When my client had to move from her company office to work at home, she set up in the dining room. Despite her best efforts, this was not the long-term solution she was looking for. My client realized she needed a dedicated space not on the main floor of the home. On one hand, having your office space right next to the kitchen is handy. On the other hand, it made separating work and home life was not that easy. The house was a ranch. In essence, the basement would run entire length of the home. As we came down the steps, we entered a time capsule. The house was built in the 1950’s. The walls were covered with original knotty pine paneling. There was a wood burning fireplace and considering this was a basement, high ceilings. In addition, there was everything her family could not store at their own homes. As we wound though the space, I though “wow this has potential”, Eventually, after walking through the laundry room we came to a small nicely lit room. This would be the office. My client looked at me and asked what I thought. Undoubtedly, I said, this can be a great workspace, but do you really want to walk through this basement and laundry to get here? Without reservation, my client said where do we start? Once the design was in place, we started the renovation. The knotty pine paneling had to go. Specifically, to add some insulation and control the dampness and humidity. The laundry room wall was relocated to create a hallway to the office. At the far end of the room, we designated a workout zone. Weights, mats, exercise bike and television are at the ready for morning or afternoon workouts. The space can be concealed by a folding screen for party time. Doors to an old closet under the stairs were relocated to the workout area for hidden storage. Now we had nice wall for a beautiful console and mirror for storage and serving during parties. In order to add architectural details, we covered the old ugly support columns with simple recessed millwork panels. This detail created a visual division between the bar area and the seating area in front of the fireplace. The old red brick on the fireplace surround was replaced with stack stone. A mantle was made from reclaimed wood. Additional reclaimed wood floating shelves left and right of the fireplace provides decorative display while maintaining a rustic element balancing the copper end table and leather swivel rocker. We found an amazing rug which tied all of the colors together further defining the gathering space. Russet and burnt orange became the accent color unifying each space. With a bit of whimsy, a rather unusual light fixture which looks like roots from a tree growing through the ceiling is a conversation piece. The office space is quite and removed from the main part of the basement. There is a desk large enough for multiple screens, a small bookcase holding office supplies and a comfortable chair for conference calls. Because working from home requires many online meetings, we added a shiplap wall painted in Hale Navy to contrast with the orange fabric on the chair. We finished the décor with a painting from my client’s father. This is the background online visitors will see. The last and best part of the renovation is the beautiful bar. My client is an avid collector of wine. She already had the EuroCave refrigerator, so I incorporated it into the design. The cabinets are painted Temptation Grey from Benjamin Moore. The counter tops are my favorite hard working quartzite Brown Fantasy. The backsplash is a combination of rustic wood and old tin ceiling like porcelain tiles. Together with the textures of the reclaimed wood and hide poofs balanced against the smooth finish of the cabinets, we created a comfortable luxury for relaxing. There is ample storage for bottles, cans, glasses, and anything else you can think of for a great party. In addition to the wine storage, we incorporated a beverage refrigerator, an ice maker, and a sink. Floating shelves with integrated lighting illuminate the back bar. The raised height of the front bar provides the perfect wine tasting and paring spot. I especially love the pendant lights which look like wine glasses. Finally, I selected carpet for the stairs and office. It is perfect for noise reduction. Meanwhile for the overall flooring, I specifically selected a high-performance vinyl plank floor. We often use this product as it is perfect to install on a concrete floor. It is soft to walk on, easy to clean and does not reduce the overall height of the space.

