Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2017 Houzz
Elegant exterior home photo in New York

Design Dilemma: Our clients needed a place to store their beautiful bass and their extensive collection of books and records. Solution - We transformed this unused corner in the great room into a beautiful and functional storage space. Using a subtle instrument rack so the client could easily remove the bass to play, we were able to showcase the bass as a work of art and make it a focal point in the space. We also added a rolling ladder to access the top of the bookshelf and to make the space more interesting. Photo Credit: Holland Photography - Cory Holland - Hollandphotography.biz

Awesome Norristown PA bi-level home remodel. We gutted the whole first level of this home down to the bare bones. We redesigned the space to an open floorplan. New structural framing, insulation, windows and doors, and all mechanicals were relocated and improved. Lighting! Lighting! Lighting! everywhere and it makes all the difference. Led lighting and smart switches were used for up lighting above cabinetry, task lighting under cabinetry, general room lighting, accent lighting under bar top, and all decorative fixtures as well. The kitchen was designed around a central island with elevated seating that is designed around the new structural columns required to open the whole area. Fabuwood cabinetry in Galaxy Horizon finish make up the perimeter cabinets accented by Galaxy Cobblestone finish used for the island cabinetry. Both cabinetry tones coordinate perfect with the new Luxury vinyl plank flooring in Uptown Chic Forever Friends. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, luxury vinyl is Awesome! It looks great its ultra durable and even water proof as well as less expensive than true hardwood. New stair treads, railings, and posts were installed stained to match by us; giving the steps new life. An accent wall of nickel gap boards was installed on the fireplace wall giving it some interest along with being a great clean look. The recessed niche behind the range, the dry stacked stone tile at the islands seating area, the new tile entry in a herringbone pattern just add to all the great details of this project. The New River White granite countertops are a show stopper as well; not only is it a beautiful stone the installation and seaming is excellent considering the pattern of the stone. I could go on forever we did so much. The clients were terrific and a pleasure to work with. I am glad we were able to be involved in making this dream come true.

Wissel's Saguaro Lawson's false cypress - ideal for skinny spaces Le jardinet
Photo of a landscaping in Seattle.

Eden Prairie MN kitchen featured in BATC Parade of Homes spring 2015 Remodelers Showcase tour.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional u-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Minneapolis with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash, paneled appliances and a peninsula

This lap pool maximizes the space in a Bethesda backyard with fieldstone retaining walls that offer privacy and structure. Three sheer descent waterfalls add sound and movement to the swimming pool.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents. Early History The earliest St. Simons Island Village record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini. Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned. Colonial History As Fort Frederica early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat. Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service. Plantation Era By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war. Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton. Between Ebos Landing the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing. One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). Another Retreat Plantation large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves. The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall. The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church. Civil War and Beyond The St. Simons Island Lighthouse outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned. After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations. By St. Simons Lumber Mills 1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross. The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island. Twentieth Century The St. Simons Island Pier and Village opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development. In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s. The St. Simons Island outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa. Since Epworth by the Sea 1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant. Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

This dreamy master bath remodel in East Cobb offers generous space without going overboard in square footage. The homeowner chose to go with a large double vanity with a custom seated space as well as a nice shower with custom features and decided to forgo the typical big soaking tub. The vanity area shown in the photos has plenty of storage within the wall cabinets and the large drawers below. The countertop is Cedar Brown slab marble with undermount sinks. The brushed nickel metal details were done to work with the theme through out the home. The floor is a 12x24 honed Crema Marfil. The stunning crystal chandelier draws the eye up and adds to the simplistic glamour of the bath. The shower was done with an elegant combination of tumbled and polished Crema Marfil, two rows of Emperador Light inlay and Mirage Glass Tiles, Flower Series, Polished.

