The Cicero is a modern styled home for today’s contemporary lifestyle. It features sweeping facades with deep overhangs, tall windows, and grand outdoor patio. The contemporary lifestyle is reinforced through a visually connected array of communal spaces. The kitchen features a symmetrical plan with large island and is connected to the dining room through a wide opening flanked by custom cabinetry. Adjacent to the kitchen, the living and sitting rooms are connected to one another by a see-through fireplace. The communal nature of this plan is reinforced downstairs with a lavish wet-bar and roomy living space, perfect for entertaining guests. Lastly, with vaulted ceilings and grand vistas, the master suite serves as a cozy retreat from today’s busy lifestyle. Photographer: Brad Gillette

A contemporary bushland house on the Yarra River, designed for a young family that love the connection to the outdoors & entertaining This Warrandyte site occupies a prime location on a stunning bushland perch above the Yarra River. Covered in trees, with restricted access and falling steeply to the river it was not without its challenges however, including Environmental and Bushfire Overlays (BAL29). The views, orientation, topography and context have very much generated the form and materiality of the house as the dual wings of the house slide with the landscape to articulate privacy for neighbouring properties whilst also maximising views, daylight and access to external entertaining spaces. Twin butterfly roofs lift the eaves to catch daylight from every direction and enhance the sense of space and connection to outdoors whilst a glazed circulation slot creates a dramatic but efficient connection between the two forms. A generous roof terrace with external fireplace and arbour allow for contemporary outdoor entertaining whilst allowing the natural terrain of the site to fall below, relatively untouched. Photography by Marvelle Photography

Due to undersized rooms and poor circulation pattern, the entire house needed to be gutted, structurally and architecturally reconfigured, and completely refinished inside and out. The massing of the house was adapted to allow for a new open floor plan and a more cohesive roof line.

Фрагмент гостиной. Книжный стеллаж и комод со встроенным биокамином
Mid-sized transitional living room photo in Moscow

Design Connection, Inc. provided the kitchen design and space planning, cabinet design and installation, countertop design and installation, lighting design and installation, appliance design and selection, wall colors and project supervision and management. This kitchen has won design awards by Kansas City Magazine, NARI (National Association for the Remodeling Industry), ASID (American Association of Interior Designers).

The Atherton House is a family compound for a professional couple in the tech industry, and their two teenage children. After living in Singapore, then Hong Kong, and building homes there, they looked forward to continuing their search for a new place to start a life and set down roots. The site is located on Atherton Avenue on a flat, 1 acre lot. The neighboring lots are of a similar size, and are filled with mature planting and gardens. The brief on this site was to create a house that would comfortably accommodate the busy lives of each of the family members, as well as provide opportunities for wonder and awe. Views on the site are internal. Our goal was to create an indoor- outdoor home that embraced the benign California climate. The building was conceived as a classic “H” plan with two wings attached by a double height entertaining space. The “H” shape allows for alcoves of the yard to be embraced by the mass of the building, creating different types of exterior space. The two wings of the home provide some sense of enclosure and privacy along the side property lines. The south wing contains three bedroom suites at the second level, as well as laundry. At the first level there is a guest suite facing east, powder room and a Library facing west. The north wing is entirely given over to the Primary suite at the top level, including the main bedroom, dressing and bathroom. The bedroom opens out to a roof terrace to the west, overlooking a pool and courtyard below. At the ground floor, the north wing contains the family room, kitchen and dining room. The family room and dining room each have pocketing sliding glass doors that dissolve the boundary between inside and outside. Connecting the wings is a double high living space meant to be comfortable, delightful and awe-inspiring. A custom fabricated two story circular stair of steel and glass connects the upper level to the main level, and down to the basement “lounge” below. An acrylic and steel bridge begins near one end of the stair landing and flies 40 feet to the children’s bedroom wing. People going about their day moving through the stair and bridge become both observed and observer. The front (EAST) wall is the all important receiving place for guests and family alike. There the interplay between yin and yang, weathering steel and the mature olive tree, empower the entrance. Most other materials are white and pure. The mechanical systems are efficiently combined hydronic heating and cooling, with no forced air required.

