Small trendy single-wall beige floor and light wood floor laundry closet photo in San Francisco with white cabinets, white walls, a stacked washer/dryer, white countertops and flat-panel cabinets

Inspiration for a large timeless u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen remodel in DC Metro with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, beige cabinets, beige backsplash, an island, granite countertops, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Best of Houzz Kitchen Design 2016 winner. A custom kitchen remodel was one of the final projects for this beautiful Georgian Century Home. All the details were part of the effort to maintain the feel of an old kitchen but with all the most current conveniences. Notice the glass cabinet hung in front of a window, granite counter top repeated as the back splash, porcelain tiles that mimic wood and marble on the floor, a stunning island light and the coffered ceiling. Michael Jacob Photography

Inspiration for a small transitional built-in desk laminate floor, brown floor and vaulted ceiling study room remodel in Orange County with white walls and no fireplace

Wall Control Pegboard will look great above your workbench, in your garage, or shed. Wherever you work this steel pegboard will store and organize your tools while making them easy to get to. It is the ultimate storage solution! Thanks for the photo Larry!

HUNTER DOUGLAS VIGNETTE® The Modern Roman Shade Hunter Douglas Vignette® Modern Roman Shades feature consistent folds and no exposed rear cords, keeping windows uncluttered. Choose from different fold styles and sizes, and a horizontal or vertical orientation. Traditional™ Fold SOFT YET MODERN A 4-inch contoured fold for that traditional, yet modern, look at the window. Tailored™ Fold CRISP AND SOPHISTICATED A 6-inch flat fold that is nicely pressed for a defined finish. Architella® COOL IN THE SUMMER, WARM IN THE WINTER Our most energy-efficient version of the classic Vignette design – these shades trap air, creating an extra layer of insulation to keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Tiered™ STACKED SOFTNESS This option allows shades to stack up, down or anywhere in between. Traversed with Vertiglide™ FOR LARGE WINDOWS AND SLIDING DOORS Vertiglide offers an exceptional solution for large expanses of windows and sliding glass doors. REDUCE OUTSIDE NOISE Improve your room’s acoustics while reducing the intensity of outside sound. It starts at the windows. Simple. The degree of sound control will depend on the fabric you choose, so if this is an important feature to you, be sure to discuss it with your sales expert. UV Protection SUNSCREEN FOR YOUR VALUABLES Protect your furniture, flooring and artwork from fading with at least 75% protection from harmful UV rays. Top-Down/Bottom-Up PRIVACY WITH A VIEW A more versatile approach to light control. Open from the top, from the bottom, or find somewhere in-between–for the perfect balance of privacy and light. Platinum™ Technology CONTROL FROM YOUR PHONE OR TABLET Controlling your window treatments with a mobile device means you can set your blinds to movie mode, work mode, or 8 a.m. mode with the touch of a button, without leaving your seat. It’s effortless, fun and smart—with perfectly smooth operation. Accents by the Yard™ FABRICS FOR YOUR ROOM DECOR Fabrics are available by the yard, so you can create decorative accents for any room with matching fabric. Lifetime Guarantee FOR LIFE Hunter Douglas products are designed and custom-assembled in the U.S. with the highest level of quality. But just in case, every window treatment from Hunter Douglas is covered by our lifetime limited guarantee. Read the Hunter Douglas Warranty to learn more. Hunter Douglas Vignette® Traditional Shades with EasyRise™ Hunter Douglas Vignette® Traditional Shades with EasyRise™ Fabric: Linen Weave Color: Birch Bark Available from Accent Window Fashions LLC Hunter Douglas Showcase Priority Dealer Hunter Douglas Certified Installer Hunter Douglas Certified Professional Dealer #Hunter_Douglas #Vignette #Traditional #Modern #Roman_Shades #EasyRise #Window_Fashions #Window_Shadings #Window_Treatments #HunterDouglas #Accent_Window_Fashions Copyright 2001-2014 Hunter Douglas, Inc. All rights reserved.

Example of a country bathroom design in Los Angeles

Tasteful update to classic Henry Hill mid-century modern in the Berkeley Hills designed by Fischer Architecture in 2017. The project was featured by Curbed.com. Construction work required updating all systems to modern standards and code. Project included full master bedroom with ensuite bath, kitchen remodel, new roofing and windows, plumbing and electrical update, security system and modern technology updates. All materials were specified by the team at Fisher Architecture to provide modern equivalents to the originals. Photography: Leslie Williamson

Example of a trendy freestanding desk dark wood floor, brown floor and wallpaper home office design in Los Angeles with blue walls

A “Quick & Easy Dinner Recipe” isn’t very quick or easy if you have to spend time digging through cluttered drawers in frustration for those tongs or that hard to find spatula. Make your life easier by having those useful kitchen supplies an arm’s reach away with Wall Control Kitchen Pegboard. Clear out cluttered drawers, hang bulky pots and pans, and have your supplies ready when you need it. Wall Control Kitchen Pegboard comes in 10 stocked colors so you can give your kitchen an aesthetic upgrade and turn that blank wall space into a valuable storage area all at the same time. Thanks for the great customer submission Elizabeth!

