Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by Philip Liang Photography.

The clients believed the peninsula footprint was required due to the unique entry points from the hallway leading to the dining room and the foyer. The new island increases storage, counters and a more pleasant flow of traffic from all directions. The biggest challenge was trying to make the structural beam that ran perpendicular to the space work in a new design; it was off center and difficult to balance the cabinetry and functional spaces to work with it. In the end it was decided to increase the budget and invest in moving the header in the ceiling to achieve the best design, esthetically and funcationlly. Specific storage designed to meet the clients requests include: - pocket doors at counter tops for everyday appliances - deep drawers for pots, pans and Tupperware - island includes designated zone for baking supplies - tall and shallow pantry/food storage for easy access near island - pull out spice near cooking - tray dividers for assorted baking pans/sheets, cutting boards and numerous other serving trays - cutlery and knife inserts and built in trash/recycle bins to keep things organized and convenient to use, out of sight - custom design hutch to hold various, yet special dishes and silverware Elements of design chosen to meet the clients wishes include: - painted cabinetry to lighten up the room that lacks windows and give relief/contrast to the expansive wood floors - monochromatic colors throughout give peaceful yet elegant atmosphere o stained island provides interest and warmth with wood, but still unique in having a different stain than the wood floors – this is repeated in the tile mosaic backsplash behind the rangetop - punch of fun color used on hutch for a unique, furniture feel - carefully chosen detailed embellishments like the tile mosaic, valance toe boards, furniture base board around island, and island pendants are traditional details to not only the architecture of the home, but also the client’s furniture and décor. - Paneled refrigerator minimizes the large appliance, help keeping an elegant feel Superior cooking equipment includes a combi-steam oven, convection wall ovens paired with a built-in refrigerator with interior air filtration to better preserve fresh foods. Photography by Gregg Willett

Project Developer Michael Sass https://www.houzz.com/pro/msass/michael-sass-case-design-remodeling-inc?lt=hl Designer Allie Mann https://www.houzz.com/pro/inspiredbyallie/allie-mann-case-design-remodeling-inc?lt=hl Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg 2018

Example of a trendy great room design in Singapore

We here at A-Z Vision Remodeling have embodied this dream by becoming one of the industry's top General Contractor leading the way in Roofing, Energy Efficiency Designs, Bathroom Remodels, Kitchen Remodels, Large-Scale Renovations, Room Additions, Garage Conversions, ADU Conversions, Home Expansions and Extensions, and General Home Remodels simply from our unwavering workmanship

L-shaped outdoor kitchen as a part of an entire backyard environment. The kitchen included countertop seating, a built-in stainless steel grill, refrigerator, sink and storage.Project included an outdoor kitchen, pool house, swimming pool complete with multiple seating areas, fire pit, and deck at master bedroom with surface mount spa.

System Pavers offers fully integrated outdoor lighting systems that help showcase the beauty of your home and provide the secondary benefits of safety features while extending the hours of use of your outdoor living space. Our landscape lighting design experts will help you capture and enhance your home's nighttime curb appeal. Creating the perfect mood lighting for entertaining outdoors whether you're taking an evening swim in the pool, having a BBQ dinner on the patio, or just sitting on the balcony enjoying the outdoors is part of the process of design. We will look at all of your needs and help plan an outdoor living space that not only fits within your lifestyle, but your budget too, all while providing you with the most beautiful and functional outdoor LED lighting arrangement possible for your home.

The Kitchen and Entry Foyer tucked under the wood loft
Open concept kitchen - small modern galley concrete floor and gray floor open concept kitchen idea in Portland with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, concrete countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

David Clough Photography
Huge trendy master mosaic tile and turquoise tile mosaic tile floor and beige floor alcove bathtub photo in Portland Maine with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Our clients came to us looking to do some updates to their new condo unit primarily in the kitchen and living room. The couple has a lifelong love of Arts and Crafts and Modernism, and are the co-founders of PrairieMod, an online retailer that offers timeless modern lifestyle through American made, handcrafted, and exclusively designed products. So, having such a design savvy client was super exciting for us, especially since the couple had many unique pieces of pottery and furniture to provide inspiration for the design. The condo is a large, sunny top floor unit, with a large open feel. The existing kitchen was a peninsula which housed the sink, and they wanted to change that out to an island, relocating the new sink there as well. This can sometimes be tricky with all the plumbing for the building potentially running up through one stack. After consulting with our contractor team, it was determined that our plan would likely work and after confirmation at demo, we pushed on. The new kitchen is a simple L-shaped space, featuring several storage devices for trash, trays dividers and roll out shelving. To keep the budget in check, we used semi-custom cabinetry, but added custom details including a shiplap hood with white oak detail that plays off the oak “X” endcaps at the island, as well as some of the couple’s existing white oak furniture. We also mixed metals with gold hardware and plumbing and matte black lighting that plays well with the unique black herringbone backsplash and metal barstools. New weathered oak flooring throughout the unit provides a nice soft backdrop for all the updates. We wanted to take the cabinets to the ceiling to obtain as much storage as possible, but an angled soffit on two of the walls provided a bit of a challenge. We asked our carpenter to field modify a few of the wall cabinets where necessary and now the space is truly custom. Part of the project also included a new fireplace design including a custom mantle that houses a built-in sound bar and a Panasonic Frame TV, that doubles as hanging artwork when not in use. The TV is mounted flush to the wall, and there are different finishes for the frame available. The TV can display works of art or family photos while not in use. We repeated the black herringbone tile for the fireplace surround here and installed bookshelves on either side for storage and media components. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Mid-sized transitional white tile and subway tile black floor and porcelain tile alcove bathtub photo in San Francisco with gray cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink, gray countertops, recessed-panel cabinets, a two-piece toilet and marble countertops

Example of a transitional home design design in Los Angeles

From Kitchen to Living Room. We do that.
Mid-sized minimalist galley concrete floor and gray floor open concept kitchen photo in San Francisco with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, wood countertops, black appliances, an island and brown countertops

We have all the information you need to remodel your laundry room! Make your washing area more functional and energy efficient. If you're currently planning your own laundry room remodel, here are 5 things to consider to make the renovation process easier. Make a list of must-haves. Find inspiration. Make a budget. Do you need to special order anything? It’s just a laundry room—don’t over stress yourself!

Horizontal Japanese braces surround and define the living room core. Its rice paper ceiling is echoed by the shoji panels, which retract to reveal the round window of the bedroom beyond. A simple alter with a black granite sill is built into the central axis on the living room wall. Photo Credit: Laurie Dickson

Guest Bath
Inspiration for a transitional master gray floor freestanding bathtub remodel in Miami with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink and gray countertops

This project started with a blank slate. Our client's only request was to bring in a vibrant color. We had a minimal budget to work with and are very happy with the results. The kitchen and living room were painted with Sherwin Williams Anew Grey. The railing was painted with SW Black Magic. The Powder Room stripes are SW Mega Greige and Incredible White.

Building Design, Plans, and Interior Finishes by: Fluidesign Studio I Builder: Anchor Builders I Photographer: sethbennphoto.com
Large elegant l-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Tim Burleson
Small trendy gray two-story mixed siding house exterior photo with a shed roof