This brick and limestone, 6,000-square-foot residence exemplifies understated elegance. Located in the award-wining Blaine School District and within close proximity to the Southport Corridor, this is city living at its finest! The foyer, with herringbone wood floors, leads to a dramatic, hand-milled oval staircase; an architectural element that allows sunlight to cascade down from skylights and to filter throughout the house. The floor plan has stately-proportioned rooms and includes formal Living and Dining Rooms; an expansive, eat-in, gourmet Kitchen/Great Room; four bedrooms on the second level with three additional bedrooms and a Family Room on the lower level; a Penthouse Playroom leading to a roof-top deck and green roof; and an attached, heated 3-car garage. Additional features include hardwood flooring throughout the main level and upper two floors; sophisticated architectural detailing throughout the house including coffered ceiling details, barrel and groin vaulted ceilings; painted, glazed and wood paneling; laundry rooms on the bedroom level and on the lower level; five fireplaces, including one outdoors; and HD Video, Audio and Surround Sound pre-wire distribution through the house and grounds. The home also features extensively landscaped exterior spaces, designed by Prassas Landscape Studio. This home went under contract within 90 days during the Great Recession. Featured in Chicago Magazine: http://goo.gl/Gl8lRm Jim Yochum

Bathroom - large transitional ceramic tile mosaic tile floor bathroom idea in Kansas City with recessed-panel cabinets, black cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

A neutral palette in the children's bathroom is accented with playful deco tiles in the shower where a decorative metal panel was added over the skylight to filter the light. Project // Ebony and Ivory Paradise Valley, Arizona Architecture: Drewett Works Builder: Bedbrock Developers Interiors: Mara Interior Design - Mara Green Landscape: Bedbrock Developers Photography: Werner Segarra Decorative dot mosaic: Villagio Flooring: Facings of America Shower tile: Daltile Cabinets: Distinctive Custom Cabinetry https://www.drewettworks.com/ebony-and-ivory/

Custom Roman Style Woven Shades | Fabric: Beachfront Thatch | Crafted & Designed by Acadia Shutters
Inspiration for a large craftsman l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen remodel in Nashville with a farmhouse sink and an island

Living Room Ideas Hunter Douglas Skyline vertical blinds and gliding window panels for large windows array, sliding glass doors or french doors. Skyline window panels are wide panel track blinds / sliding panels that move smoothly across the wide window array or can be used as a room divider.Remote control motorized vertical blinds available. Electric or battery operated window treatments. This open concept design living room ideas include sliding panel vertical blinds to filter light into the room and give privacy to the space. Windows Dressed Up is your Denver window treatment store for custom blinds, shutters shades, custom curtains & drapes, custom valances, custom roman shades as well as curtain hardware & drapery hardware. Measuring and installation available. Servicing the metro area, including Parker, Castle Rock, Boulder, Evergreen, Broomfield, Lakewood, Aurora, Thornton, Centennial, Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Arvada, Golden, Westminster, Lone Tree, Greenwood Village, Wheat Ridge. Hunter Douglas Skyline Vertical Panel Blinds - Living room design ideas photo.

A pair of matching sofas with custom metal frames and soft contrast fabric create a luxurious formal living space. Fireside chairs in a purple velvet provide a pop of color and additional seating. The stone surround at the fireplace is a modern interpretation of the classic over-mantle. The richness of the stone draws the eye to fireplace and showcases the abstract artwork. Flanking the fireplace, two niches showcase the eclectic collections cherished by the clients. To soften the space and add warmth and texture, a pieced hair-on-hide rug layers on top of warm medium-toned wood flooring. Sheer drapery filter light from the adjacent pool space. Photos by: Don Glentzer

ChatGPT said: This quiet nook captures the soul of Santa Fe living—a space designed for reflection and connection to nature. The thick adobe walls frame a deep-set window, allowing filtered light to spill across the room, while sheer embroidered curtains soften the view of the rustic wooden fence and native trees outside. The simple white slipcovered armchair and stacked books invite moments of stillness, reinforcing the authentic, lived-in comfort that defines Santa Fe Adobe Houses. The warm plaster walls, paired with handcrafted details like the carved wooden frame, highlight the timeless craftsmanship of New Mexico Historic Architecture. This vignette exemplifies how Custom Residential Design in Santa Fe balances natural light, organic materials, and serene interiors to create homes that feel both grounding and restorative. Wendy McEahern

