For those lucky enough to live lakeside in New Hampshire, warm evening summer breezes are best enjoyed from a comfortable screened porch. This summer camp underwent a drastic renovation and expansion so the family could enjoy life at the lake and offer year-round living to future generations. The project’s design especially focused around expanding the existing screened porch, where the family spends most of their time. Keeping the porch at the best viewing corner of the home, while expanding into a wrap-around style to best take in the water views, was important. Meticulous planning helped navigate the design around strict allowances for a residence with such close proximity to the water, per the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. To make the camp a family cottage, there was a complete re-facing of the exterior, a mudroom addition and a dormer addition to create an office space open to living areas below. Extensive renovations to the interior resulted in a new kitchen for family to gather, reconfiguration to create a first-floor master suite and improved access to the exterior, especially the wrap-around porch. Now the home, and porch, can be enjoyed to the fullest by the owners, family and friends. Greg West

This is an example of a contemporary full sun backyard concrete paver retaining wall landscape in Other.

Rob Karosis
Farmhouse exterior home idea in New York

This delightful family lived with their traditional kitchen for several years before bringing me in to expand and modernize. The 1920’s Tudor had the typical compartmentalized rooms surrounding the kitchen. A previous owner had expanded it into the breakfast room, but hadn’t removed any walls. However, they placed a large addition in the rear which enabled us to remove the cramped ½ bath and practically inaccessible pantry for relocation. By removing those walls, we were able to expand into a naturally-flowing U-shaped kitchen with a seating peninsula, adding a second prep sink for another cook. Removing the gas range, we added double ovens, an induction cooktop, and 30-inch-deep pantry cabinets, thus giving the full-depth refrigerator the appearance of a built-in. L-shaped, floating corner shelves with incorporated LED lights contribute to the openness. While we liked the idea of removing the wall to the existing dining room, the need to keep the family cat out of certain areas led us to remove only half, and installing a gorgeous barn door. What would normally be considered an appliance garage is actually a recessed space into where we eventually put a new ½ bath, which provides an interesting defined shelf space within the bath. Photography © 2017 by Adam Gibson

Kitchen pantry - mid-sized farmhouse medium tone wood floor kitchen pantry idea in Philadelphia with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, green backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Rob Karosis
Cottage exterior home photo in New York

When deciding to either keep a tub and shower or take out the tub and expand the shower in the master bathroom is solely dependent on a homeowner's preference. Although having a tub in the master bathroom is still a desired feature for home buyer's, especially for those who have or are excepting children, there's no definitive proof that having a tub is going to guarantee a higher rate of return on the investment. This chic and modern shower is easily accessible. The expanded room provides the ability to move around freely without constraint and makes showering more welcoming and relaxing. This shower is a great addition and can be highly beneficial in the future to any individuals who are elderly, wheelchair bound or have mobility impairments. Fixtures and furnishings such as the grab bar, a bench and hand shower also makes the shower more user friendly. The decision to take out the tub and make the shower larger has visually transformed this master bathroom and created a spacious feel. The shower is a wonderful upgrade and has added value and style to our client's beautiful home. Check out the before and after photographs as well as the video! Here are some of the materials that were used for this transformation: 12x24 Porcelain Lara Dark Grey 6" Shower band of Keystone Interlocking Mosaic Tile Delta fixtures throughout Ranier Quartz vanity countertops

Second floor master suite updates include: o Removing the hall closet and installing new double doors to the room o Removed the closets along one wall to create the bed wall. There was a chimney in those closets, so we installed walls around it with glass shelves in the niches on both sides that echo the glass shelves in the living room. o Closing off the original door and using some of the adjacent hall closet allowed us to expand the closets. We removed a built-in countertop and placed closets with sliding doors o Created a walk-in closet out of the original closets o Place stacked washer/dryer in a closet (the original laundry was in a hall closet) o Expanded the master bath by a few feet so we could reconfigure - to add a larger shower with bench and double vanity HDBros

Rob Karosis
Example of a cottage exterior home design in New York

An existing Cape built in the 1980s was transformed through the addition of a wraparound front porch with robust but traditional columns, expanded second floor dormers, a new deck and screened-in porch facing the backyard, an expanded and open kitchen/breakfast/family room, a new mud room/laundry room/powder room suite, and a new bedroom suite in what had previously been attic space. The underlying Cape form still remains but is now expanded to have character, scale and presence befitting its rural seaside neighborhood of mostly large and elegant homes. PSD Scope Of Work: Architecture, Construction | Living Space: 3,197ft² | Photography: Brian Vanden Brink |

Rob Karosis
Inspiration for a farmhouse landscaping in New York.

This is a sensory room built for a child that we recently worked with. This room allowed for them to have a safe and fun place to spend their time. Not only safe and fun, but beautiful! With a hideaway bunk, place to eat, place to watch TV, gaming stations, a bathroom, and anything you'd possibly need to have a blissful day.

A dark dated kitchen takes over a laundry room and powder room for a little more work space. The existing powder room and laundry were relocated.
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized modern u-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

A dark dated kitchen takes over a laundry room and powder room for a little more work space. The existing powder room and laundry were relocated.
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern u-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Bates Masi + Architects
Mid-sized staircase photo in New York

View of Kitchen from dining area Architecture & Interior Design by : Princeton Design Collaborative 360pdc.com photo by Jeffery Edward Tryon
Mid-sized trendy u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Philadelphia with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, gray backsplash, quartz backsplash, stainless steel appliances, a peninsula and brown countertops

Photo: Angela Flournoy © 2017 Houzz
Inspiration for a contemporary exterior home remodel in Dallas

The remodel of this kitchen began with the removal of two walls to expand the space. Budget and resale value was kept in mind, and we selected white cabinetry, gray quartz counter tops, tile flooring and stainless steel appliances to bring it up to date. Contemporary lighting fixtures and window treatments complete the transitional look.

To brighten and open up the small kitchen, we removed the wall separating the dining room, expanded the window above the sink and installed a French door to let even more light in from an adjoining sun room. Light now pours into the kitchen, making it feel welcoming, airy and bright. To accommodate the expanded kitchen, we removed a hulking set of built-ins from the dining room which provided two extra feet to work with. The larger footprint allowed us to relocate major appliances and provide a generous amount of storage and prep space in the kitchen. We removed the old linoleum from the kitchen and installed new hardwoods throughout the first floor, creating a more unified space. Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg