An airy, outdoor feeling was created in this kitchen by using natural tones and filtering light through several ways including a skylight above the sink and a large arched window in the dining area. Adorned in Rockport Recessed door style, the lower cabinetry captures the feel of nature by using a Matte French Biscuit finish on Quarter Sawn White Oak, and are capped with white quartz countertops that continue up the wall to seamlessly blend with the Nordic White upper cabinetry. The island in Vintage Silver Pine is designed with hand-turned legs to feel like a kitchen table on one side, while hiding a convection oven and storage on the other. The additional seating adjacent to the large dining table means everyone can sit together during family gatherings. The beverage center in the same Vintage Silver Pine finish with running water provides a space to make coffee, clean and house cocktail glasses, and keep on-demand cold drinks in a separate beverage refrigerator. Designed by Dana Bender Pine Street Carpenters West Chester, PA

Relax the look of any room with the casual and comforting cordless maple cape cod Flatweave Bamboo roman shade. Environmentally friendly, semi-private textured natural shades (also called natural shades, Bamboo shades, or woven woods) stylishly filter light and protect your furniture from fading. The rich wood tones of Bamboo blinds are complimentary to jute and sisal rugs as well as many hardwood floors and furniture finishes. Bamboo blinds are textured window blinds that are available in many different colors and styles. They are popular window treatments for coastal and beach properties, lakeside or country cottages, and traditional or metropolitan homes. For additional privacy or neutral backing, you can attach a fabric privacy liner to the back side of natural shades. Another option for additional privacy is to outside mount natural shades, then inside mount an inexpensive white black out roller blind.

Built on a steep lakeside terrain, the Tsuga residence by Appareil Architecture is an ambitious project that required meticulous planning and flawless execution. Nestled within the rugged landscapes of Brownsburg-Chatham, Tsuga elevates a complex site to offer a seamless immersion in nature. Balancing the site’s constraints with a high level of finish, every phase of the project was designed to reconcile technical challenges with precision. Modulor expertly managed all collaborators, ensuring a level of detail that defines a project of this scale. On the exterior, the building envelope combines durability with refinement. Carefully selected natural wood cladding interacts with a perforated screen that filters light and adds depth to the façade. The integration of openings was strategically planned to maximize views while maintaining a cohesive architectural expression. Inside, the materials and finishes reflect the same commitment to quality. Wooden paneling wraps the spaces, creating visual continuity and a warm atmosphere. The stainless steel kitchen, with its clean lines and custom design, introduces a striking contrast between modernity and natural textures. Every junction, every material transition was meticulously crafted to ensure a flawless result, with no compromises on durability or functionality. Designed for an architectural historian and a musician and opera singer, Tsuga is the result of meticulous craftsmanship. A home built to stand the test of time, with an unwavering attention to detail.

Reeds, bamboo and grasses bring the outdoors into your indoors. Rich in texture, warm in appearance, our custom Natural Woven Shades filter light softly, subtly and naturally. Woven by skilled artisans on hand-fed looms, each material is a work of art.

An airy, outdoor feeling was created in this kitchen by using natural tones and filtering light through several ways including a skylight above the sink and a large arched window in the dining area. Adorned in Rockport Recessed door style, the lower cabinetry captures the feel of nature by using a Matte French Biscuit finish on Quarter Sawn White Oak, and are capped with white quartz countertops that continue up the wall to seamlessly blend with the Nordic White upper cabinetry. The island in Vintage Silver Pine is designed with hand-turned legs to feel like a kitchen table on one side, while hiding a convection oven and storage on the other. The additional seating adjacent to the large dining table means everyone can sit together during family gatherings. The beverage center in the same Vintage Silver Pine finish with running water provides a space to make coffee, clean and house cocktail glasses, and keep on-demand cold drinks in a separate beverage refrigerator. Designed by Dana Bender Pine Street Carpenters West Chester, PA

A second story was added to a penthouse loft in the leather district of Boston. Skylights were installed and reclaimed hickory beams filter light into the kitchen below. Sliding glass panels lead out onto the roof deck. A small sitting room with double sided fireplace is shown. pat piasecki

We loved the process of transforming this hidden gem in the heart of historic Chagrin Falls Village. A new porch and cupola grace the exterior. The cupola filters light from above into the barrel-vaulted 2nd floor living area. We incorporated original architectural details like the small round windows (roundels) for the horses of yesteryear and the elliptical Italianate double-hung windows and brackets. Builder: Jordan Construction Interior Design: Chestnut Hill Homes

Example of a living room design in Miami

The vanity space in this project was narrow as the main bathroom area is in an L-shape. The master closet originally had a swinging door that we replaced with a sliding barn door. This allowed more room in the bathroom and more unobstructed storage space within the master closet. By closing in the wall a few feet for the barn door we were able to add more interior storage space to the closet as well. A roller shade was installed over the tub for privacy and to filter light. The material chosen is perfect for a wet location.

