On project number five for my favorite clients, our challenge was to find a new runner for the stairs and hallway for their lovely home. With interesting angles and a budget that would reflect their five year stay in the current home, we considered all options. Top of the line wool runners were prohibitive, but we found a lovely nylon in black/camel and spice with sophisticated floral. The black banisters and posts with Benjamin Moore Bleeker Beige on the walls, and a beautiful Hinkley lighting fixture, rounded out the project. Great!! Lauran Corson

Photo: Danielle Sykes © 2016 Houzz
Mid-sized farmhouse light wood floor kitchen/dining room combo photo in Boston with beige walls

We started with a blank slate on this basement project where our only obstacles were exposed steel support columns, existing plumbing risers from the concrete slab, and dropped soffits concealing ductwork on the ceiling. It had the advantage of tall ceilings, an existing egress window, and a sliding door leading to a newly constructed patio. This family of five loves the beach and frequents summer beach resorts in the Northeast. Bringing that aesthetic home to enjoy all year long was the inspiration for the décor, as well as creating a family-friendly space for entertaining. Wish list items included room for a billiard table, wet bar, game table, family room, guest bedroom, full bathroom, space for a treadmill and closed storage. The existing structural elements helped to define how best to organize the basement. For instance, we knew we wanted to connect the bar area and billiards table with the patio in order to create an indoor/outdoor entertaining space. It made sense to use the egress window for the guest bedroom for both safety and natural light. The bedroom also would be adjacent to the plumbing risers for easy access to the new bathroom. Since the primary focus of the family room would be for TV viewing, natural light did not need to filter into that space. We made sure to hide the columns inside of newly constructed walls and dropped additional soffits where needed to make the ceiling mechanicals feel less random. In addition to the beach vibe, the homeowner has valuable sports memorabilia that was to be prominently displayed including two seats from the original Yankee stadium. For a coastal feel, shiplap is used on two walls of the family room area. In the bathroom shiplap is used again in a more creative way using wood grain white porcelain tile as the horizontal shiplap “wood”. We connected the tile horizontally with vertical white grout joints and mimicked the horizontal shadow line with dark grey grout. At first glance it looks like we wrapped the shower with real wood shiplap. Materials including a blue and white patterned floor, blue penny tiles and a natural wood vanity checked the list for that seaside feel. A large reclaimed wood door on an exposed sliding barn track separates the family room from the game room where reclaimed beams are punctuated with cable lighting. Cabinetry and a beverage refrigerator are tucked behind the rolling bar cabinet (that doubles as a Blackjack table!). A TV and upright video arcade machine round-out the entertainment in the room. Bar stools, two rotating club chairs, and large square poufs along with the Yankee Stadium seats provide fun places to sit while having a drink, watching billiards or a game on the TV. Signed baseballs can be found behind the bar, adjacent to the billiard table, and on specially designed display shelves next to the poker table in the family room. Thoughtful touches like the surfboards, signage, photographs and accessories make a visitor feel like they are on vacation at a well-appointed beach resort without being cliché.

The stunning white walls of this Rosemary Beach house contrast with the Mediterranean Blue tiles of the pool. The five scuppers pour a stream of sound into the small pool courtyard, providing an oasis in this busy neighborhood. The compact, native landscape provides year-round color and interest. Photographed by: Alan D. Holt

Five years after the original renovation, (see below) this homeowner was ready to convert this "kid" bathroom into a more mature, farmhouse look for their teenagers. By just providing a fresh coat of paint, a grout-stain refresh and new decor.... the transformation was seamless.

Mullican's precision-milled, 3/8-inch-thick Lincolnshire Collection is a hand-sculpted engineered hardwood floor available in a 5-inch width. Offering five colors in hickory, this American-made flooring will add enduring value to your home. Lincolnshire is backed by Mullican's Aluminum Oxide Finish and carries a 25-year warranty.

Five years ago the garden featured large mature trees shading a lush English garden. El Nino and age killed most of the trees and in the record-setting drought water bills skyrocketed. Greenscape Landscape + Design added drought tolerant trees, decomposed granite paths and drought tolerant succulents and grasses.

Mullican's precision-milled, 3/8-inch-thick Lincolnshire Collection is a hand-sculpted engineered hardwood floor available in a 5-inch width. Offering five colors in hickory, this American-made flooring will add enduring value to your home. Lincolnshire is backed by Mullican's Aluminum Oxide Finish and carries a 25-year warranty.

On project number five for my favorite clients, our challenge was to find a new runner for the stairs and hallway for their lovely home. With interesting angles and a budget that would reflect their five year stay in the current home, we considered all options. Top of the line wool runners were prohibitive, but we found a lovely nylon in black/camel and spice with sophisticated floral. The black banisters and posts with Benjamin Moore Bleeker Beige on the walls, and a beautiful Hinkley lighting fixture, rounded out the project. Great!! Lauran Corson

The stunning white walls of this Rosemary Beach house contrast with the Mediterranean Blue tiles of the pool. The five scuppers pour a stream of sound into the small pool courtyard, providing an oasis in this busy neighborhood. The compact, native landscape provides year-round color and interest. Photographed by: Alan D. Holt

Photo: Robert Burns ˙© 2015 Houzz
Urban shed photo in Portland

The five large vegetable beds produce enough produce to keep the clients supplied all year round.
Photo of a mediterranean landscaping in Los Angeles.