Tim Crocker
Living room - mid-sized traditional enclosed light wood floor and beige floor living room idea in London with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

The Cicero is a modern styled home for today’s contemporary lifestyle. It features sweeping facades with deep overhangs, tall windows, and grand outdoor patio. The contemporary lifestyle is reinforced through a visually connected array of communal spaces. The kitchen features a symmetrical plan with large island and is connected to the dining room through a wide opening flanked by custom cabinetry. Adjacent to the kitchen, the living and sitting rooms are connected to one another by a see-through fireplace. The communal nature of this plan is reinforced downstairs with a lavish wet-bar and roomy living space, perfect for entertaining guests. Lastly, with vaulted ceilings and grand vistas, the master suite serves as a cozy retreat from today’s busy lifestyle. Photographer: Brad Gillette

Inspiration for a modern living room remodel in San Diego

The Cabinet Connection
Inspiration for a small timeless l-shaped porcelain tile eat-in kitchen remodel in Ottawa with a double-bowl sink, recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Our clients have always loved the location of their house for easy access to work, schools, leisure facilities and social connections, but they were becoming increasingly frustrated with the form and size constraints of their home. As the family has grown and developed their lifestyles and living patterns had changed. Their three bedroomed link detached house was starting to feel small and it was proving to be increasingly unsuitable for their lifestyle. The separate downstairs living areas were dividing the family, they were struggling to fit in a room big enough to accommodate them all to sit down and eat together. As a result of the small separate living, kitchen and dining spaces they were spending little time in each other’s company. They desired to create a long term solution for their young family to grow into and enjoy. Rather than moving house or self-building from scratch, they decided to stay in the location that they loved and to add a modern extension to their existing home. They aspired to create a modern, functional space for everyday family life, whilst improving the curb appeal of their home to add value. We were appointed by our clients to create a design solution to replace the old, cold, and leaking conservatory to the rear of the property, with a modern, light filled, open plan home extension. The intention for the new large open living space was to break down the room barriers and respond to the needs of the family to support their home life into the foreseeable future. Delivering on time and within budget were essential. With a young family and pets at home it was essential for minimal disruption to their daily lifestyle. The family needed help from our team at Croft Architecture to swiftly and successfully acquire Planning and Building Control Approval for their project to progress rapidly, ensuring project completion on time and to their determined budget. In Context A families, needs, wants, and desires are constantly changing as they mature, yet our family nests stay static, and can obstruct the ease and enjoyment of everyday life if they don’t adapt in line with modern living requirements. Our Approach The client’s home is located in a suburb of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in North Staffordshire. Their original house is a three bedroomed link detached family home that’s located on a mature housing estate close to the Trent and Mersey Canal. The original home is immediately connected to the properties on either side via the garage link, with a neighbouring property flanking wall also located at the base of their rear garden too. Before progressing with the project we advised the family to inform all of their adjoining neighbours of their intention to extend. It's often much better to take the neighbourly approach and to inform neighbours of works in advace, so that they can express any concerns,which are often easily resolved. Other matters to discuss with neighbours may be the need to have a Party Wall agreement. For more details about Party Wall Regulations click here to take a look at our blog. To create the space that our clients aspired to achieve the neighbouring properties needed to be taken into consideration. Design Approach The site available was compact so a balance needed to e struck to provide a generous amount of floor space for the new extension. Our clients needed our help to create a design solution that offered them a generous amount of extra space whilst bearing no visual impact on the neighbouring properties or street scene. The development of the design for the home extension referenced the style and character of the homes in the immediate neighbourhood, with particular features being given a contemporary twist. Our clients had done their own research and planning with regards to the required look, finish and materials that wanted to use. They liked oak beamed structures and they wanted to create a light space that seamlessly opened into the garden, using a glazed oak beamed structure. However, oak comes a price and our clients had a determined budget for the project. Numerous companies were contacted for prices to reflect their budget and eventually perseverance paid off. The oak structure was sourced locally in Staffordshire. The design of the newly extended family space complements the style & character of the main house, emulating design features and style of brick work. Careful design consideration has been given to ensure that the newly extended family living space corresponds well with not only, the adjoining properties, but also the neighbouring homes within the local area. It was essential to ensure that the style, scale and proportions of the new generous family living space to the rear of the property beard no visual impact on the streetscape, yet the design responded to the living patterns of the family. The extension to the rear of the home replaces a conservatory spanning the full width of the property, which was always too cold to use in the winter and too hot in the summer. We saw the opportunity for our clients to take advantage of the westerly afternoon/evening sun and to fill the space with natural light. We combined the traditional oak framing with modern glazing methods incorporated into the oak structure. The design of the extension was developed to receive the sunlight throughout the day using roof lights, with the evening sun being captured by the floor to ceiling grey framed bi-folding doors. The pitched roof extension creates an internal vaulted ceiling giving the impression of a light, airy space, especially with the addition of the large roof lights. The updated light grey, high gloss kitchen and light grey marble countertops help reflect the light from the skylights in the ceiling, with a zesty lime grey block splashback creating a perfect accent colour to reflect the family’s fun personalities and to bring life to their new living space. The extension is an open room with the kitchen and dining room all sharing the same space. White walls have been combined with wooden flooring and oak structure to create a sense of warmth. The oak beams really come into their own in this large open plan space, especially with the vaulted ceiling and large folding doors open seamlessly into the back garden. Adding an oak framed extension with the floor to ceiling glazing has enabled the family to get the ‘wow factor’ within their budget. Externally, our team at Croft Architecture have created a clean, traditional addition to the existing period property, whilst inside the dwelling now has a new, sleek, light and spacious family ‘hub’ that seamlessly connects with the existing home and the garden. Our team has also worked closely with the client to consider the project as whole and not just the home extension and new additional garden space. The design of the external space has been carefully remodelled to ensure that the ground not only, works for the family, but also successfully enhance the visual appearance. A strong working relationship between our team, the client and the planners enabled us to gain the necessary permissions promptly, rapidly propelling the project forwards within a short time frame. We enjoyed working with the project team and we’re extremely pleased to successfully deliver the completed project in accordance with our client’s timescales and budget.

