When this project began, the homeowner wasn’t simply looking for a dining table. They were envisioning a complete dining experience—one that felt intentional, cohesive, and timeless. Rather than designing the table as a standalone piece, we proposed something more refined and innovative: a matching dining table and bench set, crafted as one unified design. Both the table and the bench are made from solid black walnut, chosen for its rich tone and expressive natural grain. A translucent black resin flows seamlessly through the wood, enhancing the organic lines while adding depth and contrast without overpowering the material’s natural beauty. Designing the bench to mirror the table was a deliberate choice. It allows the set to feel visually balanced, creates flexible seating for gatherings, and introduces a modern alternative to traditional dining chairs—all while maintaining harmony in form and finish.

This mid-century modern Rockford home was updated in stages, and the kitchen needed a complete remodel. The homeowners desired a kitchen that felt current without breaking from the character that defined the rest of the house. That meant we needed to choose materials that fit the home and highlighted the home’s character. Our team sourced pecky cypress and natural slate tile from non-traditional suppliers to get the exact look the home called for. The wood cabinetry was paired with a granite island, providing a gathering space in the kitchen without overpowering it. Because both materials required careful handling during installation, the crew worked more slowly and deliberately through this phase than a standard remodel. The result connected the kitchen directly to the living area, so the two spaces feel like one continuous room built in the same style as the rest of the home.

The deliberate roughness of the ceiling and raw-looking wood furniture is compensated with sophisticated shapes and colour accents of paintings, chairs and lamps. Pale gray with occasional red and pink splashes make the design project more refined and vivid.

The deliberate roughness of the ceiling and raw-looking wood furniture is compensated with sophisticated shapes and colour accents of paintings, chairs and lamps. Pale gray with occasional red and pink splashes make the design project more refined and vivid.

Small spaces can be dramatic when it comes to a dining nook. This Bohemian themed space uses bold colour with accents of black, white and gold. Low back chairs are deliberately mismatched to accentuate a sole jewel toned one. Faux fur throws add texture and drama to the space. Photo: Photo4Life

This trailblazing kitchen adds architectural beauty and structure to this newly built modern home surrounded by rural scenery in the Connecticut countryside. Distinctly and deliberately modern, the kitchen and cabinet design play a major role in the interior spatial composition. Skillful planning creates visual and functional zones that allow the stunning views through the large glass walls to abound. Modern Minimalism Beautifully balanced cabinets form the vast and open kitchen space, custom bar, and pantry room. Black Slate finished cabinets are combined with natural Alpine Wild Oak cabinets and white marble porcelain countertops and backsplash. This amazing space has a cool modern edge yet feels warm and comforting with its celebration of nature.

The knock down & rebuild revolution is here to stay. This new modern family home replaces a tired old house that was not designed to capitalise on its location, whereas this new contemporary modern building has been designed to capitalise on the natural environment – natural sunlight, sea breezes & sea views, to create a very liveable coastal family home. This new residence with its contemporary coastal styling utilises the natural finishes of modern materials to ground this family home’s context into this locations evolving executive seaside neighbourhood. This buildings design is a balance of form & function with a deliberate consideration of passive solar liveable design techniques, designed to capture the natural sunlight, sea breezes & sea views that this property offers. This new residence has been designed with a variety of indoor & outdoor living areas to capitalise on the natural environment & climate of this property’s location. This house incorporates design elements to allow the house to be comfortable all year round, providing a variety of areas for occupants to utilise, whether it be capturing natural sunlight & warmth in winter, creating cooling cross ventilation from sea breezes in summer & then there is the direct access to a beautifully natural landscaped garden, this new house will provide the occupants with a low maintenance, healthy living environment for years to come.

This trailblazing kitchen adds architectural beauty and structure to this newly built modern home surrounded by rural scenery in the Connecticut countryside. Distinctly and deliberately modern, the kitchen and cabinet design play a major role in the interior spatial composition. Skillful planning creates visual and functional zones that allow the stunning views through the large glass walls to abound. Modern Minimalism Beautifully balanced cabinets form the vast and open kitchen space, custom bar, and pantry room. Black Slate finished cabinets are combined with natural Alpine Wild Oak cabinets and white marble porcelain countertops and backsplash. This amazing space has a cool modern edge yet feels warm and comforting with its celebration of nature.

The shower niche is lined with Urbanslat natural wood-look tile from MSI Surfaces, a porcelain product that replicates the warmth and grain of natural wood without any of the moisture sensitivity that real wood would present in a wet environment. Against the Marble Lincoln tile surrounding it, the niche reads as a deliberate material contrast rather than an accent afterthought.