Location: Tampa, FL, USA Hive This client wanted a system that was easy for anyone in the family to use with ease. We solved this by used the "main brain" of Control 4 to put all of their technology on one platform that could be accessed from any smart device or remote in the house. We achieved a sleek look by creating a custom milled cabinet for the TV. The client wanted to have a stationary home control center by their entry door to have easy access to all the technology in the house.This touchpad controls all the technology in the house including all the Tv's in the home and all the video sources; such as roku, apple TV, blue ray, cable boxes, lightning controls, temperature controls, home security, sound, blinds and any other technology you wish to have in your home. This was a simple solution for the entire family to be able to use. Security was really important for these homeowners so we placed a keyless/remote entry on their door for wireless access and then placed a camera inside the door. This allowed the home owners to open the door when packages arrived and let the person in see that they put the package inside and relock the door on exit.

This article is posted here with the consent of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, view, or opinion of Crestron Electronics, Inc., or of any of its employees. Crestron Electronics is not responsible for, and does not verify the accuracy of, any of the information contained in this article. By Jeff Singer The “smart” revolution began several years ago with smartphones (a.k.a phones) and has extended in recent years to thermostats, doorbells, alarm systems, and kitchen appliances. Smart devices are so ubiquitous that the term “smart” is overused to the point that it is almost meaningless. Companies are eager to jump on the bandwagon and claim their products are “smart,” and consumers proudly claim they have a smart home because they have lighting control. Misconceptions about smart homes are prevalent and create confusion in the marketplace. This can have deleterious effects on businesses and underserve consumers. Here are seven of the most popular misconceptions about smart homes: 1. Apps are smart Apps are convenient and easy to use. Yes, it seems there’s an app for everything. People expect to be able to download an app and do just about anything. App developers and many companies do not disavow consumers of this myth. On the contrary, they promote this idea with carefully worded descriptions. The promise of having the world at your fingertips for $1.99 is very enticing. Although it sounds too good to be true, it is also too good to pass up for many people. This leads to undervaluing home control and disappointment when the apps don’t work, which undermines confidence in our industry. The fact is that apps are not smart. They do not control anything. They must connect to and communicate with a control system or cloud service that processes, prioritizes, and executes commands. That’s the real magic and what most people do not understand. 2. Smart devices work together With so many smart appliances and devices on the market today, it’s understandable that the average consumer might think that they actually communicate and work together. This is simply not the case. Smart devices are not that smart. They are designed and manufactured by different, often competing, companies. There are no national or industry standards governing these products. Even if they all operate using Wi-Fi® communications, that doesn’t mean they work together. Some companies promote a home control platform, which unites different devices from different companies – in theory. The platform is yet another third-party software totally dependent on other companies developing APIs and writing control modules for their hardware to run on that piece of software. The devices are not independently compatible. Also, when updates are made to either the hardware or the software, functionality may be affected for some period. That’s a nice way of saying the device or system won’t work and there’s no way of knowing for how long. 3. It’s a DIY project Which brings us to the next myth, which is that the average person can do it themselves. Unless you are a skilled professional, I would not advise taking on a smart home project. You want to make a light turn on and off with your Alexa® or Google Assistant™ virtual assistant software, go for it. A smart home takes much more planning and expertise. I have no problem changing a light bulb or hanging a light fixture in my dining room; however, I am not going to rewire my house. I may change the flush valve in my toilet, but I’m not going to replace the pipes in my house. You get it. Integrating devices and systems, establishing different zones, creating scenes, designing the UI with a balance between control, feedback, and simplicity – all takes experience and skill. 4. Need a programmer to make changes Early adopters may have experienced the pain of trying to make a simple change or update to their home control system. Years ago, if the cable provider changed the channel line-up, the homeowner would have to call the dealer or programmer to make an appointment for them to come out to the house to reprogram the system. The system wouldn’t work as expected until it was updated, which often took several days and beaucoup bucks. Not anymore. Technology has evolved so now it’s easy for system owners to change favorite channels, create scenes, rename buttons, update images, and more. While a professional is needed for the initial installation and setup, the system is easy to manage once it’s up and running. This makes life so much easier for both dealer and customer. 5. Tech becomes obsolete quickly Similar to updating the UI, updating firmware or hardware used to be a stressful process. A smart home should be intelligent enough to update itself. Apps don’t become obsolete. Updates are constantly pushed out from the cloud, making them better all the time. The same is true for a good smart home system. New features, functions, and device support gets added in the background consistently, so the system you installed (or purchased) yesterday gets better over time. Swapping out decorative elements, such as keypads, dimmers, and touch screens is also seamless. When a new device is added, all the settings are pulled down from the cloud and it just works. No system interruptions. No sunk costs. No imposing house calls. No surprise bills. 6. Lighting control saves energy and money Lighting control is one of the most popular smart systems, but it takes more than just one system to make a home smart. On the surface, it makes sense that if you dim the lights ten percent, then you save ten percent of energy costs. If the shades are raised during the day to take advantage of sunlight so the lights don’t need to be on (or at least not 100%), but that causes the room temperature to rise a few degrees, which triggers the air conditioner to run longer and more often, was energy usage (or cost) reduced? A smart home integrates all the various systems and technology to optimize comfort, convenience, safety, and sometimes energy. 7. Home technology is easy to hack Security is at the forefront of people’s minds these days. Personal identities are stolen; email accounts hacked; private photos publicized; and more. A smart home must outsmart those who don’t respect privacy. Crestron control systems adhere to the strictest security standards. The same Crestron control system that goes into a home is also installed in secure government and military facilities, global banking institutions, hospitals, and other mission critical applications. When installed correctly by a trained professional, a Crestron smart home is the gold standard for security, comfort, and convenience.

