Q Avenue Photo
Example of an eclectic living room design in Nashville

A classic, elegant master suite for the husband and wife, and a fun, sophisticated entertainment space for their family -- it was a dream project! To turn the master suite into a luxury retreat for two young executives, we mixed rich textures with a playful, yet regal color palette of purples, grays, yellows and ivories. For fun family gatherings, where both children and adults are encouraged to play, I envisioned a handsome billiard room and bar, inspired by the husband’s favorite pub.

Bedroom - shabby-chic style bedroom idea in Other

Can you imagine the sense of achievement when you look back down and realize that you have scaled up a towering wall and perhaps conquered your greatest fear? Our bespoke Climbing Walls offer a chance to teach children new skills, build their confidence and encourage perseverance. Built to height, they typically 'wrap' around our treehouse designs or are twisted and shaped around existing trees. Designed to give both easy and challenging options, the wall provides a number of ways to climb up into your treehouse, using the coloured resin 'holds' that are set into the eased edge timbers. Climbing Walls available as a 'stand-alone' product for schools and recreation areas, we can also provide relevant ground surfacing solutions for safe play. Treehouse Life always designs specifically for the use intended and is sensitive to both Play Safety guidelines and education authority specialists. Paul Cameron - www.treehouselife.co.uk

Majlis is the traditional name for for Living rooms in Arab homes - this is the area where even in modern homes, the design style will be tradional arabic with touches of arabesques or fret work. The setting is generally placed all around the room symmetrically to encourage interaction between people.

Transitional dining room photo in Singapore

Wandering through the garden a guest can happen upon statues and benches tucked into the landscape. Placed appropriately though the space the art objects help to unify the Asian theme but are not excessive in their presence. Artful statues slow down a visitor, encouraging them to stop and notice the details of the garden. Hydrangea, Hosta, Japanese Forest Grass Hakonechloa macra, Bamboo, Japanese maple Acer palmatum dissectum 'Viridis', Geranium

Situated within a one-acre lot in Austin’s Tarry Trail neighborhood, the backyard of this existing 1933- vintage historical house was underutilized. The owners felt that the main drawbacks of the existing backyard were a general disconnection between each outdoor area and a general lack of relationship to the house proper. Therefore, the primary goal of the redesign was a scheme that would promote the use of the outdoor zones, with the pool as a centerpiece. The first major design move was to frame the pool with a new structure as a backdrop. This cabana is perpendicular to the main house and creates a clear “bookend” to the upper level deck while housing indoor and outdoor activities. Under the cabana’s overhang, an integrated seating space offers a balance of sunlight and shade while an outdoor grill and bar area facilitate the family’s outdoor lifestyle. The only enclosed program exists as a naturally lit perch within the canopy of the trees, providing a serene environment to exercise within the comfort of a climate-controlled space. A corollary focus was to create sectional variation within the volume of the pool to encourage dynamic use at both ends while relating to the interior program of the home. A shallow beach zone for children to play is located near the family room and the access to the play space in the yard below. At the opposite end of the pool, outside the formal living room, another shallow space is made to be a splash-free sunbathing area perfect for enjoying an adult beverage. The functional separation set up by the pool creates a subtle and natural division between the energetic family spaces for playing, lounging, and grilling, and the composed, entertaining and dining spaces. The pool also enhances the formal program of the house by acting as a reflecting pool within a composed view from the front entry that draws visitors to an outdoor dining area under a majestic oak tree. By acting as a connector between the house and the yard, the elongated pool bridges the day-to-day activities within the house and the lush, sprawling backyard. Planter beds and low walls provide loose constraints to organize the overall outdoor living area, while allowing the space to spill out into the yard. Terraces navigate the sectional change in the landscape, offering a passage to the lower yard where children can play on the grass as the parents lounge by the outdoor fireplace.

NEXTHouse is a custom-designed and crafted home fusing the Northwest Modern tradition with the highest quality environmentally sustainable building technologies, features and finishes.NEXTHouse is a 3 bedoom, 2 1/2 bath home with a garage and shop located on a south-facing corner lot of 5,500 square feet. It is designed to fully appreciate the land, reaching out to views and light, while providing a lush microclimate of Northwest appropriate landscaping. Terraces, decks and patios encourage outdoor living in both formal and private settings.NEXTHouse is an urban sanctuary that preserves the Earth’s resources and provides for healthy living.

