THE SETUP Client Background: Our clients, a couple who have transitioned into the empty nest phase, have cherished their home for over three decades without undergoing any significant renovations. With a newfound desire to adapt their living space to better suit their current lifestyle, they’ve embarked on a journey to reimagine their kitchen — the heart of their home. Their aspiration is to cultivate a serene, neutral-toned sanctuary on the first floor that seamlessly merges with their family room, ensuring a harmonious and inviting environment. Design Inspiration: The renovation is inspired by the couple’s penchant for soft, calming neutrals, using their cherished family room and the kitchen’s existing tile flooring as the cornerstone for the color scheme. This approach aims to foster a sense of warmth and tranquility throughout. Design Objectives: Harmonize the kitchen with the family room by adopting a soothing, neutral color scheme, ensuring a seamless flow across the first floor. Enhance kitchen functionality with thoughtfully designed cabinetry, providing a designated place for every item and maximizing storage efficiency. Cultivate an inviting and comfortable atmosphere that reflects the homeowners’ desire for a calm and relaxing space. Design Challenges: The homeowners wish to retain the existing kitchen tile flooring and integrate it into a refreshed, modern design. Accommodating a dining area spacious enough for family visits without compromising the kitchen’s open feel or functional layout. Despite liking the current placement of plumbing and appliances, the homeowners aspire for a more open floor plan to facilitate better movement and interaction. The need to amplify natural light in the kitchen, especially around the sink area, where existing lighting is insufficient. Preserving the half-wall between the kitchen and family room, a feature the homeowners want to keep, while ensuring it complements the new design. THE RENEWED SPACE Design Solutions: By choosing a neutral color palette that complements the existing tile, the design unifies the kitchen with the adjacent spaces. The tile’s grout was cleaned and restored, enhancing the floor’s appearance and integrating it seamlessly with the new kitchen aesthetic. The inclusion of a larger island with seating for two, alongside maintaining a substantial dining table, was achieved by optimizing the spatial layout. This allowed for a sociable yet functional kitchen, accommodating large family gatherings without feeling crowded. Minor adjustments to the kitchen’s layout maintained the preferred locations for plumbing and appliances while introducing an ‘open’ design concept. Strategic modifications, such as angling the pantry wall, improved the flow and accessibility within the space. Replacing the garden window with a broader, standard window significantly increased natural light, transforming the sink area into a bright, welcoming space with enhanced views of the outdoors. The decision to keep the half-wall was ingeniously leveraged to define the dining area while maintaining an open connection to the family room. This feature not only serves as a visual separator but also ties the two spaces together through the shared color scheme and design elements. The homeowners are thrilled with their newly remodeled kitchen, which has become a hub of warmth and hospitality. Hosting a wedding shower and a birthday party, they have shared their renewed space with friends and family, who have been equally enamored. This remodel has not only met their functional and aesthetic desires but has also enriched their home with a fresh sense of serenity and joy. The upstairs part of the home is shaping up nicely. Here’s their newly remodeled primary bathroom.

Living room library - mid-sized transitional enclosed medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room library idea in Toronto with white walls and no tv

600 sq. foot Master Bedroom addition in Danville, California. [ Includes Master Suite, Master Bathroom, Master Walk-in Closet. ] Master Bathroom with Hidden Shower Drain.

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in Los Angeles with black walls

Having shown the sample board in the prior photo, you now see the finished knockdown texture effect using an Allegheny Brown tinted clay plaster. Notice the mirror is reflecting the sueded leather effect of the other three surrounding walls that were also troweled with the same tinted clay plaster. Since clay plaster "breathes" it absorbs humidity resulting from a running shower, but gradually exhausts that moisture so it's not prone to mildew typical of most bathrooms, yet another benefit of this natural, "eco" green plaster.

This tiny bathroom got a facelift and more room by removing a closet on the other side of the wall. What used to be just a sink and toilet became a 3/4 bath with a full walk in shower!

Inspiration for a small contemporary 3/4 bathroom remodel in San Francisco

ETO Garage Doors
Garage - contemporary garage idea in Los Angeles

The goal of this whole home refresh was to create a fun, fresh and collected look that was both kid-friendly and livable. Cosmetic updates included selecting vibrantly colored and happy hues, bold wallpaper and modern accents to create a dynamic family-friendly home.

Explore the elegance of this Architectural Digest-featured bathroom in a Nashville home, thoughtfully designed by award-winning designers Lauren Bradshaw and Sarah Sherman Samuel. Centered around the Ascension line freestanding natural copper clawfoot bathtub from Re's Parish Collection, inspired by the picturesque landscapes of Louisiana, this bathroom is a testament to luxury and design excellence. The bathtub is paired with high-end Delta Victorian brass tub fixtures, enhancing its allure. Adjacent to the tub, the space features a sophisticated Kingston brass vanity sink atop a Mason porcelain console, contributing to the room's refined contemporary aesthetic. Enhancing the functionality and style, custom recessed cabinetry is seamlessly integrated into the walls, providing streamlined storage solutions without compromising the sleek design. The flooring and baseboards are adorned with custom sheet tiles from Fire Clay Tile, specifically the Akoya and Halite designs, which bring an artisanal and eco-conscious touch to the space. These tiles not only add a layer of luxury but also resonate with the room's modern and artistic vibe. The walls and ceiling boast a unique faux finish paint application, complementing the custom tile work and adding depth to the room's overall ambiance. This bathroom renovation showcases the harmonious blend of modern luxury and sustainable design, making it a highlight of Nashville's residential architecture and a distinguished project on Houzz. Photography: Joseph Bradshaw

What a dramatic statement the herringbone accent wall makes in this stairwell.

Doing a remodel with the thought of long term should always be in mind. So when doing this project i knew i didn't want grout in the shower, then what are my options for something that looks timeless, would stand up to years of soaps, shampoo and still look great in years to come. I had seen these sheets of porcelain from Spain at a trade show a number of years ago, it seemed that for my own bath it was a good project to give them a try. These are available in different sizes and thicknesses and i am really happy with them. The cast iron bath tub with an antiqued chrome wrap is the Whitby from Penhaglion, it sits in front of the window which has an opaque small patterned film covering the once clear glass. The bath and sink faucets, come from Penhaglion, that I have to say is an amazing company to work with. Heated floors in the bath and shower area as well as a Toto toilet, all pulled together with a vintage sideboard that was refinished to suite the plumbing of the 2 drop in sinks. Air assisted rain head, wall and hand held shower with an oversize niche make for a great showering experience. Susan Brook Interiors

Peter Ellery
Hallway - contemporary hallway idea in Perth

Ashley Avila
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Reference: 1012403 Top collection standing robe hook. Very decorative. Also can use as coat or hat hook. Made of brass and polished 24K gold plated. Designed and manufactured in Spain.

Commercial bathroom
Example of a minimalist home design design in Philadelphia

Custom Ship Ladder shaft with canting wall with hidden light. Translucent wall behind ship ladder to silhouette stair.
Example of a minimalist staircase design in San Francisco