Example of an urban living room design in Los Angeles

Mel
Inspiration for a contemporary staircase remodel in Seattle

Courtyard area with fire feature.
Patio - large contemporary courtyard tile patio idea in Denver with a fire pit

This rustic retreat in central Oregon is loaded with modern amenities. This stone see-thru fireplace features a juniper mantle, and a built-in juniper wood cabinets to the left. In front of the fireplace sit two leather ottomans and a seating group for seven. To the left, built in bookcases hold cherished memories. An arched entryway leads to a smaller den. Timber frame and log houses often conjure notions of remote rustic outposts located in solitary surroundings of open grasslands or mature woodlands. When the owner approached MossCreek to design a timber-framed log home on a less than one acre site in an upscale Oregon golf community, the principle of the firm, Allen Halcomb, was intrigued. Bend, OR, on the eastern side of the Cascades Mountains, has an arid desert climate, creating an ideal environment for a Tuscan influenced exterior. Photo: Roger Wade

Mid-sized transitional gender-neutral carpeted walk-in closet photo in Phoenix with white walls

Advice on interior design is available everywhere—from TV shows and websites to books, magazines and apps. We love seeing people become engaged in design and educated on the wide range of possibilities. But we hope you’ll proceed with caution. It’s not that style errors are a matter of life and death. It’s just that it’s easy to choose designs that aren’t necessarily reflective of your own personality and character. And since you’re typically stuck with your interior design decisions for years, styles that don’t quite fit can tend to grate on you. Interiors that give one person comfort may unleash chaos in someone else. This goes beyond favorite colors or hot trends, right to the heart of interior design, where you find questions of composition, balance, repetition, space and more. The goal is to find that unique combination of design elements that gives you comfort, support and balance. In one home, that perfect balance was struck through the use of symmetry. A pair of comfortable swivel chairs sit beneath matching indigo patterned paintings. Matching bookcases below the paintings contain similar, but not identical, arrangements of books, vases and bowls. Woods and bronzes help warm up the simple white bookcase shelving. Two matching poufs in front of the fireplace provide additional seating. The sofa is accented with a pair of pillows with a blue pattern that echoes the artwork. The effect of the symmetry is to achieve order and simplicity, which I promote at every opportunity. After all, your home interiors should be the setting or the backdrop of your life—not center stage. Antique bronze and blue are complementary colors. Together, they offer a rich palette of richness and depth, which brings out the beauty of wood and stone. In the home office, a unique, whitewash-stained wooden desk rests on metal, Sawhorse-inspired legs for a warm, rustic look. The black leather chair features a contemporary silhouette with an antique brass frame. An adjustable desk lamp has bronze accents. The bookcase combines a sleek, black metal frame with concrete shelves, for another unusual pairing. It’s kept uncluttered for an orderly, peaceful look. Items on the shelves include a bronze-accented lamp and a pair of high gloss-finished wooden bookends. The elegant artwork behind the desk is a simple midnight-blue and bronze with mottled white. Deep blues are again picked up in the rug, which adds a stately vibe with a modern pattern and satisfying texture. Within the framework of symmetry, the living room repeats the blue-and-bronze color scheme. A large midcentury brass clock above the fireplace keeps the natural stone visible, rather than hidden behind a painting or television, while its straight lines and color create a beautiful contrast. The sofa is a soft, neutral blue. The pattern on the round brass side table features echoes the darker blue-patterned rug, as well as the rug in the office, tying the rooms together. Indigo blue books adjacent to bronze vases on the shelves repeat the color scheme. The soapstone-topped coffee table echoes the shape of the fireplace. A pair of tall, matching floor lamps with long wooden bases, brass pulls and simple linen shades combine both the colors and symmetry found throughout the home.

This is an example of a mid-sized traditional partial sun backyard stone landscaping in Portland.

Rear Elevation
Southwest backyard pool photo in Phoenix

Inspiration for a cottage wood exterior home remodel in Portland Maine

Design ideas for a large asian partial sun backyard concrete paver formal garden for spring.

Matthew Millman
Example of a trendy wooden u-shaped wood railing staircase design in San Francisco with wooden risers

Jeri Koegel
Kids' room - mediterranean boy kids' room idea in Orange County with white walls

Home climbing wall - large traditional light wood floor home climbing wall idea in Seattle with white walls

Gary McKinstry
Inspiration for a contemporary two-story wood flat roof remodel in Vancouver

Klaus Helbig
Mid-sized trendy light wood floor enclosed kitchen photo in Frankfurt with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, an island and white backsplash

Inspiration for a mid-sized scandinavian enclosed light wood floor living room remodel in Berlin with white walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary open concept living room remodel in Paris with a music area, white walls and a wall-mounted tv

Small mountain style wood railing vertical balcony garden photo