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.

Photo: Shelley Zatsky © 2016 Houzz
Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in Boston.

The existing U-shaped kitchen was tucked away in a small corner while the dining table was swimming in a room much too large for its size. The client’s needs and the architecture of the home made it apparent that the perfect design solution for the home was to swap the spaces. The homeowners entertain frequently and wanted the new layout to accommodate a lot of counter seating, a bar/buffet for serving hors d’oeuvres, an island with prep sink, and all new appliances. They had a strong preference that the hood be a focal point and wanted to go beyond a typical white color scheme even though they wanted white cabinets. While moving the kitchen to the dining space gave us a generous amount of real estate to work with, two of the exterior walls are occupied with full-height glass creating a challenge how best to fulfill their wish list. We used one available wall for the needed tall appliances, taking advantage of its height to create the hood as a focal point. We opted for both a peninsula and island instead of one large island in order to maximize the seating requirements and create a barrier when entertaining so guests do not flow directly into the work area of the kitchen. This also made it possible to add a second sink as requested. Lastly, the peninsula sets up a well-defined path to the new dining room without feeling like you are walking through the kitchen. We used the remaining fourth wall for the bar/buffet. Black cabinetry adds strong contrast in several areas of the new kitchen. Wire mesh wall cabinet doors at the bar and gold accents on the hardware, light fixtures, faucets and furniture add further drama to the concept. The focal point is definitely the black hood, looking both dramatic and cohesive at the same time.

How To Build A Fish Pond, seems to be a frequently asked question in today's day and age, what with Extreme Home Make Over, HGTV, P. Allen Smith and all of the other "Do-It-Yourself" television programs that are flooding our airways. Once you finally decide that you want a beautiful ecosystem pond to come home to, the next step is to come up with an ecosystem pond design that works for you. This pond design can be a front yard waterscape with curb appeal or a Backyard Waterfall creating your own private get away. If your having trouble designing it yourself you could always have BJL Aquascapes Colts Neck, Monmouth County, NJ help design and build it for you ! Click Here To See Our Website Page Links Visit our website links to more information on Backyard Garden Ponds, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO LEARN MORE !!! Pond Filtration Ecosystem Pond Small Pond Filter Urn UV Pond Sterilization Bog Filtration Our Display Ponds Semi-Formal Ponds Our Display At Brock's Large Pond Management Pond Portfolio Construction Process

After moving across the country, this family found charm and potential in a 1925 farmhouse in Ann Arbor that had seen its share of remodels and additions over the past century. They wanted to restore the home’s heart and soul while creating spaces that fit modern family life. We reimagined a great deal of the main floor, bringing authentic materials and thoughtful design to the kitchen, coffee bar, dining room banquette, serving area, laundry room, and entryway. A much-needed half bath was added within a former closet, a small but meaningful change that transformed how the home functions day to day. The kitchen features creamy white cabinetry paired with a deep-stained hickory island and hood, creating a warm and balanced palette that suits the age and architecture of the home. A new brick wall adds texture and character, connecting the layers of the home’s history. Floating shelves, crafted by a local woodworker from reclaimed wood, tie together the coffee bar, serving area, and laundry spaces. Every detail was chosen to bring the home’s character back to life while giving this family a space that feels personal, welcoming, and ready for the next hundred years.

Sunroom - mid-sized coastal medium tone wood floor sunroom idea in Los Angeles

Maolin Li, a young entrepreneur based overseas purchased a 1.5 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo at The Residences at the W Hollywood to serve as a home away from home during his frequent trips to Los Angeles. With a few weeks until his next visit, Maolin enlisted Cantoni LA designer, Kyle Spivey to transform the empty space into a stylish, move-in ready home all in time for his stateside arrival. To create a warm and welcoming urban oasis to suit Maolin’s jet-setting lifestyle, Kyle repainted the walls and adorned them with custom wallpaper, framed the windows with drapes and outfitted each room with customized furnishings and high impact art and accessories. Check out what Kyle had to say about the design process as well as what inspired him along the way on the Cantoni Blog here: cantoni.com/blog/2015/03/stylish-hollywood-pad-w-hollywood/ Photos by Lucas Cichon

Ryan Long Photography Connie Long Interiors
Laundry room - small traditional l-shaped medium tone wood floor laundry room idea in Nashville with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, gray walls and a side-by-side washer/dryer

Redwood Builders had the pleasure of working with leading SF based architects Seth and Melissa Hanley of Design Blitz to create a sleek and modern backyard "Shudio" structure. Located in their backyard in Sebastopol, the Shudio replaced a falling-down potting shed and brings the best of his-and-hers space planning: a painting studio for her and a beer brewing shed for him. During their frequent backyard parties (which often host more than 90 guests) the Shudio transforms into a bar with easy through traffic and a built in keg-orator. The finishes are simple with the primary surface being charcoal painted T111 with accents of western red cedar and a white washed ash plywood interior. The sliding barn doors and trim are constructed of California redwood. The trellis with its varied pattern creates a shadow pattern that changes throughout the day. The trellis helps to enclose the informal patio (decomposed granite) and provide privacy from neighboring properties. Existing mature rhododendrons were prioritized in the design and protected in place where possible.

