This outdoor living project was a full outdoor kitchen and landscape design-build commission focused on creating a more intentional, connected landscape around a home with strong architectural character. Terraces, outdoor rooms, circulation, and planting were redesigned to feel cohesive from arrival through the rear garden. Hardscape, grading, drainage, and planting were planned as one composition, resulting in a quieter, more settled outdoor environment aligned with the architecture. Stonework, restrained detailing, and a calm planting palette give the space permanence, while improved site logic and planting structure create clearer movement, better function, and a refined outdoor living experience.

Permeable paver driveway using Eco-Priora in Northwest Blend
Design ideas for a contemporary landscaping in Seattle.

Create sufficient headroom. For most codes, 7-ft. 6-in. finished ceilings are the minimum. If that’s not what you have, you must either raise the house or lower the basement floor. Either approach is a big undertaking. Lowering the floor typically involves supporting the house, removing an existing slab, excavating, and augmenting or replacing all or part of the foundation and drainage system. Raising a house is a big project, too, but, in general, it’s the better strategy because it creates more height for windows, and thus allows more natural light to enter the space. If you also must replace a failing foundation (which requires supporting the house), then your choice is even clearer: Up she goes

In the Tuscany region of central Italy, a region made famous around the world for its history, landscapes, traditions, artistic legacy and fine wine, perhaps nothing is more universally recognized than the old world villa’s that are nestled into the rolling countryside. Standing at approximately 10,500 square feet, this custom residence has all of the elegance, style and craftsmanship of those old world homes, but with all of the modern amenities of a new modern luxury home. This stunning residence was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the best custom built home in the country in 2010, a testament to the skillful designers and craftsmen who brought the homeowners vision into reality. When Chad Haas, Founder of VAULT (www.vaultgarage.com), a company that prides itself in furnishing some of the most beautiful garages in the world, was brought into the project, the home and garage had already been built. The accolades of the gorgeous villa already awarded. But the homeowner felt that the exterior and interior of the garage lacked architectural harmony with the rest of the home and so he flew Mr. Haas out to visit the space directly so that he could assist hands-on with re-designing a new look and to add furnishings to accessories the space. “When I first approached the villa from the street, I knew that I’d have my work cut out for me. Everything looked so perfect exactly the way it was designed and built. I questioned myself ‘how was I going to improve upon perfection?’, since remarkable attention was paid to even the smallest of details in the home” asked Haas. The client’s goal was to engage Haas to design and furnish a garage where he could relax, separate from the home, enjoy his growing car collection and entertain family and friends. After spending a short weekend together with the home owner to gather his ideas, Haas returned back to his Beaverton, Oregon-based company with a clearer vision: create the ultimate gentlemen’s retreat through the look of a turn-of-a-century Tuscan ‘car barn’. Absolutely nothing in the garage was overlooked – and it shows. Every design element in the garage for color, texture and material was meticulously thought out to elicit just the right feeling and emotion in everyone that enters what may be one of the most beautifully elegant garages in America, a space commonly overlooked in the construction of homes today. A main focal point of the exterior of garage is the beautiful view from the courtyard, where all three carriage doors can be seen. While the existing wood doors looked acceptable, it was agreed that something more befitting of the quality and beauty of the home were appropriate. Haas designed luxurious castle-style doors handcrafted from solid Mahogany and bathed in a rich dark brown stain that was complemented by hand-wrought iron grills, clavos and door pull hardware. The double-wide door, in particular, is truly remarkable in both its elegance, as well as its one-of-a-kind operation. “The client was concerned in this area of having mounting hardware and a motor on the ceiling. Because the cars in this area do not get brought out on a regular (daily) basis, the doors open manually by hand and operate accordion style on a track”. The homes main overhead garage doors feature jack-shaft operation which removes the clutter of a motor on the garage ceiling, but offers the convenience of powered operation. These extraordinary, custom-made castle doors look just as beautiful on the inside as the out and their unparalleled design and craftsmanship take the exterior of the home to even greater heights than before. On to the interior, a black and white epoxy coating was stripped and replaced with porcelain tiles that resembled Italian travertine stone. To give the car barn a rustic feeling and a presence that it was older, not modern, Haas worked on the development and concept directly with the home owner to collaborate with a local millwork company that designed and hand-finished substantial wood beams from distressed Doug Fir. All of the walls were hand-plastered by a local artist using straw that was harvested from the immediate area surrounding the home and incorporated into the plaster to give it a rustic antique quality. Haas conceived and designed a bar area and cabinetry for a work area that pulled inspiration from old ice boxes of the 1920’s that utilized heavy nickel-plated hardware, again to give storage spaces a rustic appearance. The warm glow from several custom porcelain neon signs, each one meticulously built entirely by hand by VAULT, are dispersed throughout the space and transform the entire room and bring it to life. The client had never previously owned a neon sign before and along with the carriage doors felt that these items have transformed the space more than any other feature. Several antique gas pumps, restored in the client’s favorite petro bran, and a few additional porcelain signs will eventually furnish the rest of the space to complement the clients amazing car collection. In addition to the countless details that set this showcase garage apart, its ability to seamlessly blend with the rest of the home and the natural, rustic setting of the Colorado Rockies, yet house modern automobiles in a manner in which they feel well placed and belong, is also noteworthy. GARAGE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS To learn more about VAULT visit them at: http://www.vaultgarage.com/ And on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VaultGarage PHOTOGRAPHY All photographs were used with the permission of photographer John Vanderpool (john.vanderpool5@gmail.com) You can visit John Vanderpool on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JVanderpoolPhotography ARCHITECTURE Jerry Gloss, Principal, KGA Architects: http://www.kgarch.com/ HOMEBUILDER Thomas Sattler Home: http://thomassattlerhomes.com/ VEHICLES Here is an overview of the cars that were photographed in this article: 1. 2014 Ferrari 458 Italia 2. 2013 Maserati GranTurismo Sport 3. 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 4. 2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS 5. 2008 Porsche GT3 RS 6. 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo S (997) 7. 2014 Porsche Panamera GTS 8. 2013 Ford SVT Raptor (6.2L CrewCab)’ Overview of project reprinted with permission of DuPont Registry.

