Robert Benson For Charles Hilton Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Rick Mattson Photography
Example of a beach style medium tone wood floor home office design in Orange County with white walls

Example of a transitional 3/4 gray tile, white tile and subway tile gray floor bathroom design in Los Angeles with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a one-piece toilet, green walls, an integrated sink, a hinged shower door and white countertops

Photography by Tim Schultz
Bathroom - traditional white tile and subway tile bathroom idea in Seattle with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, a two-piece toilet and yellow cabinets

From the Moment you step under the Taut Green Awning from Central Park West... you begin to feel the Tingling Calm you are about to behold. As you ascend in the elevator to the Tree Top Floor and enter the Enclave, you know you have arrived, not at a residence, but an experience. A place that is as Bright and White as the Sun Shining outside the Bank of Windows, yet Tempered by the Green Lush Expanse of all Central Park Laid before your Wandering eyes. As you turn to Drink in the Apartment, your Eyes are delighted with the Twinkle of Crystal, the Sheen of Marbles, The Roughness of Carved Granite, all played against Cozy Silk and Wool Carpets, Sofas and Chairs that soak you in, the Art and Treasures in glints of Patina-ed Golds and Silver from the Past, The Present and the Future to come, all gift boxed in a setting that harks back to the Golden Age of Pre-War New York but Splashed with Modern Flourishes in design that remind you, you are Here and Now. In this Trance you can hear the Sounds of Clinking Glasses celebrating a Birthday Celebration, The Laughter of Friends preparing to leave for an Opening Night at the Theater, the soft hush of a night cap toast as you savor in the city lights below before you dream some more, only to wake to the smells of Omelette's and French Toast waiting on White Porcelain with Crisp Linen Napkins all set beside the Mountain of the Sunday New York Times in the Shadow of a Blue Hydrangea arrangement. The Day and The City awaits you, but you cocoon yourself in the envelope you are savoring, You reach for the Times, or the New Yorker, and curl in, with Cole Porter or Leonard Bernstein wafting through the aerie of peace, as you gaze out the window... Central Park fills with Leaves, People, Rain, or even a Gentle Snow. This is Central Park West. This is: An Experience. Not a Residence.

