Photos by Jennifer Hughes
Inspiration for a mediterranean dark wood floor living room library remodel in Baltimore with white walls, a standard fireplace and no tv

Nearly two decades ago now, Susan and her husband put a letter in the mailbox of this eastside home: "If you have any interest in selling, please reach out." But really, who would give up a Flansburgh House? Fast forward to 2020, when the house went on the market! By then it was clear that three children and a busy home design studio couldn't be crammed into this efficient footprint. But what's second best to moving into your dream home? Being asked to redesign the functional core for the family that was. In this classic Flansburgh layout, all the rooms align tidily in a square around a central hall and open air atrium. As such, all the spaces are both connected to one another and also private; and all allow for visual access to the outdoors in two directions—toward the atrium and toward the exterior. All except, in this case, the utilitarian galley kitchen. That space, oft-relegated to second class in midcentury architecture, got the shaft, with narrow doorways on two ends and no good visual access to the atrium or the outside. Who spends time in the kitchen anyway? As is often the case with even the very best midcentury architecture, the kitchen at the Flansburgh House needed to be modernized; appliances and cabinetry have come a long way since 1970, but our culture has evolved too, becoming more casual and open in ways we at SYH believe are here to stay. People (gasp!) do spend time—lots of time!—in their kitchens! Nonetheless, our goal was to make this kitchen look as if it had been designed this way by Earl Flansburgh himself. The house came to us full of bold, bright color. We edited out some of it (along with the walls it was on) but kept and built upon the stunning red, orange and yellow closet doors in the family room adjacent to the kitchen. That pop was balanced by a few colorful midcentury pieces that our clients already owned, and the stunning light and verdant green coming in from both the atrium and the perimeter of the house, not to mention the many skylights. Thus, the rest of the space just needed to quiet down and be a beautiful, if neutral, foil. White terrazzo tile grounds custom plywood and black cabinetry, offset by a half wall that offers both camouflage for the cooking mess and also storage below, hidden behind seamless oak tambour. Contractor: Rusty Peterson Cabinetry: Stoll's Woodworking Photographer: Sarah Shields

Large trendy entryway photo in Boston

Small minimalist 3/4 black tile and cement tile cement tile floor, black floor and single-sink alcove shower photo in New York with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, an integrated sink, a hinged shower door, white countertops and a floating vanity

Southwest bathroom photo in San Francisco

Bathroom - cottage bathroom idea in Orlando

This kitchen was updated to reflect a light and airy mixed wood and paint, family eat-in style island. Inset cabinets paired with quart countertops and herringbone natural stone backsplash.

Trendy light wood floor and vaulted ceiling kitchen photo in New York with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, laminate countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, black appliances, an island and black countertops

Essentials Close at Hand with Wall Control Pegboard. Kitchen Pegboard is great for hanging pots, pans, and kitchen supplies.
Inspiration for a modern kitchen remodel in Atlanta

Transitional bathroom photo in San Diego

Example of a transitional bedroom design in Sacramento

Example of a mountain style guest bedroom design

Farmhouse home office photo in San Francisco

Example of a transitional light wood floor and beige floor single front door design in Orange County with a medium wood front door and white walls

Modern farmhouse kitchen featuring white ceiling and white cabinetry accented with blue ceramic backsplash tiles, a white farmhouse kitchen sink, black drawer pulls and handles, lucite and silver metal counter seating at a kitchen island painted cornflower-blue, stainless steel appliances including a stove/cooktop, hood, dishwasher and fridge, and glass dewdrop-shaped pendant lights against a backdrop of cedar wood walls, and hardwood flooring.

Photo by Krista Cox Studio
Transitional medium tone wood floor, brown floor, exposed beam and vaulted ceiling living room photo in Charlotte with white walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Large trendy marble floor bedroom photo in Mumbai with white walls

Example of a large tuscan ceramic tile living room design in Hyderabad with white walls

The bed folds up on to the wall behind it between wardrobes, assisted by concealed hydraulic gas pumps requiring minimal effort by one person. Once the bed is folded up, sliding folding doors are drawn across it to align with the adjacent cupboards. Once closed, the entire wall appears to be a continuous wardrobe, with no hint of the bed behind, completely transforming the room. The bed has a ply base over aluminium framing and a carved wooden edge band all around.