In a wooded area of Lafayette, a mid-century home was re-imagined for a graphic designer and kindergarten teacher couple and their three children. A major new design feature is a high ceiling great room that wraps from the front to the back yard, turning a corner at the kitchen and ending at the family room fireplace. This room was designed with a high flat roof to work in conjunction with existing roof forms to create a unified whole, and raise interior ceiling heights from eight to over ten feet. All new lighting and large floor to ceiling Fleetwood aluminum windows expand views of the trees beyond. The existing home was enlarged by 700 square feet with a small exterior addition enlarging the kitchen over an existing deck, and a larger amount by excavating out crawlspace at the garage level to create a new home office with full bath, and separate laundry utility room. The remodeled residence became 3,847 square feet in total area including the garage. Exterior curb appeal was improved with all new Fleetwood windows, stained wood siding and stucco. New steel railing and concrete steps lead up to the front entry. Front and rear yard new landscape design by Huettl Landscape Architecture dramatically alters the site. New planting was added at the front yard with landscape lighting and modern concrete pavers and the rear yard has multiple decks for family gatherings with the focal point a concrete conversation circle with central fire feature. Everything revolves around the corner kitchen, large windows to the backyard, quartz countertops and cabinetry in painted and walnut finishes. The homeowners enjoyed the process of selecting Heath Tile for the kitchen backsplash and white oval tiles at the family room fireplace. Black brick tiles by Fireclay were used on the living room hearth. The kitchen flows into the family room all with views to the beautifully landscaped yards. The primary suite has a built-in window seat with large windows overlooking the garden, walnut cabinetry in a skylit walk-in closet, and a large dramatic skylight bouncing light into the shower. The kid’s bath also has a skylight slot with light angling downward over double sinks. More colorful tile shows up in these spaces, as does a geometric patterned tile in the downstairs office bath shower. The large yard is taken full advantage of with concrete paved walkways, stairs and firepit circle. New retaining walls in the rear yard helped to add more level usable outdoor space, with wood slats to visually blend them into the overall design. The end result is a beautiful transformation of a mid-century home, that both captures the client’s personalities and elevates the house into the modern age.

Talk about your small spaces. In this case we had to squeeze a full bath into a powder room-sized room of only 5’ x 7’. The ceiling height also comes into play sloping downward from 90” to 71” under the roof of a second floor dormer in this Cape-style home. We stripped the room bare and scrutinized how we could minimize the visual impact of each necessary bathroom utility. The bathroom was transitioning along with its occupant from young boy to teenager. The existing bathtub and shower curtain by far took up the most visual space within the room. Eliminating the tub and introducing a curbless shower with sliding glass shower doors greatly enlarged the room. Now that the floor seamlessly flows through out the room it magically feels larger. We further enhanced this concept with a floating vanity. Although a bit smaller than before, it along with the new wall-mounted medicine cabinet sufficiently handles all storage needs. We chose a comfort height toilet with a short tank so that we could extend the wood countertop completely across the sink wall. The longer countertop creates opportunity for decorative effects while creating the illusion of a larger space. Floating shelves to the right of the vanity house more nooks for storage and hide a pop-out electrical outlet. The clefted slate target wall in the shower sets up the modern yet rustic aesthetic of this bathroom, further enhanced by a chipped high gloss stone floor and wire brushed wood countertop. I think it is the style and placement of the wall sconces (rated for wet environments) that really make this space unique. White ceiling tile keeps the shower area functional while allowing us to extend the white along the rest of the ceiling and partially down the sink wall – again a room-expanding trick. This is a small room that makes a big splash!

Post Cap Light – It integrates discreetly into the cap to provide a warm downward glow. Also featured are Trex Transcend decking and railing in Spiced Rum, Trex Pergola and Trex Outdoor Furniture Rockport club sofa and chairs.

Trendy kitchen photo in Milwaukee

This project is a simple family gathering space next to the lake, with a small screen pavilion at waters edge. The large volume is used for music performances and family events. A seasonal (unheated) space allows us to utilize different windows--tllt in awnings, downward operating single hung windows, all with single glazing.

