David Duncan Livingston
Example of a beach style living room design in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, open cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Andy Frame Photography
Bedroom - tropical bedroom idea in Miami with blue walls

Designer: RG Design Studio Inc. GC: Westmark Construction Photography: Janis Nicolay
Example of a trendy master beige tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub design in Vancouver with flat-panel cabinets, a two-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and medium tone wood cabinets

Farmhouse dark wood floor and brown floor powder room photo in Seattle with furniture-like cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink and gray countertops

Jason Varney Photography, Interior Design by Ashli Mizell, Architecture by Warren Claytor Architects
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized transitional l-shaped porcelain tile eat-in kitchen idea in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and concrete countertops

Photo: Kat Alves Photography Architect: Erica Severns
Bathroom - contemporary gray tile bathroom idea in San Francisco

Mark Lohman
Example of a beach style eat-in kitchen design in Orange County with a double-bowl sink, glass-front cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, white walls and an island

Example of a transitional carpeted living room library design in St Louis with blue walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

A neutral kid's room. Themed room based on the movie/book The Hobbit. Features a Hobbit House with a slide, and playhouse.
Inspiration for a small timeless gender-neutral carpeted playroom remodel in Salt Lake City with multicolored walls

Example of a transitional light wood floor dedicated laundry room design in Atlanta with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, a stacked washer/dryer and blue cabinets

Photo by: Leonid Furmansky
Kitchen - small transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor and orange floor kitchen idea in Austin with an undermount sink, soapstone countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, shaker cabinets and blue cabinets

Photography: Nat Rea
Ornate dark wood floor living room photo in Providence with white walls

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

This beautiful English-inspired garden features Mexican bush sage, gulf muhly grass, blackfoot daisy, moonbeam coreopsis, coneflower, and rosemary.
Inspiration for a rustic backyard gravel landscaping in Dallas.

Example of a classic l-shaped brick floor, red floor and wallpaper dedicated laundry room design in Dallas with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets, blue walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer and white countertops

Example of a large mid-century modern open concept and formal dark wood floor, brown floor and vaulted ceiling living room design in Portland with white walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

Photo: Mick Hales
Inspiration for a cottage white tile and subway tile doorless shower remodel in New York with a pedestal sink

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   The homeowners of this mid-century Colonial and family of four were frustrated with the layout of their existing kitchen which was a small, narrow peninsula layout but that was adjoining a large space that they could not figure out how to use. Stealing part of the unused space seemed like an easy solution, except that there was an existing transition in floor height which made that a bit tricky. The solution of bringing the floor height up to meet the height of the existing kitchen allowed us to do just that. This solution also offered some challenges. The exterior door had to be raised which resulted in some exterior rework, and the floor transition had to happen somewhere to get out to the garage, so we ended up “pushing” it towards what is now a new mudroom and powder room area. This solution allows for a small but functional and hidden mudroom area and more private powder room situation. Another challenge of the design was the very narrow space. To minimize issues with this, we moved the location of the refrigerator into the newly found space which gave us an L-shaped layout allowing for an island and even some shallow pantry storage. The windows over the kitchen sink were expanded in size and relocated to allow more light into the room. A breakfast table fits perfectly in the area adjacent to the existing French doors and there was even room for a small bar area that helps transition from inside to outside for entertaining. The confusing unused space now makes sense and provides functionality on a daily basis. To help bring some calm to this busy family, a pallet of soft neutrals was chosen -- gray glass tile with a simple metal accent strip, clear modern pendant lights and a neutral color scheme for cabinetry and countertops. For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Walk-in shower - transitional blue tile white floor, double-sink and wallpaper walk-in shower idea in Seattle with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink, white countertops and a freestanding vanity