This Willow Glen Eichler had undergone an 80s renovation that sadly didn't take the midcentury modern architecture into consideration. We converted both bathrooms back to a midcentury modern style with an infusion of Japandi elements. We borrowed space from the master bedroom to make the master ensuite a luxurious curbless wet room with soaking tub and Japanese tiles.

A quintessential 1925 bungalow located in the charming neighborhood of Virginia Highland in Atlanta, this project included a renovation of the kitchen, family room and powder room on the first floor, and the laundry and primary bath on the second. The Copper Sky Design + Remodel team reconfigured the first floor to better accommodate additional cabinetry and an island in the kitchen by borrowing space from what was a full bathroom and converting it to a half bath. Upstairs, unfinished attic space was converted to a roomy laundry room while the 200 square foot primary bath remained in its original footprint.

Interior by Pillar 3 Design Mural by Pillar 3 Design Custom bed by Pillar 3 Design and Garrett Stovall Photo by Brian Wilson

The walls where moved and space was redesigned to borrow space from an adjoining bedroom to create this white tiled oasis. It's turquoise ceiling, silver clawfoot tub, vintage style tile wrapping the whole room and glamorous accents make this a bathroom fit for a queen. Photographed and designed by Marilynn Taylor The Taylored Home, general contractor Plumb Crazy Inc

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects, and Flegels Construction updated a classic Eichler open, indoor-outdoor home. Expanding on the original walls of glass and connection to nature that is common in mid-century modern homes. The completely openable walls allow the homeowners to truly open up the living space of the house, transforming it into an open air pavilion, extending the living area outdoors to the private side yards, and taking maximum advantage of indoor-outdoor living opportunities. Taking the concept of borrowed landscape from traditional Japanese architecture, the fountain, concrete bench wall, and natural landscaping bound the indoor-outdoor space. The Truly Open Eichler is a remodeled single-family house in Palo Alto. This 1,712 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom is located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Geoff Campen, and Angela Todorova Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineers Contractor: Flegels Construction Photography ©2014 Mariko Reed Location: Palo Alto, CA Year completed: 2014

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A quintessential 1925 bungalow located in the charming neighborhood of Virginia Highland in Atlanta, this project included a renovation of the kitchen, family room and powder room on the first floor, and the laundry and primary bath on the second. The Copper Sky Design + Remodel team reconfigured the first floor to better accommodate additional cabinetry and an island in the kitchen by borrowing space from what was a full bathroom and converting it to a half bath. Upstairs, unfinished attic space was converted to a roomy laundry room while the 200 square foot primary bath remained in its original footprint.

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The sisters worked together to borrow space from an adjoining bedroom to create this white tiled oasis. It's turquoise ceiling, silver clawfoot tub, vintage style tile wrapping the whole room and glamorous accents make this a bathroom fit for a queen. Design by Marilynn Taylor, The Taylored Home, Contractor Allison Allain, Plumb Crazy

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects, and Flegels Construction updated a classic Eichler open, indoor-outdoor home. Expanding on the original walls of glass and connection to nature that is common in mid-century modern homes. The completely openable walls allow the homeowners to truly open up the living space of the house, transforming it into an open air pavilion, extending the living area outdoors to the private side yards, and taking maximum advantage of indoor-outdoor living opportunities. Taking the concept of borrowed landscape from traditional Japanese architecture, the fountain, concrete bench wall, and natural landscaping bound the indoor-outdoor space. The Truly Open Eichler is a remodeled single-family house in Palo Alto. This 1,712 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom is located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Geoff Campen, and Angela Todorova Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineers Contractor: Flegels Construction Photography ©2014 Mariko Reed Location: Palo Alto, CA Year completed: 2014

This Willow Glen Eichler had undergone an 80s renovation that sadly didn't take the midcentury modern architecture into consideration. We converted both bathrooms back to a midcentury modern style with an infusion of Japandi elements. We borrowed space from the master bedroom to make the master ensuite a luxurious curbless wet room with soaking tub and Japanese tiles.

