Ward Jewell, AIA was asked to design a comfortable one-story stone and wood pool house that was "barn-like" in keeping with the owner’s gentleman farmer concept. Thus, Mr. Jewell was inspired to create an elegant New England Stone Farm House designed to provide an exceptional environment for them to live, entertain, cook and swim in the large reflection lap pool. Mr. Jewell envisioned a dramatic vaulted great room with hand selected 200 year old reclaimed wood beams and 10 foot tall pocketing French doors that would connect the house to a pool, deck areas, loggia and lush garden spaces, thus bringing the outdoors in. A large cupola “lantern clerestory” in the main vaulted ceiling casts a natural warm light over the graceful room below. The rustic walk-in stone fireplace provides a central focal point for the inviting living room lounge. Important to the functionality of the pool house are a chef’s working farm kitchen with open cabinetry, free-standing stove and a soapstone topped central island with bar height seating. Grey washed barn doors glide open to reveal a vaulted and beamed quilting room with full bath and a vaulted and beamed library/guest room with full bath that bookend the main space. The private garden expanded and evolved over time. After purchasing two adjacent lots, the owners decided to redesign the garden and unify it by eliminating the tennis court, relocating the pool and building an inspired "barn". The concept behind the garden’s new design came from Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello with its wandering paths, orchards, and experimental vegetable garden. As a result this small organic farm, was born. Today the farm produces more than fifty varieties of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers; many of which are rare and hard to find locally. The farm also grows a wide variety of fruits including plums, pluots, nectarines, apricots, apples, figs, peaches, guavas, avocados (Haas, Fuerte and Reed), olives, pomegranates, persimmons, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and ten different types of citrus. The remaining areas consist of drought-tolerant sweeps of rosemary, lavender, rockrose, and sage all of which attract butterflies and dueling hummingbirds. Photo Credit: Laura Hull Photography. Interior Design: Jeffrey Hitchcock. Landscape Design: Laurie Lewis Design. General Contractor: Martin Perry Premier General Contractors

Designed By: Richard Bustos Photos By: Jeri Koegel Ron and Kathy Chaisson have lived in many homes throughout Orange County, including three homes on the Balboa Peninsula and one at Pelican Crest. But when the “kind of retired” couple, as they describe their current status, decided to finally build their ultimate dream house in the flower streets of Corona del Mar, they opted not to skimp on the amenities. “We wanted this house to have the features of a resort,” says Ron. “So we designed it to have a pool on the roof, five patios, a spa, a gym, water walls in the courtyard, fire-pits and steam showers.” To bring that five-star level of luxury to their newly constructed home, the couple enlisted Orange County’s top talent, including our very own rock star design consultant Richard Bustos, who worked alongside interior designer Trish Steel and Patterson Custom Homes as well as Brandon Architects. Together the team created a 4,500 square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom contemporary house where R&R get top billing in almost every room. Two stories tall and with lots of open spaces, it manages to feel spacious despite its narrow location. And from its third floor patio, it boasts panoramic ocean views. “Overall we wanted this to be contemporary, but we also wanted it to feel warm,” says Ron. Key to creating that look was Richard, who selected the primary pieces from our extensive portfolio of top-quality furnishings. Richard also focused on clean lines and neutral colors to achieve the couple’s modern aesthetic, while allowing both the home’s gorgeous views and Kathy’s art to take center stage. As for that mahogany-lined elevator? “It’s a requirement,” states Ron. “With three levels, and lots of entertaining, we need that elevator for keeping the bar stocked up at the cabana, and for our big barbecue parties.” He adds, “my wife wears high heels a lot of the time, so riding the elevator instead of taking the stairs makes life that much better for her.”

Photo: Sarah Terranova © 2017 Houzz
Eclectic home office photo in Kansas City

With such a lovely backyard, a place to overlook it was a must. This waterfall edge custom coffee bar was just the right solution. With a TV on the wall to the right, the homeowners can catch the morning news over coffee or the evening news as they prepare dinner.