The healthy house issue. Twenty-five years ago, Cathy developed chronic asthma, so we did a serious study on interior air quality in homes and discovered the improvements that would be beneficial. Over the years we have built three new homes for ourselves based on what we learnt and Cathy has been completely healthy for the last 20 years. This is because we enjoy healthy indoor air resulting from making the right choices of materials. The components that go into CRAFT Floors are a big part of the healthy home concept. Allan is delighted to be working with a company that has a healthy environment and interior air quality in mind.

In 1989 Medallion Homes hired Ron to design the first of two communities he would design for them. This model was one of the most successful sellers. The first subdivision Ron designed for Medallion was the first homes built in the then brand new Kierland area of North Scottsdale/ Phoenix. The designs were so well received that they sold too fast. The entire first phase of over 120 sites sold out in three days. The builder had anticipated this phase to take two years to sell out. The second phase was opened and it sold out in less than two weeks. A project the builder expected to take at least five years was completed in just under 24 months.

Long known for first-to-market function and innovation, American Leather's put a new spin on reclining sofas and sectionals with the style In Motion collections, featuring a whisper-quiet reclining mechanism that can be built into any chair, sofa or sectional. The modular, high-leg pieces, available in 23-inch and 35-inch cushion widths, deliver a true reclining experience while requiring only six inches of wall clearance. Infinitely adjustable with independent foot and back controls, these pieces provide unmatched comfort for conversation, reading, watching or lounging. The Bryant, with a distinctive wood base, features a splayed arm and a bustle back that's perfect for reclining comfort. Seats: Premium high-density, high-resiliency foam encased in down. Back cushions are channeled chambers filled with luxurious blown fiber and down. Sinuous spring suspension. Semi-attached back cushions with lumbar support. Double-needle top stitched seams. Easy-to-operate control panel is back-lit, with auto-fade after five seconds, includes a 2-amp USB charging port. Lifetime warranty on frame and suspension; three-year warranty on mechanism and motor; five years against defects in materials and workmanship for all other elements. Each piece can be customized with any leather, fabric -- including Ultrasuede® and Crypton® -- or customer's own material. Choose from 23-inch and 35-inch wide seat cushions. Contrast stitching available. Build the perfect modular sectional from 17 matching pieces. Sled legs available in solid Natural Walnut or Gray Ash Contrasting back and seat cushions available. 2-amp-hour battery pack available. American Leather

The stunning white walls of this Rosemary Beach house contrast with the Mediterranean Blue tiles of the pool. The five scuppers pour a stream of sound into the small pool courtyard, providing an oasis in this busy neighborhood. The compact, native landscape provides year-round color and interest. Photographed by: Alan D. Holt

The owners of this property had been away from the Bay Area for many years, and looked forward to returning to an elegant mid-century modern house. The one they bought was anything but that. Faced with a “remuddled” kitchen from one decade, a haphazard bedroom / family room addition from another, and an otherwise disjointed and generally run-down mid-century modern house, the owners asked Klopf Architecture and Envision Landscape Studio to re-imagine this house and property as a unified, flowing, sophisticated, warm, modern indoor / outdoor living space for a family of five. Opening up the spaces internally and from inside to out was the first order of business. The formerly disjointed eat-in kitchen with 7 foot high ceilings were opened up to the living room, re-oriented, and replaced with a spacious cook's kitchen complete with a row of skylights bringing light into the space. Adjacent the living room wall was completely opened up with La Cantina folding door system, connecting the interior living space to a new wood deck that acts as a continuation of the wood floor. People can flow from kitchen to the living / dining room and the deck seamlessly, making the main entertainment space feel at once unified and complete, and at the same time open and limitless. Klopf opened up the bedroom with a large sliding panel, and turned what was once a large walk-in closet into an office area, again with a large sliding panel. The master bathroom has high windows all along one wall to bring in light, and a large wet room area for the shower and tub. The dark, solid roof structure over the patio was replaced with an open trellis that allows plenty of light, brightening the new deck area as well as the interior of the house. All the materials of the house were replaced, apart from the framing and the ceiling boards. This allowed Klopf to unify the materials from space to space, running the same wood flooring throughout, using the same paint colors, and generally creating a consistent look from room to room. Located in Lafayette, CA this remodeled single-family house is 3,363 square foot, 4 bedroom, and 3.5 bathroom. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Jackie Detamore, and Jeffrey Prose Landscape Design: Envision Landscape Studio Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineers Contractor: Kasten Builders Photography ©2015 Mariko Reed Staging: The Design Shop Location: Lafayette, CA Year completed: 2014

Secret Gardens has been developing this stunning harbourside garden over a number of years. A simple layout at water level provides a subtle foreground to the harbour view beyond. Simple, modern plant combinations draw from a simple but consistent colour palette. The main courtyard space is the highlight . A five metre high green wall and water wall provide the backdrop to a large banquet seat. The built in bbq, retractable ceiling, customised firepit and coffee table provide options for year round entertainment. Extensive soundproofing was incorporated into the boundary wall as well as behind the green wall to absorb noise from a neighbouring property.

On a quiet street, and in a park-like setting, this beautiful West Linn ranch backs up to Mary S. Young State Park. Newer hardwoods throughout the entire main floor. The wood-burning fireplace was completely rebuilt (chimney included) five years ago. Newer paint throughout. Updated kitchen with granite counters and newer appliances. There is a double oven in the range. Recently updated full bath with marble floors and granite counters. A new water heater was put in this year! Newer furnace and AC. Upper level study has built in shelving. The 10x12 shed is powered and has a loft for extra storage. 5 zone sprinkler system throughout the yard.