Mid-sized transitional white two-story brick gable roof idea in Dallas

Inspiration for a transitional light wood floor and beige floor living room remodel in Austin with white walls, a brick fireplace, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Elegant medium tone wood floor seated home bar photo in DC Metro with open cabinets, dark wood cabinets, brick backsplash and beige countertops

This dark and dated feeling kitchen and bar were completely renovated for this multi-generational global family. By re-configuring the space and incorporating the bar, removing several heavy columns and a wall, it made the kitchen open and accessible to the adjacent rooms and visible from the front door. Everything was lightened and brightened with new cabinetry, counter tops, appliances, flooring, paint, better windows, electrical and lighting. The old range top and down draft were enclosed in a massive brick structure, with no prep space, by removing it and centering the new range on the wall with a custom hood and full height stone back splash, a stunning focal point was created. The position of other key appliances and plumbing were moved or added to create several work stations throughout the large space, such as the refrigeration, full prep sink, coffee bar, baking station, cocktail bar and clean up island. Another special feature of this kitchen was roll out table from the end of the serving island. Specialty features include: A roll out table for eating, prep or serving; coffee bar and drink service area with beverage center; full size prep sink adjacent to refrigeration and cooking areas; steam oven and baking station; microwave/warming drawer; dual fuel range with double ovens, 6 burners and a griddle top; two separate islands, one for serving large family meals, one for clean up; specialty spice storage inserts and pull outs; corner turn outs for large items; two double pull outs for trash and recycling; stacked cabinetry with glass display at the top to take advantage of the 14' ceilings.

Transitional light wood floor kitchen photo in DC Metro with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, multicolored backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Alcove bathtub - mid-sized contemporary master mosaic tile floor and white floor alcove bathtub idea in San Francisco with a vessel sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray walls, wood countertops and brown countertops

To create a welcoming gathering space and a stronger connection the outdoors, the kitchen was reconfigured and opened up to the front entry of the home. To improve traffic flow, an additional doorway to the adjacent family room was added.

When better sleep is the goal, support matters. This sophisticated bedroom showcases the Doctor's Choice Elite Firm Mattress from Denver Mattress, designed for sleepers seeking enhanced support, pressure relief, and long-lasting comfort. As the premium model in the Doctor's Choice Collection, the Elite Firm is engineered to help promote proper spinal alignment while providing the stable, supportive feel preferred by many back and stomach sleepers. Advanced comfort materials and thoughtfully designed support systems work together to create a sleep surface focused on recovery, comfort, and restorative rest. The room's rich color palette, warm wood furnishings, layered textures, and calming atmosphere reinforce the connection between thoughtful design and healthy sleep. Together, the space and mattress create an environment dedicated to helping you wake up refreshed, supported, and ready for whatever the day brings.

The owners of this vegetable garden purchased the undeveloped lot adjacent to their home and developed the sloping area into a collection of raised beds. - Photo by Kevin Bost

This stylish master bedroom is cozy and relaxing with soft metallic patterns on an accent wall and custom bedding and furniture.
Inspiration for a contemporary master carpeted and gray floor bedroom remodel in Denver with multicolored walls

Natural cedar 5x5 raised beds are rugged, rot-resistent, and attractive. They reduce the need to bend over and make great seats while working in your garden, too. Also, note the fully-protected berry enclosure in the background--perfect for securing your highly desirable crops from over-eager animals.

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.

This kitchen started as a dark cramped space that really needed a new outlook on life. With its new aesthetics and better configuration, it uses the available space so much more efficiently, borrows views and natural light from adjacent spaces, provides acres more counter space, has multiple work areas, more storage and more seating --and the family now really enjoys the space cooking and hanging out together each day.

This large kitchen was desperately needing a refresh. It was far to traditional for the homeowners taste. Additionally, there was no direct path to the dining room as you needed to enter through a butlers pantry. I opened up two doorways into the kitchen from the dining room, which allowed natural light to flow in. The former butlers pantry was then sealed up and became part of the formerly to small pantry. The homeowners now have a 13' long walk through pantry, accessible from both the new bar area and the kitchen.

Elegant kitchen photo in Portland with shaker cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Mountain style front door photo with brown walls and a dark wood front door

Example of a transitional bedroom design in Chicago with gray walls

Example of a cottage open concept living room design in San Diego with white walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Leslie Murchie
Inspiration for a mid-century modern galley medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen remodel in Detroit with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, an island, an undermount sink and gray countertops