Large, engineered stone wall made from unique natural stone blend.
Photo of a large traditional front yard stone retaining wall landscape in Minneapolis.

David Meaux Photography
Example of a mid-sized transitional boy medium tone wood floor and brown floor kids' room design in DC Metro with gray walls

The Best Way to Build a Log Home. EverLog™ Systems family of concrete log home products offer the exact look and texture of natural wood cabin logs while eliminating the problems commonly associated with wood log home construction.

Inspiration for a rustic gray three-story stone gable roof remodel in New York

No, you're not seeing things. That's a soccer field alright. This Chicago rooftop went from empty space to championship-caliber hangout. We wish we could say it was all our idea, but we had a little help from an inspired, imaginative young man. What a collaboration this turned out to be.

New England field stone fireplace.
Large coastal gray two-story wood gable roof idea in Boston

Custom EverDur aluminum double gate at viewing area
Design ideas for a transitional landscaping in Boston.

EverBrew Built-In Coffee Maker. Fully programmable. Integrates into your kitchen. Credit: Water, Inc.
Minimalist kitchen photo in Los Angeles

Free ebook, CREATING THE IDEAL KITCHEN Download now → http://bit.ly/idealkitchen The homeowners came to us with the desire to update their master bathroom into a more spa-like retreat that was also more functional for their daily needs. The existing space was large with a vaulted ceiling, lots of natural light and an existing private water closet. So the bones of the space were great and the room just needed a few tweaks. We started by relocating the cramped shower that shared the water closet room, to the existing tub location. The giant whirlpool tub took up more than its share of real estate in the room, and the beautiful new shower, which gets used daily, now sits in its spot. The new shower features beautiful lass tile accents as well as a bench seat and frameless shower door. The new tub is freestanding and sits in front of an updated slightly smaller window, providing a sculptural focal point upon entry to the room. There was still plenty of room for two large vanities, and a corner storage cabinet and appliance garage that hides small bathroom necessities. The water closet remains in its own private room and the area that once housed the shower, is now an additional closet for the master bedroom. The room is a pallet of soft grays and whites with the cherry vanities adding some warmth. Polished chrome and glass accents bring some sparkle to the space. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Mike Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Modern exterior home idea in Seattle

Sunken garden... a raingarden channel and draintile takes water out the side slope.
Elegant patio photo in Minneapolis

Aerial Shot of the completed irregular blue stone and field stone pool patio. (Right side)
Pool - mid-sized contemporary backyard stone and rectangular pool idea in New York

Matthew Niemann Photography
Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in Austin

Example of an exterior home design in Boise

What began as a renovation project morphed into a new house, driven by the natural beauty of the site. The new structures are perfectly aligned with the coastline, and take full advantage of the views of ocean, islands, and shoals. The location is within walking distance of town and its amenities, yet miles away in the privacy it affords. The house is nestled on a nicely wooded lot, giving the residence screening from the street, with an open meadow leading to the ocean on the rear of the lot. The design concept was driven by the serenity of the site, enhanced by textures of trees, plantings, sand and shoreline. The newly constructed house sits quietly in a location advantageously positioned to take full advantage of natural light and solar orientations. The visual calm is enhanced by the natural material: stone, wood, and metal throughout the home. The main structures are comprised of traditional New England forms, with modern connectors serving to unify the structures. Each building is equally suited for single floor living, if that future needs is ever necessary. Unique too is an underground connection between main house and an outbuilding. With their flowing connections, no room is isolated or ignored; instead each reflects a different level of privacy and social interaction. Just as there are layers to the exterior in beach, field, forest and oceans, the inside has a layered approach. Textures in wood, stone, and neutral colors combine with the warmth of linens, wools, and metals. Personality and character of the interiors and its furnishings are tailored to the client’s lifestyle. Rooms are arranged and organized in an intersection of public and private spaces. The quiet palette within reflects the nature outside, enhanced with artwork and accessories.