Inspiration for a large contemporary wooden u-shaped staircase remodel in Houston with wooden risers

Design Connection, Inc., Kansas City interior designer, provided space planning, architectural drawings, barstools, kitchen dining set, plumbing fixtures, countertops, cabinets & cabinet hardware, lighting, tile, stone fireplace, hardwood flooring, paint colors, installation of all materials and project management to ensure that the high standards of Design Connection, Inc. were maintained.

Her side of the masterbath. Great lighting accents the beauty of the Typhoon Bordeaux granite. Photo Credit: Sharon Brandt, Granite Connection, LLC
Example of a classic bathroom design in DC Metro

The Cabinet Connection Urban Effects Yorkshire Door Style in Linen Glazed Lacquer Finish
Inspiration for a large transitional u-shaped light wood floor open concept kitchen remodel in Toronto with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Walker Zanger imported glass accent tile gives a dash of color and highlights the gorgeous new standalone bathtub. See the Before & After pictures from this bathroom remodel by Design Connection, Inc. here: http://www.designconnectioninc.com/portfolio/bathroom-in-leawood-ks/

Bathroom - mid-sized coastal master beige tile, white tile and mosaic tile bathroom idea in Wilmington with an undermount tub and blue walls

Photo Credit: Holger Hobenaus Description: The owners of this home travel extensively and appreciate the great outdoors. Global travels shaped their desire for a home that embraces nature. The bridge connecting the sleeping and living structures allows cool ocean breezes to pass from the marsh to the front yard; decks and stairs to pool and terrace visually connect inside and out. Most walls from the street are solid, providing privacy, yet they open to rooms of glass, timber and soaring ceilings with views of Bass and Cinder Creeks and Folly Island.

