Search results for "Competent" in Home Design Ideas

Brittany Fecteau
Inspiration for a large industrial l-shaped cement tile floor and gray floor kitchen pantry remodel in Manchester with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops
Inspiration for a large industrial l-shaped cement tile floor and gray floor kitchen pantry remodel in Manchester with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Builder: Watershed Builder
Photography: Michael Blevins
A secondary bathroom for a sweet young girl in Charlotte with navy blue vanity, white quartz countertop, gold hardware, gold accent mirror and hexagon porcelain tile.

To achieve the open, modern take on Midcentury that our clients desired, we took down upper cabinets over the peninsula, which opened the spaces up to each other. In doing so we creating a storage area for wine and a long countertop for entertaining or setting up a buffet during parties. What had been wasted space to the right of the walkway is now the pantry, with deep storage cabinets.
Distinctive Kitchens was brought in to help choose finishes--tile backsplash and floors, sink, faucet, lighting, countertops and cabinet hardware. The adjacent dining room was also part of the design, because the rooms have such a strong relationship to each other. We consulted on furniture and lighting in that room, making sure the two light fixtures (one over the sink, the other over the dining table) didn't compete for attention.
We feel the end result is fresh, clean, and texturally beautiful.
Kitchen and dining room staging by Allison Scheff of Distinctive Kitchens.
Photos by Wynne H Earle
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The Phillip Jeffries wallpaper brings in just enough texture without competing with the clean lines. Motorized drapery keeps the space feeling polished and luxurious, and layers of muted grays pull it all together.

The addition of neutral furnishings in both fabric and leather provide interest without competing with the many collected treasures in the room. The tufting details on the parsons dining chairs compliment the sofa while providing a more transitional, updated look.

We've designed an exquisite pied-à-terre apartment with views of the Hudson River, an ideal retreat for an Atlanta-based couple. The apartment features all-new furnishings, exuding comfort and style throughout. From plush sofas to sleek dining chairs, each piece has been selected to create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. The kitchen was fitted with new countertops, providing functionality and aesthetic appeal. Adjacent to the kitchen, a cozy seating nook was added, with swivel chairs, providing the perfect spot to unwind and soak in the breathtaking scenery. We also added a beautiful dining table that expands to seat 14 guests comfortably. Everything is thoughtfully positioned to allow the breathtaking views to take center stage, ensuring the furniture never competes with the natural beauty outside.
The bedrooms are designed as peaceful sanctuaries for rest and relaxation. Soft hues of cream, blue, and grey create a tranquil ambiance, while luxurious bedding ensures a restful night's sleep. The primary bathroom also underwent a stunning renovation, embracing lighter, brighter finishes and beautiful lighting.

