Transitional bedroom photo in Chicago

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.

Designed using Trex Transcend decking in Spiced Rum – a warm, earthy umber featuring subtle shading and natural shade variations creating distinctive hardwood-like streaking and intense, tropical hues that will retain its lush looks for decades and Vintage Lantern – a deep-burnished bronze with Old World elegance. Additional Trex products featured include Trex Transcend railing, Trex Pergola, Trex Elevations and Trex Outdoor Lighting.

Interior Designer Brad McCallum Creates Two Stunning Spaces The first of these two projects features a unique basement designed for Canadian gold-medal Olympian, Ben Herbert. He and his wife wanted to create a space that offered versatility so they could not only host company in it but also display memorabilia from Herbert’s travels and career as a professional curler. Keeping the couple’s design goals in mind, interior designer Brad McCallum incorporated Eldorado Stone’s Chapel Hill Stacked stone with refined wood cabinetry. McCallum beautifully reflected the home’s close proximity to the Canadian Rocky Mountains through the addition of rough hewn stone, all the while maintaining a sense of refinement with clean lines, lustrous stainless steel fixtures, and horizontal design. The second of McCallum’s projects was to overhaul the design of a family’s wet bar and devise a way to achieve the owners’ hopes for a design that married rustic and contemporary styles together. McCallum combined opposing pastoral elements to create an unexpected harmony between the textures of stone and did so successfully. The smoothness of maple wood evoked modern characteristics accentuated by the tight joints and horizontal lines of Eldorado Stone’s Chapel Hill Stacked Stone. In both projects, McCallum created a sense of continuity with the design that paved the way for his clients’ spaces to be one-of-a-kind. Eldorado Stone Featured: Chapel Hill Stacked Stone Designer/ Photographer/ Builder: Brad McCallum Website: www.urban-abode.com

Photo: Mina Brinkey © 2013 Houzz
Cottage chic white floor bedroom photo in Tampa with white walls and no fireplace

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. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Bob O'Connor
Trendy kids' room photo in Boston

Jared Kuzia Photography
Beach style l-shaped dark wood floor kitchen photo in Boston with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, a farmhouse sink, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Vibra Stainless Steel Countertop and Backsplash with Integral Stainless Steel Sink by FourSeasons MetalWorks. Kitchen Design and Cabinets by Hermitage Kitchen Design Gallery in Nashville, TN

This adorable beach cottage is in the heart of the village of La Jolla in San Diego. The goals were to brighten up the space and be the perfect beach get-away for the client whose permanent residence is in Arizona. Some of the ways we achieved the goals was to place an extra high custom board and batten in the great room and by refinishing the kitchen cabinets (which were in excellent shape) white. We created interest through extreme proportions and contrast. Though there are a lot of white elements, they are all offset by a smaller portion of very dark elements. We also played with texture and pattern through wallpaper, natural reclaimed wood elements and rugs. This was all kept in balance by using a simplified color palate minimal layering. I am so grateful for this client as they were extremely trusting and open to ideas. To see what the space looked like before the remodel you can go to the gallery page of the website www.cmnaturaldesigns.com Photography by: Chipper Hatter

The bedroom loft is directly over the kitchen and bathroom. Phot: Eileen Descallar Ringwald
Example of a small trendy loft-style medium tone wood floor bedroom design in Los Angeles with white walls and no fireplace

RAPPORT Photo features Harmony Beige in 12 x 24 Glazed Porcelain Floor Tile. Additional colors and 2 x 4 Ceramic Mosaic Tile are available. Visit our website, www.masonrycenter.com Photo courtesy of American Olean

Wyndham Espresso double vanity with white porcelain sink.
Mid-sized elegant bathroom photo in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets and dark wood cabinets

Bedroom - transitional guest dark wood floor bedroom idea in Chicago with beige walls

Image provided by 'Ancient Surfaces' Product name: Antique Biblical Stone Flooring. Contacts:(212) 461-0245 Email: Sales@ancientsurfaces.com Website: www.AncientSurfaces.com Antique reclaimed Limestone flooring pavers unique in its blend and authenticity and rare in it's hardness and beauty. With every footstep you take on those pavers you travel through a time portal of sorts, connecting you with past generations that have walked and lived their lives on top of it for centuries.

Inspiration for a timeless home design remodel in Birmingham

Inspiration for a timeless home design remodel in Birmingham

Elegant home design photo in Birmingham