Drawing from one of the owner's experience as a chef, the kitchen is inspired by a commercial kitchen. Walls of durable metal pegboard embody the project's authentic approach in which the tools of everyday life are displayed as objects, while simultaneously making kitchen utensils convenient to use. Photo by Scott Norsworthy

This urban townhouse took on new life when it was renovated for a couple relocating from New York City. The owner’s sophisticated taste, cultivated from world travels, paired with the character of the existing home and resulted in a fresh and colorful gem in the heart of the historic downtown. Extensive approvals from the local Historic District Commission preceded an addition on the rear of the time-honored building and a complete restoration of the exterior. The addition encompasses a first-floor, finished garage with arch doors that open to the gardens, ideal for entertaining. Above the garage accommodates the master bedroom, walk-in closets and a bathroom suite. The exterior restoration allowed the addition of window pediments, shutters with authentic hardware and gaslight features. Pocket gardens surround the townhouse and boast multiple plantings that complement a historic environment. The interior of the home was restructured to allow for reworking of the main stair. The reconfigured flight can now carry the weight of books and art alongside ascending residents and guests. Amid construction, two previously hidden fireplaces were uncovered. By the end of the renovation, four fireplaces were entirely refurbished and now lend immense aesthetic to interior design. The interior finishes within the home keep visitors engaged and impressed. From imported Italian tile to contextually historic light switches, the colorful décor is appealing to all senses. Specially painted walls coordinate with furnishings, bookcases and art. Photos: Greg West Photography

At Murakami Design Inc., we are in the business of creating and building residences that bring comfort and delight to the lives of their owners. Murakami provides the full range of services involved in designing and building new homes, or in thoroughly reconstructing and updating existing dwellings. From historical research and initial sketches to construction drawings and on-site supervision, we work with clients every step of the way to achieve their vision and ensure their satisfaction. We collaborate closely with such professionals as landscape architects and interior designers, as well as structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, respecting their expertise in helping us develop fully integrated design solutions. Finally, our team stays abreast of all the latest developments in construction materials and techniques.

We renovated the exterior and the 4-car garage of this colonial, New England-style estate in Haverford, PA. The 3-story main house has white, western red cedar siding and a green roof. The detached, 4-car garage also functions as a gentleman’s workshop. Originally, that building was two separate structures. The challenge was to create one building with a cohesive look that fit with the main house’s New England style. Challenge accepted! We started by building a breezeway to connect the two structures. The new building’s exterior mimics that of the main house’s siding, stone and roof, and has copper downspouts and gutters. The stone exterior has a German shmear finish to make the stone look as old as the stone on the house. The workshop portion features mahogany, carriage style doors. The workshop floors are reclaimed Belgian block brick. RUDLOFF Custom Builders has won Best of Houzz for Customer Service in 2014, 2015 2016 and 2017. We also were voted Best of Design in 2016, 2017 and 2018, which only 2% of professionals receive. Rudloff Custom Builders has been featured on Houzz in their Kitchen of the Week, What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen as well as included in their Bathroom WorkBook article. We are a full service, certified remodeling company that covers all of the Philadelphia suburban area. This business, like most others, developed from a friendship of young entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in their clients’ lives, one household at a time. This relationship between partners is much more than a friendship. Edward and Stephen Rudloff are brothers who have renovated and built custom homes together paying close attention to detail. They are carpenters by trade and understand concept and execution. RUDLOFF CUSTOM BUILDERS will provide services for you with the highest level of professionalism, quality, detail, punctuality and craftsmanship, every step of the way along our journey together. Specializing in residential construction allows us to connect with our clients early in the design phase to ensure that every detail is captured as you imagined. One stop shopping is essentially what you will receive with RUDLOFF CUSTOM BUILDERS from design of your project to the construction of your dreams, executed by on-site project managers and skilled craftsmen. Our concept: envision our client’s ideas and make them a reality. Our mission: CREATING LIFETIME RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST AND INTEGRITY. Photo Credit: JMB Photoworks

Bathroom - mid-sized transitional kids' white tile and ceramic tile cement tile floor, black floor and double-sink bathroom idea in New York with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, white walls, a vessel sink, quartzite countertops, gray countertops and a freestanding vanity

