This property was completely gutted and redesigned into a single family townhouse. After completing the construction of the house I staged the furniture, lighting and decor. Staging is a new service that my design studio is now offering.

AV Architects + Builders Location: Falls Church, VA, USA Our clients were a newly-wed couple looking to start a new life together. With a love for the outdoors and theirs dogs and cats, we wanted to create a design that wouldn’t make them sacrifice any of their hobbies or interests. We designed a floor plan to allow for comfortability relaxation, any day of the year. We added a mudroom complete with a dog bath at the entrance of the home to help take care of their pets and track all the mess from outside. We added multiple access points to outdoor covered porches and decks so they can always enjoy the outdoors, not matter the time of year. The second floor comes complete with the master suite, two bedrooms for the kids with a shared bath, and a guest room for when they have family over. The lower level offers all the entertainment whether it’s a large family room for movie nights or an exercise room. Additionally, the home has 4 garages for cars – 3 are attached to the home and one is detached and serves as a workshop for him. The look and feel of the home is informal, casual and earthy as the clients wanted to feel relaxed at home. The materials used are stone, wood, iron and glass and the home has ample natural light. Clean lines, natural materials and simple details for relaxed casual living. Stacy Zarin Photography

Beach style concrete patio photo in Los Angeles with a roof extension

Offering a sophisticated and peaceful presence, this home couples comfortable living with editorial design. The use of modern furniture & clean lines, combined with a tonal color palette, an abundance of neutrals, and highlighted by moments of black & chrome, create this 3 bed / 3.5 bath’s design personality.

A newly finished basement apartment in one of Portland’s gorgeous historic homes was a beautiful canvas for ATIID to create a warm, welcoming guest house. Area rugs provided rich texture, pattern and color inspiration for each room. Comfortable furnishings, cozy beds and thoughtful touches welcome guests for any length of stay. Our Signature Cocktail Table and Perfect Console and Cubes are showcased in the living room, and an extraordinary original work by Molly Cliff-Hilts pulls the warm color palette to the casual dining area. Custom window treatments offer texture and privacy. We provided every convenience for guests, from luxury layers of bedding and plenty of fluffy white towels to a kitchen stocked with the home chef’s every desire. Welcome home!

The living room offers a large space for the homeowners to socialize and entertain, while maintaining the comfort of their home. It outlooks into the kitchen and dining room spaces to offer an open concept floor plan, while still having defined rooms.

Example of a beach style freestanding desk light wood floor study room design in Miami with blue walls

With timeless appeal and an endless array of options, Schrock's classic cabinets are just the right offering to transform your space into an enduring expression of your personality. CABINETS: Schrock Entra COUNTERTOPS: Laminate Countertop REFRIGERATOR: Haier RANGE: GE Profiles Photos: Jim Schuon

A very rare opportunity presents itself in the offering of this Mill Valley estate covering 1.86 acres in the Redwoods. The property, formerly known as the Swiss Hiking Club lodge, has now been transformed. It has been exquisitely remodeled throughout, down to the very last detail. The property consists of five buildings: The Main House; the Cottage/Office; a Studio/Office; a Chalet Guest House; and an Accessory, two-room building for food and glassware storage. There are also two double-car garages. Nestled amongst the redwoods this elevated property offers privacy and serves as a sanctuary for friends and family. The old world charm of the entire estate combines with luxurious modern comforts to create a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. The property contains the perfect combination of inside and outside spaces with gardens, sunny lawns, a fire pit, and wraparound decks on the Main House complete with a redwood hot tub. After you ride up the state of the art tram from the street and enter the front door you are struck by the voluminous ceilings and spacious floor plans which offer relaxing and impressive entertaining spaces. The impeccably renovated estate has elegance and charm which creates a quality of life that stands apart in this lovely Mill Valley community. The Dipsea Stairs are easily accessed from the house affording a romantic walk to downtown Mill Valley. You can enjoy the myriad hiking and biking trails of Mt. Tamalpais literally from your doorstep.

The midcentury modern home bar with a cozy fireplace at the Sennett Residence in Asheville, NC offers an inviting atmosphere for entertaining, designed by Living Stone Design + Build. This elegant space features natural materials, stylish furnishings, and a warm fireplace, creating a perfect blend of comfort and sophistication while enjoying scenic mountain views.