Finding a home is not easy in a seller’s market, but when my clients discovered one—even though it needed a bit of work—in a beautiful area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, they decided to jump in. Surrounded by old-growth redwood trees and a sense of old-time history, the house’s location informed the design brief for their desired remodel work. Yet I needed to balance this with my client’s preference for clean-lined, modern style. Suffering from a previous remodel, the galley-like bathroom in the master suite was long and dank. My clients were willing to completely redesign the layout of the suite, so the bathroom became the walk-in closet. We borrowed space from the bedroom to create a new, larger master bathroom which now includes a separate tub and shower. The look of the room nods to nature with organic elements like a pebbled shower floor and vertical accent tiles of honed green slate. A custom vanity of blue weathered wood and a ceiling that recalls the look of pressed tin evoke a time long ago when people settled this mountain region. At the same time, the hardware in the room looks to the future with sleek, modular shapes in a chic matte black finish. Harmonious, serene, with personality: just what my clients wanted. Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Updated Spec Home: Basement Bathroom In our Updated Spec Home: Basement Bath, we reveal the newest addition to my mom and sister’s home – a half bath in the Basement. Since they were spending so much time in their Basement Family Room, the need to add a bath on that level quickly became apparent. Fortunately, they had unfinished storage area we could borrow from to make a nice size 8′ x 5′ bath. Working with a Budget and a Sister We were working with a budget, but as usual, my sister and I blew the budget on this awesome patterned tile flooring. (Don’t worry design clients – I can stick to a budget when my sister is not around to be a bad influence!). With that said, I do think this flooring makes a great focal point for the bath and worth the expense! On the Walls We painted the walls Sherwin Williams Sea Salt (SW6204). Then, we brought in lots of interest and color with this gorgeous acrylic wrapped canvas art and oversized decorative medallions. All of the plumbing fixtures, lighting and vanity were purchased at a local big box store. We were able to find streamlined options that work great in the space. We used brushed nickel as a light and airy metal option. As you can see this Updated Spec Home: Basement Bath is a functional and fabulous addition to this gorgeous home. Be sure to check out these other Powder Baths we have designed (here and here). And That’s a Wrap! Unless my mom and sister build an addition, we have come to the end of our blog series Updated Spec Home. I hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed being a part of making this Spec House a warm, inviting, and gorgeous home for two of my very favorite people!

This Willow Glen Eichler had undergone an 80s renovation that sadly didn't take the midcentury modern architecture into consideration. We converted both bathrooms back to a midcentury modern style with an infusion of Japandi elements. We borrowed space from the master bedroom to make the master ensuite a luxurious curbless wet room with soaking tub and Japanese tiles.

