a fully illuminated evening landscape that highlights boulder groupings, the river run, and key specimen plants.

Knowing that their lot offered privacy and idyllic ocean views, Bare Point Custom Home was designed to take advantage of its unique and beautiful location. This waterfront home takes full advantage of its prime location with multitudes of large windows and an open concept design to bring in natural light and offer breathtaking views from every room. The Great Room offers a wall of windows, vaulted ceilings, and three skylights. Sliding glass doors lead from this space to the outdoor living area with three levels of decking. The west coast modern style of this home is accented in the exterior finishing choices. A mix of Hardie Board and cedar lap siding help this home to blend with the surrounding landscape.

Example of an eclectic kitchen design in Orange County

This large, classic-styled home featured beautiful moldings, cabinetry, and craftsmanship, but was in need of an update. Arlene Ladegaard of Design Connection, Inc. was chosen to assist with the new designs and renovations. Visit our website to see more of our projects: https://www.designconnectioninc.com/ The clients wanted a formally dressed living room with comfortable, elegant furniture to accommodate entertaining multiple guests. The scale of this space allows for many furniture groupings. The furnishings were sized to fit the space perfectly and the fabrics were chosen with daily use and easy-cleaning in mind. The many layers of textured and printed fabrics add visual interest and emulate the clients’ collective style. Although the windows were beautiful on their own, they looked too bare without window treatments. Gray linens were chosen with a contrasting accent band and the chrome rods with crystal finials blended well with the other accents. The new draperies define the space while adding softness and drama. A massive area rug completes the look and adds warmth and elegance to this beautiful formal living room. The clients love the new furnishings in their living room. “We were at loss for how to make it look elegant, beautiful, and yet functional. Arlene got the style of the space.” Design Connection, Inc. provided AutoCAD drawings, all furniture, area rugs, paint colors, lighting, and accessories.

Photo: Mina Brinkey © 2013 Houzz
Eclectic porch photo in Tampa with decking

This is the final plan for the front yard. The path is actually stamped colored concrete and the low wall stacked block and cap. Linda McDonald
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary drought-tolerant front yard landscaping in San Diego.

The Innovation House girls’ bath adjoins one of the children’s bedrooms and closet playroom. This space needed to be a versatile yet still convey a blend of European and feminine charm. The design team of Innovation House chose a polished nickel faucet, wall scones and circular adjustable mirror to reflect light off of the elegant marble-like ceramic tile floors and white enameled cast iron vanity top. To warm the space the walls were painted a sophistical purplish grey (Porter’s Gray Palomino) and playful pink (Porter’s Bare Pink) in the closet. To add whimsy for the room’s intended pint-sized resident, a playful semi-circular end table was selected for accessories and all of a girl’s beauty essentials. The clean look of the girls’ bath continues with classy glass subway tiles in the shower. The functionality of the space was maximized by our design team’s decision to include built-in wall niches within the shower, curved shower rod, and kid-height towel hooks. The traditional finishes chosen for the space ensure that the design will remain relevant as any children within the home grow. Sources: Vanity cabinet, sink top, plumbing fixtures, and mirror by Kohler; shower and floor tiles by Daltile; chandelier and sconces by Kichler; closet lighting by Kichler, closet carpet by Mohawk; closet artwork by Art Classics, LTD; baskets by Steele Canvas; paint by Certa Pro Painters. Photo Credit: GreinTime Productions

In the backyard of a home dating to 1910 in the Hudson Valley, a modest 250 square-foot outbuilding, at one time used as a bootleg moonshine distillery, and more recently as a bare bones man-cave, was given new life as a sumptuous home office replete with not only its own WiFi, but also abundant southern light brought in by new windows, bespoke furnishings, a double-height workstation, and a utilitarian loft. The original barn door slides open to reveal a new set of sliding glass doors opening into the space. Dark hardwood floors are a foil to crisp white defining the walls and ceiling in the lower office, and soft shell pink in the double-height volume punctuated by charcoal gray barn stairs and iron pipe railings up to a dollhouse-like loft space overhead. The desktops -- clad on the top surface only with durable, no-nonsense, mushroom-colored laminate -- leave birch maple edges confidently exposed atop punchy red painted bases perforated with circles for visual and functional relief. Overhead a wrought iron lantern alludes to a birdcage, highlighting the feeling of being among the treetops when up in the loft. Photography: Rikki Snyder

This kitchen was transformed by extending the countertop for better dining and tiling the front of the bar area with glass tile. The deep eggplant color of the walls brings out the warm golden tones of the cabinetry. The stunning mirrored armoire adds storage space and sparkle.

Rikki Snyder
Example of a bathroom design in New York

Dave Slivinski
Inspiration for a large contemporary rooftop deck remodel in Chicago with a fire pit and a pergola

Inspiration for a transitional backyard rectangular pool remodel in Toronto