Mid-Century renovation of a Ralph Fournier 1953 ranch house in suburban St. Louis. View of corner of house with new soffit, custom wood shutters, and Shou Sugi Ban rain screen.

Ryan Garvin
Inspiration for a coastal staircase remodel in Orange County

York Mills Residence | Layered Contemporary Elegance This York Mills residence was designed around the idea of quiet luxury expressed through architectural detail rather than excess. The interior combines classical residential proportions with contemporary forms, creating a sophisticated environment that feels highly curated while remaining comfortable and inviting for everyday living. A key design strategy was to establish a continuous architectural language across the connected living, dining, and circulation spaces. Rather than designing each zone independently, the spaces are visually tied together through consistent wall paneling, warm oak flooring, carefully controlled neutral tones, and a coordinated lighting strategy. This creates a strong sense of continuity and allows the eye to move naturally through the home. The ceiling design plays an important role in defining the character of the interior. Elaborate geometric and curved coffering introduces a sculptural element overhead, transforming the ceiling into a fifth architectural surface. The integrated perimeter illumination emphasizes these forms after dark, while recessed lighting provides functional illumination without competing with the decorative architecture. The black stone fireplace provides a deliberate counterpoint to the predominantly light interior. Its strong visual weight anchors the living area and establishes a dramatic focal point, while the softer curved seating and neutral upholstery balance its intensity. This contrast between monumental architectural elements and tactile, rounded furnishings gives the room a contemporary character without losing its residential warmth. Furniture planning was approached as an exercise in conversation, proportion, and movement. The seating arrangement creates an intimate conversational zone while maintaining a clear visual and physical connection to the dining area. The curved forms soften the geometry of the architecture and introduce a more relaxed human scale within the larger room. The dining area extends the social function of the space and is visually framed by the architectural detailing and artwork. A sculptural chandelier establishes a focal point above the dining table, while the large-scale artwork introduces color, energy, and individuality into the otherwise restrained palette. This balance between a controlled architectural background and expressive art allows the homeowner's personality to become part of the design. The flooring contributes another layer of craftsmanship. The warm wood surface establishes continuity throughout the open interior, while geometric floor detailing and directional patterns subtly define zones without relying on physical partitions. This allows the architecture to remain open while still providing a sense of hierarchy and spatial organization. Artwork, decorative objects, greenery, and furnishings were intentionally selected to introduce moments of color, texture, softness, and visual contrast. The result is not a purely minimalist interior; instead, it is a layered composition in which restraint provides the foundation for carefully selected moments of expression. Overall, the project reflects a contemporary approach to traditional luxury, architectural, highly detailed, and timeless, but never overly formal. The design prioritizes proportion, craftsmanship, material relationships, natural light, and the experience of moving through the home, creating an interior that functions as both an elegant entertaining environment and a comfortable everyday living space.

Custom Surface Solutions (www.css-tile.com) - Owner Craig Thompson (512) 430-1215. This project shows the remodel of a small 1950's vintage home master bathroom. 8"" x 18" Calcutta gold marble tile was used on the shower walls and floor wall base and ceramic gray penny tile on the floor. Shower includes curbless pan / floor, dual shower boxes, frameless glass slider, trough duel fixture sink and chrome fixtures.

Mid-sized minimalist backyard deck photo in Seattle

Inspiration for an eclectic home office remodel in New York

Alcove shower - mid-sized modern master white tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile, white floor and double-sink alcove shower idea in Boston with recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, a drop-in sink, quartz countertops, white countertops and a floating vanity

Here's a complete bathroom remodel done for a family in Long Beach. Though this bathroom may look like a simple small and compact bathroom, this room holds a lot of great features. The main attraction of this bathroom comes from the open shower that is accompanied by a accented black tile wall. This shower is also featured with a full length niche for shower accessories and a bench for extra support. The bathroom is enhanced more by the golden features that come from the knobs and faucet. This bathroom is the perfect master bathroom extension.

Custom Surface Solutions (www.css-tile.com) - Owner Craig Thompson (512) 430-1215. This project shows new 12 x 24 tile installed vertically with offset layout pattern on wall and floor. Includes shower box with linear glass accent tile back and vertical glass accent band. Tile edges are finished with Schluter Jolly satin aluminum profile edge trim.

Home design - transitional home design idea in Orange County

Constructed with tropical hardwood, this deck design includes a floor board pattern for a unique, customized, elegant style. Types of floor patterns could include deck board direction change, borders, color change, herringbone, nestled squares and more. Project by Archadeck in St. Louis Mo.

Alternating stairs detail. Photography by Rob Kassabian
Example of a trendy staircase design in New York

This is the Shower Room at our Master Suite Reconfiguration Project in Tribeca. Porcelanosa 'Persian White' was used for the shower wall and floor border, while Kelly Wearstler's 'Liason' tile for Ann Sacks was inset on the floor and in the wall niches. An 'Infinity Drain' was also used in lieu of a standard drain which saved us several inches of step up into the shower from the Vanity Room side

Example of a mid-sized urban attached garage design in San Francisco

Danish bathroom photo in Austin

Home design - contemporary home design idea in New York

Clean and simple 1" penny round tile with a contrasting grey grout. Looks Great and easy to clean
Example of a mid-sized classic ceramic tile home design design in Boston

Peacock Pavers
Transitional concrete paver patio photo in Miami