Contemporary rustic kitchen & guest house kitchen
Mountain style single-wall enclosed kitchen photo in Minneapolis with a single-bowl sink and stainless steel appliances

Karen and Chad of Tower Lakes, IL were tired of their unfinished basement functioning as nothing more than a storage area and depressing gym. They wanted to increase the livable square footage of their home with a cohesive finished basement design, while incorporating space for the kids and adults to hang out. “We wanted to make sure that upon renovating the basement, that we can have a place where we can spend time and watch movies, but also entertain and showcase the wine collection that we have,” Karen said. After a long search comparing many different remodeling companies, Karen and Chad found Advance Design Studio. They were drawn towards the unique “Common Sense Remodeling” process that simplifies the renovation experience into predictable steps focused on customer satisfaction. “There are so many other design/build companies, who may not have transparency, or a focused process in mind and I think that is what separated Advance Design Studio from the rest,” Karen said. Karen loved how designer Claudia Pop was able to take very high-level concepts, “non-negotiable items” and implement them in the initial 3D drawings. Claudia and Project Manager DJ Yurik kept the couple in constant communication through the project. “Claudia was very receptive to the ideas we had, but she was also very good at infusing her own points and thoughts, she was very responsive, and we had an open line of communication,” Karen said. A very important part of the basement renovation for the couple was the home gym and sauna. The “high-end hotel” look and feel of the openly blended work out area is both highly functional and beautiful to look at. The home sauna gives them a place to relax after a long day of work or a tough workout. “The gym was a very important feature for us,” Karen said. “And I think (Advance Design) did a very great job in not only making the gym a functional area, but also an aesthetic point in our basement”. An extremely unique wow-factor in this basement is the walk in glass wine cellar that elegantly displays Karen and Chad’s extensive wine collection. Immediate access to the stunning wet bar accompanies the wine cellar to make this basement a popular spot for friends and family. The custom-built wine bar brings together two natural elements; Calacatta Vicenza Quartz and thick distressed Black Walnut. Sophisticated yet warm Graphite Dura Supreme cabinetry provides contrast to the soft beige walls and the Calacatta Gold backsplash. An undermount sink across from the bar in a matching Calacatta Vicenza Quartz countertop adds functionality and convenience to the bar, while identical distressed walnut floating shelves add an interesting design element and increased storage. Rich true brown Rustic Oak hardwood floors soften and warm the space drawing all the areas together. Across from the bar is a comfortable living area perfect for the family to sit down at a watch a movie. A full bath completes this finished basement with a spacious walk-in shower, Cocoa Brown Dura Supreme vanity with Calacatta Vicenza Quartz countertop, a crisp white sink and a stainless-steel Voss faucet. Advance Design’s Common Sense process gives clients the opportunity to walk through the basement renovation process one step at a time, in a completely predictable and controlled environment. “Everything was designed and built exactly how we envisioned it, and we are really enjoying it to it’s full potential,” Karen said. Constantly striving for customer satisfaction, Advance Design’s success is heavily reliant upon happy clients referring their friends and family. “We definitely will and have recommended Advance Design Studio to friends who are looking to embark on a remodeling project small or large,” Karen exclaimed at the completion of her project.

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Inspiration for a timeless dark wood floor double front door remodel in Austin with a glass front door

The woodland mulch path provides a transition from space to space and culminates at a recessed bluestone fire-pit surrounded by a 2¼-inch thick irregular bluestone tight-jointed seating area dotted with flower containers. The custom-made copper cover protects the fire pit when not in use.

Garden Ponds, Fish Ponds, Koi Ponds, Monroe County, Rochester NY. Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls, we install ponds, water features and low maintenance water gardens. Renovation, Repair and maintenance are our specialties. Check out our website http://www.acornponds.com and give us a call 585.442.6373. Aquascape's Ecosysytem Watergarden Fish Ponds are the best way to go if you are thinking of adding a Watergarden or Water Feature to your home or bussiness. Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls of Rochester NY has been a Certified Aquascape Contractor since 2004. We care deeply about our customers enjoy designing and installing Water Features that are easy to take care of and will be enjoyed for many years. Here's what this Pond owner had to say about Acorn: "Tom Warmerdam truly loves what he does & is extremely enthusiastic about ponds and streams. He is very knowledgeable & shares information so others will be successful pond owners. His standards and quality of work are excellent." Pam W. Contact us now 585-442-63373 or click here: http://www.acornponds.com/contact-us.html Ponds, Pond Design, Water Garden, Koi Pond, Led Pond Lighting Design by Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls of Rochester NY 585-442-6373. For more information on Ponds, please click here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/acorn-landscaping-landscape-designlightingbackyard-water-gardens/acorn-landscaping-designs-installs-aquascape-ecosystem-water-garden-fish-ponds-i/464917560212038

