Search results for "Familiarization" in Home Design Ideas

When Blues music legend and fourth generation builder, Albert Cummings and his interior designer wife, Christina decided to build their forever home in the Berkshire Mountains, they knew they wanted Wood-Mode cabinetry throughout. After specifying Wood-Mode in many of their customers’ homes, the Cummings collaborated with Wood-Mode dealer Vonnie Marcyoniak of Kitchens & Baths by Herzenberg to translate their vision into ideal spaces within their own build. The “House That Blues Built” features spaces inspired by the homeowners’ vision and unique background.
The Cummings put enormous thought into every space of their home, spending years collecting the design ideas they would eventually incorporate. It is Wood-Mode’s craftmanship they were familiar with and wanted the “feel” of their cabinetry – a quality that they know will last a lifetime – and the finishing touches inside each drawer and behind every cabinet.
Starting in the kitchen where Christina gave a lot of thought to how the space would be used, pulling inspiration from a range hood, and incorporating furniture details such as the Vintage Navy Blue island that would become the focal point of the room. Taking advantage of the kitchen’s 10 foot ceilings, upper glass front cabinets were designed to safely store yet publicly showcase heirloom cookie jars. Professional-grade appliances were selected, such as an integrated coffee machine, not only for appearance but because of Christina’s love for cooking and entertaining.
Christina shared that her favorite room in the house is the pantry, which is open and visible to the kitchen. Fitted with floor to ceiling cabinets in the same Vintage Navy Blue as the island, the space includes floating walnut shelves and a farmhouse sink with a mountaintop view.
The most innovative space of the home can be found on the lower floor in the guitar bar. Designed for acoustic perfection, the space includes a full-size bar where friends and family can gather to enjoy nights of music. To create the look and feel of a New Orleans Blues Bar, the Cummings’ chose Plain Sawn American Oak, which provides an interesting texture, and then finished it in an Ebony stain.
Designed by Vonnie Marcyoniak
Kitchens & Baths by Herzenberg

The Motus kitchen and living, designed by Vittore Niolu, brings together function and entertainment, privacy and familiarity.The idea of kitchen and living room evolves in total creative liberty. A brand new proposal that allows an infinite number of configurations: surprising not only in its unusual lines but also in its essential and elegant design with details that reveal a new identity of the environment we work and live in today.

Crooked, designed by Alberto Sala, is an amusing cuckoo clock of unconventional style with crooked and uneven shapes that intensify its impactful design. The recurrence of uneven shapes and cheerful colours skilfully mixed by the designer and applied from the base to the roof of the cuckoo 'house', make it unique. The round pendulum which is also coloured, is the only shape we are familiar with. It appears almost unnaturally at the tilted base of the clock highlighting its dissymmetrical shape. The clock is made of wood and is varnished with nontoxic paint. It is available in four versions: the first two are orange and red or green and navy, the third and fourth have a wooden element and are made in pale wood with blue and navy details or dark wood with red and green details. It features a quartz mechanism, battery run, with an intelligent sensor that automatically turns off the cuckoo sound in the absence of light.
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Situated along the perimeter of the property, this unique home creates a continuous street wall, both preserving plenty of open yard space and maintaining privacy from the prominent street corner. A one-story mudroom connects the garage to the house at the rear of the lot which required a local zoning variance. The resulting L-shaped plan and the central location of a glass-enclosed stair allow natural light to enter the home from multiple sides of nearly every room. The Arts & Crafts inspired detailing creates a familiar yet unique facade that is sympathetic to the character and scale of the neighborhood. A chevron pattern is a key design element on the window bays and doors and continues inside throughout the interior of the home.
2022 NAHB Platinum Best in American Living Award
View more of this home through #BBAModernCraftsman on Instagram.

This Spanish Revival takes its place among the graceful and genteel tradition of Santa Barbara architecture. Located in a secreted area of Montecito, the house is tucked amidst a wooded glen along a riparian creek bed. Carefully sited at the top of a rolling green, the building provides a strong form in the natural landscape.
With its reference to historical precedent, the house is both undeniably familiar and tangibly rich. Site sensitivity and pure spatial relationships combine in new ways, showing that what’s old can be new again.
An entry courtyard concealed behind a pair of wooden doors of Moorish design begins the entry sequence. The courtyard, wrapped around an existing mature oak tree, creates an outdoor room, which establishes an interplay between interior and exterior spaces, a theme that recurs throughout the house.
An exercise in scale and proportion, the 5,000-square-foot residence is imbued with classic detail and richness found in the Spanish Colonial architecture characteristic of George Washington Smith and others. Interior spaces are created through pure and varied geometric volumes, and are elaborated by opened beamed ceilings, groin vaults and Moorish arches.

This inviting living room encapsulates traditional design with its rich texture and a soothing palette. The plush, neutral-toned Perigold sectional exudes comfort, with blue accents adding a regal touch that elevates the ensemble. Centering the room, Crate & Barrel’s troupe square pine wood coffee table stands as a hallmark of classic style, surrounded by seating that beckons guests to linger. Black-framed artwork adds visual interest, creating a gallery-like effect that’s both personal and elegant. The fireplace, a timeless feature, anchors the living space with its warm presence. This traditional living room with blue accents is a curated blend of the familiar and the sophisticated—ideal for moments of leisure and gracious hosting.

If you are familiar with our work, at Berry Design Build, you know that to us each project is more than just sticks and mortar. Each home, each client, each family we have the privilege to work with becomes part of our team. We believe in the value of excellence, the importance of commitment, and the significance of delivery. This renovation, along with many, is very close to our hearts because it’s one of the few instances where we get to exercise more than just the Design Build division of our company. This particular client had been working with Berry for many years to find that lifetime home. Through many viewings, agent caravans, and lots of offers later she found a house worth calling home. Although not perfectly to her personality (really what home is until you make it yours) she asked our Design Build division to come in and renovate some areas: including the kitchen, hall bathroom, master bathroom, and most other areas of the house; i.e. paint, hardwoods, and lighting. Each project comes with its challenges, but we were able to combine her love of mid-century modern furnishings with the character of the already existing 1962 ranch.
Photos by Nicole Cosentino

From Mid-Century Classic to the Present
An iconic design updated with comfort, function, and flow for today.
A Remodel That Balances Past and Present
What started as a desire to update a classic Eichler soon became an exploration of how Mid-Century Modern design can successfully evolve for today. The client, a tech professional with a passion for scuba diving and underwater photography, wanted a home that would both honor its original character and feel tailored to his daily life. A lifelong technology enthusiast, he still owns the very first Mac desktop he saved up for as a teenager working at Radio Shack, a detail that underscores his appreciation for design that melds function and form.
Honoring Separation While Expanding Possibility
Unlike many contemporary remodels where walls are opened up to create expansive living spaces, this project took a more restrained approach. The client valued the defined rooms of the original plan and wanted to preserve as much wall space as possible for displaying his large-format underwater photography. The emphasis was not on dramatic spatial reinvention, but on thoughtful refinements. Klopf Architecture shaped a gallery-like backdrop while also expanding the primary suite, modernizing materials and fixtures throughout the home, and improving the functionality and layout of the kitchen. The finished home feels at once timeless and renewed, an Eichler that continues to inspire while fully supporting the lifestyle of its present-day owner.
A major turning point came mid-design. The original project brief had not included an addition, but as the reconfiguration of the primary bedroom and bath unfolded, it became clear that an expansion was the best approach to achieve the client’s vision of a more spacious suite. Fortunately, the adjustment came at a stage when revisions were still manageable and was integrated seamlessly, showing how thoughtful course corrections can strengthen a project rather than hinder it.
Navigating Challenges With Precision
The design development included multiple conceptual rounds, balancing preservation with subtle expansion. During construction, an existing post previously thought to be load-bearing turned out not to be. The structural engineer was able to pivot quickly, and both the post and the cross beam that had been intended to replace it could be omitted, allowing the original rhythm of the Eichler beam bays to be preserved.
Sustainability was not just a checklist item, but a way to align the home with the client’s values of simplicity, efficiency, and long-term functionality. R-38 roof insulation reduced energy usage, solar panels with battery storage provided independence and resilience, and passive comfort strategies eliminated the need forenergy-intensive air conditioning. An electric vehicle charger and an on-demand hot water recirculation system (with call buttons as opposed to having constant circulation) add to the home’s long-term efficiency factors. Together, these moves created a home that is quieter, more comfortable, and better equipped for the future, qualities that supported the client’s pragmatic approach to design and living lightly.
Details That Respect the Eichler DNA
The remodel carries forward the Eichler’s original spirit while introducing new layers of modern livability. Originally, the house was approached along a deep, narrow walk, with the garage on one side and the house on the other, leaving the front door tucked far back within this chasm-like space. By pulling the entry forward, the design reshaped the arrival experience, creating a clearer threshold and a natural drop-off zone for bags, shoes, and keys. This shift also made room for a custom bench at the entry that extends seamlessly through the glass sidelight. The bench and drop-off zone now work together as a single, integrated sequence that supports everyday living while offering a tactile reminder of Eichler’s philosophy of connectedness.
At the client’s request, Klopf reintroduced a classic Eichler gesture by extending the exterior siding into the entry and living room. The detail reinforces a sense of indoor/outdoor continuity while providing a subtle architectural surface that allows the client’s photography to take visual precedence.
The signature concrete masonry wall at the front was reconstructed using blocks sourced to match the originals, now strengthened with rebar for seismic resilience while maintaining a private outdoor courtyard, visually extending the kitchen outward. A decorative trellis element, a detail borrowed from a neighboring Eichler, restores a familiar mid-century modern architectural motif. At the courtyard entry door, a custom etched glass sidelight with an ocean-themed design featuring kelp and jellyfish serves as a subtle homage to the client’s passion for deep-sea diving.
Landscaping became an integral part of the overall transformation. The homeowner engaged landscape architect Randi Johnsen of Third Nature Studio to shape a series of calm, inviting outdoor rooms that read as a natural extension of the interiors. While technically outside of the core construction scope, the landscape design proved central to achieving a sense of completeness and connectedness across the property. Such whole-property considerations often emerge as design ideas take shape, underscoring the importance of flexibility in planning and budgeting, as well as close collaboration among the design team starting early in the process.
The Value of Evolving Scope
As with many custom residential projects, the scope evolved during the design process. What began as a targeted remodel grew to include a new/expanded primary suite, a rebuilt CMU patio wall for strength and longevity, and a solar panel array and battery storage for energy resilience and carbon-reduction. Each thoughtful decision represented a conscious investment in the home’s performance and character, rather than a cost overrun.
The result was a project delivered on schedule, tailored precisely to the client’s lifestyle, and positioned to add long-term value both functionally and aesthetically. By embracing scope evolution as an opportunity rather than a challenge, and relying on good design paired with transparent communication, this remodel demonstrates how Eichler homes can be adapted for contemporary living without erasing their DNA.
Klopf Architecture project team: John Klopf, AIA, and Klara Kevane, Elise Webb and Nicholas LaNasa.
Contractor: Golden Cove Construction
Landscape Design: Third Nature Studio
Structural Engineer: Daniel Bastiao Design
Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed
Year Completed: 2024
Location: Sunnyvale, CA