After six years of living in their Huntley IL home, Chris and Meghan were tired of their dark, dingy, outdated kitchen and it was finally time for a long-anticipated change. “The kitchen is the place where we live, it’s where we do everything,” Meghan said. “It was important that it be a space where we wanted to be.” Meghan loves cooking and enjoys including their girls in healthy meal prepping, this led them to want a brighter, more enjoyable kitchen with increased functionality and improved storage. For Chris especially, the laundry room was an entirely dysfunctional eyesore. “We had a washer and a dryer, but it was all kind-of cobbled together!” Chris said. “There were always laundry piles everywhere, we weren’t really sure what we wanted to do in there, but it was time for us to make a change.” The mess of the space was stressful every time they walked in the door from the garage each day. Kids’ backpacks and shoes piled up haphazardly in the makeshift boot-bench closet left the family feeling disorganized and stressed. They needed space for folding clothes and locker cubbies to help keep the family organized. Having known Christine and Todd in the Huntley community for years, Chris and Meghan were familiar with their work. “We already trusted them personally and having seen their projects for years we knew they did top notch work. After we reviewed the initial round of designs, we knew that hiring them was definitely the right choice,” Meghan and Chris said. Although Chris had done a lot of work in their home himself, the kitchen and laundry room renovation was such a large undertaking that he didn’t want to steal time away from his family to spend what would surely be many long weekends doing the job himself. “That would not have been a wise choice for us,” Chris laughed. “Our designer, Michelle was very, very, easy to work with; anything we wanted to see or weren’t sure about, she went above and beyond to make this easy for us. She was easy to get hold of and always quick to respond,” the couple said. Michelle pulled ideas that mirrored the couple’s taste and style and was adept at directing the couple to limited choices that didn’t overwhelm them and kept the process moving. “I have a hard time making decisions. Michelle made the decision-making process so easy. I loved how she listened to what I liked and then presented three great options for me to choose from,” Meghan said. The main objectives for the kitchen were better storage solutions, they wanted the space to reflect their lifestyle and taste, and they wanted it to last for years with low maintenance. One of the first steps in creating a more functional kitchen was relocating the refrigerator, creating an improved workflow for the busy family. “We didn’t know that we could even move the refrigerator to a new location where it is now, that was something that we never would have thought of,” Chris said. “The new refrigerator location makes the kitchen feel so much bigger. We didn’t add any space, but our whole kitchen with the new design just seems like it’s so much larger than before!” Meghan said. The perimeter mist colored cabinets helped warm and brighten the entire room, while the graphite colored cabinets on the island added contrast. Using this fresh, clean color palette satisfied the couple’s desire for a bright space that was the exact opposite of what they had before. Organization accessories were also added to the cabinets such as a spice drawer tray and roll outs to create hidden convenience. “I absolutely love the hidden spices – it makes cooking so much more enjoyable!” Chris said. “And all the pull outs, and the double trash bin, who would think you could get so excited about organization!” the couple said in unison. One thing they hated in their original kitchen was how dark the space felt. Added lighting on the ceiling with the new light fixtures combined with the lighter cabinetry colors throughout solved this problem. “Our new kitchen has this warm, almost cozy feeling that our old kitchen never had, it’s just a space that I love spending my time in now,” Meghan said. The light airy feeling was accentuated with the use of floating white shelves on either side of the decorative range hood. “We have so much cabinetry space, the new design is amazing we actually have more storage space than we will ever need,” Meghan said. The island was extended to create more work surface and added space for stool seating. “The new island changes how we live. Now the kids can be in the kitchen with us, doing homework, eating breakfast, and the three of us have special dinners there when Chris is working late,” Meghan said. The Carrara Marmi Quartz countertops were chosen because they are, not only beautiful, but are made from hard-working material that doesn’t require maintenance. The white subway tile backsplash that wraps to the ceiling behind the focal point cooktop range/hood compliments the crisp white countertops perfectly, while brushed brass hardware and light fixtures keep the design fresh and new. The couple had a few fears at the beginning of the project, as most homeowners do. Their biggest fear was being out of their kitchen and laundry room for an extended time. The crew made it very easy for the family to work in a limited space keeping the washer and dryer hooked up the majority of the time, and also getting appliances working with minimal downtime. “They above and beyond accommodated us to get us through the process,” Meghan said. “They did a great job making sure we were as comfortable as possible throughout the process,” Chris added. “Our project manager DJ did a great job. He was very good at updating us on schedule changes, getting guys in as quickly as possible. Everyone that stepped in the house was nice and did great work,” said Chris. They thought Advance’s carpenter was phenomenal and were impressed when he took a conceptual idea from a photograph and worked with designer Michelle to create a one of a kind range/hood that has become the topic of conversation with friends and family who visit the new kitchen. “He was in our house literally every day for several weeks. He was easy to work with and good at what he did,” Meghan and Chris said. The focal point of the kitchen; a hand-crafted, custom-built ventilation hood was clad with handpicked reclaimed barnwood. Advance Design’s carpenter built the framework and the cladding to create a one-of-a-kind design element that the couple loves. “I think it was especially fun for him to create something unique from scratch, showcasing his talent in this area,” Meghan said. “I love that my kitchen is not like everyone else’s. I got to pick out the wood on my hood and watch it being built and was able to choose what pieces of wood went where on it. It’s totally unique.” Red Oak flooring was toothed-in throughout the kitchen and the rest of the first floor anywhere changes were made. Then the whole floor was refinished to tone down the orange undertones in the existing floor stain, ultimately changing the color complexion of the entire first floor. The result is a completely new feeling to the entire home. Renovating the laundry room was extremely important to Meghan and Chris, but they had trouble visualizing what the possibilities were for the seemingly small space. Michelle produced beautiful 3D illustrations that helped them envision the space in a whole new way. “I must have told Michelle 100 times that I am a visual person, seeing the designs in 3D made it so easy to make decisions and see what we could really do with our space,” Meghan said. A dividing wall and doorway were removed between the existing laundry room and hallway formerly containing a coat closet, providing space to design specialized graphite colored cabinetry matching the kitchen island to house custom storage cubbies for each family member. Adding the tall utility cabinetry in the new laundry area helped solve the storage issue, tucking away cleaning supplies, household items, and even the cat got its own cubby. “I love how everything is now hidden in its own space. I can’t tell you how much I hated coming home and seeing everything sitting around on counters,” Chris said. Electrical outlets were planned for the inside of utility cabinets, so devices could charge in hidden locations. Stacking the washer and dryer allowed for wider countertop space to provide a folding area and a special space for clothes to hang. “The way I do laundry has been completely transformed! I can actually fold clothes and hang them now right out of the washer and dryer,” Meghan said. “The end result in the kitchen and the laundry/mud room was an updated light and bright space, with a smarter work flow that better meets the needs of this family,” Michelle said. “I would totally recommend Advance Design,” Meghan said. “Sometimes I sit and just look at my kitchen and laundry room and think ‘Wow, I can’t believe I get to live here!’ It’s an understatement to say we love our new space.”

