Inspiration for a contemporary open concept brown floor and medium tone wood floor family room remodel in Los Angeles with white walls and no fireplace

A Lake Michigan Home gets a Modern Refresh from Dresner Design. Photos by Tony Soluri. This couple moved from Chicago’s Wicker Park to a rural setting but wanted to maintain their modern aesthetic. Scott Dresner of Dresner Design created a light bright clean-lined kitchen perfect for the couple’s need to entertain. Must have’s included a drawer for over sixty spices, storage for three sets of dishes, a coffee bar, and a huge island the couple uses for entertaining. The palette is mostly white to maximize outdoor views. Constraints were plenty both timeline and budgetary. Dresner came up with some creative solutions, which allowed the homeowners to save on cabinetry and materials and splurge on appliances.

This front hall was fully demolished, the soil was treated, and new concrete poured. The final touch was this gorgeous, marble tile and these crystal light fixtures. All crown molding is original. The walls were demolished back to the studs, drywalled to a Level 5 finish, and painted. New Kolbe doors were installed, leading to the back patio.

“I learned to let workers walk around to gape at the ornate details during their first visit before trying to engage them with any business.” This 1904 home was built by partners of the Pantages Theaters. Oak floors with marquetry borders, ornate plaster ceilings, beveled glass windows, molded trim, and carved figureheads create an elegant home. Unfortunately a multiyear leak had ruined a corner of the dining room, so specialists were found to match the original decorative plaster and basket weave inlaid flooring. Workers painstakingly set 10,000 finish nails into the flooring. “We want to retrofit to Passivhaus standards.” We undertook a thorough sealing of the old walls and attic, insulated the basement with polyiso, and blew piles of cellulose in the attic. Windows on the second floor and basement were replaced with triple glazed units, while the elegant first floor windows were refurbished and fitted with interior storms. Barred from removing the interior plaster or exterior stucco, we insulated the first floor walls from above. Analysis of dollars per BTU saved guided our decision to not remove the stucco to outsulate with mineral wool. In the end, we cut heat losses by 84% from an EUI of 121 to just 19, and received Built Green 4-Star certification. “We’d like to view Mt. Rainier from the master bedroom.” The entire second floor was demolished back to the studs, except for the elegant central stair hall. The floor plan was completely rearranged to fit three bedrooms plus a study under the existing roof. New waste plumbing pipes were threaded down through the house in two directions to serve the new family bathroom, split into a bathing chamber and a toilet chamber. “We love to cook and entertain dinner guests.” The old servant kitchen, tucked away in the back with its own separate stair, was replaced by a new mud room and bathroom. The old 3 foot door from dining to kitchen was widened to an 8 foot archway, carefully replicating the door casing so it appears to be original. The new kitchen has views to the back yard garden, soapstone countertops, custom cherry cabinets, a glass tile splash, energy- and water-efficient appliances, and even a filtered water stub out for the espresso maker. “I really want 4 more inches of head room in the basement.” We demolished the old slab, excavated without undermining the shallow footings, installed new gravel, insulation, vapor retarder and concrete slab. The northeast basement corner was thermally isolated to become a root cellar which will store food produced by the entire yard’s conversion to permaculture. The basement now houses the guest bed and bath, family room, laundry, and mechanical room. “We expected lead paint, but I’ve never seen asbestos in plaster before.” The hazmat crew did all necessary plaster demo. Trim and doors were carefully removed, labeled, and stored for reinstallation. Lead RRP and construction IAQ procedures were vigorously followed. When the new HRV and flexible ventilation tubing arrived on site, we set up a clean room where all HVAC materials were stored and cut prior to installation to assure pristine air quality. “We don’t want to draw our fresh air from down near the ground.” The old laundry chute, our only existing vertical chase, had been promised three times over for plumbing, wiring, and ducts. So we routed the new fresh air duct from the basement HRV up through the old furnace chimney to the sky, a symbol of clean green replacing dirty fossil fuel.

1950s gray two-story brick house exterior photo in Austin with a shed roof, a metal roof and a gray roof

Across from Hudson River Park, the Classic 7 pre-war apartment had not renovated in over 50 years. The new owners, a young family with two kids, desired to open up the existing closed in spaces while keeping some of the original, classic pre-war details. Dark, dimly-lit corridors and clustered rooms that were a detriment to the brilliant natural light and expansive views the existing apartment inherently possessed, were demolished to create a new open plan for a more functional style of living. Custom charcoal stained white oak herringbone floors were laid throughout the space. The dark blue lacquered kitchen cabinets provide a sharp contrast to the otherwise neutral colored space. A wall unit in the same blue lacquer floats on the wall in the Den.

Example of a trendy kitchen design in San Francisco

John Linden
Dining room - large asian medium tone wood floor dining room idea in New York with multicolored walls

Client lived in an old, inefficient home that we responsively demolished and replaced with a new, highly efficient home. The client moved into a rental home while their old home was demolished and the new home built. They wanted a home that was in-keeping with the Kirkwood neighborhood and reflected some of the same architectural elements/feel of the old home and others in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Photography: Times 3 Studios

Inspiration for a rustic family room remodel in DC Metro

Across from Hudson River Park, the Classic 7 pre-war apartment had not renovated in over 50 years. The new owners, a young family with two kids, desired to open up the existing closed in spaces while keeping some of the original, classic pre-war details. Dark, dimly-lit corridors and clustered rooms that were a detriment to the brilliant natural light and expansive views the existing apartment inherently possessed, were demolished to create a new open plan for a more functional style of living. Custom charcoal stained white oak herringbone floors were laid throughout the space. The dark blue lacquered kitchen cabinets provide a sharp contrast to the otherwise neutral colored space. A wall unit in the same blue lacquer floats on the wall in the Den.

Trendy master ceramic tile and gray floor freestanding bathtub photo in Los Angeles with gray walls and a hinged shower door

Client lived in an old, inefficient home that we responsively demolished and replaced with a new, highly efficient home. The client moved into a rental home while their old home was demolished and the new home built. They wanted a home that was in-keeping with the Kirkwood neighborhood and reflected some of the same architectural elements/feel of the old home and others in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Photography: Times 3 Studios

Entryway - transitional entryway idea in New York

Photo: Benjamin Hill © 2017 Houzz
Home theater - traditional home theater idea in Houston

Here we removed the old pavers, regraded underneath and reset the pavers, resetting the natural flow of water on this property. We demolished the old concrete patio and extended the new patio so that there is more enjoyable space. We also installed brand new gutters. The old railing was demolished and this new steel railing was fabricated on site.

Client lived in an old, inefficient home that we responsively demolished and replaced with a new, highly efficient home. The client moved into a rental home while their old home was demolished and the new home built. They wanted a home that was in-keeping with the Kirkwood neighborhood and reflected some of the same architectural elements/feel of the old home and others in the Kirkwood neighborhood. Photography: Times 3 Studios

Remodeling this Kahala home to accommodate a young, growing family. We’ve demolished 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and are replacing them with 3 new bedrooms, 2 new bathrooms, and a family room. Mom and Dad will enjoy their master suite getaway on a new 2nd story, with a master bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet. Separate of the additions above, the existing garage will be re-configured to free up the space the old driveway used, and new laundry room will be added off of the garage and kitchen – laundry rooms are always a great addition!

Large transitional l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen photo with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite countertops, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and white countertops