The 25-by-15-foot reverse vanishing edge pool echoes the trapezoidal shape of the waterfeature and seat walls in the forecourt, while the leading-edge overflow reinforces the feminine curve of the seat walls introduced as one first experienced the home's front entry. The bold curve intentionally imparts a sensuous line to the otherwise masculine, angular framework. The planter walls behind the pool are cantilevered by 4" and create a sleek and distinct shadow line that underscores their form, levitating them above the water. michaelwoodall.com

Description: Bathroom Remodel - Reclaimed Vintage Glass Tile - Photograph: HAUS | Architecture
Example of a small transitional green tile and glass tile mosaic tile floor and white floor tub/shower combo design in Indianapolis with a vessel sink, open cabinets, black cabinets, wood countertops, green walls and black countertops

Example of a mid-sized trendy living room library design in Austin with gray walls

The open living room features a wall of glass windows and doors that open onto the backyard deck and pool. The living room blends into the bar featuring a large walnut wood wall to add interest, texture and warmth. The home also features polished concrete floors throughout the bottom level as well as dark white oak floors on the upper level. For more information please call Christiano Homes at (949)294-5387 or email at heather@christianohomes.com Photo by Michael Asgian

Bathroom - traditional bathroom idea in Charleston with a vessel sink

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   The Klimala’s and their three kids are no strangers to moving, this being their fifth house in the same town over the 20-year period they have lived there. “It must be the 7-year itch, because every seven years, we seem to find ourselves antsy for a new project or a new environment. I think part of it is being a designer, I see my own taste evolve and I want my environment to reflect that. Having easy access to wonderful tradesmen and a knowledge of the process makes it that much easier”. This time, Klimala’s fell in love with a somewhat unlikely candidate. The 1950’s ranch turned cape cod was a bit of a mutt, but it’s location 5 minutes from their design studio and backing up to the high school where their kids can roll out of bed and walk to school, coupled with the charm of its location on a private road and lush landscaping made it an appealing choice for them. “The bones of the house were really charming. It was typical 1,500 square foot ranch that at some point someone added a second floor to. Its sloped roofline and dormered bedrooms gave it some charm.” With the help of architect Maureen McHugh, Klimala’s gutted and reworked the layout to make the house work for them. An open concept kitchen and dining room allows for more frequent casual family dinners and dinner parties that linger. A dingy 3-season room off the back of the original house was insulated, given a vaulted ceiling with skylights and now opens up to the kitchen. This room now houses an 8’ raw edge white oak dining table and functions as an informal dining room. “One of the challenges with these mid-century homes is the 8’ ceilings. I had to have at least one room that had a higher ceiling so that’s how we did it” states Klimala. The kitchen features a 10’ island which houses a 5’0” Galley Sink. The Galley features two faucets, and double tiered rail system to which accessories such as cutting boards and stainless steel bowls can be added for ease of cooking. Across from the large sink is an induction cooktop. “My two teen daughters and I enjoy cooking, and the Galley and induction cooktop make it so easy.” A wall of tall cabinets features a full size refrigerator, freezer, double oven and built in coffeemaker. The area on the opposite end of the kitchen features a pantry with mirrored glass doors and a beverage center below. The rest of the first floor features an entry way, a living room with views to the front yard’s lush landscaping, a family room where the family hangs out to watch TV, a back entry from the garage with a laundry room and mudroom area, one of the home’s four bedrooms and a full bath. There is a double sided fireplace between the family room and living room. The home features pops of color from the living room’s peach grass cloth to purple painted wall in the family room. “I’m definitely a traditionalist at heart but because of the home’s Midcentury roots, I wanted to incorporate some of those elements into the furniture, lighting and accessories which also ended up being really fun. We are not formal people so I wanted a house that my kids would enjoy, have their friends over and feel comfortable.” The second floor houses the master bedroom suite, two of the kids’ bedrooms and a back room nicknamed “the library” because it has turned into a quiet get away area where the girls can study or take a break from the rest of the family. The area was originally unfinished attic, and because the home was short on closet space, this Jack and Jill area off the girls’ bedrooms houses two large walk-in closets and a small sitting area with a makeup vanity. “The girls really wanted to keep the exposed brick of the fireplace that runs up the through the space, so that’s what we did, and I think they feel like they are in their own little loft space in the city when they are up there” says Klimala. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Carlos Vergara For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Kirk Bianchi of Bianchi Design, an award winning phoenix pool builder and landscape designer, brought an intimate and choreographed feel to this otherwise congested narrow space, where front entry, driveway, outdoor dining, and neighbors garage all converged on the "front squeeze" of this cul de sac lot. The stairs from the front sweep and carry through, interlacing with a screen wall that separates the dining are from the driveway that passes just on the other side. A mature ironwood tree creates an overhead sense of intimacy to the patio and front entry, allowing for delightful shadow play by day, and mystifying downlight by night, with fixtures discretely hidden in the tree above. Michaelwoodall.com

Photography by John Gibbons Project by Studio H:T principal in charge Brad Tomecek (now with Tomecek Studio Architecture). This contemporary custom home forms itself based on specific view vectors to Long's Peak and the mountains of the front range combined with the influence of a morning and evening court to facilitate exterior living. Roof forms undulate to allow clerestory light into the space, while providing intimate scale for the exterior areas. A long stone wall provides a reference datum that links public and private and inside and outside into a cohesive whole.