For years we lived with an ugly, too small and wimpy builders grade mantel that I couldn't wait to tear out. Turns out it made the perfect support for my new custom, one of a kind mantel. I conceived, designed and had this piece built onsite by my favorite carpenter. I wanted it to look like a continuous piece of wood that wrapped around on the edges, like I had seen done on benches, but with a live edge on the bottom not the top. This is a hand chosen, stunning Bubinga plank and it's feature is the variegated wood tones - it "goes with" everything! I also had the floating picture frame custom made to make my favorite tree canvas art more in scale with the fireplace and wall. This tree stands next to our fire pit in Door County, WI and is a favorite view we wanted to bring home. The small chrome lamps are a deliberate play on scale for a touch of the unexpected. The two trunks are antique indonesian pieces. The one on the left holds my firewood in the winter and the one on the right is the perfect place to store all of the media components. Cathy Zaeske

This trailblazing kitchen adds architectural beauty and structure to this newly built modern home surrounded by rural scenery in the Connecticut countryside. Distinctly and deliberately modern, the kitchen and cabinet design play a major role in the interior spatial composition. Skillful planning creates visual and functional zones that allow the stunning views through the large glass walls to abound. Modern Minimalism Beautifully balanced cabinets form the vast and open kitchen space, custom bar, and pantry room. Black Slate finished cabinets are combined with natural Alpine Wild Oak cabinets and white marble porcelain countertops and backsplash. This amazing space has a cool modern edge yet feels warm and comforting with its celebration of nature.

This artist client is an aesthete at heart. This design deliberately brought together complimentary visual textures in the wood, the granite, and the lightplay across the stainless steel. The white shaker cabinetry is a perfect canvas to show off the colour and lines throughout the other reno components. When you are designing your kitchen with your contractor, make sure you take note of the design details in things that make you smile involuntarily. If your heart sings, listen!

Set within a low-traffic residential street, this apartment building carries classical mouldings, an arched portal, and weathered siding. The client sought to reinforce entry security without disrupting the historic character. We specified a wrought-iron gate for ornamental softness and installed a Ninja Deterrent™ spike line above the arch—low-profile yet highly effective in deterring balcony access. The Ninja Deterrent™ profile adds a crisp linear accent that complements both the scrollwork of the gate and the classical cornice above. Finished in matte black, the spike line reads as a deliberate architectural detail rather than an afterthought. Behind the gate, a stair leads to the upper units. The open sky well ensures daylight penetration, while a compact floodlight secures visibility after dusk. The Ninja Deterrent™ spike line secures the intermediate landing without obstructing the view.

The deliberate roughness of the ceiling and raw-looking wood furniture is compensated with sophisticated shapes and colour accents of paintings, chairs and lamps. Pale gray with occasional red and pink splashes make the design project more refined and vivid.

This mid-century modern Rockford home was updated in stages, and the kitchen needed a complete remodel. The homeowners desired a kitchen that felt current without breaking from the character that defined the rest of the house. That meant we needed to choose materials that fit the home and highlighted the home’s character. Our team sourced pecky cypress and natural slate tile from non-traditional suppliers to get the exact look the home called for. The wood cabinetry was paired with a granite island, providing a gathering space in the kitchen without overpowering it. Because both materials required careful handling during installation, the crew worked more slowly and deliberately through this phase than a standard remodel. The result connected the kitchen directly to the living area, so the two spaces feel like one continuous room built in the same style as the rest of the home.

This mid-century modern Rockford home was updated in stages, and the kitchen needed a complete remodel. The homeowners desired a kitchen that felt current without breaking from the character that defined the rest of the house. That meant we needed to choose materials that fit the home and highlighted the home’s character. Our team sourced pecky cypress and natural slate tile from non-traditional suppliers to get the exact look the home called for. The wood cabinetry was paired with a granite island, providing a gathering space in the kitchen without overpowering it. Because both materials required careful handling during installation, the crew worked more slowly and deliberately through this phase than a standard remodel. The result connected the kitchen directly to the living area, so the two spaces feel like one continuous room built in the same style as the rest of the home.

This mid-century modern Rockford home was updated in stages, and the kitchen needed a complete remodel. The homeowners desired a kitchen that felt current without breaking from the character that defined the rest of the house. That meant we needed to choose materials that fit the home and highlighted the home’s character. Our team sourced pecky cypress and natural slate tile from non-traditional suppliers to get the exact look the home called for. The wood cabinetry was paired with a granite island, providing a gathering space in the kitchen without overpowering it. Because both materials required careful handling during installation, the crew worked more slowly and deliberately through this phase than a standard remodel. The result connected the kitchen directly to the living area, so the two spaces feel like one continuous room built in the same style as the rest of the home.

This mid-century modern Rockford home was updated in stages, and the kitchen needed a complete remodel. The homeowners desired a kitchen that felt current without breaking from the character that defined the rest of the house. That meant we needed to choose materials that fit the home and highlighted the home’s character. Our team sourced pecky cypress and natural slate tile from non-traditional suppliers to get the exact look the home called for. The wood cabinetry was paired with a granite island, providing a gathering space in the kitchen without overpowering it. Because both materials required careful handling during installation, the crew worked more slowly and deliberately through this phase than a standard remodel. The result connected the kitchen directly to the living area, so the two spaces feel like one continuous room built in the same style as the rest of the home.

This mid-century modern Rockford home was updated in stages, and the kitchen needed a complete remodel. The homeowners desired a kitchen that felt current without breaking from the character that defined the rest of the house. That meant we needed to choose materials that fit the home and highlighted the home’s character. Our team sourced pecky cypress and natural slate tile from non-traditional suppliers to get the exact look the home called for. The wood cabinetry was paired with a granite island, providing a gathering space in the kitchen without overpowering it. Because both materials required careful handling during installation, the crew worked more slowly and deliberately through this phase than a standard remodel. The result connected the kitchen directly to the living area, so the two spaces feel like one continuous room built in the same style as the rest of the home.