This stunning modern bathroom corner illustrates the power of high-contrast minimalist design. The focal point is a floor-to-ceiling geometric tile wall in a deep matte charcoal, featuring a unique elongated hex pattern that adds architectural rhythm and texture to the space. Perfectly balanced against the dark verticality of the black tile, a sleek freestanding tub offers a clean, white sculptural silhouette. The inclusion of champagne bronze or brass floor-mounted fixtures introduces a warm, matte black finish alternative, lending a touch of contemporary opulence to the scene. To soften the bold geometry, we integrated organic elements: a natural woven window shade that filters light beautifully, and a minimalist side table topped with natural stone. This curated mix of materials—from the crisp lines of the abstract art to the soft curves of the porcelain—defines a truly high-end luxury bathroom experience. It’s a retreat designed for the design-conscious homeowner who values a contemporary interior that is both bold and breathable.

Set on a narrow hillside lot overlooking the San Francisco Bay in Point Richmond, California, Bay Heirloom is a Mid-Century Modern family home restored, modernized and adapted for contemporary living. Oriented south-southwest toward the Marin Headlands, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the residence captures shifting Bay light throughout the day, from fog-muted mornings to vivid, glowing sunsets. The home was built by Karlyn Neel’s grandfather, the owner of the construction company Flo-Crete, one of the Bay Area’s early concrete pumping firms. Flo-Crete completed the foundation and structural concrete work, with family photographs documenting the original cinderblock walls and pours. The firm also contributed to major regional infrastructure projects, including the Transbay BART tube and Candlestick Park, situating the house within a broader legacy of Bay Area construction. Growing up, Neel spent considerable time in the home, developing an early appreciation for mid-century modern principles. Instead of parting with this family heirloom, she purchased the home from her grandfather’s estate. While her grandfather continued to live in the Point Richmond house, Neel purchased a Mid-Century Modern residence in Palm Desert. In contrast to the Bay Area’s cool temperatures, salt air, and persistent winds, the desert home is shaped by heat and sun and requires a different material response. A substantial renovation she led there emphasized thermal performance, filtered light, and restrained detailing. The experience later informed the restoration of her Bay Area family home. What began as a modest Mid-Century Modern update expanded when decades of exposure to marine conditions revealed leaks and significant structural and seismic deficiencies. Neel was determined to honor her grandfather’s perseverance and without hesitation pivoted to a much more intensive project. Addressing these challenges required close coordination between Neel, Klopf Architecture and Kasten Builders, with architectural restraint and construction precision guiding each intervention. Rather than alter the home’s defining features, the project focused on reinforcing the structure from within. Discreet beams were embedded along the rear facade and in an upstairs wall, strengthening the building while maximizing the wall of glass facing the Bay and opening the wall between the kitchen and the living space. These structural interventions allowed the space to open fully to the Bay without visual interruption, with the kitchen repositioned as the social and functional core of an open, continuous living space. The building envelope was updated using weather- and corrosion-resistant materials appropriate to the marine environment. The house unfolds vertically from the street, beginning with a modest garage level and workshop, with the main living spaces located below. Original slate flooring at the entry was preserved, along with select furnishings and artwork collected by Neel’s grandfather, anchoring the restored interior in its past. A restrained palette of black accents and pale, natural finishes replaces darker wood tones, reinforcing openness and calm. A naturally illuminated stair connects to the lowest level, where a former basement was transformed into a guest suite and family room opening onto a deck. From there, steps lead directly to a small concrete boat ramp at the water’s edge. Throughout the project, decisions were guided by continuity rather than transformation for its own sake. Lessons drawn from both desert and coastal climates informed a material strategy rooted in performance and restraint. Bay Heirloom stands as a measured evolution of a family house, structurally renewed and carefully modernized, grounded in the discipline and care that first shaped it. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Angela Todorova and Fernanda Bernardes Landscape Architect: Huettl Landscape Architecture General Contractor: Kasten Builders Photography: ©2025 Mariko Reed Year Completed: 2022 Location: Point Richmond, CA

Devereux Beach House Our client presented Flavin Architects with a unique challenge. On a site that previously hosted two houses, our client asked us to design a modestly sized house and separate art studio. Both structures reduce the height and bulk of the original buildings. The modern concrete house we designed is situated on the brow of a steep cliff overlooking Marblehead harbor. The concrete visually anchors the house to stone outcroppings on the property, and the low profile ensures the structure doesn’t conflict with the surround of traditional, gabled homes. Three primary concrete walls run north to south in parallel, forming the structural walls of the home. The entry sequence is carefully considered. The front door is hidden from view from the street. An entry path leads to an intimate courtyard, from which the front door is first visible. Upon entering, the visitor gets the first glimpse of the sea, framed by a portal of cast-in-place concrete. The kitchen, living, and dining space have a soaring 10-foot ceiling creating an especially spacious sense of interiority. A cantilevered deck runs the length of the living room, with a solid railing providing privacy from beach below. Where the house grows from a single to a two-story structure, the concrete walls rise magisterially to the full height of the building. The exterior concrete walls are accented with zinc gutters and downspouts, and wooden Ipe slats which softly filter light through the windows.