Inspiration for a transitional women's dark wood floor and brown floor closet remodel in Baltimore with flat-panel cabinets and dark wood cabinets

Chris Hurtt
Example of a 1960s kitchen design in Portland

Freestanding bathtub - large rustic master beige tile and travertine tile slate floor and multicolored floor freestanding bathtub idea in Sacramento with beige walls, a vessel sink, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops, a hinged shower door and shaker cabinets

Maximizing the functionality of this space, and coordinating the new kitchen with the beautiful remodel completed previously by the client were the two most important aspects of this project. The existing spaces are elegantly decorated with an open plan, dark hardwood floors, and natural stone accents. The new, lighter, more open kitchen flows beautifully into the client’s existing dining room space. Satin nickel hardware blends with the stainless steel appliances and matches the satin nickel details throughout the home. The fully integrated refrigerator next to the narrow pull-out pantry cabinet, take up less visual weight than a traditional stainless steel appliance and the two combine to provide fantastic storage. The glass cabinet doors and decorative lighting beautifully highlight the client’s glassware and dishes. Finished with white subway tile, Dreamy Marfil quartz countertops, and a warm natural wood blind; the space warm, inviting, elegant, and extremely functional. copyright 2013 marilyn peryer photography

1970's Split Level Kitchen remodel- removed most of the wall to the dining room and gave this kitchen a complete update from the vintage 1970's look.
Inspiration for a mid-sized l-shaped ceramic tile eat-in kitchen remodel in Minneapolis with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, laminate countertops, multicolored backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

While designing our clients’ water closet we decided to build a toilet room niche between the studs to offer an attractive place to store items. In order to make the niche deep enough for storage, he framed the wall out of 2 x 6’s. The niche was made out of 1 x 6 poplar wood and framed with trim to match the door. A ¼” sanded piece of birch plywood was used for the back of the niche and was wallpapered using some of the beautiful Cole and Son “Palm Leaves” wallpaper that was left over from papering the accent wall. The niche was then sanded, primed and painted with Benjamin Moore’s Linen White Satin paint.

photo by Douglas Gibb
Inspiration for an eclectic living room remodel in Edinburgh

Inspiration for a bedroom and mid-sized transitional girl carpeted kids' bedroom remodel in Louisville with blue walls

This spa-like bathroom is ready to rejuvenate you with a timeless and tranquil color story. 3x6 Ceramic Tile in soothing grey-green Rosemary surrounds the shower and soaking tub, topped by Mosaic 1x6 Sheeted Tile in French Linen that’s echoed across the backsplash and wainscoting. DESIGN Anna Gutierrez PHOTOS Anna Gutierrez INSTALLER Master Bath Systems TILE SHOWN Rosemary 3x6 French Linen 1x6

The builder was www.tartan-builders.com and they did a phenomenal job executing what we wanted. We went for a "modern farmhouse" look with French touches. Hosting holidays this year was only successful due to my efficient BlueStar.

These homeowners decided to go out with their old cedar panel siding and in with the new by installing James Hardie siding. We installed James Hardie lap siding, straight edge shakes, and trim to this late 1980's home. The siding color is Mountain Sage, the straight edge shakes are Mountain Sage and the trim is Arctic White.

GenStone customer Brian decided to complete a DIY home wainscoting project and used our Northern Slate Stacked Stone for the job. This DIY home wainscoting project significantly improved his home’s curb appeal.

As part of our 1920s vintage bungalow renovation project, now that the walls were up and painted, we needed floors! Greg and I decided to tackle the project ourselves. (Greg really likes to use his fancy tile saw!) We started with the kitchen and sun room, with a pretty Mexican tile that complements the warm Creamsicle color on the walls. This is the result!

Instead of purchasing a second home, the homeowners decided to create a vacation destination right in their own yard. When the project was finished, the family had a whole new world just outside their door. Three sitting areas, dining spaces, and lounging areas under the decks. An outdoor kitchen, hot tub, and fountain. There is no reason for this family to travel to relax and get away from it all. The outdoor “rooms” were created to provide intimate retreats for each of the family members, at every stage of their lives. The outdoor kitchen was designed for entertaining, as was the hot tub. The cozy sitting areas provide ideal spots for reading a book, or sharing a glass of wine. The fountain’s stuccoed brick veneer is graced with handmade brass flutes that fill the garden with the soothing sounds of water. No travel required.

Transitional dining room photo in San Francisco