Trestle beams create a natural pallet
Inspiration for a large mediterranean open concept slate floor and brown floor family room remodel in Phoenix with brown walls, a standard fireplace, a concrete fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

The property is one of the original farm houses located on the main street of a small town. It has been in the family for many years and our client just inherited the property. They were trying to have balance of preserving the old while realizing modern day living has its benefits too. The house had a large addition added using mostly old style materials, but designed with function and modern day luxuries. Our goal was to carry that theme to the outside. Our first problem we had to address was how to transition between the first floor elevation changes. The lower room was the husband’s office. He stated in the future he may have clients over and it would be nice to have an area to sit outside. The wife’s main concern was to renew the four corner garden. She also felt it was very important to be able to see it from the kitchen area. Finally there was an old wishing well stuck right outside the kitchen. They both felt it would be neat to be able to incorporate this in some how. They wanted a patio area with a built in grill to accommodate there family and friends. They also wanted to keep a large play area for the kids. We were able to pull this off successfully. We addressed the first issue by having a small lower level flagstone area. This area is large enough for 1 to 2 people to sit comfortably. It also provides a transition from his office to the larger patio area. We installed a simple small gravel sitting area opposite of the main patio. This provides our client a secluded place to relax or do business. Mrs.... told me she is amazed how much her and her husband enjoys this area. It is so peaceful looking at the small creek over a glass of wine. We built a natural limestone retaining wall to create the patio terrace. The stone was chosen to extend the houses architectural elements into the landscape. Irregular broken flagstone was used to give it a more casual feel. We installed three Serviceberries into the patio terrace to replace some trees that were taken down during the remodeling. She was very concern that they would block the view of the four corner garden. We new they were crucial to nestle in the terrace, so we placed them for a couple days for her to decide. Fortunately she agreed they not only kept the view open, but helped frame the garden. The four corner garden was designed to be viewed from afar and experienced up close. We wanted the space to have some formal structure while keeping with the casual farm house feel. Another natural limestone retaining wall was created. This leveled the garden terrace and helped associate it with the rest of the property. The four corner garden is nestled into the existing woods edge. This provides three distinct experiences to entering the garden; a more formal from the driveway, an open feel from the lower lawn, and a more natural / casual experience from the wooded area. The Plymouth brown gravel was used for the center of the garden. This helped highlight the stone post that was found during construction. The gravel also brings the sense of sound into the garden space. Lamb’s ear was chosen as a fun way to get kids interest in horticulture. The balance of using the new to create the old feel is what makes this project a success. The property has already hosted a local historical society event and won an award for its preservation efforts. When Mrs.... can’t find her husband, she knows he is either reading the newspaper by the grill or resting in the hammock along the wood’s path.

At Murakami Design Inc., we are in the business of creating and building residences that bring comfort and delight to the lives of their owners. Murakami provides the full range of services involved in designing and building new homes, or in thoroughly reconstructing and updating existing dwellings. From historical research and initial sketches to construction drawings and on-site supervision, we work with clients every step of the way to achieve their vision and ensure their satisfaction. We collaborate closely with such professionals as landscape architects and interior designers, as well as structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, respecting their expertise in helping us develop fully integrated design solutions. Finally, our team stays abreast of all the latest developments in construction materials and techniques.

Photography by Studio H Landscape Architecture. Post processing by Isabella Li.
Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in Orange County.

Example of a mid-sized minimalist formal and open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room design in Other with a tile fireplace, beige walls and a two-sided fireplace

This custom playroom built-in cabinetry project was designed to create both organization and visual structure in a busy family space. The wall-to-wall built-ins feature open shelving for books and toys, closed cabinets for hidden storage, and a central vertical paneled wall that anchors the television. The integrated bench with deep drawers adds additional storage while creating a comfortable spot for reading or relaxing. By combining open shelving with concealed cabinetry, the design allows everyday playroom items to stay accessible while maintaining a clean and organized appearance. Every piece was custom built to fit the room perfectly, maximizing storage while creating a cohesive architectural feature that blends seamlessly with the home’s interior.