This is a Historic Boulder Home on the Colorado Registry. The customer wanted the kitchen that would fit with both the old and the new parts of the home. The simple shaker doors and the bright brass hardware pick up the old, while the clean lines and large functioning island bring in the new! The use of space un this kitchen makes it work very well. The custom color blue paint brightens the kitchen and is one of the most dynamic parts of the kitchen. The true Marble Counters and old-world Bright Brass Hardware bring back the history of the home.

Chinoise botanical wallpaper and bamboo lights present a lively textural contrast within this 1753 home’s historic structure. The young family who lives here craved rich colors and vibrant patterns, influenced by their appreciation for Asian art and love of gardening. Sculptural lighting pieces brighten the previously-dark interiors with an interplay between contemporary and traditional aesthetics. Custom built-ins provide important function for the family while serving to divide large open spaces and offer degrees of privacy. A playful adult bar was created in the original dining room, featuring bold blue “Garden Pagoda” wallpaper, a custom cut Carrara marble bar top, and furnishings and accessories in contrasting and complimentary styles.

Our Gary Way project in Phoenix went from outdated oak cabinets and a small island to a bright, open kitchen. The perimeter cabinets are a white shaker style while the island is a fun blue color. We used open shelving to add texture and centered the cooktop on the backwall to create a focal point. We also updated the nearby linen closest to match the kitchen cabinets. Overall, the kitchen has more storage and is much more functional than it was before! We started by brightening up the space with white shaker cabinets that went all the way to the 10’ ceiling. To break it up, we added glass and puck lights to a few of the stacked uppers so our client could display the glass she handmakes. We centered the cooktop on the back wall, making it the focal point. The subway tile laid in a herringbone pattern acts as a backdrop for the tall stainless-steel hood. Under the cooktop we have rollouts for pots and pans to grab while cooking. We also added a pull-out spice rack to the right of the cooktop for easy access to spices & oils. The left side of the kitchen has everything you need for a coffee and wine bar. With a beverage fridge below and the ice maker nearby in the island, it’s the perfect place to prepare drinks for friends and family. The open wooden shelving matches the nearby fireplace mantle, it adds the perfect amount of texture to this kitchen! Our client decorated them with fun cookbooks and barware. The 10’ tall cabinet to the left has rollouts to keep everything organized. It also serves as an anchor point to the kitchen, the refrigerator mirrors this on the right. The island is a beautiful blue color that plays well with the cool-toned gray & white quartz countertops. We used an apron front composite sink and a Delta faucet with Touch Technology. Next to the sink is the dishwasher and an ice maker. The back of the island has 3 sets of full height doors which is a great place to store items that aren’t used very often. Our client chose fun green counter stools that add a pop of color! Bringing the cabinets all the way to the ceiling really made this kitchen feel larger and more inviting. The blue island adds the pop of color this space needed! We were able to maximize storage and add a larger island. With little touches like the open shelving and glass upper cabinets, this kitchen really came together!

The dark finishes of the kitchen required different lighting solutions to brighten up space. XAL - MOVE IT SYSTEM, magnetic profile LED system surface mounted with different insets gives flexibility and elegance to the loft-like kitchen plan and concept. The insets create a perfect combination between the floodlight on the countertop, an accent light on the fridge and oven and a wall washer light on the pantry cabinets. The island is lightened by pendants lamps, designed by COZI studio, an Israeli industrial designer's studio. The cabinet finish is made of matt Formica and iron expended net. Black & white 7 bar stools.

This inviting breakfast nook captures the essence of modern farmhouse living—warm, functional, and effortlessly refined. Walls painted in Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray create a soft, neutral backdrop, allowing the architectural details and layered textures to take center stage. Custom built-in bench seating and open shelving, finished in Sherwin Williams Alabaster, brighten the space while adding a clean, timeless contrast. The deep-stained bench tops introduce a rich, grounding element that ties beautifully to the warm wood tones of the table and flooring, creating a cozy, anchored feel. A saturated stained ceiling beam draws the eye upward, adding depth and architectural interest while beautifully framing the nook and reinforcing the home’s rustic character. Above, an oxidized nickel pendant light makes a striking statement. Its antique-inspired finish brings a sense of history and character, perfectly balancing the fresh, tailored lines of the space and reinforcing the modern farmhouse aesthetic. Thoughtfully styled shelving adds personality and charm, while natural light pours in through nearby windows, making this nook the perfect spot to gather, unwind, and start the day.