The new owners were looking forward to living in their new home with an open floor plan, tall vaulted ceilings, and great views. It featured a large Great Room with two big French Doors separating the Dining Room from the Master Bedroom. But after only a few months they identified a major design flaw: Each of the French Doors had ten glass windows with two large windows above each door. (Check out our before and after designs, traffic flow diagrams and photos of this project.) Glass windows and doors allowed sound and light from guests or the TV in the great room to easily sneak into the bedroom. With unique work and sleep schedules (he’s a pilot, she’s a registered nurse) this design wasn’t working. Then there was a traffic flow design flaw: The Master Bedroom had a second entrance from a hallway. To get into the bedroom from the hallway you needed to walk down another claustrophobic hallway. To get from the Master Bedroom to the Master Bath begin at the most remote corner of the bedroom and down a hallway between two closets. Once inside the bath, a huge triangular Jacuzzi dominating the space. So, from a privacy and traffic flow perspective, this home had some major design issues. When Craig Weber first met with the owners, he listened to their ideas and concerns. The owners trusted Craig to come up with the most efficient and most effective solution to this design dilemma. He offered a solution that resolved the bed-bath traffic flow problem, offered some bedroom room privacy, and updated the bath. First, the two French Doors and windows were removed. A new wall was built with sound-absorbing materials, making the Great Room and Dining Room more comfortable spaces for entertaining while creating the bedroom privacy the owners craved. Solving the Bedroom/Bath traffic flow problem began with removing the two existing closets. The bath door was relocated next to the hall entrance, and then a new walk-in closet was added adjacent to the hallway entrance. The solution offered easy access to and from the bath, closet and hallway without a hint of claustrophobia. The Master Bath underwent a major transformation designed for convenience and comfort – especially during long, cold Minnesota winters. Most everything from the former bath was torn out, beginning with the giant Jacuzzi. A new bathtub that is wider and deeper than the standard size was installed with brushed Nickel fixtures. It’s the perfect place to relax with a glass of wine and candles. Warm floors are a Minnesota “must have.” The bath’s new ceramic floor features in-floor electric heat. Getting in and out of the tub is easy and comfortable. The new walk-in shower again features in-floor heating and a place to sit. The most interesting feature of this shower may the custom ceramic tile installed with unique patterns. A new vanity Cambria Bradshaw countertops features two under-hung ceramic sinks with matching brushed Nickel fixtures. Tall ceilings and three glass windows near the ceiling flood the room with natural light. A new energy-efficient window frames an ornamental stained glass window created by the owner’s father – a great personal touch. A quiet place to sleep. A private dining room for entertaining. A Master Bath to die for. And easy traffic flow. The owners couldn’t have been more delighted with the outcome. And Lilly, their cat, loves it too.

A tiny waterfront house in Kennebunkport, Maine. Photos by James R. Salomon
Inspiration for a small coastal bathroom remodel in Portland Maine with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and white walls