Colorful flames rise through beautifully sculpted metal. A reflective black glass interior multiplies the fire and radiates the flames. With the exclusive finishing options available with these beautiful these stainless steel gas fireplaces, you can create modern art, on fire. 49,000 BTUs 42" sizes Virtually invisible, anti-reflective glass provides 89% glare reduction giving you a clearer, more distinct view of the fire

The best fire. The cleanest look. And the largest view. The most authentic masonry appearance ever in a Direct Vent gas fireplace is here. It is TRUE. 28,000 – 65,000 BTUs 36", 42" and 50" sizes LED accent lighting and illuminated embers Virtually invisible, anti-reflective glass provides 89% glare reduction giving you a clearer, more distinct view of the fire High definition logs Multiple front and interior options

In this photo, we are looking into the shower through the glass enclosure - you can just see the reflection of the light switches in the glass. Notice how "clear" this clear glass is. It's called Starfire - or Starphire - glass (a brand name) which IS actually clearer than regular clear glass. Why? Because it contains less iron. In fact, it contains about 90% less iron than regular shower glass. This difference makes it less green, and allows for increased light transmission. It costs more, but can be well worth the investment. Imagine how different this bathroom would look if you were seeing all of that beautiful kintsugi tile through green glass! Notice the shelf in the niche -- that's regular clear glass....see the green edge?

Photo Credit: Jeri Koegel
Large trendy home design photo in Orange County

Choose the Appropriate Color Temperature：When selecting outdoor stair lights, different color temperatures of the lighting have different requirements. For outdoor spaces such as gardens, terraces, or porches where you want to create a cozy atmosphere and enhance the sense of security, you can choose warm color temperature stair lights, such as light colors between 2700K and 3000K. This color temperature will give people a warm, welcoming feeling while effectively illuminating the stairs, enhancing visual effects and nighttime safety. As for public areas such as hotels, shopping malls, or parking lots that require emphasis on visual clarity and warning functions, you can choose neutral to cool white color temperature stair lights, such as light colors between 4000K and 6500K. This color temperature can provide brighter, clearer lighting effects, helping to increase vigilance and visual comfort.