This custom cabinetry project sits at the top of a luxury penthouse condominium in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the design reflects exactly that.
Floor-to-ceiling white oak cabinetry runs the full length of the kitchen wall, integrated and seamless from base to ceiling with no visual interruption. The waterfall island anchors the space in natural stone, its veining continuous from surface to base, positioned to draw the eye toward the panoramic city views beyond.
Every detail was considered in the context of the larger space. Integrated appliances disappear into the cabinetry. Under-cabinet lighting warms the stone backsplash without competing with the natural light flooding in from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The open plan connects kitchen to living without a single element out of place.
This is cabinetry designed to match the scale and standard of the property it lives in.
Scope: Full kitchen cabinetry, custom island
Material: White oak, natural stone, integrated lighting
Style: Contemporary luxury, warm modern
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
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The goal for this 1939 Tudor-style story-and-a-half home was to create a kitchen that offered the conveniences, storage, and performance of a modern workspace while preserving the warmth, craftsmanship, and vintage charm that made the home special. The client, an avid home cook, wanted the room to feel as though it had always belonged to the house, with thoughtful upgrades that respected the original architecture rather than competing with it. Just as important, she needed a more efficient layout with enough storage for small appliances, so everyday cooking would no longer require carrying items up from the lower level.
Several existing conditions shaped the design approach. The kitchen retained original, amber-stained birch woodwork that the client wished to keep, and the compact footprint was interrupted by six doorways and two windows, none of which were to be moved, altered, or replaced. A previous flooring update had left the door casings undercut too short, creating visible gaps where the casing met the floor. The existing vintage 40-inch range also lacked proper ventilation, yet the client wished to accommodate a refrigerator, dishwasher, cooktop, double ovens, built-in microwave, and effective venting above the cooktop into the new kitchen layout.
To honor the original millwork, beaded inset-style cherry cabinetry was selected in a soft, hand-rubbed finish that will deepen over time and develop a natural patina. Charcoal-gray soapstone countertops complement the cabinetry while reinforcing the historic character of the home with an organic, timeworn texture. The former breakfast nook was transformed into a butler’s pantry, adding valuable base cabinet storage and expanded work surfaces for frequently used small appliances. Also in the butler’s pantry, a single upper cabinet was paired with open shelves to give an open, airy feeling while adding character and practical storage. A classic single-bowl apron-front workstation sink contributes both period-appropriate character and practical prep and cleanup function.
Because the home’s openings were such a defining feature, the design worked within the existing architecture instead of altering it. Custom plinth blocks were created for each doorway to extend the original casing gracefully down to the new natural red oak flooring, resolving the earlier construction issue while adding a detail that feels authentic to the age of the house. Despite the number of door and window openings, the new layout provides a significantly more functional, built-in kitchen with an improved work triangle for serious cooking.
Appliance placement was carefully planned to deliver the requested performance without overwhelming the small room. Three cooking functions (double ovens & microwave) were consolidated into one location with a GE Café double oven featuring Advantium Technology, while the client’s compact 31-inch refrigerator was reused to preserve space. A sleek 30-inch induction cooktop provides efficient cooking, and a Vent-A-Hood ARS ductless vent hood supplies needed ventilation without requiring a duct run to the exterior.
The finish palette balances richness, texture, and historical sensitivity. A deeply textured navy backsplash tile adds depth and dramatic shadow play against the soapstone, while wallpaper in the back entry echoes the tile’s geometric pattern to visually connect the adjoining spaces. Oil-rubbed bronze cabinet hardware and light fixtures enhance the warmth of the cherry cabinetry and complete the antique-inspired feel.
Lighting was layered to make the compact kitchen brighter, more useful, and more inviting. Vintage-style semi-flush ceiling fixtures establish the overall tone, while dimmable puck lights highlight select areas and undercabinet task lighting keeps work surfaces well illuminated.
The completed kitchen now feels both highly functional and deeply rooted in the home’s history. Rich cherry cabinetry, velvety soapstone, natural red oak flooring, navy tile, bronze accents, and carefully preserved birch trim work together to create a warm, cohesive space that celebrates timeless craftsmanship. By increasing storage, improving workflow, integrating modern appliances, and respecting the Tudor home’s original character, the design achieves the client’s vision: a kitchen that feels personal, practical, historically appropriate, and as though it has always been there.

The dining room is a true showstopper, featuring a custom walnut dining table that anchors the space. The chairs are velvet, this time in a darker neutral taupe so as not to compete with the dining table. Above, the organic chandelier draws inspiration from the Heracleum plant, creating a bit of interplay between the technical and natural structure. Below, a cream and beige wool rug evokes the same linear elements of the fixture above. The patinated metal sideboard offers a bit of grit and texture, which is softened with the organic-shaped vases and preserved pampas grass.

To break up the slat detailing, we went with a clean white fireplace. It acts as a subtle focal point that doesn’t compete with the rest of the space. Its simplicity also means it plays well with any decor the clients want to bring in.

kitchen reface
Our customer wanted a face lift for her kitchen so we painted the cabinet boxes and refaced the cabinets in white shaker doors- New herringbone backsplash and quartzite countertops competed the look

This Raleigh, NC home was reimagined from the ground up — not room by room, but as a single, cohesive expression of how a family lives, gathers, and rests.
The architecture drove every decision. Custom millwork and panel molding were carried through every space, creating a visual language that connects the entry to the living room, the dining room to the primary suite. It's what makes the home feel complete — not like a collection of individually finished rooms.
In the kitchen, a full marble slab backsplash reads as one uninterrupted surface — giving the room its presence without competing with the custom white inset cabinetry and brushed nickel hardware. The dining room lives in deliberate contrast: deep-toned oak table, delicate botanical wallpaper, antique mirror. Light and organic, yet entirely considered.
The living room was designed around its connection to the outside — French doors that open directly to a substantial outdoor kitchen and entertaining space, anchored on the interior by a cast stone fireplace with an arched surround that commands the room.
The entry sets the expectation for everything that follows: a double-height foyer, geometric pendants cascading from above, large-scale original artwork, and a carved console that makes the first impression without overstating it.
Designed and executed by Lavish — Raleigh, NC's full-service interior design and remodeling firm.

