Native Little Bluestem catches the late summer sun.
This is an example of a traditional full sun landscaping in New York.

Living room - rustic formal and open concept dark wood floor living room idea in Minneapolis with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace, beige walls and a wall-mounted tv

Mid-century modern light wood floor and beige floor kitchen photo in Orange County with marble countertops, two islands, white countertops, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets and paneled appliances

Transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor mudroom photo in Kansas City with beige walls

Photos: Regan Wood
Inspiration for a transitional 3/4 mosaic tile floor and white floor bathroom remodel in New York with medium tone wood cabinets, a two-piece toilet, blue walls, an undermount sink and flat-panel cabinets

Example of a mid-sized classic master black and white tile and marble tile porcelain tile and multicolored floor bathroom design in Vancouver with a one-piece toilet, white walls, a pedestal sink and a hinged shower door

Photo Credit: JLF Architecture
Example of a large mountain style u-shaped dark wood floor open concept kitchen design in Jackson with an island, a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, solid surface countertops, brown backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Example of a classic carpeted and gray floor bedroom design in Richmond with gray walls

Bob Narod
Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in DC Metro with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, ceramic backsplash, paneled appliances, an island, brown backsplash, an undermount sink and wood countertops

Photography by Timeless Photojournalism (www.timelessphotojournalism.com)
Dining room - contemporary dark wood floor dining room idea in Raleigh with purple walls

Designer: Paul McClean Project Type: New Single Family Residence Location: Los Angeles, CA Approximate Size: 15,500 sf Completion Date: 2012 Photographer: Jim Bartsch

Example of a trendy living room design in Dallas

Meredith Heuer
Example of a large trendy master brown tile and stone slab porcelain tile walk-in shower design in New York

Example of a classic mirror tile powder room design in Minneapolis with an undermount sink

The clients, a young professional couple had lived with this bathroom in their townhome for 6 years. They finally could not take it any longer. The designer was tasked with turning this ugly duckling into a beautiful swan without relocating walls, doors, fittings, or fixtures in this principal bathroom. The client wish list included, better storage, improved lighting, replacing the tub with a shower, and creating a sparkling personality for this uninspired space using any color way except white. The designer began the transformation with the wall tile. Large format rectangular tiles were installed floor to ceiling on the vanity wall and continued behind the toilet and into the shower. The soft variation in tile pattern is very soothing and added to the Zen feeling of the room. One partner is an avid gardener and wanted to bring natural colors into the space. The same tile is used on the floor in a matte finish for slip resistance and in a 2” mosaic of the same tile is used on the shower floor. A lighted tile recess was created across the entire back wall of the shower beautifully illuminating the wall. Recycled glass tiles used in the niche represent the color and shape of leaves. A single glass panel was used in place of a traditional shower door. Continuing the serene colorway of the bath, natural rift cut white oak was chosen for the vanity and the floating shelves above the toilet. A white quartz for the countertop, has a small reflective pattern like the polished chrome of the fittings and hardware. Natural curved shapes are repeated in the arch of the faucet, the hardware, the front of the toilet and shower column. The rectangular shape of the tile is repeated in the drawer fronts of the cabinets, the sink, the medicine cabinet, and the floating shelves. The shower column was selected to maintain the simple lines of the fittings while providing a temperature, pressure balance shower experience with a multi-function main shower head and handheld head. The dual flush toilet and low flow shower are a water saving consideration. The floating shelves provide decorative and functional storage. The asymmetric design of the medicine cabinet allows for a full view in the mirror with the added function of a tri view mirror when open. Built in LED lighting is controllable from 2500K to 4000K. The interior of the medicine cabinet is also mirrored and electrified to keep the countertop clear of necessities. Additional lighting is provided with recessed LED fixtures for the vanity area as well as in the shower. A motion sensor light installed under the vanity illuminates the room with a soft glow at night. The transformation is now complete. No longer an ugly duckling and source of unhappiness, the new bathroom provides a much-needed respite from the couples’ busy lives. It has created a retreat to recharge and replenish, two very important components of wellness.

Bathroom - contemporary white tile travertine floor bathroom idea in Other with a drop-in sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets and gray walls

Property marketed by Hudson Place Realty - Chic & contemporary 2 bedroom 2 bathroom with private Ipe’ deck & Freedom Tower views in Hoboken's landmark boutique building. Formerly a coconut warehouse, now an in demand visionary LEED GOLD certified building. With 1550 sq. ft. & floor to ceiling windows, this swanky south facing condo has it all; fantastic light, a sleek Italian Valcucine kitchen, Viking refrigerator, integrated Miele DW, Viking 6 burner range with fully vented hood, Viking wine cooler & tempered glass counters. Master suite with walk in closet & spa bath featuring imported Zen soaking tub, separate shower, linen closet, Duravit double sink & Lightolier sconces. Sonos music system, custom closets throughout, bamboo floors, planted green living roof with residents area featuring fabulous NYC & Hudson River views, filtered fresh air system, private storage & bike room. Concrete sub floors and Quiet Rock insulation for soundproofing. Absolutely ideal location, bordered on the western side by the newly established Garden Street Mews pedestrian area, parks, shopping, waterfront and all transportation. NYC bus at door & only 3 blocks to ferry. LEED certified GOLD building.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   One of my favorite things to work on is older homes with a bit of history because I find it an interesting challenge to marry the historical architectural features of a home with modern design elements that work well for my client’s current lifestyle. This home was particularly fun because it was the second kitchen we had done for this family and was quite a departure from the style of the first kitchen. The before shot of the kitchen shows a view from the family room. See the dropped ceiling? We were curious, was this just part of the design or was the dropped ceiling there to hide mechanicals? Well we soon found out that it was mostly decorative (yay!), and with the exception of a little bit of work to some plumbing from an upstairs bathroom and rerouting of the ventilation system within the original floor joists, we were in the clear, phew! The shot of the completed kitchen from roughly the same vantage point shows how much taller the ceilings are. It makes a huge difference in the feel of the space. Dark and gloomy turned fresh and light! Another serious consideration was what do we do with the skinny transom window above the refrigerator. After much back and forth, we decided to eliminate it and do some open shelving instead. This ended up being one of the nicest areas in the room. I am calling it the “fun zone” because it houses all the barware, wine cubbies and a bar fridge — the perfect little buffet spot for entertaining. It is flanked on either side by pull out pantries that I’m sure will get a ton of use. Since the neighboring room has literally three walls of almost full height windows, the kitchen gets plenty of light. The gold shelving brackets, large pendant fixtures over the island and the tile mural behind the range all pay subtle homage to the home’s prairie style architecture and bring a bit of sparkle to the room. Even though the room is quite large, the work triangle is very tight with the large Subzero fridge, sink and range all nearby for easy maneuvering during meal prep. There is seating for four at the island, and work aisles are generous. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Eric Roth Photography
Example of a minimalist light wood floor entryway design in Boston with white walls and a white front door