The Midnight Manor exterior embodies bold modernism softened by nature’s touch. Wrapped in charred wood siding and smooth concrete, the home’s striking form contrasts beautifully with the surrounding oak canopy. Expansive windows invite in filtered light and forest views, creating a seamless connection between indoors and out. Warm interior illumination glows through the glass, balancing the dramatic dark facade with an inviting sense of comfort. The design celebrates craftsmanship, restraint, and the serenity of living among the trees—a true modern sanctuary rooted in its natural setting.

Roller blinds combined with drapery create the perfect synergy in window coverings. This versatile combination offers the best of both worlds, ensuring functionality and style in one seamless solution. Roller blinds, with their sleek and modern design, provide excellent light control and privacy. They are incredibly easy to operate, allowing you to adjust the level of sunlight entering the room effortlessly. Whether you prefer a complete blackout or a soft filtered light, roller blinds have got you covered. Adding drapery to the mix brings a touch of elegance and sophistication to your space. With a wide range of fabric options available, you can easily customize the drapes to match your interior decor. Drapery not only adds warmth and texture but also helps to soften the overall look of the window.

Sheer shades are innovative products that offer the privacy benefits of a window shade with the softening view of a sheer. When the vanes are open, the two layers of soft knitted fabric sheers maintain a level of privacy at all times, while allowing diffused natural light to enter the room.

Korean Combi blinds allow you to enjoy both bright, filtered light conditions and dim, black-out settings to suit your liking. With 2 layers that overlap each other in a striped design, you can control the amount of light coming in as you roll the blinds up or down. These blinds are good for privacy, sunlight control, and a soft elegant look to your home.

The ethereal guest bedroom showcases calming blue-on-blue tones, a cloudlike pendant, and soft filtered light through sheer drapery, embracing the home's quiet elegance.

Sheer shades can offer the perfect balance between privacy and light filtration. They also help preserve some of your view.
Large trendy loft-style dark wood floor living room photo in New York with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a tile fireplace

This is our first installation of 2015. Our customer, who lives in far north Dallas, was interested in updating her home and finally covering her windows after a decade with nothing on them. For these west facing windows we selected the elegant Pirouette Window Fashions by Hunter Douglas. These work great for this space allowing for a wonderful view of the pool while giving protection from hot Texas sun. Their furniture and hardwood floors are now protected from those harmful UV rays. Because we used the PowerRise lift system with the Platinum App, our customer can control the shades from anywhere in the home using their iPhones. With the way these shades softly filter light inside, we all thought this created a beautiful room.

This 600sm/6500sf Mid-Century Modern villa features a unique central atrium running the length of the home, connecting the Main Entry and the Second Entry, creating a light filled, slot canyon effect. The formal and family spaces are distinct yet still connected by this two-story central atrium, awash with a gentle filtered light from above. There is an attached yet closed off service kitchen with attached maids quarters, linked with easy access to the 16 person formal dining room and adjacent majlis. Upstairs are 4 bedrooms plus a separate large Master Suite, uniquely accessible by the open sided glass bridge-walk, leading to the very private Master Bedrm and the private reading nook. We have done two color studies, one utilizing the beautifully orange rusted steel known as CorTen steel, while the other study shows a snow white EIFS exterior insulation and finish system offering super-high insulation values and zero maintenance as it never needing painting and it never cracks! (one of our favorite exterior finishes~ especially in hot climates!)

Guests in this suite are treated to a magnificent view as the sun sets beyond the golf course. Walls of windows are covered with ivory drapery sheers, banded on the edges in slate blue. Two sets of woven wood shades retract when not in use. One set filters light; the other provides complete privacy with blackout properties. The Vanguard bed features a tufted headboard upholstered in woven ivory fabric. A shimmering ivory duvet with a hint of taupe covers the bed. Pillows are in the same tone, accented by slate blue. Seeded glass table lamps with ivory linen shades from Curry sit on Vanguard nightstands, finished in deep gray. The custom chevron-patterned rug is from Kravet.