Renewed 1928 California Bungalow Exterior. Contemporary deep blue color palette with white trim and gray/brown insets. Porch ceiling beautifully restored. New flagstone entry steps and facing. Low water landscape designed by Kim Kelly, Woodward Gardens. Photographer: Robert Rosenblum

Ernest V. DeMaio III, Architect, Tektoniks Architect
Bathroom - mid-sized contemporary 3/4 gray tile and glass tile porcelain tile and white floor bathroom idea in Boston with flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and solid surface countertops

Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary partial sun and drought-tolerant backyard stone and wood fence retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

This charming hill country contemporary is perched perfectly beneath huge pecan trees overlooking Lake Austin. With its soft and inviting materials palette, this home raises the bar in Caslano. Published: Austin-San Antonio Urban Home, April/May 2016 Western Art & Architecture, June/July 2015 (Cover) Luxe interiors + design, Austin + Hill Country, Dallas + Fort Worth, & Houston Editions, Winter 2015 Leading Design Professionals - The Luxury of Home: Annual 2015 Photo Credit: Dror Baldinger

Photo: Lauren Andersen © 2019 Houzz
Example of a transitional living room design in San Francisco

This bathroom was made for two. Two vanities provide ample space in a master bath however in this home the owner let us take it one step further. Here we have installed dual masters showers in a single walk in shower enclosure. One to the left and another identical shower to the right. Complete with matching windows, shampoo niches, hand held sprays they share a shower seat centered on the single glass door entrance. Beyond a free standing tub is set upon a mosaic floor tile and beneath a chandelier for a soft elegant touch. We utilized every opportunity to include a window, they provide white water ocean views and floods the room with natural daylight.

Doorless shower - mid-sized contemporary master gray tile porcelain tile doorless shower idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, open cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, a one-piece toilet and gray walls

Trendy kitchen photo in Vancouver

THEME The main theme for this room is an active, physical and personalized experience for a growing boy. This was achieved with the use of bold colors, creative inclusion of personal favorites and the use of industrial materials. FOCUS The main focus of the room is the 12 foot long x 4 foot high elevated bed. The bed is the focal point of the room and leaves ample space for activity within the room beneath. A secondary focus of the room is the desk, positioned in a private corner of the room outfitted with custom lighting and suspended desktop designed to support growing technical needs and school assignments. STORAGE A large floor armoire was built at the far die of the room between the bed and wall.. The armoire was built with 8 separate storage units that are approximately 12”x24” by 8” deep. These enclosed storage spaces are convenient for anything a growing boy may need to put away and convenient enough to make cleaning up easy for him. The floor is built to support the chair and desk built into the far corner of the room. GROWTH The room was designed for active ages 8 to 18. There are three ways to enter the bed, climb the knotted rope, custom rock wall, or pipe monkey bars up the wall and along the ceiling. The ladder was included only for parents. While these are the intended ways to enter the bed, they are also a convenient safety system to prevent younger siblings from getting into his private things. SAFETY This room was designed for an older child but safety is still a critical element and every detail in the room was reviewed for safety. The raised bed includes extra long and higher side boards ensuring that any rolling in bed is kept safe. The decking was sanded and edges cleaned to prevent any potential splintering. Power outlets are covered using exterior industrial outlets for the switches and plugs, which also looks really cool.

A complete metamorphosis was needed to bring out the buried treasure hidden beneath this yard, and a family of five rattlesnakes had to find a new home! Here’s the short list of the awkward elements that had to be remedied: First, the neighbors’ living room window peered perpetually (like, all the time) and directly into the yard with no privacy whatsoever. None. Second, the vast deep end swallowed up the patio and provided no place for furniture, or walking. Only tripping and treading water was allowed. Third, the sunken lawn must have been an arena of some sort! Intentionally excavated from natural grade a full -42″ from the patio, for no good reason. Fourth, the not-worth-a-visit ramada was the focal point for the entire yard. See it up close! It’s gone. Fifth, the spa was shoved against the farthest wall and provided no invitation. It was so bad, it never had a photo taken! See the statue peeing between the two short columns? It’s over there. Peeing in the corner as all little boys are want to do. Sixth, the bbq and fire place were non-functional and equally uninviting, and here’s a better view of just how crowded the furniture is. Don’t fall in! Last, we will not mention the boulder pile droppings distributed around the yard. Oops! Sorry. The first order of business was to spend several weeks tearing out everything but the pool shell. Then another few weeks were spent wheelbarrowing in a few hundred yards of top soil (there was no access) to fill the matador pit flush to a more relatable -18″. The large gaping trough was then discretely hidden with large removable stones, so it was out of sight but still serviceable. Second, the neighbor was screened instantly with a row of mature Texas Ebony trees in a raised planter, that also housed a sculptural ironwood tree as the focal point of the property, soon to be reflected in the pool’s richer Midnight Blue pebble tec finish. A hundred or so yards of shotcrete filled not only the reclaimed deep end, but also created a sun shelf and spa ledge, now the focal jewel in the foreground as a 360 overflow vanishing edge spa clad in Pewter glass tile from Oceanside Glass, and viewed from all the interior living spaces. The BBQ was tucked around the corner out of sight but still easy access. The fireplace for two gave way to a large inviting built in banco, with a splashes of colorful fabrics to draw one out. The fire pit serves about 10 people easily, for hours at a time. Last but not least, the foreground of the pool became a sweeping entry shelf extending the full length of the pool, bedecked with fiberoptic starlights and six glowing bubblers set low, to just barely break the surface of the water, giving a lovely and tranquil sound while sleeping away with all retractable doors wide open. Simple. Serene. Self-evident. That is the remedy. If your project needs a similar touch, more or less, drop me a line and we’ll figure out a plan.