Kirkland's East of Market neighborhood is more urban in character than the surrounding communities, encouraging a design that occupies the urban-suburban boundary. Living spaces are tightly organized and vertical, stacked over the garage, with a shifted geometry between floors creating a dynamic form. photo by Lara Swimmer

Inspiration for a large modern wooden l-shaped wood railing staircase remodel in San Francisco with wooden risers

Just because a bathroom lacks Space doesn’t mean it can’t be both functional and beautiful. When creating a Zen bathroom, the floor plan should flow effortlessly, blending from one area to the next. Simple design is a difficult thing to do well, and Zen relies a lot on architecture rather than decorative elements. Awesome, unique, and creative design for the shower, created with combination of solid stone and Metals. Get creative when square footage allows for only a single, small vanity. We recommend recessing vanities in the wall, doing so visually extends the floor space and create a contemporary bathroom. Custom floating millwork was design and created to utilize all areas of the bathroom. Storage in small baths is essential to a functional space. RJK encourages homeowner to get creative in small baths. Walls, which are typically four inches thick, offer a place for additional storage whether it’s a recessed medicine cabinet or open shelving.

When full-time Massachusetts residents contemplate building a second home in Telluride, Colorado the question immediately arises; does it make most sense to hire a regionally based Rocky Mountain architect or a sea level architect conveniently located for all of the rigorous collaboration required for successful bespoke home design. Determined to prove the latter true, Siemasko + Verbridge accompanied the potential client as they scoured the undulating Telluride landscape in search of the perfect house site. The selected site’s harmonious balance of untouched meadow rising up to meet the edge of an aspen grove and the opposing 180 degree view of Wilson’s Range spoke to everyone. A plateau just beyond a fork in the meadow provided a natural flatland, requiring little excavation and yet the right amount of upland slope to capture the views. The intrinsic character of the site was only enriched by an elk trail and snake-rail fence. Establishing the expanse of Wilson’s range would be best served by rejecting the notion of selected views, the central sweeping curve of the roof inverts a small saddle in the range with which it is perfectly aligned. The soaring wave of custom windows and the open floor plan make the relatively modest house feel sizable despite its footprint of just under 2,000 square feet. Officially a two bedroom home, the bunk room and loft allow the home to comfortably sleep ten, encouraging large gatherings of family and friends. The home is completely off the grid in response to the unique and fragile qualities of the landscape. Great care was taken to respect the regions vernacular through the use of mostly native materials and a palette derived from the terrain found at 9,820 feet above sea level. Photographer: Gibeon Photography

