Surrounded by large stands of old growth trees, the site’s topography and high ridge location was very challenging to the architects on the project – Phil Kean and David Stone – of Phil Kean Designs Group. Skilled arborists were brought in to protect the Sycamore, Basswood, Oak and yellow Poplar trees and surrounding woodland. The owner, Ken LaRoe is a conservationist who wanted to preserve the nearby trees and create an energy-efficient house with a small carbon footprint. Photography by: Kevin Meechan

Mid-century modern kitchen in Medford, MA, with cherry cabinetry, a small workstation island, quartz countertops, and a custom tile backsplash in shades of blue. We reused the client's vintage blue glass light fixture. Project also includes a mudroom and powder room.

Childrens' bedroom renovation by Bolster
Large transitional light wood floor and beige floor kids' room photo in New York with gray walls

Design work started with a modest design focused on improving the kitchen, living, dining and outdoor living areas. However, a feasibility study determined that a better option was to fully remodel the existing dwelling, resulting in reclaiming some of the front veranda to increase the size of the living and dining areas. The remaining section created an alcove to the main bedroom, increasing privacy and creating a dedicated outdoor area. A large awning, cantilevered so as not to impose on the existing septic, created a separate outdoor living area. A teak facade, that will weather to grey in the salty sea air over time, was added to extend high above the box gutter, conceal the solar panels and cap the ends of the separation walls. The roof was repitched and the internal ceilings raked upwards from the teak facade, thereby increasing the internal volume and allowing for the addition of high-light windows in rooms on the ridge side of the dwelling to capture the vista, increase natural light, ventilation and sense of space. A skillion roof outside the back kitchen area was strategically positioned out of sight from the inside of the home and created a second outdoor area in the rear courtyard, serving as the main entry point. A gate house was incorporated in the rear fence to enhance the entry. The rear courtyard reclaimed an existing parking bay to create space for the cellar/music room.

Carolina Lanterns & Lighting carolinalanterns.com
Inspiration for a coastal deck remodel in Charleston

Example of a transitional u-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen design in New York with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Geneva Cabinet Company, LLC., LAKE GENEVA, WI.,- kitchen remodel featuring blue and white cabinetry from Plato Woodwork and tile from Bella Tile and Stone. Custom cabinetry is painted with Benjamin Moore Arctic White Uppers and Moody Blue Bases. Hardware is from Schaub in a natural bronze finish

Photo: Nanette Wong © 2015 Houzz
Example of an eclectic dining room design in San Francisco

Inspiration for a traditional landscaping in DC Metro.

The addition of this wrap around deck designed to compliment the mid-century design of this home, creates ample space for outdoor dining and entertaining.

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Portland

Brian Bieder
Home office - transitional home office idea in Atlanta

An Arts & Crafts Bungalow is one of my favorite styles of homes. We have quite a few of them in our Stockton Mid-Town area. And when C&L called us to help them remodel their 1923 American Bungalow, I was beyond thrilled. As per usual, when we get a new inquiry, we quickly Google the project location while we are talking to you on the phone. My excitement escalated when I saw the Google Earth Image of the sweet Sage Green bungalow in Mid-Town Stockton. "Yes, we would be interested in working with you," I said trying to keep my cool. But what made it even better was meeting C&L and touring their home, because they are the nicest young couple, eager to make their home period perfect. Unfortunately, it had been slightly molested by some bad house-flippers, and we needed to bring the bathroom back to it "roots." We knew we had to banish the hideous brown tile and cheap vanity quickly. But C&L complained about the condensation problems and the constant fight with mold. This immediately told me that improper remodeling had occurred and we needed to remedy that right away. The Before: Frustrations with a Botched Remodel The bathroom needed to be brought back to period appropriate design with all the functionality of a modern bathroom. We thought of things like marble countertop, white mosaic floor tiles, white subway tile, board and batten molding, and of course a fabulous wallpaper. This small (and only) bathroom on a tight budget required a little bit of design sleuthing to figure out how we could get the proper look and feel. Our goal was to determine where to splurge and where to economize and how to complete the remodel as quickly as possible because C&L would have to move out while construction was going on. The Process: Hard Work to Remedy Design and Function During our initial design study, (which included 2 hours in the owners’ home), we noticed framed images of William Morris Arts and Crafts textile patterns and knew this would be our design inspiration. We presented C&L with three options and they quickly selected the Pimpernel Design Concept. We had originally selected the Black and Olive colors with a black vanity, mirror, and black and white floor tile. C&L liked it but weren’t quite sure about the black, We went back to the drawing board and decided the William & Co Pimpernel Wallpaper in Bayleaf and Manilla color with a softer gray painted vanity and mirror and white floor tile was more to their liking. After the Design Concept was approved, we went to work securing the building permit, procuring all the elements, and scheduling our trusted tradesmen to perform the work. We did uncover some shoddy work by the flippers such as live electrical wires hidden behind the wall, plumbing venting cut-off and buried in the walls (hence the constant dampness), the tub barely balancing on two fence boards across the floor joist, and no insulation on the exterior wall. All of the previous blunders were fixed and the bathroom put back to its previous glory. We could feel the house thanking us for making it pretty again. The After Reveal: Cohesive Design Decisions We selected a simple white subway tile for the tub/shower. This is always classic and in keeping with the style of the house. We selected a pre-fab vanity and mirror, but they look rich with the quartz countertop. There is much more storage in this small vanity than you would think. The Transformation: A Period Perfect Refresh We began the remodel just as the pandemic reared and stay-in-place orders went into effect. As C&L were already moved out and living with relatives, we got the go-ahead from city officials to get the work done (after all, how can you shelter in place without a bathroom?). All our tradesmen were scheduled to work so that only one crew was on the job site at a time. We stayed on the original schedule with only a one week delay. The end result is the sweetest little bathroom I've ever seen (and I can't wait to start work on C&L's kitchen next). Thank you for joining me in this project transformation. I hope this inspired you to think about being creative with your design projects, determining what works best in keeping with the architecture of your space, and carefully assessing how you can have the best life in your home.

Dark and moody office, with cozy seating.
Inspiration for a large transitional freestanding desk medium tone wood floor, brown floor and wood ceiling home office remodel in Boise with brown walls

Enclosed dining room - large contemporary dark wood floor enclosed dining room idea in Toronto with white walls

Huge transitional medium tone wood floor, brown floor and vaulted ceiling great room photo in Nashville

Example of a trendy pool design in San Francisco

Large transitional backyard patio photo in San Francisco

© Josh Partee 2013 Design by Vanillawood: http://www.houzz.com/pro/vanillawood/vanillawood