CCForteza
Transitional bathroom photo in Los Angeles

The Clients contacted Cecil Baker + Partners to reconfigure and remodel the top floor of a prominent Philadelphia high-rise into an urban pied-a-terre. The forty-five story apartment building, overlooking Washington Square Park and its surrounding neighborhoods, provided a modern shell for this truly contemporary renovation. Originally configured as three penthouse units, the 8,700 sf interior, as well as 2,500 square feet of terrace space, was to become a single residence with sweeping views of the city in all directions. The Client’s mission was to create a city home for collecting and displaying contemporary glass crafts. Their stated desire was to cast an urban home that was, in itself, a gallery. While they enjoy a very vital family life, this home was targeted to their urban activities - entertainment being a central element. The living areas are designed to be open and to flow into each other, with pockets of secondary functions. At large social events, guests feel free to access all areas of the penthouse, including the master bedroom suite. A main gallery was created in order to house unique, travelling art shows. Stemming from their desire to entertain, the penthouse was built around the need for elaborate food preparation. Cooking would be visible from several entertainment areas with a “show” kitchen, provided for their renowned chef. Secondary preparation and cleaning facilities were tucked away. The architects crafted a distinctive residence that is framed around the gallery experience, while also incorporating softer residential moments. Cecil Baker + Partners embraced every element of the new penthouse design beyond those normally associated with an architect’s sphere, from all material selections, furniture selections, furniture design, and art placement. Barry Halkin and Todd Mason Photography

Photo: Mina Brinkey © 2013 Houzz
Transitional dining room photo in Tampa

Jeff McNamara Photography

Matt Kocourek Photography
Example of a large transitional gray tile and stone tile marble floor bathroom design in Kansas City with recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

Elegant kitchen photo in San Diego

A 1920s colonial in a shorefront community in Westchester County had an expansive renovation with new kitchen by Studio Dearborn. Countertops White Macauba; interior design Lorraine Levinson. Photography, Timothy Lenz.

This is a 1906 Denver Square next to our city’s beautiful City Park! This was a sizable remodel that expanded the size of the home on two stories.
Mid-sized transitional single-wall wet bar photo in Denver with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, green backsplash, porcelain backsplash and white countertops

John Magnoski Photography Builder: John Kraemer & Sons
Example of a large arts and crafts beige two-story vinyl exterior home design in Minneapolis with a hip roof

Stacy Zarin Goldberg Photography
Inspiration for a transitional master dark wood floor bedroom remodel in DC Metro with blue walls

Design ideas for a contemporary backyard landscaping in Toronto.

Cesar Maxima 2.2 is a kitchen system with a creative character that is highly versatile, with over 90 finishes to choose from. Cesar Maxima 2.2 plays with expectations, employing various opening methods to create a unique user experience. Depending on what kitchen features it’s paired with, Cesar Maxima 2.2 can take on an architectural aesthetic or a warm textured one.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Well situated in Mont Royal, this split-level home had many positives apart from its dated interior, and layout of many small and inefficient rooms. This was all at odds with the owners’ lifestyle and aesthetic. The client had architectural plans designed for a third floor addition that were to include a master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. The desired look for the entire house influenced all aspects of construction. Apart from the removal most walls on the main floor, everything was stripped back to the most simple and pure of finishing materials. The existing floors were refinished in a smoked grey matte palette and offset the rich warm walnut accents in the kitchen and soft white walls. With an abundance of white walls throughout, feature walls were essential in both the master bedroom and ensuite. The deep charcoal wall in the bedroom provides dramatic contrast to the teak headboard and hammered silver light fixture. The ensuite’s feature wall is made of pewter ceramic tiles that add texture and elegance to this simple space. Materials and furnishings throughout were selected for their simplicity and form. Photo : Drew Hadley

Troy Thies
Study room - mid-sized transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor and brown floor study room idea in Minneapolis with blue walls and no fireplace

Family Room
Living room - contemporary living room idea in DC Metro with white walls

Small urban vertical balcony garden photo in Melbourne with decking and a roof extension

Holly Polgreen
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor home office remodel in DC Metro with gray walls

This modern farmhouse kitchen features a beautiful combination of Navy Blue painted and gray stained Hickory cabinets that’s sure to be an eye-catcher. The elegant “Morel” stain blends and harmonizes the natural Hickory wood grain while emphasizing the grain with a subtle gray tone that beautifully coordinated with the cool, deep blue paint. The “Gale Force” SW 7605 blue paint from Sherwin-Williams is a stunning deep blue paint color that is sophisticated, fun, and creative. It’s a stunning statement-making color that’s sure to be a classic for years to come and represents the latest in color trends. It’s no surprise this beautiful navy blue has been a part of Dura Supreme’s Curated Color Collection for several years, making the top 6 colors for 2017 through 2020. Beyond the beautiful exterior, there is so much well-thought-out storage and function behind each and every cabinet door. The two beautiful blue countertop towers that frame the modern wood hood and cooktop are two intricately designed larder cabinets built to meet the homeowner’s exact needs. The larder cabinet on the left is designed as a beverage center with apothecary drawers designed for housing beverage stir sticks, sugar packets, creamers, and other misc. coffee and home bar supplies. A wine glass rack and shelves provides optimal storage for a full collection of glassware while a power supply in the back helps power coffee & espresso (machines, blenders, grinders and other small appliances that could be used for daily beverage creations. The roll-out shelf makes it easier to fill clean and operate each appliance while also making it easy to put away. Pocket doors tuck out of the way and into the cabinet so you can easily leave open for your household or guests to access, but easily shut the cabinet doors and conceal when you’re ready to tidy up. Beneath the beverage center larder is a drawer designed with 2 layers of multi-tasking storage for utensils and additional beverage supplies storage with space for tea packets, and a full drawer of K-Cup storage. The cabinet below uses powered roll-out shelves to create the perfect breakfast center with power for a toaster and divided storage to organize all the daily fixings and pantry items the household needs for their morning routine. On the right, the second larder is the ultimate hub and center for the homeowner’s baking tasks. A wide roll-out shelf helps store heavy small appliances like a KitchenAid Mixer while making them easy to use, clean, and put away. Shelves and a set of apothecary drawers help house an assortment of baking tools, ingredients, mixing bowls and cookbooks. Beneath the counter a drawer and a set of roll-out shelves in various heights provides more easy access storage for pantry items, misc. baking accessories, rolling pins, mixing bowls, and more. The kitchen island provides a large worktop, seating for 3-4 guests, and even more storage! The back of the island includes an appliance lift cabinet used for a sewing machine for the homeowner’s beloved hobby, a deep drawer built for organizing a full collection of dishware, a waste recycling bin, and more! All and all this kitchen is as functional as it is beautiful! Request a FREE Dura Supreme Brochure Packet: http://www.durasupreme.com/request-brochure