The homeowners sought to create a modest, modern, lakeside cottage, nestled into a narrow lot in Tonka Bay. The site inspired a modified shotgun-style floor plan, with rooms laid out in succession from front to back. Simple and authentic materials provide a soft and inviting palette for this modern home. Wood finishes in both warm and soft grey tones complement a combination of clean white walls, blue glass tiles, steel frames, and concrete surfaces. Sustainable strategies were incorporated to provide healthy living and a net-positive-energy-use home. Onsite geothermal, solar panels, battery storage, insulation systems, and triple-pane windows combine to provide independence from frequent power outages and supply excess power to the electrical grid. Photos by Corey Gaffer

This CKD professionally-designed kitchen is meant for the serious cook or chef with Wolf range, Sub Zero refrigeration and modern Italian stainless steel farmhouse sink. Built in butcher block prep center, pull out spice and condiment racks flanking the range and full-extension drawer bases with storage accessories make this kitchen a joy to work in. Natural cherry cabinets with natural marsh grass door glazing give this space a warm feel. High Performance Living in Silicon Valley. One Sky Homes Designs and Builds the healthiest, most comfortable and energy balanced homes on the planet. Passive House and Zero Net Energy standards for both new and existing homes.

Photo-Jim Westphalen
Great room - mid-sized modern concrete floor and gray floor great room idea with white walls, a wood stove and a metal fireplace

Corten Steel Bio Planter Filters and Cleans Rain Water from Three Roofs. Eco Pavers also hold excess rain water making this whole area pervious and sustainable. House by Cascade Built an awesome company that let us try something new with our steel bio planter.

The rear of this Central Street Neighborhood yard floods regularly during heavy rains. Rather than fight mother nature, Prassas Landscape Studio created a rain garden to store excess stormwater until it can percolate into the soil. The rain garden is also fed by the roof’s runoff and basement’s sump pump through a contemporary steel runnel. Stone steppers penetrate a curved wall to lead to the back firepit seating area. The upper terrace stairs were modernized and the lower terrace was reconfigured. Darris Lee Harris Photography

The homeowners sought to create a modest, modern, lakeside cottage, nestled into a narrow lot in Tonka Bay. The site inspired a modified shotgun-style floor plan, with rooms laid out in succession from front to back. Simple and authentic materials provide a soft and inviting palette for this modern home. Wood finishes in both warm and soft grey tones complement a combination of clean white walls, blue glass tiles, steel frames, and concrete surfaces. Sustainable strategies were incorporated to provide healthy living and a net-positive-energy-use home. Onsite geothermal, solar panels, battery storage, insulation systems, and triple-pane windows combine to provide independence from frequent power outages and supply excess power to the electrical grid. Photo by Corey Gaffer

Hawkeye Landscape Design We began this project with the idea of making a friendly entryway and social area under the Mulberry tree which provides much needed shade in this hot, mountainous area. The 'red fescue' meadow grass has a cooling effect and the agaves reduce the need for excess water and maintenance. The backyard has a covered dining area with a corner lounge and fireplace. The large barbecue offers a cantilevered counter for entertaining. The waterfall into the pool is surrounded with bamboo and plantings that emulate the hillside beyond the property. The permeable paving and mix of Vitex and Olive trees provide shade for smaller seating areas to enjoy the variety of succulents throughout the garden

Hawkeye Landscape Design We began this project with the idea of making a friendly entryway and social area under the Mulberry tree which provides much needed shade in this hot, mountainous area. The 'red fescue' meadow grass has a cooling effect and the agaves reduce the need for excess water and maintenance. The backyard has a covered dining area with a corner lounge and fireplace. The large barbecue offers a cantilevered counter for entertaining. The waterfall into the pool is surrounded with bamboo and plantings that emulate the hillside beyond the property. The permeable paving and mix of Vitex and Olive trees provide shade for smaller seating areas to enjoy the variety of succulents throughout the garden

Small trendy 3/4 gray tile, white tile and marble tile marble floor and gray floor alcove shower photo in Miami with a hinged shower door

Step 1 is grinding and profiling the floor to properly accept epoxy coating. Step 2 is fill in cracks and voids that may show up through epoxy coating Step 3 is apply epoxy and broadcast flakes Step 4 after floor is dry is to scrape excess flakes before final coat. Step 5 is top-coat with PAP (polyaspartic polyurea) Any other top coat will amber or yellow out with direct sunlight within 1-2 years 3 car garage 650 sq ft $4500

"I bought your mats to cover my front steps because I care for my elderly mom. If she slips and breaks a bone, the consequences could be devastating. We live in MD and just got hit with a 29 inch snowfall! Even when the snow was falling in excess of 3" per hour, the HeatTrak Stair Mats kept my steps free of ice and snow. They sure did the job for me!" - Bill

