This condo was designed for a great client: a young professional male with modern and unfussy sensibilities. The goal was to create a space that represented this by using clean lines and blending natural and industrial tones and materials. Great care was taken to be sure that interest was created through a balance of high contrast and simplicity. And, of course, the entire design is meant to support and not distract from the incredible views. Photos by: Chipper Hatter

This modern home, near Cedar Lake, built in 1900, was originally a corner store. A massive conversion transformed the home into a spacious, multi-level residence in the 1990’s. However, the home’s lot was unusually steep and overgrown with vegetation. In addition, there were concerns about soil erosion and water intrusion to the house. The homeowners wanted to resolve these issues and create a much more useable outdoor area for family and pets. Castle, in conjunction with Field Outdoor Spaces, designed and built a large deck area in the back yard of the home, which includes a detached screen porch and a bar & grill area under a cedar pergola. The previous, small deck was demolished and the sliding door replaced with a window. A new glass sliding door was inserted along a perpendicular wall to connect the home’s interior kitchen to the backyard oasis. The screen house doors are made from six custom screen panels, attached to a top mount, soft-close track. Inside the screen porch, a patio heater allows the family to enjoy this space much of the year. Concrete was the material chosen for the outdoor countertops, to ensure it lasts several years in Minnesota’s always-changing climate. Trex decking was used throughout, along with red cedar porch, pergola and privacy lattice detailing. The front entry of the home was also updated to include a large, open porch with access to the newly landscaped yard. Cable railings from Loftus Iron add to the contemporary style of the home, including a gate feature at the top of the front steps to contain the family pets when they’re let out into the yard. Tour this project in person, September 28 – 29, during the 2019 Castle Home Tour!

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar

With porches on every side, the “Georgetown” is designed for enjoying the natural surroundings. The main level of the home is characterized by wide open spaces, with connected kitchen, dining, and living areas, all leading onto the various outdoor patios. The main floor master bedroom occupies one entire wing of the home, along with an additional bedroom suite. The upper level features two bedroom suites and a bunk room, with space over the detached garage providing a private guest suite.

Designed to embrace an extensive and unique art collection including sculpture, paintings, tapestry, and cultural antiquities, this modernist home located in north Scottsdale’s Estancia is the quintessential gallery home for the spectacular collection within. The primary roof form, “the wing” as the owner enjoys referring to it, opens the home vertically to a view of adjacent Pinnacle peak and changes the aperture to horizontal for the opposing view to the golf course. Deep overhangs and fenestration recesses give the home protection from the elements and provide supporting shade and shadow for what proves to be a desert sculpture. The restrained palette allows the architecture to express itself while permitting each object in the home to make its own place. The home, while certainly modern, expresses both elegance and warmth in its material selections including canterra stone, chopped sandstone, copper, and stucco. Project Details | Lot 245 Estancia, Scottsdale AZ Architect: C.P. Drewett, Drewett Works, Scottsdale, AZ Interiors: Luis Ortega, Luis Ortega Interiors, Hollywood, CA Publications: luxe. interiors + design. November 2011. Featured on the world wide web: luxe.daily Photo by Grey Crawford.

Family room - small cottage open concept concrete floor and black floor family room idea in Nashville with gray walls, a media wall and no fireplace

The genesis of design for this desert retreat was the informal dining area in which the clients, along with family and friends, would gather. Located in north Scottsdale’s prestigious Silverleaf, this ranch hacienda offers 6,500 square feet of gracious hospitality for family and friends. Focused around the informal dining area, the home’s living spaces, both indoor and outdoor, offer warmth of materials and proximity for expansion of the casual dining space that the owners envisioned for hosting gatherings to include their two grown children, parents, and many friends. The kitchen, adjacent to the informal dining, serves as the functioning heart of the home and is open to the great room, informal dining room, and office, and is mere steps away from the outdoor patio lounge and poolside guest casita. Additionally, the main house master suite enjoys spectacular vistas of the adjacent McDowell mountains and distant Phoenix city lights. The clients, who desired ample guest quarters for their visiting adult children, decided on a detached guest casita featuring two bedroom suites, a living area, and a small kitchen. The guest casita’s spectacular bedroom mountain views are surpassed only by the living area views of distant mountains seen beyond the spectacular pool and outdoor living spaces. Project Details | Desert Retreat, Silverleaf – Scottsdale, AZ Architect: C.P. Drewett, AIA, NCARB; Drewett Works, Scottsdale, AZ Builder: Sonora West Development, Scottsdale, AZ Photographer: Dino Tonn Featured in Phoenix Home and Garden, May 2015, “Sporting Style: Golf Enthusiast Christie Austin Earns Top Scores on the Home Front” See more of this project here: http://drewettworks.com/desert-retreat-at-silverleaf/