With proper cabinet placement, chores can be a breeze. Unloading the dishwasher is an arm's reach away in the pointedly placed glass- front cabinet.

Design: Eric Blanz of Blanzscape LLC Photo: Margot Hartford © 2015 Houzz
This is an example of a tropical landscaping in San Francisco.

Construction by Deep Creek Builders, Photography by Sara Rounsavall
Mid-sized elegant l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Louisville with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, concrete countertops, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

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Craig Westerman
Deck - traditional backyard deck idea in Baltimore

Mitch Shenker Studio Photography
Small trendy built-in desk light wood floor home office photo in San Francisco with blue walls

Brian Smirke
Inspiration for a modern home design remodel in Los Angeles

A two-level pergola, circular firepit area and outdoor kitchen with a charcoal-gas combo grill star in this Houston patio addition designed for entertaining large crowds in style. "The client was an attorney with a passion for cooking and entertaining," says the project's principal designer, Lisha Maxey of LGH Designs. "Her main objective with this space was to create a large area for 10 to 20 guests, including seating and the prep and cooking of meals." Located in the backyard of the client's home in Spring, TX, this beautiful outdoor living and entertaining space includes a 28-by-12-foot patio with Fantastico silver travertine tile flooring, arranged in a Versailles pattern. The walkway is Oklahoma wister flagstone. Providing filtered shade for the patio is a two-level pergola of treated pine stained honey gold. The larger, higher tier is about 18 by 10 feet; the smaller, lower tier is about 10 feet square. "We covered the entire pergola with Lexan - a high-quality, clear acrylic sheet that provides protection from the sun, heat and rain," says Outdoor Homescapes of Houston owner Wayne Franks. Beneath the lower tier of the pergola sits an L-shaped, 12-by-9-foot outdoor kitchen island faced with Carmel Country ledgestone. The island houses a Fire Magic® combination charcoal-gas grill and lowered power burner, a Pacific Living countertop pizza oven and a stainless steel RCS trash drawer and sink. The countertops and raised bar are Fantastico silver travertine (18-square-inch tiles) and the backsplash is real quartz. "The most unique design item of this kitchen area is the hexagon/circular table we added to the end of the long bar," says Lisha. This enabled the client to add seating for her dining guests." Under the higher, larger tier of the pergola is a seating area, made up of a coffee table and espresso-colored rattan sofa and club chairs with spring-green-and-white cushions. "Lighting also plays an important role in this space, since the client often entertains in the evening," says Wayne. Enter the chandelier over the patio seating arrangement and - over the outdoor kitchen - pendant lamps and an industrial-modern ceiling fan with a light fixture in the center. "It's important to layer your lighting for ambiance, security and safety - from an all-over ambient light that fills the space to under-the-counter task lighting for food prep and cooking to path and retaining wall lighting." Off the patio is a transition area of crushed granite and floating flagstone pavers, leading to a circular firepit area of stamped concrete. At the center of this circle is the standalone firepit, framed at the back by a curved stone bench. The walls of the bench and column bases for the pergola, by the way, are the same ledgestone as the kitchen island. The top slab on the bench is a hearth piece of manmade stone. "I think the finish materials blend with the home really well," says Wayne. "We met her objectives of being able to entertain with 10 to 12 to 20 people at one time and being able to cook with charcoal and gas separately in one unit. And of course, the project was on time, on budget." "It is truly a paradise," says the client in her Houzz review of the project. "They listened to my vision and incorporated their expertise to create an outdoor living space just perfect for me and my family!"

Hand cut stone patio was meticulously chiseled by our craftsman to match the travertine inside the home. Philips Color Kinetics lighting adds a whole new mood at night, and can be customized with 8 different light shows specifically for the client. The dramatic water feature was requested by the homeowner to be seen and heard from his study, and has stone steps leading down to a shallow area beneath the falls for swimmers to wade and sit under the falls. Design and installation by Caviness Landscape Design, Inc. - photography by KO Rinearson