Search results for "Challenges" in Home Design Ideas

Staircase - mid-sized traditional wooden l-shaped wood railing staircase idea with wooden risers

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in Omaha for summer.
Find the right local pro for your project

Patio kitchen - mid-sized traditional backyard concrete paver full sun patio kitchen idea for summer in Omaha

Maria von Brincken-
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary partial sun front yard stone landscaping in Boston for fall.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary partial sun front yard stone landscaping in Boston for fall.

This three-story vacation home for a family of ski enthusiasts features 5 bedrooms and a six-bed bunk room, 5 1/2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, great room, 2 wet bars, great room, exercise room, basement game room, office, mud room, ski work room, decks, stone patio with sunken hot tub, garage, and elevator.
The home sits into an extremely steep, half-acre lot that shares a property line with a ski resort and allows for ski-in, ski-out access to the mountain’s 61 trails. This unique location and challenging terrain informed the home’s siting, footprint, program, design, interior design, finishes, and custom made furniture.
Credit: Samyn-D'Elia Architects

Great hillside woodland setting, very difficult hillside to accomplish all the client needs and wants.
Example of a mid-sized classic front yard gravel patio design in San Francisco with a fire pit
Example of a mid-sized classic front yard gravel patio design in San Francisco with a fire pit

Balcony container garden - small contemporary balcony container garden idea in Houston with a roof extension

photos: Kyle Born
Example of a large eclectic enclosed light wood floor and brown floor living room design in New York with a bar, blue walls, a standard fireplace and no tv
Example of a large eclectic enclosed light wood floor and brown floor living room design in New York with a bar, blue walls, a standard fireplace and no tv

RV garage. Very challenging to make an enormous garage look small. The goal was to add detail which would help the scale not feel so large. It is difficult to see here but the building is well "tucked into" the site.

Green beach pebbles create a visual wash of color in contrast to the Moss Rock Fire-Water feature.
Inspiration for a mid-sized southwestern full sun front yard stone garden path in Phoenix.
Inspiration for a mid-sized southwestern full sun front yard stone garden path in Phoenix.

Photo of a traditional full sun backyard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in Omaha for summer.

Foyer - large cottage light wood floor and beige floor foyer idea in Salt Lake City with white walls and a black front door

Maria von Brincken
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary partial sun backyard stone landscaping in Boston for fall.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary partial sun backyard stone landscaping in Boston for fall.

This multi-residential project development consisted of new townhouses on a challenging site in the County of Santa Barbara.
Tuscan exterior home photo in Santa Barbara
Tuscan exterior home photo in Santa Barbara

When a family living in Singapore decided to purchase a New York City pied-à-terre, they settled on the historic Langham Place, a 60-floor building along 5th Ave which features a mixture of permanent residencies and 5-star hotel suites. Immediately after purchasing the condo, they reached out to Decor Aid, and tasked us with designing a home that would reflect their jet-setting lifestyle and chic sensibility.
Book Your Free In-Home Consultation
Connecting to the historic Tiffany Building at 404 5th Ave, the exterior of Langham Place is a combination of highly contemporary architecture and 1920’s art deco design. And with this highly unique architecture, came highly angular, outward leaning floor-to-ceiling windows, which would prove to be our biggest design challenge.
One of the apartment’s quirks was negotiating an uneven balance of natural light throughout the space. Parts of the apartment, such one of the kids’ bedrooms, feature floor-to-ceiling windows and an abundance of natural light, while other areas, such as one corner of the living room, receive little natural light.
By sourcing a combination of contemporary, low-profile furniture pieces and metallic accents, we were able to compensate for apartment’s pockets of darkness. A low-profile beige sectional from Room & Board was an obvious choice, which we complemented with a lucite console and a bronze Riverstone coffee table from Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams.
Circular tables were placed throughout the apartment in order to establish a design scheme that would be easy to walk through. A marble tulip table from Sit Down New York provides an opulent dining room space, without crowding the floor plan. The finishing touches include a sumptuous swivel chair from Safavieh, to create a sleek, welcoming vacation home for this international client.

We were able to get a few more inches of width in this small bath by taking advantage of an unused space in the wall, thereby creating a nook for the vanity and allowing a deeper cabinet. The granite vanity counter provides flowing movement in an otherwise angular design scheme.
Photo by: Ruben Cantu Media

THE SETUP
Client Background: Our clients, a couple who have transitioned into the empty nest phase, have cherished their home for over three decades without undergoing any significant renovations. With a newfound desire to adapt their living space to better suit their current lifestyle, they’ve embarked on a journey to reimagine their kitchen — the heart of their home. Their aspiration is to cultivate a serene, neutral-toned sanctuary on the first floor that seamlessly merges with their family room, ensuring a harmonious and inviting environment.
Design Inspiration: The renovation is inspired by the couple’s penchant for soft, calming neutrals, using their cherished family room and the kitchen’s existing tile flooring as the cornerstone for the color scheme. This approach aims to foster a sense of warmth and tranquility throughout.
Design Objectives:
Harmonize the kitchen with the family room by adopting a soothing, neutral color scheme, ensuring a seamless flow across the first floor.
Enhance kitchen functionality with thoughtfully designed cabinetry, providing a designated place for every item and maximizing storage efficiency.
Cultivate an inviting and comfortable atmosphere that reflects the homeowners’ desire for a calm and relaxing space.
Design Challenges:
The homeowners wish to retain the existing kitchen tile flooring and integrate it into a refreshed, modern design.
Accommodating a dining area spacious enough for family visits without compromising the kitchen’s open feel or functional layout.
Despite liking the current placement of plumbing and appliances, the homeowners aspire for a more open floor plan to facilitate better movement and interaction.
The need to amplify natural light in the kitchen, especially around the sink area, where existing lighting is insufficient.
Preserving the half-wall between the kitchen and family room, a feature the homeowners want to keep, while ensuring it complements the new design.
THE RENEWED SPACE
Design Solutions:
By choosing a neutral color palette that complements the existing tile, the design unifies the kitchen with the adjacent spaces. The tile’s grout was cleaned and restored, enhancing the floor’s appearance and integrating it seamlessly with the new kitchen aesthetic.
The inclusion of a larger island with seating for two, alongside maintaining a substantial dining table, was achieved by optimizing the spatial layout. This allowed for a sociable yet functional kitchen, accommodating large family gatherings without feeling crowded.
Minor adjustments to the kitchen’s layout maintained the preferred locations for plumbing and appliances while introducing an ‘open’ design concept. Strategic modifications, such as angling the pantry wall, improved the flow and accessibility within the space.
Replacing the garden window with a broader, standard window significantly increased natural light, transforming the sink area into a bright, welcoming space with enhanced views of the outdoors.
The decision to keep the half-wall was ingeniously leveraged to define the dining area while maintaining an open connection to the family room. This feature not only serves as a visual separator but also ties the two spaces together through the shared color scheme and design elements.
The homeowners are thrilled with their newly remodeled kitchen, which has become a hub of warmth and hospitality. Hosting a wedding shower and a birthday party, they have shared their renewed space with friends and family, who have been equally enamored. This remodel has not only met their functional and aesthetic desires but has also enriched their home with a fresh sense of serenity and joy.
The upstairs part of the home is shaping up nicely. Here’s their newly remodeled primary bathroom.
95