The main living room of this Yorkville condo breaks into sitting, dining, and kitchen zones, all kept low-profile so nothing competes with the panoramic Toronto skyline. A large sectional wraps the perimeter with hidden storage, anchored by an enormous custom blue-and-grey rug over herringbone oak floors. Two aqua-blue swivel chairs and a black marble end table sit at the window for an unobstructed view.

The furniture placement in the living room achieves the same result. Furniture is kept low and the boucle settee by the window allows the view to pass through. A fireplace feature wall in Lavastone acts as a subtle focal point to bring some warmth to the living room but does not compete with the number one contender – the view.

These two adjoining girls' rooms — a show-stopping nursery and a dreamy toddler bedroom — are among the most enchanting children's spaces imaginable. Each room has its own distinct personality while sharing a thread of botanical wonder, soft femininity, and elevated design that refuses to talk down to its young inhabitants. These are spaces designed not just for children, but with genuine artistry — rooms that will inspire wonder for years to come.
The Nursery
Step into this nursery and feel immediately transported into a secret garden at dusk. The design decision that sets the entire room apart is breathtakingly bold: a large-scale dark floral wallpaper — blooming with oversized peonies, roses, and wildflowers in dusty pink, peach, sage, and cream against a deep slate blue ground — wraps every wall from chair rail to ceiling, creating an immersive, almost painterly environment that feels simultaneously dramatic and deeply soft.
The ceiling is painted a warm, powdery pink that picks up the blush tones within the wallpaper perfectly — a "fifth wall" design moment that makes the room feel like a complete, considered installation rather than a decorated room. The transition from wallpapered walls to pink ceiling at the crown molding line is seamless and intentional, wrapping the baby in a floral garden overhead and all around.
Anchoring the room with genuine design authority is a spectacular gold and crystal chandelier — its circular brass frame hung with vertical crystal rods that catch and scatter light like a garden in rain — elevating the nursery from charming to genuinely luxurious. Beneath it, a natural oak arched spindle crib sits against the wallpapered feature wall, its warm honey wood grain providing organic contrast to the moody floral backdrop. Pink velvet pillows and a soft crib mobile of plush clouds and moons complete the crib vignette with gentle whimsy.
A boucle glider chair and matching stacked ottoman in cream provide the nursing corner, paired with a small brass side table for midnight essentials. A soft blush pink area rug anchors the seating area and echoes the ceiling color. Linen drapery panels in soft ivory frame the windows without competing with the wallpaper, their pinch-pleat heading adding a refined tailoring detail.
The Toddler Bedroom
The connecting bedroom takes the botanical theme in a softer, sunnier direction — all blush pink walls (matching ceiling and walls in the same warm rose tone for a cocooning effect), botanical print drapery in cream with red and green wildflowers, and brass curtain hardware that ties to the nursery's gold palette. A gold spindle crib — the metallic version of the nursery's wooden one — grounds the room with warmth, while a sage green upholstered glider provides a reading corner. A white dresser with brass hardware doubles as a changing table, topped with art prints and a Matisse-inspired framed poster in a gold frame that adds a touch of grown-up gallery sensibility.
Floating acrylic shelves hold a curated collection of board books at child-height — a detail that communicates that this room was designed for a child who will love and use it, not just admire it. A whimsical wicker llama toy basket, an indoor olive tree, and a fluffy white boucle child's armchair complete a room that balances magic with livability.

This secondary living area was designed as a more intimate counterpart to the home’s larger gathering spaces. Vertical wood paneling establishes architectural warmth while soft drapery and layered textiles temper the geometry of the walls.
Furnishings were selected with low profiles and generous proportions to maintain comfort without competing with the architectural envelope. A sculptural cocktail table anchors the seating arrangement, introducing material contrast through stone and wood forms. Darker upholstery and muted tonal layering create a grounded atmosphere that reads refined rather than formal.
Lighting remains restrained and directional, allowing texture and material variation to carry the visual interest. The result is a living area that functions as a quieter retreat within the home — cohesive with the overall architecture yet intentionally more enveloping in tone and scale.

Exposed beams and a shiplap ceiling give the living room its structure — warm, grounded, and anything but expected. Flanking the fireplace, floor-to-ceiling oak built-ins frame the room on both sides, with a clean stone surround and matte black tile firebox centered between them. A sculptural brass halo pendant floats overhead, drawing the eye up without competing with anything below.
Accordion doors open the back wall entirely to the outdoor living space, stone and cedar just beyond — inside and outside in constant conversation.
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