Mike and Michelle of Lake Barrington knew they needed extra space. Their home was becoming too crowded for their family with blossoming teenagers, so a basement renovation offered the perfect solution for more space for the kids and more room to entertain for the adults. “Our project consisted of expanding our laundry room, putting in a first floor wet bar so we had adult space upstairs, while also renovating our basement for a family-friendly and teen-functional area as well,” Michelle says. They found Advance Design Studio through a neighbor who gave a glowing recommendation, giving Michelle and Mike the confidence they needed to move forward with a major home renovation. They felt like they knew Advance Design before they even worked together. When they met with the owner Todd Jurs and designer Nicole Ryan, Mike and Michelle knew they were getting a trustworthy, dependable team that could create the project they had been dreaming about for 7 years. Having virtually no natural light to work with, one of the biggest design challenges was creating a basement that did not feel dark and depressing. The Advance team got to work creating architectural archways and custom detailed dry-stack stone columns artfully designed into the space, adding a dramatic element that made the space feel less like a basement or more like a relaxing family room. Color 3D renderings were created to portray what the space would look like so Mike and Michelle could visualize the space in advance. Detailed trim and crown moldings grace the built in buffet and wet bar making for an amazingly functional space that lacks nothing in style and visual interest. Cherry wood cabinetry by Dura Supreme is featured in the space with a “Cocoa Brown” finish and includes beautiful mirrored glass doors embellished with unique elliptical mullion details. A built-in microwave, dishwasher and mini fridge add practicality to the ample entertainment mecca. An under mounted sink finishes the space joined with a intricate mosaic tile backsplash and “Ventisca Polished” quartz countertops. The basement is absolutely perfect for hosting friends and family with expertly designed key areas such as a game space for the kids, a movie area for the family, an ample workout room with luxurious full bath, and even built in wine storage. The family absolutely loves the new basement living space, and has already enjoyed numerous family movie nights and sleep-overs with friends. While custom cabinets made by Dura Supreme were used to create unique spaces that lived up to Mike and Michelle’s expectations., heated flooring under the 16”x16” “Mongolian Spring” tile was installed giving all tiled areas of the basement a much cozier feel, eliminating that cold hard surface most of us hate in our basements! The new basement must-have requirement list included a new bath space, which was incorporated adjacent to the work out room. The sleek shower door and cabinets in the new bathroom make guests and family feel like they are in an elegant hotel. The new guest bath features 4”x36” “Silver Screen” honed marble tile in a brick pattern on the shower walls and 2”x2” “Chenille” limestone tile in a hexagon mosaic pattern on the shower floor. “I came in with very specific requirements for our three project areas,” Michelle says. “There was not one time that I felt like I was asking for something that was not going to turn out how I anticipated.” Tying in multiple rooms during a renovation if you have can do it makes a lot of sense and saves money in the long run. A fully functional laundry room as well was a must on this family’s wish list. Michelle wanted to add space to the existing cramped and awkward laundry room, and Mike wanted to make sure they could still park a car in the garage. Reconfiguring interior walls required borrowing unused space cleverly from the garage in order to enlarge the laundry room space. Drawers under the stairs added beautiful hidden storage created almost magically out of dead space. White painted Dura Supreme cabinets bring additional light into the small space; while the 16”x16” cleft slate tile flooring provides excellent contrast and the naturally earthy feel Michelle wanted. Quartz countertops with a 3”x12” “Debut Dew” subway tile backsplash add elegance to the now upliftingly bright laundry room. The extra space makes doing laundry much more pleasurable and the added storage is a great for all those little things like winter hats and gloves, umbrellas and the like. “The Advance Design project team was phenomenal to work with,” Michelle says. “They came in, shared the plans with us and walked us through the expectations. We always knew what was coming next.” Converting an existing closet space, the wet bar upstairs was challenging because they wanted a functional area that didn’t look or feel like cabinets just sticking out of a closet. So the Advance team transformed this ordinary closet space into a stunning wet bar that architecturally appears as if it’s always been there. Traditional, elegant hand carved custom molding matching the adjacent fireplace ties the new entertainment bar area in nicely with the existing family room and kitchen area. Featuring a built in wine refrigerator, Dura Supreme cabinetry in deep cherry wood elegantly displays wine bottles and etched glass mullion doors that fill with soft light in the evening hours. Cambria “Windermere” quartz countertops with a sophisticated hammered copper sink and a glimmering backsplash round out the stunning wet bar. Hosting parties and family functions has become much more enjoyable now that they have a dedicated beverage serving area large enough to include hors devours. All three projects were designed and constructed together at the same time, making for a cohesive project that was administered smoothly and easily both for the design team and for the family. Disruption to the home was minimal as each phase was completed in each project conclusively, and design and meeting time for the homeowner was efficient and organized making for an enjoyable process. “Advance Design was great to work with,” Michelle says. “I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a home improvement project. They took the time at the beginning to understand our needs, our budget, and our vision for our home. The field team was great, attentive, on time, cleaned up each day and made the overall experience very positive. We couldn't be happier with the finished product.” With the help of our talented, award winning design team you can create the basement, laundry room, or any other home renovation that you have been dreaming of. With our “Common Sense Remodeling” approach, the process of renovating you home has never been easier. Contact us today at 847-836-2600 or schedule an appointment to talk with us about that kitchen remodeling project. Joe Nowak

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