Images by Nicole England Styling by Simona Castagna Design by Minosa Description of the House, its local & occupants A dilapidated two bedroom, timber clad, 1920’s heritage listed home in Sydney’s Crows Nest was in desperate need of saving. Its life for the past 10 years had been home to squatters and the homeless. Situated close to the city, cafes and schools the new owners believed it had great potential to be transformed/renovated into their magnificent family home. As this home was to be their “forever” one; and with young girls leading into their pre teen years this space had to cater to the family’s busy lifestyle & had to do justice to the heritage of the old and the proposed modern architecture for the rear extension. Therefore with walls crumbling and covered in graffiti this family of four took it on and looked forward to the houses transformation with bated breath. In return they saw an ugly ducking totally transform in to a swan. The Brief A luxurious beautiful bathroom that is connected with parents master space, room to function as a wet area, dressing & make up zone. A space for two to share. CLIENT REQUIREMENTS: • Door entry to slide/split open onto master bed space ‘quiet opening’ • In makeup zone, consider built-in table with oversized mirror & LED lighting for precise make up work • Storage accommodated in recessed format mirror cabinet • Concealed toilet • Vanity to offer double basin, preference not to see plumbing below. • Double shower with hand held spout • Good light CONSTRAINTS: - • Slope of roof line slopes from east to west • 2x manually operable skylights • Existing north facing window Design Statement - How the requirements of the client brief were achieved & problems solved The challenges of this space where many, the space is narrow, the client wanted a lot into a spall space, the sloping ceiling also reduced the usable floor space to one long run of the room. The designer chose to create a centre blade wall, this wall divides the room and fulfils many aspects of the clients brief; this centre wall creates two access points on each end of the wall, one access to the now concealed toilet area and the other walks into the double shower. The ingenious solution of the design was to rotate the showerhead to the (longer) length of the wall rather than the short (narrow) side of the shower wall, as this is what makes this space feel larger than it actually is. When we address a shower we stand front or back on, so it makes a lot of sense to have the water sources on the longest wall – hence making the shower feel bigger. With the bathing and toilet taken care of it came down to the vanity wall, the designer chose to create three balanced spaces, two thirds to be given to the custom made solid surface washbasin and one third to the dressing or make up area. The lighting as usual plays a big role, especially when make up is involved. The designer created a concealed LED light source with reflectors so when sitting at the make up area the face is perfectly illuminated from both sides and by selected LED lights with CRI (Colour Render Index) output of 90 it meant colour is reproduced almost perfectly. As it is a small room, one 14.4 watt high out put LED light on top of the centre wall offers all the room light this small space requires, low energy efficient LED downlights over the basin provide a little extra facial illumination for shaving and so on. A sensor light under the vanity & under the recess wall cabinets provides a low out put of light for the midnight dash. For a small space there is a lot of storage, the two doors above the basins are recessed to house all of the day-to-day personal effects. The designer created doors that lifted up rather than open out, this means the doors are up and out of the way when access is needed and it also eliminated have that dreaded vertical split in the door directly over the basin. – this longer door also helps in making the room feel longer (visually) The materials are always the last element selected; connection to the other spaces the designer created for this client was important. Large format tiles 3000mm x 1000mm are applied to all walls and the floor of the shower and toilet. The engineered timber floor from the bedroom runs thru and under the vanity connecting the bedroom to the space thru the floor and a large oversized sliding door. This space has created a private retreat for the owners of this stunning property, a space where they can both function, rejuvenate or get ready for the busy day ahead.