Achieve a modern living room with custom roller shades. Roller shades come in a variety of contemporary prints and patterns to match your distinctive taste. Add texture to shades so your windows become a work of art. Sheer shades gently filter light and ad beautiful texture to bare windows.

Sheer shades can offer the perfect balance between privacy and light filtration. They also help preserve some of your view.
Mid-sized trendy dark wood floor enclosed dining room photo in New York with beige walls

A refined living room anchored by a custom ribbed travertine fireplace and a built-in bar with brushed brass cabinetry. Fluted glass partitions filter light while maintaining visual connection to adjacent spaces, with rift-cut white oak and natural stone carrying the material palette throughout.

The stone floor adds dimension and interest to the bathroom, while the custom window treatment frames provides privacy while filtering light into the space.

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

Our introduction to the Tahoe site was in late winter, on a clear sunny day with filtered light and long shadows through snow-laden fir and pine bows. It made a strong impression, stored for future consideration but the impetus for the design came soon after the spring snow melt. A powerful sense of horizontal layering of vegetation and various stages of decomposing downed timber on the two-acre site, juxtaposed with pine and fir trees and the dense canopy of the surrounding forest. The site is located near the historic 1960 Olympic Nordic track, situated on the edge of wetlands and seasonal streams. The homeowners were previous clients and dreamt of having a retreat in the Sierras away from their home base in Berkeley, CA. Among skiers, bike riders, hikers, and boaters, they found the ideal central location for their home base near Lake Tahoe. The home is organized as a series of linked spaces, each providing a unique sensory experience and connection to different parts of the site, both vertically and horizontally. The design includes extensive use of glass to create a true indoor/outdoor connection and maximize natural light. At the center of the site are two large fir trees, which the building respectfully wraps around in an L shape to create a focal point in the landscaped courtyard. A refined, context-driven palette of natural materials including cedar, oak, fir, and steel is used to harmoniously blend in among the surroundings. The construction includes advanced details such as thermally broken steel beams supporting layered roof planes engineered to hold snow rather than shed it. Designed to resist significant load, we exposed the steel structure as a recurring element in the interior spaces. The resulting columns and support beams contribute to the familiar design aspects of each room and provide a better understanding of how the building was constructed. The second floor features cantilevered volumes that reach out into the nearby evergreen limbs, likening the experience to being in a tree house. The house incorporates features such as radiant heating, solar panels, and operable windows for passive cooling. Fire safety measures include the use of naturally fire-resistant materials, a Class A roof construction, sprinklers, and drought-tolerant landscaping beyond the defensible space.

This bright and elegant living room features new RH Maxwell sofa, RH Wyeth Split Bamboo round coffee table, Madegoods Jonathan accent stool, and artwork from Grand Image. The Thayer Coggin chairs were reupholstered in a beautiful blue fabric and accent pillows were added for a pop of color and interest. Sheer drapery adds privacy and filters light in this bright and open space.

Motorized woven wood shades in natural brown filtering light perfectly. The woven texture complements the leather, marble, and dark cabinetry.
Trendy wine cellar photo in Tampa

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

One-way film allows you to see out, but they can't see in. With a beautiful mirrored design, this static cling window film will help bring both privacy and intrigue to a variety of surfaces including shower doors and cabinets. The reflective mirror finish looks great from the inside and the outside, creating privacy while still allowing you to look outside. Easy to install this adhesive film can be repositioned and removed to suit all the challenges life may bring. Static cling Window Film Great for Shower Doors, Windows, and Cabinets Filters light & reduces Glare Block unwanted views and viewers Easy To Remove Creates a reflective surface on the glass which allows you to look outside while people outside cannot see in *Disclaimer if it is bright inside and dark outside viewers may be able to see inside