An Indoor Lady
Example of a mid-sized trendy open concept concrete floor living room design in Austin with gray walls, a two-sided fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and a tile fireplace

Naturalistic meadow.
Design ideas for a large rustic drought-tolerant and full sun backyard gravel garden path in San Diego.

The beautiful shingle home was built several years prior, but progress stalled and the interior was never fully finished off, creating more of a weekend crash pad than second home. We had 4 months to fully furnish and accessorize the 4+ bedroom home before they hosted a large family reunion. We tackled a function problem first. The home, with its open floor plan, had multiple types of flooring, which only served to chop up the space. Worse, most of the flooring was cream carpet and not suitable for waterfront living. We replaced the mismatch with durable driftwood floors that will stand up to years of sandy feet and party spills. We selected and installed all the finishing touches - furniture, window treatments, accessories, bedding and art. And we beat our reunion deadline by a week, giving the homeowners a chance to enjoy it all to themselves before the guests arrived

Lissa Gotwals Photography
Inspiration for a large timeless screened-in back porch remodel in Raleigh with decking and a roof extension

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Living room - contemporary living room idea in Miami with white walls

Living room library - eclectic enclosed living room library idea in New York with blue walls and a media wall

Lissa Gotwals Photography
Example of a large classic white two-story wood exterior home design in Raleigh with a metal roof

Scott Hutchinson & Spacecrafting
This is an example of a transitional porch design in Minneapolis.

Terren Landscapes http://www.terrenlandscapes.com 2014 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Residential $30,000-$60,000 Award Level: Silver Project Description: Our company was contracted to do a master plan for the family who was in desperate need of a rear yard renovation. The existing lawn area remained saturated throughout most of the year and the runoff from the neighboring property ran across their back yard, down the side of their property and all the way to the sidewalk in front of their house. The water was so intense that it had begun to cut through the back yard and erode the soil across the sidewalk and into the nearby storm drain. By identifying these drainage problems and discussing solutions with the homeowner, we were able to design and create the aesthetically pleasing and sustainable solution of a rain garden. The goal was to slow down storm water runoff, and catch pollution and sediment by creating a rain garden that acts as a filter prior to entering the storm drain, while enhancing the aesthetics of the property. The rain garden created was a shallow depression, 12 - 16" deep that collects rainfall runoff from all downspouts of the home and water collected into perforated pipes underneath the lawn area. The perforated pipe begins at the highest elevation in the yard and ends in the rain garden, the new lowest elevation that has been excavated down to an 8" depth. The perforated pipe captures the runoff water and allows the water to seep slowly back into the ground as it runs across the property and into the garden. The garden was lined with a geotextile filter fabric to aide in removing contaminants from the water, prevent migration of the stone in to the soil, and minimalize maintenance. A large variety of plant material was chosen, focusing mainly on native wetland species for their tolerance of our local soil types, moisture conditions and the habitat they provide for wildlife. The garden was abundant with native wildlife and was a sustainable ecosystem for birds and butterflies upon completion of the project. After planting, we arranged decorative stone throughout the garden to slow the flow of water and help prevent erosion. The combination of vegetative and stone surfaces provides temporary storage for runoff before the water either evaporates or infiltrates the soil. The surrounding beds throughout the property were also all amended with compost and replanted with plants that work in harmony with the rain garden. The front, side, and rear yards are a beautiful display of colors that bloom throughout the seasons and the plants throughout the entire property provide food and shelter for native wildlife. The rear yard that was once a muddy play space for the kids is now a dry lawn space that can be utilized by the family and their neighbors. This multi­ functional garden has become the focal point of the residence. Photo Credit: Terren Landscapes

First home, savvy art owners, decided to hire RBD to design their recently purchased two story, four bedroom, midcentury Diamond Heights home to merge their new parenthood and love for entertaining lifestyles. Hired two months prior to the arrival of their baby boy, RBD was successful in installing the nursery just in time. The home required little architectural spatial reconfiguration given the previous owner was an architect, allowing RBD to focus mainly on furniture, fixtures and accessories while updating only a few finishes. New paint grade paneling added a needed midcentury texture to the entry, while an existing site for sore eyes radiator, received a new walnut cover creating a built-in mid-century custom headboard for the guest room, perfect for large art and plant decoration. RBD successfully paired furniture and art selections to connect the existing material finishes by keeping fabrics neutral and complimentary to the existing finishes. The backyard, an SF rare oasis, showcases a hanging chair and custom outdoor floor cushions for easy lounging, while a stylish midcentury heated bench allows easy outdoor entertaining in the SF climate. Photography Credit: Scott Hargis Photography

Inspiration for a transitional living room remodel in Miami

Example of a minimalist dining room design in Orange County

Matt Kocourek
Mid-sized trendy single-wall light wood floor open concept kitchen photo in Kansas City with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, blue backsplash, glass sheet backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Photo: Robb Farrington
Inspiration for a cottage dining room remodel in Portland

You’ll want a system that delivers large drops of water close to the ground, so that little or no water is lost to evaporation, as water is applied at ground level, close to root systems. They are also designed to be smart enough not to water when it’s raining or the ground is already saturated from prior precipitation.