With the canned lights and other dimmer lighting, adding in the windows really brightens up this space.
Example of a huge tuscan dark wood floor, brown floor and vaulted ceiling open concept kitchen design in San Diego with a drop-in sink, beige backsplash, two islands and black countertops

This Arts and Crafts century home in the heart of Toronto needed brightening and a few structural changes. The client wanted a powder room on the main floor where none existed, a larger coat closet, to increase the opening from her kitchen into her dining room and to completely renovate her kitchen. Along with several other updates, this house came together in such an amazing way. The home is bright and happy, the kitchen is functional with a build-in dinette, and a long island. The renovated dining area is home to stunning built-in cabinetry to showcase the client's pretty collectibles, the light fixtures are works of art and the powder room in a jewel in the center of the home. The unique finishes, including the powder room wallpaper, the antique crystal door knobs, a picket backsplash and unique colours come together with respect to the home's original architecture and style, and an updated look that works for today's modern homeowner. Custom chairs, velvet barstools and freshly painted spaces bring additional moments of well thought out design elements. Mostly, we love that the kitchen, although it appears white, is really a very light gray green called Titanium, looking soft and warm in this new and updated space.

This timeless home needed a kitchen and laundry room update. The newly expanded kitchen makes room for new appliances and opens up to the back porch entrance and now includes a wet bar where there once was a closet. Original brick floors are refinished, and cypress cabinets are used to continue the look Hays wanted years ago. New lighter stone counter tops brighten up the space. The Laundry room now features a front-loaded washer and dryer and more efficient storage space. The new Powder Room is moved from the previous laundry room and is now easily accessible. A renovation that merges old with new in perfect harmony!

Close to Lincoln Center Plaza, two existing apartments were combined into a single custom tailored 4-bedroom residence. Characteristic with other buildings from the same post-war era, the existing apartments suffered greatly from a low, monotonous ceiling slab. To break up the ceiling, floating planes containing low-profile LED recessed lighting were incorporated throughout. Grey-washed birch veneer millwork is seen as you enter into the new foyer space. A blackened steel inlaid panel serves as a datum that continues throughout the apartment, wrapping the entry unit and extending around the corner to then transform into a floating bookshelf. The unit not only divides the entry area from the Living room, but also serves its utilitarian purpose on the foyer side as coat and storage closets, and then an entertaining function on the opposing side with a TV niche and custom liquor bar. Whitewashed rift and quartered white oak floors were used to brighten the space. In the kitchen, marble counters extend up the wall and onto the ceiling marking the separation of the kitchen/dining area from the living room/entry area. The kid’s room contains a custom curved desk area built beneath the bay windows to take advantage of the views. In the master bedroom, the blackened steel inlay reappears inset into the wardrobe wall unit.

New white shaker cabinets, quartz countertops and white subway tile completely brighten up this space and complement the client's modern farmhouse style. Adding recessed lighting and enlarging the window brings plenty of light to the room giving it a fresh feel.

Oakland, CA: Addition and remodel to a rustic ranch home. The existing house had lovely woodwork but was dark and enclosed. The house borders on a regional park and our clients wanted to open up the space to the expansive yard, to allow views, bring in light, and modernize the spaces. New wide exterior accordion doors, with a thin screen that pulls across the opening, connect inside to outside. We retained the existing exposed redwood rafters, and repeated the pattern in the new spaces, while adding lighter materials to brighten the spaces. We positioned exterior doors for views through the whole house. Ceilings were raised and doorways repositioned to make a complicated and closed-in layout simpler and more coherent.

Home Bar on the main floor - gorgeous ceiling lights with lots of light brightening the room. They have followed a Great Gatsby Theme in this room. Saskatoon Hospital Lottery Home Built by Decora Homes Windows and Doors by Durabuilt Windows and Doors Photography by D&M Images Photography

This main bath remodel went from cramped and outdated to calm and spa-inspired. The open layout came from borrowing space from the former laundry and linen closets to give the custom double vanity the breathing room it deserved. Sconce lighting brightens, and a center cabinet adds extra storage. Heated floors, built-in speakers, and a coffee station elevate the everyday.

Inspiration for a coastal bedroom remodel in Other

Lilac brightened and completely softened this bedroom. A window all of textural curtains helps out too. Grounded by a heavy wood wardrobe, wood bedside table and trunk, it's the perfect balance of old and new, cool and warm, textural yet sleekly modern. A true breath of fresh air! Photo: Rikki Snyder

Example of a minimalist home bar design in Los Angeles

A welcoming balance of style and comfort comes to life in this open space. Navy cabinetry grounds the design while light subway tiles brighten the backdrop. The dining table blends chairs and a bench for a casual yet refined look, all centered beneath a glowing globes chandelier that ties the room together.

An 1890s home is thoroughly remodeled for a family of four. A pale pink and kelp-green bathroom brightens the bathroom. Bold blue built-in cabinetry at the mud room sets the tone.

Builder: Hagstrom Builder | Photographer: Amber Frederiksen Photography
Trendy brown floor bedroom photo in Other with white walls