Gourmet kitchen appliances. Large center island with leather stools. White cabinets, wood floor. Photography by Spacecrafting.
Eat-in kitchen - large traditional u-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Minneapolis with a drop-in sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, gray backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The Deetjen kitchen has a marble counter. The marble comes from Middlebury. This is the perfect kitchen for socializing with friends.
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Burlington

Minimalist kitchen photo in Los Angeles

The rustic laundry room of Mountain Lodge at Pinchot Forest combines practicality with mountain elegance, featuring custom wood cabinetry, energy-efficient appliances, and durable stone surfaces. Living Stone Design + Build integrates smart storage solutions and sustainable materials into this functional space that maintains the home's authentic mountain aesthetic.

This open shower draws you in with the attractive wall feature.
Doorless shower - large transitional master white tile and marble tile marble floor and gray floor doorless shower idea in Bridgeport with raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink, marble countertops and a hinged shower door

Beautiful kitchen remodel in Naples, Florida. Large windows allow for ample light to flow into the space, keeping the feel of this room light and happy.

his Master Bedroom allows the homeowner world-class experience every minute they are home and not traveling. With automated black-out shades within the room, a 55" LED display with touchscreen remote, automated lights and speakers in the ceiling, it allows a guest to feel right at home. Anything being watched on the TV can have it's audio heard through the speakers in the ceiling, to provide enhanced listening as well as much clearer than using the speakers built into the back of the TV. For comfort and convenience, the building HVAC system was integrated into the system as well, allowing the homeowner to control 2 zones of heating and cooling easily from a touchpanel, mobile tablet or phone. This comes in handy for the owner, who travels often to the west coast - allowing them to shut down the units remotely and turn them back on upon landing back in NYC so that a comfortable climate is reached by the time they arrive back home. One of the favorite features added to the system was an integration with the building's access control system. Whenever a visitor or food delivery service arrives outside, they can easily be viewed and let in through any panel in the home- even when the homeowner is out of town. This feature required coordination with the building security company, and includes video encoders to digitize the analog security video feeds the building provided, as well as a network connected relay device which communicates with the electronic door strike and elevator service.

LEED Certification Level: Platinum. The homeowners put a premium on indoor air quality and low energy consumption and recognized that quality design would allow more investment in a smaller project. A modest plan size was developed (1,700 square foot net, 1,960 square foot gross), with slab-on-grade first floor. The upper level slopes up to the south to capture sky views and solar gains; the stair allows that light and energy to flow to the main level. The front-screened porch is a reinvention of the traditional front porch — a place to socialize, enjoy the outdoors and enjoy fire on cool evenings. Great care was taken in specifying non-toxic materials: no-added formaldehyde cabinet construction with water-borne finishes, zero VOC, nontoxic floor finish and paints, Greenguard certified drywall and subfloor adhesives, caulks, and sealants, salvaged wood (not previously finished), etc. Third-party air quality testing showed total VOC of only 48 parts per billion prior to move in, and formaldehyde of 46ppb. The CARB residential formaldehyde guideline is below 27ppb for residential chronic exposure. Since we had no specified added-formaldehyde construction materials, our count is likely due to furniture and other off-gassing, and will drop as the house is ventilated. Mold readings were below outdoor air. An energy monitoring system was installed so the owners and design team can track energy use compared to modeled predictions. Measured results also contribute to a clearer understanding of energy use for future energy models across the industry, which is one of PHIUS’ objectives. Although early in occupancy, the owners appear to be running this all-electric house at about 500kWh per month, below the modeled prediction. The owners plan to install a PV array within the next year.

We designed a sleek, rectangular pool with sheer descent waterfall features gracing one end and a large tanning deck on the other for a family with limited yard space. We were also able to include an area for dining, a pergola to provide relief from the sun and an outdoor kitchen nestled between the main house and the addition. Clean, symmetrical landscaping added the finishing touch.

Inspiration for an industrial bathroom remodel in New York