Cascada
By ET2
SKU# E20792
Inspiration for a large timeless bathroom remodel in Los Angeles
Inspiration for a large timeless bathroom remodel in Los Angeles

Inspired by the original wood burning stoves that our founder created at the start of the last century, the Heritage Series ranges are controlled by striking rounded chrome knobs. Familiar and comfortable to use, they are a key part of the design character of the series.

Rebecca Lehde
Eat-in kitchen - medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, quartzite countertops, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances and two islands
Eat-in kitchen - medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Other with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, quartzite countertops, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances and two islands

Tower Creek Construction
Inspiration for a small contemporary look-out carpeted basement remodel in Baltimore with gray walls
Inspiration for a small contemporary look-out carpeted basement remodel in Baltimore with gray walls

The design philosophy for this project rests on the belief that memory is an essential part of landscape experience. Instead of recreating the Rain tree in a literal form, the design interprets the sensations it once offered. The shifting light, the sound of leaves, the comfort of shade and the smell of earth.
These elements form a quiet yet powerful form of heritage that often goes unrecognised in redevelopment. By carrying these sensations into the new landscape, the project creates continuity within change. It shows how design can hold onto the emotional identity of a place and offer familiarity to residents returning to a transformed site.
This approach suggests a way of thinking about urban growth where memory and development do not stand in opposition but work together.

Transforming this long-standing home on Bradgate Rd required more than a simple update—it called for a careful balance between renewal, structure, and respect for what was already there.
The existing brick bungalow had strong bones, but the exterior was deteriorating, the carport was underutilized, and key interior spaces no longer supported the homeowners’ needs. Having lived in the home for decades, the goal wasn’t to start over—it was to rework the home into a more functional, comfortable space that could support the years ahead.
The scope included a full exterior masonry refresh, where the front layer of brick was removed and replaced while maintaining the integrity of the original structure. The carport was fully enclosed and integrated into the home as a garage, and a new roof tied everything together with consistent detailing and long-term performance in mind.
Inside, the layout was carefully reworked to introduce a new primary ensuite and completely renovate the main bathroom. Plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems were updated throughout, with a focus on accessibility, ease of use, and everyday comfort.
The result is a home that feels both familiar and elevated—where thoughtful construction and refined design come together to support long-term living without compromising character.

Exterior Complete Make over Design.
We create a beautiful familiar space.
Example of a large minimalist backyard concrete paver and custom-shaped privacy pool design in Houston
Example of a large minimalist backyard concrete paver and custom-shaped privacy pool design in Houston

In 2016, Doug Sturgess exhibited a large collection of his photographic artwork in the main lobby of Bank of America Plaza in Atlanta. The exhibit featured striking images of Atlanta alongside scenes from international destinations, highlighting his signature focus on architecture, landscapes, and vibrant urban environments. The display offered visitors a chance to engage with both familiar and faraway places through Sturgess' distinctive photographic style.

If you are familiar with the British graphic artist Emma J. Shipley, then you know how excited we were to be working with this fantasy velvet goodness.
The bedrooms & formal sitting areas in this historical home got an update with new Hunter Douglas shades, new drapery hardware, and custom working drapery from the AHD Workroom.
Our team worked with the clients to take an idea and make it into reality for their home, and we are so pleased with the results.

Does this tile look familiar? It should. The Marazzi Silk tile in Sophisticated was also used as the master bathroom flooring. It is matched amazingly with Daltile Concrete Connections brick accent in Downtown Black.
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