Karli Moore Photography
Large elegant open concept dark wood floor living room photo in Tampa with white walls, no fireplace and a media wall

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a small transitional living room library remodel in New York with gray walls

In this new construction, the client wanted to maximize sleeping space for visiting family and her grandchildren's overnight visits. With the custom, built-in murphy bed, the sleek, stylish and functional home office converts to a guest room in a snap.

Example of a mid-sized arts and crafts medium tone wood floor and brown floor entryway design in Atlanta with a dark wood front door and white walls

Cape Cod; Dennis, MA This kitchen beautifully captures the essence of a Cape Cod coastal style, blending a light, airy color palette with high-end, functional elements. The room is centered around a kitchen island with a dark countertop and classic turned legs, offering a striking visual contrast to the mostly white space. The island provides both a spacious workspace and a casual dining area with woven bar stools that feature a subtle patterned cushion. Above the island, two modern pendant lights with polished metal shades serve as a focal point and provide task lighting. The kitchen's main work area features a white farmhouse sink situated beneath a large window, which floods the space with natural light. The countertops and full-height backsplash are a single slab of white marble with delicate veining, creating a clean and luxurious surface. The white shaker-style cabinetry, including glass-front cabinets for displaying dishes, reinforces the traditional coastal aesthetic. On the far left, a large, integrated refrigerator with sleek handles maintains the clean, built-in look of the cabinetry. The light wood floors provide warmth and a connection to natural elements, completing the inviting and sophisticated feel of the room.

Lots of seating, lots of storage, and stylish built-ins provide functional elegance to this busy family's active lifestyle. The sandstone fireplace surround replaced with linear marble mosaic, and integrated flat screen, and flush fireplace update the space with timeless materials in a fresh setting. Jerry Hayes Photography

Andrew Rugge/archphoto
Example of a mid-sized transitional master beige tile and porcelain tile gray floor and porcelain tile corner shower design in New York with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, an undermount tub and beige walls

Example of a cottage enclosed dining room design in Boston

This property was transformed from an 1870s YMCA summer camp into an eclectic family home, built to last for generations. Space was made for a growing family by excavating the slope beneath and raising the ceilings above. Every new detail was made to look vintage, retaining the core essence of the site, while state of the art whole house systems ensure that it functions like 21st century home. This home was featured on the cover of ELLE Décor Magazine in April 2016. G.P. Schafer, Architect Rita Konig, Interior Designer Chambers & Chambers, Local Architect Frederika Moller, Landscape Architect Eric Piasecki, Photographer

Example of a farmhouse formal and open concept living room design in San Francisco with beige walls and a standard fireplace

Study room - transitional freestanding desk dark wood floor study room idea in Miami with white walls

While this new home had an architecturally striking exterior, the home’s interior fell short in terms of true functionality and overall style. The most critical element in this renovation was the kitchen and dining area, which needed careful attention to bring it to the level that suited the home and the homeowners. As a graduate of Culinary Institute of America, our client wanted a kitchen that “feels like a restaurant, with the warmth of a home kitchen,” where guests can gather over great food, great wine, and truly feel comfortable in the open concept home. Although it follows a typical chef’s galley layout, the unique design solutions and unusual materials set it apart from the typical kitchen design. Polished countertops, laminated and stainless cabinets fronts, and professional appliances are complemented by the introduction of wood, glass, and blackened metal – materials introduced in the overall design of the house. Unique features include a wall clad in walnut for dangling heavy pots and utensils; a floating, sculptural walnut countertop piece housing an herb garden; an open pantry that serves as a coffee bar and wine station; and a hanging chalkboard that hides a water heater closet and features different coffee offerings available to guests. The dining area addition, enclosed by windows, continues to vivify the organic elements and brings in ample natural light, enhancing the darker finishes and creating additional warmth. Photography by Ira Montgomery

These clients have a high sense of design and have always built their own homes. They just downsized into a typical town home and needed this new space to stand out but also be accommodating of aging in place. The client, Jim, has a handful of challenges ahead of him with dealing with Parkinson and all of it symptoms. We optimized the shower, enlarging it by eliminating the tub and not using a shower door. We were able to do a curbless shower, reducing the likelihood of falling. We used larger tiles in the bathroom and shower but added the anti slip porcelain. I included a built-in seat in the shower and a stand-alone bench on the other side. We used a separate hand shower and easy to grab handles. A natural palette peppered with some aqua and green breathes fresh, new life into a re-imagined UTC town home. Choosing materials and finishes that have higher contrast helps make the change from flooring to wall, as well as cabinet to counter, more obvious. Large glass wall tiles make the bathroom seem much larger. A flush installation of drywall to tile is easy on the eye while showing the attention to detail. A modern custom floating vanity allows for walker wheels if needed. Personal touches like adding a filter faucet at the sink makes his trips to take medicine a bit easier. One of my favorite things in design for any project is lighting. Not only can lighting add to the look and feel of the space, but it can also create a safer environment. Installing different types of lighting, including scones on either side of the mirror, recessed can lights both inside and outside of the shower, and LED strip lighting under the floating vanity, keep this modern bathroom current and very functional. Because of the skylight and the round window, light is allowed in to play with the different colors in the glass and the shapes around the room, which created a bright and playful bathroom. It is not often that I get to play with stain-glass, but this existing circular window, that we could NOT change, needed some love. We used a local craftsman that allowed us to design a playful stain-glass piece for the inside of the bathroom window, reminding them of their front door in their custom home years ago.

Photo: Lisa Petrole
Example of a large trendy gender-neutral carpeted kids' room design in San Francisco with gray walls

Nate Fischer Interior Design
Large elegant freestanding desk dark wood floor home office photo in Orange County with gray walls

Remodeling the master bath provided many design challenges. The long and narrow space was visually expanded by removing an impeding large linen closet from the space. The additional space allowed for two sinks where there was previously only one. In addition, the long and narrow window in the bath provided amazing natural light, but made it difficult to incorporate vanity mirrors that were tall enough. The designer solved this issue by incorporating pivoting mirrors that mounted just below the long window. Finally, a custom walnut vanity was designed to utilize every inch of space. The vanity front steps in and out on the ends to make access by the toilet area more functional and spacious. A large shower with a built in quartz shower seat and hand held shower wand provide touch of luxury. Finally, the ceramic floor tile design provides a mid century punch without overpowering the tranquil space.

Andrew Paintner Photography
Example of a mid-sized mountain style open concept dark wood floor and brown floor family room design in Portland with gray walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a media wall

Children can easily come and go via the Mud Room door to the backyard play area. The space also multi functions as a connection to the laundry, artist studio and garage. Custom cabinetry offers plenty of options to stow away jackets, bags and shoes. The dark hardware contrasts nicely against the white and gray cabinetry, and the plank wall provides durability to the built-in. The deep wooden bench relates to the wood floors throughout the rest of the main level, while the porcelain tile provides durability and a playful pattern to greet the family every day.

Photos by Valerie Wilcox
Example of a mid-sized danish built-in desk light wood floor and beige floor home office design in Toronto with white walls