Inspiration for a 1960s living room remodel in Columbus

Complete renovation of historic Cow Hollow home. Existing front facade remained for historical purposes. Scope included framing the entire 3 story structure, constructing large concrete retaining walls, and installing a storefront folding door system at family room that opens onto rear stone patio. Rear yard features terraced concrete planters and living wall. Photos: Bruce DaMonte Interior Design: Martha Angus Architect: David Gast

David Dietrich
Elegant kitchen pantry photo in Other with open cabinets

A French Château style home Marie Antoinette herself would have been envious of! This Newport Beach, CA residence is truly a Mini-Versailles! Dynamic Garage Door, as a company, was commissioned to custom design, handcraft and install garage doors, gates and shutters. All architectural elements were to follow the customer's detailed taste including the hand-forged custom hardware which we so gracefully put together to make this custom garage door, garden gate and shutter project happen. Located in an upscale track home community, the detailed upgrades on this home represent unique luxury and nothing to do with a run-of-the-mill track home. The custom window shutter design and paint color were carefully selected to harmonize with the home's architecture and color scheme. Custom Garage Doors - The custom garage doors were designed in traditional style typically known as the carriage house door, it is a traditional design that complements a variety of architectural styles including this French Château in the middle of Newport Beach, CA. These type of carriage house garage doors are often times intermingled with Cape Cod Architecture, Craftsman Bungalow Style, Coastal Cottages and even some modern day applications with very minimal design modifications to suit the project at hand. With our customization expertise, we can custom-design a unique carriage house garage door style that will simply add beauty, curve appeal and architectural taste to your custom or track home. Custom Architectural Garden Gates - Garden gates are by far an architectural element that is highly overseen particularly in landscaping projects. This French Château owner hired an outstanding landscaping architect with a keen taste for luxurious French Gardens. When Dynamic Garage Door was commissioned to custom-design, handcraft and install the garden and courtyard gates of this home the details were precise, unyielding and very specific! Designing the garden gates for this home was a bit of a challenge but thanks to our design taste, skilled craftsmanship and technical knowledge we were able to craft custom garden gates that were as gorgeous as the landscaping elements selected by the landscape architect. Custom Architectural Shutters - Without a doubt, window shutters are a must in certain architectural style such as this Newport Beach, CA French Style Château. Selecting the right hand-forged hardware is certainly of essence to make the minimalistic raised-panel shutters style. Selecting the right colors to make them pop against the soft gray-painted walls and other variations of gray made these shutters an addition that spelled, success! The homeowner was extremely happy, the landscape architect ecstatic and Dynamic Garage Door - simply proud! Browse through this short gallery and see the elements that made a difference on this French Château. See why Dynamic Garage Door is highly revered for crafting some of the nation's most astounding custom garage doors, garden & driveway gates as well as architectural window shutters that speak volumes to the discerning architectural eye!

Flora Grubb Designed Living Art piece, using Bright Green Living wall planter
Patio vertical garden - contemporary patio vertical garden idea in Detroit

Modern kitchen with rift-cut white oak cabinetry and a natural stone island.
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary light wood floor and beige floor kitchen remodel in Minneapolis with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, quartzite countertops, beige backsplash, quartz backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and beige countertops

This 7-bed 5-bath Wyoming ski home follows strict subdivision-mandated style, but distinguishes itself through a refined approach to detailing. The result is a clean-lined version of the archetypal rustic mountain home, with a connection to the European ski chalet as well as to traditional American lodge and mountain architecture. Architecture & interior design by Michael Howells. Photos by David Agnello, copyright 2012. www.davidagnello.com

ASID Design Excellence First Place Residential – Kitchen and Bathroom: Michael Merrill Design Studio was approached three years ago by the homeowner to redesign her kitchen. Although she was dissatisfied with some aspects of her home, she still loved it dearly. As we discovered her passion for design, we began to rework her entire home--room by room, top to bottom.

New window seat adds seating and storage to the space. We added thick new moldings for architectural interest; dark hardwood floors provide additional warmth. The vintage chandelier draws color from the nearby ocean and adds a spark of color and interest. Solid wood Parsons dining table and the Wishbone chairs provide an interesting mix of geometric shapes, styles and textures. The sisal rug grounds the area and adds another natural element. The window seat was added to create much-needed additional seating and extra storage space.

Example of a mountain style freestanding desk dark wood floor home office design in Columbus with blue walls

Cottage Garden
Design ideas for a traditional raised garden bed in Birmingham.

Home office - shabby-chic style freestanding desk home office idea in Orange County with beige walls

photos: Matt Delphenich
Example of a trendy kitchen design in Boston with wood countertops, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets and stainless steel appliances