Architect: Andre Tchelistcheff Architects New York. NY Builder: Xhema of Greenwich CT Installer: TRM Enterprises Bridgehampton NY Back story. Northern has worked with both Xhema and TRM many tiles. We have worked with Andre before he branched out on his own. Originally Xhema’s contact was to replace the roof and repair the garage, which as some point had been made into an indoor swimming pool without adequate ventilation. The budget was about $8m and there were 20 drawings. By the time the job was 6 months old the scope of work has expanded to over $30m and over 200 drawings had been produced. Northern was contacted to visit the site and evaluate the existing roof. Although the house had been added to over the years the same tile was used but due to the location of the house the color of the tile varied considerably from the front to the back. Northern identified a large number of custom details which would require us to: 1) Match the existing Field tile in size, thickness (it was actually thicker at the butt and reduced to ½” where the tile is overlapped) , surface texture and the color. 2) Make tiles that are curved in their length to suit the curved rafter on the gabled dormers. 3) Make the curved tiles to suit the low slope octagonal tower. 4) Make the curved tiles and Arris style hips to suit the hipped dormers with the curved rafters. 5) Make the segmented tiles to suit the round turret. 6) Make the custom arris style hip tiles for the octagonal tower. 7) Make the custom Arris style hip to suit the different roof pitches as well as the varying splays at the eaves. 8) Make the custom pieces to suit the swept valleys Simon broke down each section of the roof. He indented all items for each section and agreed the measure etc with the installers. This ‘Project Bible’ became an invaluable tool for the installer, our tile makers and us. We shipped some samples from the original roof to Sahtas who replicated tall the details. I was visiting factory and delayed my return to the Saturday so that the tiles coming out of the kiln late Friday night could be wrapped and packed into newly purchase suit cases. I arrived home late Saturday evening and Simon picked me up Sunday afternoon and drove us down to Greenwich for an 8 am meeting with the clients. When we unpacked the tiles they were still warm and Hilfiger signed off on the color, although his wife suggested we make them a bit darker a ‘as he has a dreadful sense of color!’ We took Vincent Liot, owner of TRM to the factory twice so that he could oversee the prototyping of all the myriad custom pieces. This was an invaluable move as he pre-approved all the pieces before they were shipped. The installation was completed and everyone was very pleased with the final outcome. The Hilfiger’s estate manager told me that a group of friends who were staying the weekend after all the work was completed were heard to ask Mr. Hilfiger ‘I thought you were having a new roof’…to which he responded ‘we did but you can’t tell, which as the plan” …perfect! In refection this is probably the most complicated roof Northern has ever had the pleasure to supply. We learned a lot of very valuable lessons but in future when we are asked how did we do it we will answer ‘that is for us to know and for you to pay for!’

Artwork: 'Bay III' Michelle’s ever expanding collection of watery Low Country sea and landscapes are influenced by all those field trips, and the ability to soak up the very unique flavors, up and down the Atlantic coastline. She translates her travels and impressions onto the canvas just as soon as she returns home to her busy Studio space so near and dear to her heart.

This master bathroom renovation in Frisco was completed for a repeat USI Design & Remodeling client as part of a larger first-floor transformation of the home. The original bathroom reflected a very typical North Texas layout of its era — dark stained cabinetry, granite countertops, compartmentalized vanities, a built-in tub adjoining a framed shower, and separated spaces that no longer aligned with how the homeowners wanted to live. As their aesthetic evolved toward a more transitional and contemporary direction, the goal became less about replacing finishes and more about redefining the experience of the room itself. The project needed to feel calmer, more architectural, and far more intentional in how the space functioned visually and emotionally. One of the most important changes was removing the original shower curb and pony wall in favor of a fully open curbless shower with ultra-clear ½-inch heavy glass. Achieving that look required recessing the slab, re-floating the shower floor toward a linear drain, and engineering the space so the room would read as visually uninterrupted from end to end. Throughout the project, many of the design decisions were rooted in restraint rather than excess. The oversized 24x48 Porcelanosa flooring carries very little shade variation, creating a quieter visual field, while the cabinetry was executed in rift-sawn white oak specifically because it produces a far more controlled and consistent finish outcome than more common cuts of wood. In luxury projects, consistency itself becomes part of the refinement. The floating vanity was designed more like custom furniture than traditional cabinetry, utilizing waterfall mitered edges and fully reworked plumbing locations so both homeowners could share in having generous functional countertop space. The original makeup station was repurposed into integrated storage with powered drawers and concealed organization for everyday items such as blow dryers and flat irons. Along the vanity wall, wall-mounted plumbing fixtures were paired with ribbed natural marble surfaces — a detail that required intentional planning long before construction began. Rather than allowing the ribbed material to terminate awkwardly behind the fixtures, the backsplash and stone transitions were specifically designed to resolve those conditions cleanly. Those are the types of details that distinguish highly coordinated design-build work from projects that simply assemble materials together. While the room contains a significant amount of luxury detailing — from the freestanding tub and geoprism marble focal wall to the custom rift-sawn white oak closet doors and elongated mirrors that leverage the 11-foot ceiling heights — the project was always guided by quiet luxury rather than visual competition. Even the water closet enclosure was handled with restraint through the use of a satin-etched glass door rather than another heavy solid opening. The intent throughout was to create a bathroom that feels restorative and serene rather than overdesigned. In our view, the best luxury spaces are the ones that feel composed long after the initial impression wears off.

This collection is an arrangement of beautiful scenes from photography of the Lower Southeastern region of the United States and beyond! Michelle’s ever expanding collection of watery Low Country sea and landscapes are influenced by all those field trips, and the ability to soak up the very unique flavors, up and down the Atlantic coastline. She then translates her travels and impressions onto the canvas just as soon as she returns home to her busy Studio space so near and dear to her heart.