Award winning residential garden with contemporary pool. The pool decking is 3" thick bull-nosed sandstone with custom built hot tub and autocover. Arbor is solid cedar beams with cultured stone columns. Pool by High-Tech pools

Gunite swimming pool was built in Coram, NY by Gappsi. This gunite swimming pool was built in Coram, NY by Gappsi. The construction design layout, created by Giuseppe Abbrancati, consists of 10 inch walls and an 8 inch floor with 5,000 PSI dry-shot cement mix. The travertine pavers surrounding the pool were installed on 4 inches of poured concrete base and one inch of clean sand. The joints between pavers were filled with polymeric sand.This gunite swimming pool was built to accommodate the clients wishes. It measures over 1,400 sq ft of surface area, and has a depth going from 46 to 50 inches deep. The Fiorito used for the pool coping and surrounding patio is one of the most beautiful travertine patterns selected from the Gappsi Natural Stone Showroom collection. The pool design also incorporates a large sundeck that features a jet bubbler. It is entertaining for the kids and also serves as small water fountain feature in the center of the sundeck.The deep end of the gunite swimming pool contains a free form stairs and bench design. The plaster finish applied on the swimming pool walls is Diamond Brite Tahiti Blue, which is a combination of Tahoe Blue and Super Blue Diamond Brite quartz finishes. 6x6 inch tiles were installed at the water line and 3x3 inch tiles were used as markers at the edges of the steps and benches.The pool has many options starting with 3 large LED lights in the pool, one small light in the sundeck step, and the bubbler used in the sundeck has a light as well. The entire gunite swimming pool has a full automation system that works from a smart phone, allowing the customer to control the gas heater, salt chlorine generator, and Ozone system. On the outside of the pool, a wood-burning fire pit was built with firebricks and veneered with travertine. And at the deep end, a Inter-Fab X-Stream 2 pool slide was installed. Letter From Customer Our experience with Gappsi began in August., 2017 and it was purely by chance. My husband found their website, and dropped by their business after setting up an appointment with another pool builder down the block from them. Immediately upon walking into their place of business, he received a hospitable reception which gave him the “warm and fuzzy” feeling he likes to get when doing a business transaction. This is his indication of an honest, trustworthy company. And his intuition proved to be right. Having spent months prior doing research, we knew exactly what we wanted, a gunite pool to fit the existing landscape of our nice sized yard. The owner, Giuseppe Abbrancati, came out, took notes and pictures of our yard, and within a week, had computer generated renderings, which we were able to modify on the spot. Giuseppe and his son, Emanuele, did a phenomenal job at giving us exactly what we wanted, instead of trying to sell us on the expensive add-on features that we didn’t want. And what that enabled us to do was go bigger with our free-form design, one of the largest residential gunite pools they had done and at a very reasonable price. The only major hiccup was when their project manager had to be replaced, but once that hurdle was overcome, the newly assigned project manager, Tosh, made sure getting our pool, the gas lines, the electrical, the masonry, the sodding and landscaping were all completed in time for the opening of our pool in June, 2018. We are delighted and thrilled beyond measure at our resort style backyard. We would recommend Gappsi, a family-run business, to all!! Thanks for making our home the “destination stay-cation” of Coram, NY for our family and friends!! Everyone is in awe when they see it!

In-fill project in SE Portland, where an old, outlived house was removed and replaced with a new modern take for the neighborhood.
Example of a mid-sized trendy beige two-story concrete fiberboard exterior home design in Portland

Plantique, INC http://www.plantique.com Entry Name: Classic Fireside Getaway 2014 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Hardscaping-Residential $30,000-$60,000 Award Level: Bronze Photo Description: The initial call from these homeowners was about a drainage issue. After having installed new roofing, siding, and a new porch enclosure, it was discovered that the original piping for the downspouts had failed. A few recent rainstorms had left a large pool of water behind the house. The new gutters and downspouts were now properly channeling water into a sub-surface piping system that no longer functioned. Obviously this had to be fixed, but after some further discussions, it was suggested that if a cost-effective solution could be found, perhaps a patio could be created along with the drainage solution. This would make the space between the porch and the pool more useful. The surfaces would have to be as kid-friendly as possible, as the homeowners foresaw frequent visits by their grandchildren. The flow of the spaces would have to be such that small bikes would be able to easily maneuver around chairs and tables. After a site study was conducted, several issues were discovered. Pertaining to the drainage issue, it was determined that the grade sloped directly toward the porch from the pool. This not only channeled water toward the house and porch, but created a dam in an already shallow drainage swale that trapped water off to the side of the porch. Since the soil in this area is predominantly clay, water could sit in that area for days until it drained away. On the aesthetic side, a good part of the house’s façade was brick, the porch floor was brick, the small patio and walkways were brick, and the seating wall next to the pool was brick; there was a lot of brick. The challenge would be to find a cost-effective material that would contrast will with the brick, while creating a functional patio space that also facilitated water drainage. The solution involved a significant re-grading of the area between the pool and the house, along with the installation of a completely new drain system to channel roof water away from the area. Working with the fixed points of the porch and foundation levels of the home, the slope that pitched toward the house was cut into to create a positive pitch away from the house. This created 20 in. high cut at the furthest point from the porch. To retain this, a segmental retaining wall block was used to form a curved seating wall around a mortared brick fire ring, perfect for evening campfires and marshmallow roasting with the grandchildren. Prior to the patio construction, new subsurface PVC piping was installed to channel water away from the house, under the patio, and to daylight about 100 ft. further into the side yard where it could properly drain. To construct the patio, the existing dry laid brick walks and patio were recycled as a border around a gray colored concrete paver that mimics the look of more expensive PA Bluestone, an often used companion to brick. The smooth surface texture and tight joint provide a barefoot friendly walking surface that stays cooler in the hot summer sun. The patio itself is also pitched so as to drain runoff to the lower end of the yard in case of a failure in the drain piping. Along with providing several clear pathways between the porch, pool, and driveway the new patio includes an open air dining area, a fire pit area, and a seating/lounging area (not yet furnished at the time of the photo) for larger family gatherings or more intimate dinners and fire-side relaxation. Photo Credit: Plantique, Mike Wimmer