The client’s brief was to create a space reminiscent of their beloved downtown Chicago industrial loft, in a rural farm setting, while incorporating their unique collection of vintage and architectural salvage. The result is a custom designed space that blends life on the farm with an industrial sensibility. The new house is located on approximately the same footprint as the original farm house on the property. Barely visible from the road due to the protection of conifer trees and a long driveway, the house sits on the edge of a field with views of the neighbouring 60 acre farm and creek that runs along the length of the property. The main level open living space is conceived as a transparent social hub for viewing the landscape. Large sliding glass doors create strong visual connections with an adjacent barn on one end and a mature black walnut tree on the other. The house is situated to optimize views, while at the same time protecting occupants from blazing summer sun and stiff winter winds. The wall to wall sliding doors on the south side of the main living space provide expansive views to the creek, and allow for breezes to flow throughout. The wrap around aluminum louvered sun shade tempers the sun. The subdued exterior material palette is defined by horizontal wood siding, standing seam metal roofing and large format polished concrete blocks. The interiors were driven by the owners’ desire to have a home that would properly feature their unique vintage collection, and yet have a modern open layout. Polished concrete floors and steel beams on the main level set the industrial tone and are paired with a stainless steel island counter top, backsplash and industrial range hood in the kitchen. An old drinking fountain is built-in to the mudroom millwork, carefully restored bi-parting doors frame the library entrance, and a vibrant antique stained glass panel is set into the foyer wall allowing diffused coloured light to spill into the hallway. Upstairs, refurbished claw foot tubs are situated to view the landscape. The double height library with mezzanine serves as a prominent feature and quiet retreat for the residents. The white oak millwork exquisitely displays the homeowners’ vast collection of books and manuscripts. The material palette is complemented by steel counter tops, stainless steel ladder hardware and matte black metal mezzanine guards. The stairs carry the same language, with white oak open risers and stainless steel woven wire mesh panels set into a matte black steel frame. The overall effect is a truly sublime blend of an industrial modern aesthetic punctuated by personal elements of the owners’ storied life. Photography: James Brittain

The clients were inspired to renovate following exposure to Zen architecture while honeymooning in Japan. The architectural brief was to deliver a modern Australian home that serves as a private, meditative retreat that would also cater to a buzzing family as their relationship evolves; and transform into a welcoming and generous entertaining space. The home would need to maximise the potential of the sites orientation and create a strong connection to generous and versatile outdoor spaces including sheltered entertaining areas and spacious areas for planting and lawn. It was essential that elements of the existing residence be retained where possible to reduce waste, however disguised so that the final product was effectively a new home.

Client: Private Residence In North London Brief: To supply & install sisal carpet
Example of a transitional carpeted living room design in London

This new kitchen forms part of a beautiful Jacobean manor house situated amongst the most idyllic gardens and location in historic Ashurst Wood. It was such a treat to design a kitchen to complement these special surroundings. The brief was to create a lighter, brighter kitchen and to incorporate more cooking options to facilitate lots of family entertaining. Our clients are wonderful cooks and keen gardeners so in addition to the request for increased cooking facilities, also asked to switch the hob and sink around to enable them to enjoy views of the garden whilst cooking. To further enhance the sense of light in the kitchen, we designed a very classic in-frame shaker kitchen in a light grey. This is a softer palate than white but still bounces lots of light around the space, especially when used with the lovely Crofts & Assinder chrome handles.