Inside the cabin, an open floorplan lends itself to family moments and entertaining. An exposed wood ceiling creates a rustic vibe while contemporary furniture keep the space balanced. A stone wood burning fireplace with oversized reclaimed wood mantle is a dramatic centerpiece to the room. Large windows and sliding glass doors keep open eye lines to the lake view.

Mark Fertitta. Solid Apollo LED. In this awesome game room, Color Changing RGB LED Lights have been placed around the entire cove of the basement ceiling for incredible lighting effects showing either a single custom color, or mulitple colors when the RGB LED Controller is used with the built in color changing programs. The RGB LED Strip Lights were easy to add as the thin low profile design and easy stick double sided tape on the back of the strip light make installation quick. The lights are controlled using Solid Apollo's LED Wizard Smartphone & Tablet LED Controller for easy lighting control using any smartphone or tablet. The incredible range of colors possible compliment any game room or man cave and like here, where the brightness fills the entire room, the controllers have full brightness settings which can also be turned down to as low as 10% for soft accent lighting. So when playing pool or enjoying drinks at the bar, the color changing lights can br turned to full brightness to create an incredible energized atmosphere, or when stopping to watch your favorite game, the lights can be turned down for subtle background accent lighting.

Custom steel shelves are cantilevered from a grey lacquered millwork wall. All of the computer peripherals are stored inside the white oak cabinets. A cable management system and integrated power inside the cabinet and on the desk top keep the surfaces clear or clutter.

A lighting keypad brings easy control to this homeowner: she can adjust all of her kitchen lights with the press of one, labeled button! She can access the rest of the house, too, from the same keypad. Control where she wants it, made easy! photo by Forte Photography

Tessa Neustadt
Inspiration for a mid-sized farmhouse dark wood floor laundry room remodel in Los Angeles with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, wood countertops, white walls, a stacked washer/dryer and beige countertops

ASID Design Excellence First Place Residential – Kitchen and Bathroom: Michael Merrill Design Studio was approached three years ago by the homeowner to redesign her kitchen. Although she was dissatisfied with some aspects of her home, she still loved it dearly. As we discovered her passion for design, we began to rework her entire home--room by room, top to bottom.

An extreme makeover turns an unassuming lanai deck into an outdoor oasis. These Bonita Bay homeowners loved the location of their home, but needed it to fit their current lifestyle. Because they love to entertain, they wanted to maximize their outdoor space—one that would accommodate a large family and lots of guests. Working with Progressive Design Build, Mike Spreckelmeier helped the homeowners formulate a list of ideas about what they wanted to achieve in the renovation; then, guided them through the process of planning their remodel. The renovation focused on reconfiguring the layout to extend the outdoor kitchen and living area—to include a new outdoor kitchen, dining area, sitting area and fireplace. Finishing details comprised a beautiful wood ceiling, cast stone accents, and porcelain tile. The lanai was also expanded to include a full size bocce ball court, which was fully encased in a beautiful custom colonnade and screen enclosure. With the extension of the outdoor space came a need to connect the living area to the existing pool and deck. The pool and spa were refinished; and a well thought-out low voltage remote-control relay system was installed for easy control of all of the outdoor and landscape lighting, ceiling fans, and hurricane shutters. This outdoor kitchen project turned out so well, the Bonita Bay homeowners hired Progressive Design Build to remodel the front of their home as well. To create much needed space, Progressive Design Build tore down an existing two-car garage and designed and built a brand new 2.5-car garage with a family suite above. The family suite included three bedrooms, two bathrooms, additional air conditioned storage, a beautiful custom made stair system, and a sitting area. Also part of the project scope, we enlarged a separate one-car garage to a two-car garage (totaling 4.5 garages), and build a 4,000 sq. ft. driveway, complete with landscape design and installation.