Contractor: Infinity Construction Photographer: Allyson Lubow
Transitional kitchen photo in New York with an island

2013 NARI CAPITAL COTY, MERIT AWARD WINNER, RESIDENTIAL EXTERIOR A family of five living in a Chantilly, Virginia, neighborhood with a lot of improvement going on decided to do a project of their own. An active family, they decided their old deck was ragged, beat up and needed revamping. After discussing their needs, the design team at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes developed a plan for a covered porch and a wrap-around upscale deck. Traffic flow and multiple entrances were important, as was a place for the kids to leave their muddy shoes. A double staircase leading the deck into the large backyard provides a panoramic view of the parkland behind the property. A side staircase lets the kids come into the covered porch and mudroom prior to entering the main house. The covered porch touts large colonial style columns, a beaded cedar (stained) ceiling, recess lighting, ceiling fans and a large television with outdoor surround sound. The deck touts synthetic railing and stained grade decking and offers extended living space just outside of the kitchen and family room, as well as a grill space and outdoor patio seating. This new outdoor facility has become the jewel of their neighborhood and now the family can enjoy their backyard activities more than ever.

Large transitional formal and open concept carpeted living room photo in Dallas with white walls and no tv

Photography by Deb Scannell
Example of a trendy open concept light wood floor living room design in Charlotte with no tv

Inspiration for a large contemporary open concept and formal concrete floor and beige floor living room remodel in Miami with white walls and no fireplace

This Flagstone Walkway is a simple, but elegant, connection from front yard to lakeside. The path is a garden walk as well, edged with cottage gardens. Credit: Tad Anderson. All rights exclusively reserved.

Today, almost any activity you enjoy inside your home you can bring to the outside. Depending on your budget, your outdoor room can be simple, with a stamped concrete patio, a grill and a table for dining, or more elaborate with a fully functional outdoor kitchen complete with concrete countertops for preparing and serving food, a sink and a refrigerator. You can take the concept even further by adding such amenities as a concrete pizza oven, a fireplace or fire-pit, a concrete bar-top for serving cocktails, an architectural concrete fountain, landscape lighting and concrete statuary. Cooking Something to cook with, such as a barbecue grill or wood-fired pizza oven, and countertops for food preparation and serving are key elements in a well-designed outdoor kitchen. Concrete countertops offer the advantages of weather resistance and versatility, since they can be formed into any shape you desire to suit the space. A coat of sealer will simplify cleanup by protecting your countertop from stains. Other amenities, such as concrete bar-tops and outdoor sinks with plumbing, can expand your entertainment options. Hearth Wood-burning or gas fireplaces, fire pits, chimineas and portable patio heaters extend the enjoyment of outdoor living well into the evening while creating a cozy conversation area for people to gather around. Outdoor Living Services Include: Outdoor Masonry Kitchens & Fireplaces- Design & Construction Patios Design & Construction Masonry Refreshment Islands Masonry BBQ's Islands Masonry seat walls/retaining walls Outdoor Entertainment Center Cabinets Wet Bars Cabana Design & Construction with Custom Lighting Deck Builder, Decorative Concrete & Stone Pergola Design & Construction with Custom Lighting Gazebo Design & Construction Trellis Design & Construction with Custom Lighting Outdoor Fireplace Design & Construction Pool House Design & Construction Outdoor Showers, Baths & Spas Outdoor Living Rooms Design & Construction Outdoor bathrooms/shower/tub areas Outdoor Fire-pits & Fire Features Outdoor Water Features Waterfalls Water Fountains Stone Masonry and more... Greg, Sunset Construction & Design