This family throws some mean parties where large crowds usually sit at the poolside. There’s an entire section of this walk out second level that is dedicated to entertaining which also gives access to the pool in the backyard. This place comes alive at night with built in surround sounds and LED lights. There was just one issue. The kitchen. The kitchen did not fit in. It was old, outdated, out-styled and nonfunctional. They knew the kitchen had to be address eventually but they just didn’t want to redo the kitchen. They wanted to revamp the kitchen, so they asked us to come in and look at the space to see how we can design this second floor kitchen in their New Rochelle home. It was a small kitchen, strategically located where it could be the hub that the family wanted it to be. It held its own amongst everything that was in the open space like the big screen TV, fireplace and pool table. That is exactly what we did in the design and here is how we did it. First, we got rid of the kitchen table and by doing so we created a peninsular. This eventually sets up the space for a couple of really cool pendant lights, some unique counter chairs and a wine cooler that was purchased before but never really had a home. We then turned our attention to the range and hood. This was not the main kitchen, so wall storage wasn’t the main goal here. We wanted to create a more open feel interaction while in the kitchen, hence we designed the free standing chimney hood alone to the left of the window. We then looked at how we can make it more entertaining. We did that by adding a Wine rack on a buffet style type area. This wall was free and would have remained empty had we not find a way to add some more glitz. Finally came the counter-top. Every detail was crucial because the view of the kitchen can be seen from when you enter the front door even if it was on the second floor walk out. The use of the space called for a waterfall edge counter-top and more importantly, the stone selection to further accentuate the effect. It was crucial that there was movement in the stone which connects to the 45 degree waterfall edge so it would be very dramatic. Nothing was overlooked in this space. It had to be done this way if it was going to have a fighting chance to take command of its territory. Have a look at some before and after photos on the left and see a brief video transformation of this lovely small kitchen. See more photos and vidoe of this transformation on our website @ http://www.rajkitchenandbath.com/portfolio-items/kitchen-remodel-new-rochelle-ny-10801/

The clients were inspired to renovate following exposure to Zen architecture while honeymooning in Japan. The architectural brief was to deliver a modern Australian home that serves as a private, meditative retreat that would also cater to a buzzing family as their relationship evolves; and transform into a welcoming and generous entertaining space. The home would need to maximise the potential of the sites orientation and create a strong connection to generous and versatile outdoor spaces including sheltered entertaining areas and spacious areas for planting and lawn. It was essential that elements of the existing residence be retained where possible to reduce waste, however disguised so that the final product was effectively a new home.

Like many projects, this one started with a simple wish from a client: turn an unused butler’s pantry between the dining room and kitchen into a fully functioning, climate-controlled wine room for his extensive collection of valuable vintages. But like many projects, the wine room is connected to the dining room which is connected to the sitting room which is connected to the entry. When you touch one room, it only makes sense to reinvigorate them all. We overhauled the entire ground floor of this lovely home. For the wine room, I worked with Vintage Cellars in Southern California to create custom wine storage embedded with LED lighting to spotlight very special bottles. The walls are in a burgundy tone and the floors are porcelain tiles that look as if they came from an old wine cave in Tuscany. A bubble light chandelier alludes to sparkling varietals. But as mentioned, the rest of the house came along for the ride. Since we were adding a climate-controlled wine room, the brief was to turn the rest of the house into a space that would rival any hot-spot winery in Napa. After choosing new flooring and a new hue for the walls, the entry became a destination in itself with a huge concave metal mirror and custom bench. We knocked out a half wall that awkwardly separated the sitting room from the dining room so that after-dinner drinks could flow to the fireplace surrounded by stainless steel pebbles; and we outfitted the dining room with a new chandelier. We chose all new furniture for all spaces. The kitchen received the least amount of work but ended up being completely transformed anyhow. At first our plan was to tear everything out, but we soon realized that the cabinetry was in good shape and only needed the dated honey pine color painted over with a cream white. We also played with the idea of changing the counter tops, but once the cabinetry changed color, the granite stood out beautifully. The final change was the removal of a pot rack over the island in favor of design-forward iron pendants. Photo by: Genia Barnes

Client: Private Residence In North London Brief: To supply & install herringbone wood flooring to living area
Living room - mid-sized transitional light wood floor living room idea in London with white walls

A fun vibrant project for an amazing family in Fort Worth. The brief was to create a bright and cohesive color scheme for the whole house for a young family of 5. Attention to detail, traffic patterns and the optimal use of space were all taken into consideration here. The end result was a gorgeous home that could be enjoyed by all members of the family and also by their guests when entertaining.