A few into the fire pit and long beam benches off the planting bed concrete retaining walls. The Paloform BOL fire pit is a favorite of mine. The translucent feeling of the space was a requirement of the client and I love how the modern Shoji screen look allows for the play of shadow and light in the mornings.

Beach style family room photo in Other

Darlene Hall
Family room - farmhouse family room idea in Columbus

The three-level Mediterranean revival home started as a 1930s summer cottage that expanded downward and upward over time. We used a clean, crisp white wall plaster with bronze hardware throughout the interiors to give the house continuity. A neutral color palette and minimalist furnishings create a sense of calm restraint. Subtle and nuanced textures and variations in tints add visual interest. The stair risers from the living room to the primary suite are hand-painted terra cotta tile in gray and off-white. We used the same tile resource in the kitchen for the island's toe kick.

The Greenfield™ cast iron gas stove from Lopi is a true revolution in stove design. With its clean lines, graceful proportionality and traditional cast appeal, this stove can be considered a freestanding fireplace! The best feature of the Greenfield is its massive 553 square inches of fire-viewing ceramic glass, which comes standard with 2015 ANSI approved invisible safety screens. The three-sided wrap around glass design allows you to enjoy the stunning fire display from any angle in the room, which showcases the award winning Ember-Fyre™ burner with its incredibly realistic, high-definition log set and yellow flames. Another amazing feature of the Greenfield is its downward pointing adjustable accent light which beautifully highlights the log set and interior of the stove, whether its heat is on or off. The Greenfield is a powerhouse of a heater, producing up to 40,000 BTUs and heating up to 2,000 square feet. It has an exceptional turndown ratio of 70% on natural gas and 82% on liquid propane, giving you the ultimate control over the heat output level. This stove also features the revolutionary GreenSmart™ 2 gas system and the optional GreenSmart™ 2 Wall Mounted Remote that allows you to control every function of this stove from the comfort of your favorite chair. The Greenfield is available in New Iron Paint, hand-rubbed Carbon Patina, hand-rubbed Bronze Patina, and Oxford Brown porcelain enamel finishes. Photo by Travis Industries.

Photography by Allen Russ.
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional partial sun backyard stone landscaping in DC Metro.

This Spice Rack/Storage System is accessed by an out and downward motion, making the unreachable, reachable. This 4" filler cabinet comes down to counter top level making even the top area, convenient and easily accessible. The contents in this photo shows one of optional 32 pod K-Cup Rack (2racks possible per unit) that takes the place of 3 shelves. The remaining 3 shelves hold standard spice bottles. This Spice Rack/Storage System is a right-facing unit. Left facing units are also available.

Bathroom photo in New Orleans

Example of a farmhouse u-shaped eat-in kitchen design in Cincinnati with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, soapstone countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Vincent Avith Roshan
Entryway - zen entryway idea in Bengaluru

The three-level Mediterranean revival home started as a 1930s summer cottage that expanded downward and upward over time. We used a clean, crisp white wall plaster with bronze hardware throughout the interiors to give the house continuity. A neutral color palette and minimalist furnishings create a sense of calm restraint. Subtle and nuanced textures and variations in tints add visual interest. The stair risers from the living room to the primary suite are hand-painted terra cotta tile in gray and off-white. We used the same tile resource in the kitchen for the island's toe kick.

With an eye toward accessibility, this bathroom is designed to ease the everyday routines of a homeowner who often uses a wheelchair. Universal design strategies guided the project structurally with ADA-compatible elements incorporated throughout. One side of the vanity is set lower and left intentionally open underneath to accommodate the wheelchair when needed. Photos by Spacecrafting Photography

Example of a mid-sized urban two-car garage workshop design in Toronto

The three-level Mediterranean revival home started as a 1930s summer cottage that expanded downward and upward over time. We used a clean, crisp white wall plaster with bronze hardware throughout the interiors to give the house continuity. A neutral color palette and minimalist furnishings create a sense of calm restraint. Subtle and nuanced textures and variations in tints add visual interest. The stair risers from the living room to the primary suite are hand-painted terra cotta tile in gray and off-white. We used the same tile resource in the kitchen for the island's toe kick.