Richard Herman is in the hospitality business and owns several upscale hotels in Florida and in other states as well as cattle ranches in both Florida and Missouri. Their farm in Ocala is by farm their most unique. The property serves as a 4-H demonstration project for the purpose of children’s education. They have been working with the Academy Prep of St. Pete which is dedicated to inner-city youths that are selected on the basis of need and achievement. Wife Diane spends her time on the farm raising Gypsy Vanners, a diminutive draft horse named after the job they did in Eastern Europe, pulling the wagons (vans) for gypsies that wandered across the continent. On the Ocala farm, there are several mules with a unique profession. Richard had visited the Hearthstone display at a Log & Timber Home Shows at the Orlando Convention Center many years ago. He was impressed that Hearthstone had stayed in touch with him over the years by mailings, invitations to shows, and periodic phone calls. When the time came to start serious consideration of the design of barn, Hearthstone responded promptly and professionally to Richard and Diane’s requests for information and a review of their ideas for their barn, which would serve as the centerpiece for their new farm. They wanted a multipurpose facility that could accommodate an educational environment and a large hall suitable for the fundraising events for his charities. Richard wanted a barn that reflected the look and feel of barns built at the dawn of the 20th century. Besides the rustic chicken houses and vegetable gardens, they have completely renovated a 1020’s era farmhouse to be as historically correct as possible and serves as the entry to the farm. “They very careful to feel us out, get comfortable with our capabilities, and be convinced that we could perform as promised,” said Project Manager John Ricketson of Hearthstone. Design Process There were some initial drawings that gave us a start on the basic shape and size of the barn. From there, it was a process of narrowing down the uses of each area and the spans that could be achieved. The barn was going to have the traditional “board & batten” exterior siding and a metal roof. There is a cantilevered ‘hay hood” on the north gable end above the large sliding barn doors that open into the foyer and horse stalls. The wings house a combination of areas, beginning with the large restrooms to accommodate crowds for events. Other parts of the wings have garage areas for the farm vehicles, feed room, tack room, wash rack, storage, offices, and smaller restrooms. Keeping with the look and feel of the turn of the century, Hearthstone developed a process for giving the timbers a surface texture that mimicked the circular cuts of timbers that had just come out of an old sawmill. This was easier said than done. Randy Giles guided his millwright (Wolfgang) in designing a machine that would do this effectively. The barn was delivered in October of 2014 and was erected over the course of two weeks, thanks to a hardworking crew (Eric Foster) and near-perfect weather. After the Hearthstone crew completed the erection and roof dry-in, it was time for the local carpenters to step up and install some light conventional framing on the gable ends before applying the roof fascia and exterior board & batten siding. Next came the big sliding barn doors, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling. Large rustic fixtures were hung from the great hall roof timbers. Exterior The board & batten siding was cypress and allowed to turn color naturally as rain hit it and the sun started working on it with UV rays. This method causes a much grayer look closer to the ground and less so where the roof overhang provides protection. The North end has some large limestone boulders and planters arranged around the pad with tall pampas grass. The planters provide casual seating before events and during outside receptions. The entire area was sodded with lush St. Augustine grass and split rail fences were added to enclose the barn area. The corrugated metal roof was a special order material that immediately rusted after being exposed to moisture. The layer of rust protects the metal from the elements. Interior The board & batten theme was carried throughout most of the interior with the timbers left natural to show off the circular saw texture. All of the tongue & groove decking was shipped in advance to allow the local painter to pre-stain it with a dark brown transparent stain that is a beautiful background to the light color Eastern White Pine timbers. “Everything was unique in this project” said Project Manager John Ricketson. “The setting on a small demonstration farm close to Ocala, the multipurpose design, the circular saw texture on the timbers.” The Hermans are very proud of their farm’s outcome. Richard sent a note to Randy Giles, owner of Hearthstone: “The Barn is fantastic, not a single problem, period. Next month, we have Jo Dee Messina coming in to help with a fundraiser for a local center for abused kids. Folks love the farm, ...... but that barn gets all of the attention. I would encourage you to use me as a reference for your sales team, feel free to extend my cell phone to any prospective purchasers.”

Photo by Jocelyn H. Chilvers
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Denver.

Tuscan home design photo in Orange County

This amazing über contemporary loft space is located in the heart of the very trendy and oh so upscale Yonge and Eglinton district. This loft oozes style and epitomizes the uptown lifestyle. It's raw industrial look really resonates with the uptown crowd. The polished concrete floors, exposed sprinklers. ductwork and huge 9ft barn doors all helped to set the stage. There was only one problem......it didn't sell! We were called in by the Realtor to give this loft and urban trendy vibe. We encouraged the clients to repaint utilizing a more current, trending palette. We choose a pallet of several grey tones. Our list of suggested updates included, switching out the light fixtures, replacing old worn carpeting with a Berber and staging utilizing key pieces one would expect with the loft look. We brought in contemporary furnishings and decor pieces including a live edge coffee table and a cowhide rug. All of these updates translated to SOLD within weeks of staging! Another successful transformation.

Photos by Erika Bierman www.erikabiermanphotography.com
Eclectic hallway photo in Los Angeles

Designed for a family with four younger children, it was important that the house feel comfortable, open, and that family activities be encouraged. The study is directly accessible and visible to the family room in order that these would not be isolated from one another. Primary living areas and decks are oriented to the south, opening the spacious interior to views of the yard and wooded flood plain beyond. Southern exposure provides ample internal light, shaded by trees and deep overhangs; electronically controlled shades block low afternoon sun. Clerestory glazing offers light above the second floor hall serving the bedrooms and upper foyer. Stone and various woods are utilized throughout the exterior and interior providing continuity and a unified natural setting. A swimming pool, second garage and courtyard are located to the east and out of the primary view, but with convenient access to the screened porch and kitchen.