Our busy Silicon Valley clients asked us to convert their tight-quartered 1960’s ranch house to a gracious family home that would meet their long term needs. Ease of living was paramount, both in functionality and in ordered design. The project was completed on a moderate budget.While retaining most of the structure of the existing house to avoid costly structural changes, we opened walls to improve the sight lines and flow of the house and bring in more light. We made small additions at the front and back bedrooms to gain space for the family and relatives. An existing underused patio area was improved with a simple outdoor kitchen and overhang to extend the living space to the outside. Costs were kept down with choices of modest materials. Everything was made to be functional. Ample storage has been built into the right places. The details of the kitchen were carefully worked out to accommodate all the wishes of the various cooks in the family. The house is set up to be easy to keep clean. Acoustic walls separate living from bedroom spaces so adults can enjoy time together while children sleep. The outdoor kitchen has easy access to the indoor kitchen and the garage, and its setup promotes socializing while cooking outdoors. A large part of the narrow back yard was previously unusable space due to a steep slope up to a neighbor’s higher fence. With a new retaining wall and some re-grading we took back more of the yard for the patio and play space on a new lawn. The remodeled house is a mix of contemporary and traditional elements. Cool colors have a calming effect. Traditional items such as prairie style windows, trellis, mosaic tiles, and Shaker style cabinets, break down the scale in an otherwise streamlined, contemporary design. A new gabled roof with a broad arch at the front of the house marks the entry and resolves a challenging form where the central entry is set back from walls on both sides. Photography: Kurt Manley https://saikleyarchitects.com/portfolio/modern-ranch/

This custom home addition was designed to give a growing family the flexibility, organization, and functional living space they were missing. The project includes a multi-purpose downstairs family lounge with custom built-ins and a three-person workstation, an upstairs flex room featuring a custom Murphy bed and tailored storage, and a moody mid-century modern bathroom with a curbless shower and integrated storage. Every space was thoughtfully designed to serve multiple functions while maintaining a cohesive aesthetic, creating a home that adapts effortlessly to work, hobbies, guests, and everyday family life.

This laundry room features a built-in area surrounding an LG washer and dryer, with shaker-style sliding cabinet doors featuring rattan panels. Blue and white patterned tiles, a wooden drying rack, and a cloth hamper add texture and function, while a black sconce and window provide light and style, creating a bright, layered, and practical space.

"About This Project: This modern farmhouse custom home is perfectly designed with function and lifestyle in mind. The large eat-in kitchen with a beautifully unique backsplash design that catches the eye boasts an island that can seat up to 5. With an open floor plan throughout, the living room and dining room sit off of the kitchen making it easy for entertaining guests. The living room's stunning wood beams offer that farmhouse charm, while the dining room boasts a custom built-in station perfect for displaying dishes and serving off of. At the second floor landing, you'll find a comfy and cozy nook featuring a beautiful white fireplace - perfect for taking naps or reading in the afternoon! The spa-like primary bathroom offers a relaxing oasis with its large walk-in shower and floating tub. This home is truly designed with comfort, style, and function in mind - perfect for any family! Front Light Building Company is a member of the Certified Luxury Builders Network. Certified Luxury Builders is a network of leading custom home builders and luxury home and condo remodelers who create 5-Star experiences for luxury home and condo owners from New York to Los Angeles and Boston to Naples. As a Certified Luxury Builder, Front Light is proud to feature photos of select projects from our members around the country to inspire you with design ideas. Please feel free to contact the specific Certified Luxury Builder with any questions or inquiries you may have about their projects. Please visit www.CLBNetwork.com for a directory of CLB members featured on Houzz and their contact information."

Open concept kitchen - mid-sized farmhouse l-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen idea in Chicago with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

• A busy family wanted to rejuvenate their entire first floor. As their family was growing, their spaces were getting more cramped and finding comfortable, usable space was no easy task. The goal of their remodel was to create a warm and inviting kitchen and family room, great room-like space that worked with the rest of the home’s floor plan. The focal point of the new kitchen is a large center island around which the family can gather to prepare meals. Exotic granite countertops and furniture quality light-colored cabinets provide a warm, inviting feel. Commercial-grade stainless steel appliances make this gourmet kitchen a great place to prepare large meals. A wide plank hardwood floor continues from the kitchen to the family room and beyond, tying the spaces together. The focal point of the family room is a beautiful stone fireplace hearth surrounded by built-in bookcases. Stunning craftsmanship created this beautiful wall of cabinetry which houses the home’s entertainment system. French doors lead out to the home’s deck and also let a lot of natural light into the space. From its beautiful, functional kitchen to its elegant, comfortable family room, this renovation achieved the homeowners’ goals. Now the entire family has a great space to gather and spend quality time.

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

Example of a small transitional built-in desk dark wood floor and brown floor home office library design in Boston with green walls

A functional built-in workspace or beverage station featuring sage green cabinetry with gold hardware, a neutral stone countertop, and glossy cream-colored subway tiles, situated near a dining area with wood flooring.

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

This hardworking family room is the heart of the house. It is connected to the kitchen and is used everyday by the homeowners and therefore, needed to be functional. Built-in custom cabinetry was designed to hide the flat screen TV on the left and board games, puzzles, photo albums, etc. on the right. The mantel was purposely created to be a substantial size in order to provide a wonderful visual space for seasonal decorations. The home is located one block from the beach and thus locally collected seashells help to decorate the space in the summer months. The other decorative objects have been collected by the homeowner over time. Tracey Ayton Photography

Casey Dunn
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Austin with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets and white cabinets