Mike and Anne of Barrington Hills desperately needed to update and renovate both their kid’s hall bath and guest bath, and in their 1980’s home each project presented a different set of unique challenges to overcome. When they set out to identify the right remodeling company to partner with, it was important to find a company that could help them to visualize design solutions for the bath renovations. When they came across Advance Design Studio’s website, they were immediately drawn to the solution-oriented remodeling process and the family friendly company. They say they chose Advance Design because of the integrated approach of “Common Sense Remodeling”, making the design, project management and construction all happen in one place. When they met with Project Designer Michelle Lecinski, they knew they chose the right company. “Michelle’s excellent work on the initial designs made it easy to proceed with Advance Design Studio,” Mike said. Like most homeowners anticipating a big renovation project, they had some healthy fears; with two bathrooms being remodeled at the same time they worried about timeframes and staying within budget. With the help of Michelle, and the “Common Sense” guidelines, they were confident that Advance Design would stay true, orchestrating all the moving parts to stay within both the estimated timeline and budget. The guest bath offered the biggest design challenge. A dormer obstruction made the already cramped shower awkward to access. Mike and Anne also wanted the shower size to be expanded, making it more accommodating. Working with Advance’s construction expert DJ Yurik, Michelle relocated the shower concealing the original dormer and creating a larger, more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing guest shower. The unsightly and not at all user-friendly closet was removed and replaced with elegant White Maple Dura Supreme cabinetry with much improved function featuring dual tall linen cabinets, a special makeup area and two sinks, providing a dual vanity which was extremely important for better guest use. The Fossil Brown quartz countertop is in pleasing contrast to the white cabinetry, and coordinates nicely with the mocha porcelain tile gracing the shower for an accent. The decorative glazed turquoise tile backsplash, tile border, and bottle niche adds a taste of marine green to the room, while marble-looking porcelain tile makes guests feel they are staying in a 5-star hotel. Polished nickel Kohler plumbing fixtures were chosen to add a touch of sophistication. This renovated guest bath is comfortable and elegant, and Anne and Mike’s house guests may never want to leave! “The end result was updated and restyled bathrooms that the client will enjoy and increase the value of their home,” Designer Michelle said. The children’s hall bath had its own set of challenges. The current placement of the sink was not conducive to the best use of the existing space, nor did it allow for any visual interest, something Advance’s designers always work to achieve even within the tight confines of a small bath. Advance removed the linen closet and used the gain in wall space to create a dramatic focal point on the vanity wall. They also took additional space that wasn’t being used for new Storm Gray Dura Supreme tall built-in linen cabinets, creating functional storage space that the former bath lacked. A customized glass splash panel was created for the bath, and the high ceilings with skylights were accented with a custom-made track lighting fixture featuring industrial pipe and cage materials. Authentic cement encaustic tile was used wall to wall surrounding the vanity to create a dramatic and interesting back drop for the new elegant and stately furniture-like double sink wall. Hand-made encaustic tile originated in Western Europe beginning in the 1850’s and reminded Mike and Anne of tile they had seen and loved from their travels overseas. Today, encaustic tile has made a re-appearance in today’s modern bath design with its wide array of appealing patterns and artistic use of color. Oil rubbed bronze Kohler fixtures echo the black accents in the beautiful tile pattern and reflect the matte black of the unique lighting detail. Easy to maintain Blanca Arabescato Quartz countertops add practicality and natural beauty and compliments the warm wood porcelain tile floors. This handsome bath has generated praise from friends and family even before it’s complete unveiling as photos of the space leaked out on social media! It’s not only completely functional to use, but especially pretty to look at. “Advance Design Studio did a terrific job for us. We really appreciated how easy it was to work with them on a complex project of the complete remodeling of two bathrooms. They very capably handled all the details from design, to project management, to construction. It is a great group of people to work with and we would welcome the opportunity to work with them again anytime,” Mike said.

Photo: Lisa Petrole
Large minimalist master dark wood floor and brown floor bedroom photo in San Francisco with white walls and no fireplace

The midcentury modern living room at the Sennett Residence in Asheville, NC showcases an exquisite blend of style and comfort, designed by Living Stone Design + Build. With its striking stone fireplace, contemporary furnishings, and large windows that offer breathtaking views of the mountains, this cozy yet sophisticated space creates the ideal atmosphere for relaxation and gatherings, emphasizing a refined, modern aesthetic.

The guest basement bathroom offers all the comforts of home.
Example of a mid-sized transitional 3/4 brown tile and porcelain tile laminate floor, brown floor and single-sink drop-in bathtub design in Indianapolis with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, a two-piece toilet, beige walls, an undermount sink, granite countertops, beige countertops and a built-in vanity

Photographer: Ashley Avila Photography The Hasserton is a sleek take on the waterfront home. This multi-level design exudes modern chic as well as the comfort of a family cottage. The sprawling main floor footprint offers homeowners areas to lounge, a spacious kitchen, a formal dining room, access to outdoor living, and a luxurious master bedroom suite. The upper level features two additional bedrooms and a loft, while the lower level is the entertainment center of the home. A curved beverage bar sits adjacent to comfortable sitting areas. A guest bedroom and exercise facility are also located on this floor.

Offering a sophisticated and peaceful presence, this home couples comfortable living with editorial design. The use of modern furniture & clean lines, combined with a tonal color palette, an abundance of neutrals, and highlighted by moments of black & chrome, create this 3 bed / 3.5 bath’s design personality.

The inspiration was a Thai inspired retreat that offered comfortable lounging outdoors. The suspended outdoor bed displays an asian aesthetic while giving the lounger a zen floating sensation. This Hardscape offers great entertaining with outdoor lounging around a beautiful custom fire pit and a custom built-in barbecue kitchen.