1916 Bungalow in Portland Oregon. This kitchen had been remodeled multiple times throughout the years and was in dire need of a fresh remodel. The home owners now have a time period appropriate style kitchen with modern creature comforts every cook will love.

Lincoln Barbour
Elegant dark wood floor enclosed dining room photo in Portland with blue walls

Small clean workspace include adequate storage to hide clutter and accessories. Photos by Eric Roth. Construction by Ralph S. Osmond Company. Green architecture by ZeroEnergy Design.

Inspiration for a contemporary freestanding desk home office library remodel in Raleigh with white walls

Carol Closet organized this pantry based on category, such as snacks, meals, prep, baking, etc. The items were stored in acrylic containers so the client can see what is available at all times.

this dog wash is a great place to clean up your pets and give them the spa treatment they deserve. There is even an area to relax for your pet under the counter in the padded cabinet.

Example of a classic dining room design in Boston

More info about this project can be found here: https://blog.sweeten.com/nyc/duplex-remodel-first-time-renovators/

Cory Holland - Holland Photography
Transitional home design photo in Seattle

From CDK Architects: This is a new home that replaced an existing 1949 home in Rosedale. The design concept for the new house is “Mid Century Modern Meets Modern.” This is clearly a new home, but we wanted to give reverence to the neighborhood and its roots. It was important to us to re-purpose the old home. Rather than demolishing it, we worked with our contractor to disassemble the house piece by piece, eventually donating about 80% of the home to Habitat for Humanity. The wood floors were salvaged and reused on the new fireplace wall. The home contains 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, plus a home office and a music studio, totaling 2,650 square feet. One of the home’s most striking features is its large vaulted ceiling in the Living/Dining/Kitchen area. Substantial clerestory windows provide treetop views and bring dappled light into the space from high above. There’s natural light in every room in the house. Balancing the desire for natural light and privacy was very important, as was the connection to nature. What we hoped to achieve was a fun, flexible home with beautiful light and a nice balance of public and private spaces. We also wanted a home that would adapt to a growing family but would still fit our needs far into the future. The end result is a home with a calming, organic feel to it. Built by R Builders LLC (General Contractor) Interior Design by Becca Stephens Interiors Landscape Design by Seedlings Gardening Photos by Reagen Taylor Photography

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional 3/4 beige tile, gray tile and porcelain tile alcove shower remodel in New York with white walls, dark wood cabinets and a one-piece toilet

Large transitional formal and enclosed medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room photo in Seattle with white walls, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace and no tv

View into Kids Hall from Living Room; photo by Alice Gao
Example of a trendy light wood floor study room design in New York with white walls