JC Buck Photography
Mid-sized 1960s master gray tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile alcove shower photo in Denver with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink and quartz countertops

Tuscan bathroom photo in Philadelphia

Vivian Johnson
Example of a country light wood floor and brown floor kitchen design in San Francisco with a single-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, black appliances, an island and gray countertops

Townhouse renovation in Brooklyn: We redesigned the rear end of the house as an expanded family kitchen with a back door to the deck. We also added a new connection from the entrance hall to the kitchen and fit a small powder room under the stairs. The old windows and doors were replaced with new, larger ones, and the entire kitchen was gutted and refitted with new cabinetry and a banquette dining area. The space was designed to take advantage of the bright southern exposure, with lots of white materials, grounded by the dark base cabinets. Photos by Maletz Design

Transitional home design photo in Chicago

Drop-in bathtub - mid-sized transitional 3/4 gray tile and ceramic tile gray floor drop-in bathtub idea in Los Angeles with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, a drop-in sink and white countertops

The homeowner had custom etched and stained glass to incorporate into various parts of the home. The homeowners are cyclists, and if you look closely you can see the bicycle seat riding through a bamboo forest above the sink. Dave Adams Photography

Open concept kitchen - large cottage l-shaped light wood floor open concept kitchen idea in Boston with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, brown backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Judy Proctor
Country exterior home photo in New York

Bathroom - bathroom idea in Atlanta

Grey Giraffe
Patio - transitional patio idea in Salt Lake City

Decomposed Granite path between Giant Sequoias leads to repurposed, reshaped and stained rear concrete slab. Micro-climate appropriate plants complete the picture. Photo by Ketti Kupper.

Nantucket Architectural Photography
Example of a large beach style backyard concrete paver and rectangular pool house design in Boston

Mom retreat a relaxing Master Bedroom in soft blue grey and white color palette. Paint color Benjamin Moore Brittany Blue, Circa Lighting, Custom bedside tables, Custom grey upholster bed, Lili Alessandra Bedding, Stark Carpet rug, Wallpaper panels thibaut, Paper flower Etsy

The new front elevation of the Manhattan Beach Mid-Century Modern house. The original house from the 1950s was by famed architect Edward Ficket. In the 1980s a bad addition was done that hid the original house and completely changed the character.. Our goal was to revamp the entire house and in the process restore some of the mid-century magic.

Paul Markert, Markert Photo, Inc.
Basement - small craftsman underground ceramic tile and brown floor basement idea in Minneapolis with beige walls and no fireplace

Thermally treated ash wood provides the privacy wall and platform for the yoga garden.

When we found out we were expecting in June, we had already put a plan in motion to merge our home offices to eventually make way for a nursery. After the excitement of the big news we kicked it into high gear! First off we painted the room a crisp white to contrast from the past 2 tone dark office colours. Our amazing painter Carolyn from Roll Her Sleeves then traced out and painted our vision for the mural. At first we wanted to go very minimal but after looking at it for a few weeks, we asked her to come back and add a forefront layer of grey mountains, details in the peaks and the yellow sun. During that time the search for the perfect modern crib was on. We found the Hudson model from Babyletto which we loved from one of our suppliers in the states but after duties and shipping it ended up being more practical to buy it here in town. At the Artemano opening we hosted in November, we connected with Jonathan from Obasan mattresses. He graciously offered to supply us with one of their locally made high quality mattresses. We can’t wait for our baby boy to sleep on it! Our rocking chair has quite the story behind it. We originally found it for $8 ( yes eight ) dollars last spring. We weren’t sure at the time where and how we were going to use it so we had stored it in one of the garages where we were keeping furniture for an ongoing model home project. One morning we arrived and noticed the chair was missing. We made a call to our construction contact and he relayed the message. Next thing we know a worker was jumping in the garbage bins across the street. They had believed the chair was to be thrown away. Although a bit dusty it was recovered in decent shape. A few months passed and we started entertaining the idea of using it as our rocker. We asked Melissa’s dad if he would be interested in converting it to a rocker for us, and always up for a challenge he accepted and came through big time! At least was the task of reupholstering. We kind of liked the fun bright orange it was but decided to keep it safe with a nice grey material. After trying numerous curtains ( we lost count ) we finally settled on a old fav, the west elm chevrons. As well, 3 or 4 rugs were attempted until we tried the yellow rug from Urban Barn and instantly knew that was the one. We slid a couple small Ikea hacks in there. We wrapped an inexpensive floor lamp with rope to give it a different look ( and hide the silver since everything is brass ) and spray painted the shelf hinges to match the rest of the finishes. Photo: Sacha Leclair