Front door added curb appeal. Photo and copyright by Renovation Design Group. All rights reserved.
Example of a classic entryway design in Salt Lake City

Tim Turner
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard deck remodel in Melbourne with no cover

Columnar evergreens provide a rhythmic structure to the flowing bluestone entry walk that terminates in a fountain courtyard. A soothing palette of green and white plantings keeps the space feeling lush and cool. Photo credit: Verdance Fine Garden Design

The owners of this prewar apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan wanted to combine two dark and tightly configured units into a single unified space. StudioLAB was challenged with the task of converting the existing arrangement into a large open three bedroom residence. The previous configuration of bedrooms along the Southern window wall resulted in very little sunlight reaching the public spaces. Breaking the norm of the traditional building layout, the bedrooms were moved to the West wall of the combined unit, while the existing internally held Living Room and Kitchen were moved towards the large South facing windows, resulting in a flood of natural sunlight. Wide-plank grey-washed walnut flooring was applied throughout the apartment to maximize light infiltration. A concrete office cube was designed with the supplementary space which features walnut flooring wrapping up the walls and ceiling. Two large sliding Starphire acid-etched glass doors close the space off to create privacy when screening a movie. High gloss white lacquer millwork built throughout the apartment allows for ample storage. LED Cove lighting was utilized throughout the main living areas to provide a bright wash of indirect illumination and to separate programmatic spaces visually without the use of physical light consuming partitions. Custom floor to ceiling Ash wood veneered doors accentuate the height of doorways and blur room thresholds. The master suite features a walk-in-closet, a large bathroom with radiant heated floors and a custom steam shower. An integrated Vantage Smart Home System was installed to control the AV, HVAC, lighting and solar shades using iPads.

This double-height entry room shows a grand white staircase leading upstairs to the private bedrooms, and downstairs to the entertainment areas. Warm wood, white wainscoting and traditional windows introduce lightness and freshness to the space.

Complete interior renovation of a 1980s split level house in the Virginia suburbs. Main level includes reading room, dining, kitchen, living and master bedroom suite. New front elevation at entry, new rear deck and complete re-cladding of the house. Interior: The prototypical layout of the split level home tends to separate the entrance, and any other associated space, from the rest of the living spaces one half level up. In this home the lower level "living" room off the entry was physically isolated from the dining, kitchen and family rooms above, and was only connected visually by a railing at dining room level. The owner desired a stronger integration of the lower and upper levels, in addition to an open flow between the major spaces on the upper level where they spend most of their time. ExteriorThe exterior entry of the house was a fragmented composition of disparate elements. The rear of the home was blocked off from views due to small windows, and had a difficult to use multi leveled deck. The owners requested an updated treatment of the entry, a more uniform exterior cladding, and an integration between the interior and exterior spaces. SOLUTIONS The overriding strategy was to create a spatial sequence allowing a seamless flow from the front of the house through the living spaces and to the exterior, in addition to unifying the upper and lower spaces. This was accomplished by creating a "reading room" at the entry level that responds to the front garden with a series of interior contours that are both steps as well as seating zones, while the orthogonal layout of the main level and deck reflects the pragmatic daily activities of cooking, eating and relaxing. The stairs between levels were moved so that the visitor could enter the new reading room, experiencing it as a place, before moving up to the main level. The upper level dining room floor was "pushed" out into the reading room space, thus creating a balcony over and into the space below. At the entry, the second floor landing was opened up to create a double height space, with enlarged windows. The rear wall of the house was opened up with continuous glass windows and doors to maximize the views and light. A new simplified single level deck replaced the old one.

Front Courtyard Entry Gate Element
Inspiration for a mediterranean stone exterior home remodel in Austin

Mid-sized classic brick front porch idea in Raleigh with a roof extension

Banyon Tree Design Studio
Photo of a contemporary front yard landscaping in Seattle for fall.

Landscape Water Feature Design & Installation Rochester NY Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls brought this Rochester (NY) front yard landscape to life with the installation of this stunning custom designed water feature which consists of bubbling urns, waterfalls, led lighting and beautiful aquatic plants. The sound of water running softly through this lovely water feature provides a relaxing sound that inspires relaxation which makes you want to sit down, relax, and enjoy all the simple pleasures life has to offer. Not only are water features lovely, they will make any space look more aesthetically pleasing and are the next best thing to living on a lovely lake or a sparking fish pond. This water feature has bubbling urns which can be installed with multiple sizes in groupings or we can design & install your water feature to have only one gorgeous stand alone urn. We love installing these beautiful urns in pondless waterfalls as well as in streams and fish ponds while adding LED lighting to them. Another cool feature is the addition of FIRE to the top of our fountains which really enhances the whole garden and makes the house stand out from the rest. The owners can sip their morning coffee on the porch and see a myriad of lovely birds and other pretty wildlife stop by for a quick sip of water. It’s a simple pleasure, but it brings a smile to the lives of our Western NY clients in Rochester & Buffalo New York (NY) and we love what we do. Our unique water features are also easy to maintain! Homeowners worry their new custom water feature requires ample work to maintain, but they do not. Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls design experts are happy to discuss seasonal care of water features with our clients to ensure they’re being cared for properly, no matter the season. Acorn Ponds & Waterfalls can help you design and install a beautiful water feature to add that peace and tranquility to your outdoor spaces. For large or small projects, there are always solutions to adding a water feature in your garden weather you are thinking about installing a pondless waterfall, one of a kind fish pond, custom water feature or large recreational pond. Acorn works with you from beginning to end so you can have a worry free addition to your backyard.

Craftsman transformation including front entry, porch, and period details
Example of an arts and crafts wood exterior home design in Denver