Double entry doors to the screened porch. They are capable of opening at the same time to accommodate heavy and frequent traffic. Their glass windows pull down to reveal screens.

Photo Credits: Brian Vanden Brink
Example of a large beach style backyard stone patio design in Boston with no cover

This is stunning Dura Supreme Cabinetry home was carefully designed by designer Aaron Mauk and his team at Mauk Cabinets by Design in Tipp City, Ohio and was featured in the Dayton Homearama Touring Edition. You’ll find Dura Supreme Cabinetry throughout the home including the bathrooms, the kitchen, a laundry room, and an entertainment room/wet bar area. Each room was designed to be beautiful and unique, yet coordinate fabulously with each other. The kitchen is in the heart of this stunning new home and has an open concept that flows with the family room. A one-of-a-kind kitchen island was designed with a built-in banquet seating (breakfast nook seating) and breakfast bar to create a space to dine and entertain while also providing a large work surface and kitchen sink space. Coordinating built-ins and mantle frame the fireplace and create a seamless look with the white kitchen cabinetry. A combination of glass and mirrored mullion doors are used throughout the space to create a spacious, airy feel. The mirrored mullions also worked as a way to accent and conceal the large paneled refrigerator. The vaulted ceilings with darkly stained trusses and unique circular ceiling molding applications set this design apart as a true one-of-a-kind home. Featured Product Details: Kitchen and Living Room: Dura Supreme Cabinetry’s Lauren door style and Mullion Pattern #15. Fireplace Mantle: Dura Supreme Cabinetry is shown in a Personal Paint Match finish, Outerspace SW 6251. Request a FREE Dura Supreme Cabinetry Brochure Packet: http://www.durasupreme.com/request-brochure

Photo: Michaela Dodd © 2015 Houzz
Example of an eclectic bathroom design in Austin

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment. The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home. Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition. The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions. The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns. Overview Elm Grove Size 2,800 sf 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Completion Date September 2014 Services Architecture, Landscape Architecture Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design Steve Gotter

Weathered and refined. Grey floors have become the hottest design trend, but not all greys are the same. For Nevis, we aim to provide a pattern that errs to the modern side, while still evoking some rustic elements. This isn’t outright reclaimed, but it’s just wild enough to not be monotone either. The most important specification for determining the durability of vinyl flooring is the thickness of the wear-layer. The best wear-layers are made of thick, clear virgin PVC, which covers the paper print-film that gives the floor its unique appearance. Once the wear-layer wears through, the paper is damaged and the floor will need replacement. Most vinyl floors come with a 8-12 mil wear-layer (0.2-3 mm). The top commercial specs in the industry are higher, at 20-22 mil (0.5 mm). A select few manufacturers offer a “super” commercial spec of 28 mil (0.7 mm). For Modin, we decided to set a new standard: 40 mil (1.0 mm) of premium virgin PVC. This allows us to offer an industry-leading 20 year Commercial Warranty (Lifetime Residential), compared to nearly all other commercial vinyl floors’ 10 year Commercial Warranty. Beyond our superior wear-layer, we also use a patented click mechanism for superior hold, and a ceramic-bead coating. SIZE MATTERS Wider and longer planks create a sense of space and luxury. Most vinyl floors come in 6” or 7” widths, and 36” or 48” lengths. For Modin, we designed our planks to be 9” wide, and 60” long. This extra large size allows our gorgeous designs to be fully expressed. DETAILS THAT COUNT We made sure to get all the details right. Real texture, to create the feel of wire-brushed wood. Low sheen level, to ensure a natural look that wears well over time. 4-sided bevels, to more accurately emulate the look of real planks. When added together they help create the unique look that is Modin. DESIGNS THAT INSPIRE We spent nearly a year just focusing on our designs, to ensure they provide the right mix of color and depth. Focusing on timeless wire-brush and European Oak styles, as well as more contemporary modern washes, our collection offers truly beautiful design that is both functional and inspiring.

Photo: Caroline Sharpnack © 2017 Houzz
Inspiration for an eclectic enclosed medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Nashville with pink walls, a standard fireplace, a plaster fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

The kitchen cooking center done in Habersham cabinetry has side storage for frequently used oils, pull-out pantry style spice cabinets, and a 48" Stainless Steel Wolf range. The back splash has a carved stone medallion surrounded by beaded metal liners, stone rhomboid tiles, and arched liner, and natural stone complimenting color and style of the cabinetry nicely. Justin Schmauser Photography

The homeowners of this California Cottage wanted a beach vibe in their 1700 sq. ft. home. They wanted to make the most of their spaces by widening doorways, adding wood floors throughout the house, and adding a skylight. The result is cozy, casual California living at its best with frequent family dinners and celebrations with friends. Photos by Erika Bierman www.erikabiermanphotography.com

Our clients frequently worked from home. Weary of working from the dining room table, these homeowners needed a better solution for a home office. In this photo, you see the finished office with the doors closed for privacy. Note how the glass doors and transom windows allow natural light into the room.