Client: Private Residence In Marylebone Brief: To supply & install Xylo R54 wood flooring to premises
Trendy living room photo in London

Client: Private Residence In West London Brief: To supply & install grey carpet to stairs
Transitional hallway photo in London

Occupying a prominent property in Notting Hill, the brief for this 120 sq m apartment was to rationalise a sequence of disconnected spaces in order to create a coherent design. The palette of materials is restrained in order to provide a neutral backdrop for the client’s collection of furniture and artworks. High quality finishes and detailing include shadow gaps, full height door apertures, concealed storage and limed oak flooring, together with a library area equipped with bespoke storage to display books and objets d’art. A notable feature of the apartment is the corner ‘rotunda’, now accommodating a shower-room; the rotunda’s roof structure has been exposed to add architectural interest. Throughout the apartment, great care has been taken to maximise natural light

Client: Private Residence In Central London Brief: To supply & install stripey carpet to stairs
Example of a mid-sized transitional carpeted u-shaped wood railing staircase design in London with carpeted risers

This amazing remodel by J.S. Brown & Co. in the River Forest neighborhood in Dublin, Ohio was designed with sunshine in mind! By removing an interior wall, the kitchen was completely opened to the adjacent sunroom for maximum views of the spectacular back yard. Also on the mission brief from the homeowners was shady place to enjoy their yard outdoors. A large roof over a paver patio was just the ticket for watching the grandkids run around in cool comfort.

In the kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors allow for an abundance of natural light, which is reflected through the shiny, polished surfaces of the marble and metal island as well as the lacquered cabinetry. The large kitchen island features a bookmatched statuario marble that is not only a piece of art with its magnificent veining, but also a practical workspace and dining area for the whole family. The wooden base with metallic accents add for the perfect contrast to the mainly white kitchen and give you a brief preview into the look and feel of the entire home.

This project was never really about the architecture. It was about a family that collects — art, ceramics, books, ideas — and needed a home that could hold all of that without turning into a museum. The existing unit had good bones: generous ceiling heights, a floating stair, and enough square footage to work with. What it lacked was a coherent logic — a way of moving through the space that felt intentional, where each transition earned its moment. We rebuilt that logic from the ground up. The ground floor is organized around a single corridor that runs from the kitchen island through to the living room, with the staircase serving as the spine of the whole sequence. Rather than treating the stair as purely functional, we kept the glass balustrade open and lit the treads from below, so it reads as a light source as much as a passage. The console beneath it became a natural landing for ceramics and found objects — not styled, just placed. In the living room, the brief was simple: make room for a very large painting without the room feeling like a gallery. The answer was to keep everything else quiet — a white built-in that does its job, sheer linen curtains that diffuse the light, black leather chairs that anchor the space without competing. The painting does the rest. Upstairs, the landing is lit by a skylight that washes the hallway in natural light through most of the day. We lined one side with a burl wood console and let the ceramics and framed works speak for themselves. The mix of abstract prints, a bold red canvas, and handmade vessels gives the corridor a rhythm that feels accumulated over time rather than installed all at once — because it was. Throughout, the material palette is deliberately restrained: white oak floors, white walls, white millwork. The restraint isn't minimalism for its own sake — it's a backdrop. The owners bring the color, texture, and personality. Our job was to give them the right walls to hang things on.

Client: Private Residence In North London Brief: To supply & install silkresse carpet as a runner to stairs
Example of a trendy carpeted u-shaped glass railing staircase design in London

The brief for the living room included creating a space that is comfortable, modern and where the couple’s young children can play and make a mess. We selected a bright, vintage rug to anchor the space on top of which we added a myriad of seating opportunities that can move and morph into whatever is required for playing and entertaining.

RALD The brief for this 'sunken garden' was to create raised borders in order to combat the seasonal flooding that this area of a large country garden experiences. The existing terrace was to also be removed, with the addition of a Yorkstone terrace - of much larger dimensions - creating a focal point and bringing better scale and proportion to the area. A planting palette of whites and blues help to create a calm, soothing atmosphere on what is the main dining terrace in the garden, whilst Box balls help to provide structure all year round.