The owners of a charming home in the hills west of Paso Robles recently decided to remodel their not-so-charming kitchen. Referred to San Luis Kitchen by several of their friends, the homeowners visited our showroom and soon decided we were the best people to design a kitchen fitting the style of their home. We were delighted to get to work on the project right away. When we arrived at the house, we found a small, cramped and out-dated kitchen. The ceiling was low, the cabinets old fashioned and painted a stark dead white, and the best view in the house was neglected in a seldom-used breakfast nook (sequestered behind the kitchen peninsula). This kitchen was also handicapped by white tile counters with dark grout, odd-sized and cluttered cabinets, and small ‘desk’ tacked on to the side of the oven cabinet. Due to a marked lack of counter space & inadequate storage the homeowner had resorted to keeping her small appliances on a little cart parked in the corner and the garbage was just sitting by the wall in full view of everything! On the plus side, the kitchen opened into a nice dining room and had beautiful saltillo tile floors. Mrs. Homeowner loves to entertain and often hosts dinner parties for her friends. She enjoys visiting with her guests in the kitchen while putting the finishing touches on the evening’s meal. Sadly, her small kitchen really limited her interactions with her guests – she often felt left out of the mix at her own parties! This savvy homeowner dreamed big – a new kitchen that would accommodate multiple workstations, have space for guests to gather but not be in the way, and maybe a prettier transition from the kitchen to the dining (wine service area or hutch?) – while managing the remodel budget by reusing some of her major appliances and keeping (patching as needed) her existing floors. Responding to the homeowner’s stated wish list and the opportunities presented by the home's setting and existing architecture, the designers at San Luis Kitchen decided to expand the kitchen into the breakfast nook. This change allowed the work area to be reoriented to take advantage of the great view – we replaced the existing window and added another while moving the door to gain space. A second sink and set of refrigerator drawers (housing fresh fruits & veggies) were included for the convenience of this mainly vegetarian cook – her prep station. The clean-up area now boasts a farmhouse style single bowl sink – adding to the ‘cottage’ charm. We located a new gas cook-top between the two workstations for easy access from each. Also tucked in here is a pullout trash/recycle cabinet for convenience and additional drawers for storage. Running parallel to the work counter we added a long butcher-block island with easy-to-access open shelves for the avid cook and seating for friendly guests placed just right to take in the view. A counter-top garage is used to hide excess small appliances. Glass door cabinets and open shelves are now available to display the owners beautiful dishware. The microwave was placed inconspicuously on the end of the island facing the refrigerator – easy access for guests (and extraneous family members) to help themselves to drinks and snacks while staying out of the cook’s way. We also moved the pantry storage away from the dining room (putting it on the far wall and closer to the work triangle) and added a furniture-like hutch in its place allowing the more formal dining area to flow seamlessly into the up-beat work area of the kitchen. This space is now also home (opposite wall) to an under counter wine refrigerator, a liquor cabinet and pretty glass door wall cabinet for stemware storage – meeting Mr. Homeowner’s desire for a bar service area. And then the aesthetic: an old-world style country cottage theme. The homeowners wanted the kitchen to have a warm feel while still loving the look of white cabinetry. San Luis Kitchen melded country-casual knotty pine base cabinets with vintage hand-brushed creamy white wall cabinets to create the desired cottage look. We also added bead board and mullioned glass doors for charm, used an inset doorstyle on the cabinets for authenticity, and mixed stone and wood counters to create an eclectic nuance in the space. All in all, the happy homeowners now boast a charming county cottage kitchen with plenty of space for entertaining their guests while creating gourmet meals to feed them.

The clients for this project wanted a home with a traditional feel that fit the local aesthetic, but with a contemporary flare. The gabled forms and materials call back, while the exaggerated knee-braces and large banks of windows lend a little modernity. With a northerly exposure towards the lake the design opens up to the view without having concerns about excessive solar gain. A personal touch was added by the client fabricating the brackets for the post and beam connections.

Hawkeye Landscape Design We began this project with the idea of making a friendly entryway and social area under the Mulberry tree which provides much needed shade in this hot, mountainous area. The 'red fescue' meadow grass has a cooling effect and the agaves reduce the need for excess water and maintenance. The backyard has a covered dining area with a corner lounge and fireplace. The large barbecue offers a cantilevered counter for entertaining. The waterfall into the pool is surrounded with bamboo and plantings that emulate the hillside beyond the property. The permeable paving and mix of Vitex and Olive trees provide shade for smaller seating areas to enjoy the variety of succulents throughout the garden

Craft room - large transitional built-in desk brown floor craft room idea in Orlando with beige walls

Example of a mid-sized trendy galley light wood floor kitchen pantry design in Austin with shaker cabinets, light wood cabinets, solid surface countertops and paneled appliances

nyroofscapes.com
Example of a mid-sized trendy rooftop outdoor kitchen deck design in New York with a pergola

Trends we see popping up throughout this coming year: Multifunctional spaces and furniture - Anything that keeps the whole family in same room. As far as color palettes - Warm, neutral palettes with natural materials (woods, wicker, rattan) and pops of strong colors or pattern play, Relaxed and cozy seating - This year, we'll see less sharp lines and more cozy ones. Luxe minimalism - Bringing in natural materials, splurging on some multi-purpose pieces, and purging excess to create more space.

The clients summer vacation home had an extra large walk-in closet in the primary bedroom. Since the room did not have an attached bathroom, and an oversized closet wasn't necessary with it being a seasonal home and having an excess of storage elsewhere- we decided to use the space to create a Primary Suite. The client picked a wonderful blue palette that compliments the views of the lake outside so perfectly. We added a custom double vanity with plenty of storage, a large, glass walk-in shower and lots of pretty details she picked out in all the tile work.