Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2013 Houzz
Living room - eclectic open concept living room idea in New York with white walls

For a client with a deep appreciation for all manner of architectural styles – and the passion to transform his lifelong dream of a single home showcasing their wide variety into reality – we were thrilled to meet the challenge. Consider the elements: an English conservatory-style kitchen. A Bahamian plantation-inspired bedroom. Florentine palazzos, Swiss chalets, Lowcountry fishing huts – all informed our journey from broad concept to unified, cohesive actuality. First and foremost a home meant to cosset and comfort an active family, it is also an elegant and gracious example of the many handcrafted arts too seldom seen. From custom ceiling treatments to hand-woven rugs, evidence of the artist’s hand abounds, imparting exquisite detail on virtually each and every surface. Nestled waterside along shimmering shores, this home is truly a dream come true – and proof the fanciful notions of the heart can indeed be transformed into functional living spaces that nurture, inspire, and satisfy the soul. Photo: Carlos Domenech Photography

"Gale Force" blue painted cabinets and grey "Morel" stained Hickory cabinets. The elegant "Morel" stain emphasizes the natural Hickory wood grain with a subtle gray tone that beautifully coordinates with the cool, deep blue paint.

Formal Dining room, featuring wicker-backed rounded dining chairs as well as a pictograph buffet beneath a beautiful afro-inspired art piece flanked by a spotted table lamp and metal sculptures. Scrolling up to the hero image of this blog post, you were greeted with another view of this stunning formal dining room. The wood dining table is framed by merlot velvet drapery and orange pampas grass in wicker floor vases atop an exquisitely textured area rug. This home exudes a style that truly needs to be seen to be appreciated.

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

Design showroom Kitchen for Gabriel Builders featuring a limestone hood, mosaic tile backsplash, pewter island, wolf appliances, exposed fir beams, limestone floors, and pot filler. Rear pantry hosts a wine cooler and ice machine and storage for parties or set up space for caterers

The overall impact of this kitchen space is the defining element in the overall scheme for the project. We were able to flip around a stone fireplace to become a dominant focal point in the interior space. We created a central axis from front to rear by the addition of the massive window wall leading to the outdoor entertaining area. Clearly the woodwork and the attention to every detail are evident in the final product. This unique kitchen is the focal point of 2 complimentary buildings which have been connected to form a beautiful master suite on one side and a lively family room and dining room on the other. This central open kitchen is the focal point for this sensitive and creative renovation. Custom walnut cabinets and built-ins and Danby marble countertops blend perfectly with the carefully re-pointed stone walls of the original walls of the existing buildings.

Dimension: 76" L X 21" D X 83" H The sophisticated charm of our Meriden Mahogany Wood Two-Tone Blue Dining Room Buffet with Hutch is evident at first glance, and its incredible storage is wonderfully apparent with each and every use! Anchor your dining room decor and storage in the heirloom prestige of this solid wood buffet with hutch! This solid mahogany wood hutch supplies relaxed sophistication for creative and easy entertaining with a bevy of cleverly balanced closed and display style storage options. The buffet is outfitted with an impressive collection of cabinet space, featuring four doors with interior shelving. Perched above are three drawers of various sizes to accommodate your linen and silverware storage needs. The hutch is a maestro, showcasing your treasured collections and keepsakes in elegant form with four glass-front display cabinets complete with shelving for an efficient arrangement. It is easy to fall in love with the beauty of this rustic hutch. Handcrafted of solid mahogany wood, the Old World care and attention that went into its creation is evident in its durable dependability and timeless design. The attractive two-tone palette is an appealing mix of natural wood tones paired with a relaxed blue and finished with decorative molding that pulls the look together in sleek form. Special Features: • 100% Handcrafted • Made of solid wood • Glass-front display hutch with interior shelving • Two small drawers • One large drawer • Four cabinets with shelves for enclosed storage Note: Our furniture is made of solid wood (not wood veneer over plywood). It is handcrafted by Master Artisans. Real wood is a product of nature, and as such, no two pieces are alike. Variations in solid wood grain patterns are to be expected and make each furniture uniquely beautiful, just like us humans.

IMOTO photo
Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped light wood floor and beige floor eat-in kitchen design in Denver with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Scott Hargis Photo
Farmhouse u-shaped dark wood floor enclosed kitchen photo in San Francisco with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, an island and paneled appliances

Bedroom - mid-sized traditional master carpeted bedroom idea in Boston with yellow walls, a standard fireplace and a brick fireplace

Toward the rear of the house interior spaces look into the outdoor spaces, connecting them through views. The interior kitchen has a visual connection with the outdoor dining area leading people into the shaded outdoor spaces. Robin Hill

Photo: Lucy Call © 2013 Houzz Design: Imbue Design and Sausage Space
Living room - modern open concept living room idea in Salt Lake City with white walls

Lucas Allen
Foyer - large victorian dark wood floor foyer idea in Jacksonville with white walls

Dramatic home bar separated from dining area by chainmail curtain. Tile blacksplash and custom wine storage above custom dark wood cabinets with brass pulls.

Bret Jelinek - Chicago Home Photos
Example of a trendy galley medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen design in Chicago with paneled appliances, an island, an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash and white countertops

Located on farmland in McLean, Virginia, the American Farmhouse balances the expected comforts of a new home with the bucolic beauty of an old farmhouse. The final site plan still has evidence showing parallel courses of the barn’s destiny. The house mass is broken and lowered so that the home can remain secondary to the monolithic barn structure. Earthy and elemental materials are selected for the home that reference the barn without directly mimicking it. Wooden members found inside the barn and from other barns bridge ceilings and are used in floors along with rustic slate adding to a sense of simplicity to the farmhouse design. The age and patina of the barn is reflected in the house’s textural use of board and batten and field stone layered similar to stone foundations. The original development plan was to demolish the existing barn and construct three suburban homes. Part of an endangered breed, as one of the few remaining barns in the area, it was originally viewed as a challenge in a luxury home construction with several difficulties posed to the impending project: it would be expensive to renovate, vulnerable to demolition, and threatened by urban sprawl. However, instead of trying to alter or destroy the barn, the structure was fully embraced into the traditional architecture project as a centerpiece and was used as the inspiration for the home. The new house was sited parallel to the barn so that views to the barn gable were accessible.

This is a different view of the tea house. The low bamboo fence helps to define the relation of the tea house to the garden. The ridge roof architectural style (kirizuma) is very evident in this photo. The roof has layered cedar shingles and is topped at the ridge with Japanese ceramic tiles.

Example of a transitional kitchen pantry design in Chicago with gray cabinets