High in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, this majestic lodge was custom designed by MossCreek to provide rustic elegant living for the extended family of our clients. Featuring four spacious master suites, a massive great room with floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive porches, and a large family room with built-in bar, the home incorporates numerous spaces for sharing good times. Unique to this design is a large wrap-around porch on the main level, and four large distinct and private balconies on the upper level. This provides outdoor living for each of the four master suites. We hope you enjoy viewing the photos of this beautiful home custom designed by MossCreek. Photo by Todd Bush

This patio area is perfect for enjoying the end of day with friends, relaxing with a good book and enjoying a fire in the free-standing fire pit. Enjoy the outdoors again.

Multiple gables and arches create an attractive exterior for this family-friendly house plan. The Markham makes efficient use of space with garage storage, a full pantry, and a spacious utility room just off the three-car garage. Each bedroom in this house plan has a walk-in closet and decorative ceiling treatments, and the master bedroom includes a sitting area and access to the back porch. The house plan has a screen porch off the dining room which features an inviting fireplace for year-round enjoyment.

This 1910 West Highlands home was so compartmentalized that you couldn't help to notice you were constantly entering a new room every 8-10 feet. There was also a 500 SF addition put on the back of the home to accommodate a living room, 3/4 bath, laundry room and back foyer - 350 SF of that was for the living room. Needless to say, the house needed to be gutted and replanned. Kitchen+Dining+Laundry-Like most of these early 1900's homes, the kitchen was not the heartbeat of the home like they are today. This kitchen was tucked away in the back and smaller than any other social rooms in the house. We knocked out the walls of the dining room to expand and created an open floor plan suitable for any type of gathering. As a nod to the history of the home, we used butcherblock for all the countertops and shelving which was accented by tones of brass, dusty blues and light-warm greys. This room had no storage before so creating ample storage and a variety of storage types was a critical ask for the client. One of my favorite details is the blue crown that draws from one end of the space to the other, accenting a ceiling that was otherwise forgotten. Primary Bath-This did not exist prior to the remodel and the client wanted a more neutral space with strong visual details. We split the walls in half with a datum line that transitions from penny gap molding to the tile in the shower. To provide some more visual drama, we did a chevron tile arrangement on the floor, gridded the shower enclosure for some deep contrast an array of brass and quartz to elevate the finishes. Powder Bath-This is always a fun place to let your vision get out of the box a bit. All the elements were familiar to the space but modernized and more playful. The floor has a wood look tile in a herringbone arrangement, a navy vanity, gold fixtures that are all servants to the star of the room - the blue and white deco wall tile behind the vanity. Full Bath-This was a quirky little bathroom that you'd always keep the door closed when guests are over. Now we have brought the blue tones into the space and accented it with bronze fixtures and a playful southwestern floor tile. Living Room & Office-This room was too big for its own good and now serves multiple purposes. We condensed the space to provide a living area for the whole family plus other guests and left enough room to explain the space with floor cushions. The office was a bonus to the project as it provided privacy to a room that otherwise had none before.

Large kitchen with open floor plan. Double islands, custom cabinets, wood ceiling, hardwood floors. Beautiful All White Siding Country Home with Spacious Brick Floor Front Porch. Home Features Hardwood Flooring and Ceilings in Foyer and Kitchen. Rustic Family Room includes Stone Fireplace as well as a Vaulted Exposed Beam Ceiling. A Second Stone Fireplace Overlooks the Eating Area. The Kitchen Hosts Two Granite Counter Top Islands, Stainless Steel Appliances, Lots of Counter Tops Space and Natural Lighting. Large Master Bath. Outdoor Living Space includes a Covered Brick Patio with Brick Fireplace as well as a Swimming Pool with Water Slide and a in Ground Hot Tub.