Dining Room edge looking towards Kitchen. Photo by Clark Dugger
Enclosed kitchen - small contemporary galley medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen idea in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, wood countertops, brown backsplash, wood backsplash, paneled appliances and no island

This project incorporated the main floor of the home. The existing kitchen was narrow and dated, and closed off from the rest of the common spaces. The client’s wish list included opening up the space to combine the dining room and kitchen, create a more functional entry foyer, and update the dark sunporch to be more inviting. The concept resulted in swapping the kitchen and dining area, creating a perfect flow from the entry through to the sunporch. A double-sided stone-clad fireplace divides the great room and sunporch, highlighting the new vaulted ceiling. The old wood paneling on the walls was removed and reclaimed wood beams were added to the ceiling. The single door to the patio was replaced with a double door. New furniture and accessories in shades of blue and gray is at home in this bright and airy family room.

Example of a huge urban walk-out brown floor and dark wood floor basement design in Orange County with white walls

New laundry room with removable ceiling to access plumbing for future kitchen remodel. Soffit on upper left accomodates heating ducts from new furnace room (accecssed by door to the left of the sink). Painted cabinets, painted concrete floor and built in hanging rod make for functional laundry space. Photo by David Hiser

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped cement tile floor and gray floor open concept kitchen remodel in Austin with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Completed in 2013, this house started as a traditionally-styled 1,800 sf., single story, two bedroom, one bath home and became an all-new warm contemporary 2,700 sf., two story, four bedroom, three bath residence for a family of five. The budget dictated the re-use of the existing foundations, garage and far right ground floor bedroom footprint. The City of San Mateo had strict planning rules prohibiting contemporary design, but the end result, a blend of traditional and contemporary, has become a model project for the city. Being environmentally conscious, the owners utilized radiant hydronic heated engineered fumed-oak floors. They opted for fully operable windows with good cross-ventilation and a whole house fan instead of installing gas furnaces, ductwork, or air conditioning. The new second floor conceals a 3 kW solar photovoltaic system that cannot be seen from the street. The rock formation in the front yard is one of two bioswales that hold roof rainwater temporarily for slow dissipation into the city's storm water system. Photo Credit: Paul Dyer Photography

Mountain style living room photo in Baltimore

Moehl Millwork provided cabinetry made by Waypoint Living Spaces for this hidden laundry room. The cabinets are stained the color chocolate on cherry. The door series is 630.

Stylish basement with open laundry area. The laundry can be separated from the family area by the pocket doors you see peeking out from behind the curtains. Architecture & Design by Meriwether Felt. Photos by Susan Gilmore

With the new LG Twin Wash™, your delicates and regulars can live peacefully separate but washed at the same time. With the ability to do two loads of laundry at the same time, life’s good.

Diane Johnson
Basement - industrial basement idea in Atlanta

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Architect: Michelle Penn, AIA This barn home is modeled after an existing Nebraska barn in Lancaster County. Heating is by passive solar design, supplemented by a geothermal radiant floor system. Cooling will rely on a whole house fan and a passive air flow system. The passive system is created with the cupola, windows, transoms and passive venting for cooling, rather than a forced air system. Here you can see the underside of the gambrel roof and the stairs leading up to the cupola. The stair railing was created using goat fencing. The whole house fan has a pair of barn style doors that can be closed and secured shut during the winter. Photo Credits: Jackson Studios

Photography by Tre Dunham
Mid-sized craftsman two-story mixed siding gable roof idea in Austin

Walk-in closet - large transitional gender-neutral dark wood floor walk-in closet idea in Orlando with open cabinets and white cabinets

Example of a transitional kitchen design in New York

This 1963 one-story classic is the perfect blend of vintage and modern luxury. Prominently sited on a premium view lot in the highly sought-after Loch Lomond neighborhood of San Rafael. Southern exposure with wide open views that open out to a spectacular deck and level yard showing off the Bay, Mt. Tamalpais, and surrounding hills. Remodeled to perfection with a focus on maintaining the mid-century feeling and style with 21st Century amenities. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, plus Office/Den/5th bedroom with glass French doors opening to family room and doors leading out to private rear patio. Over 1/3 acre level yard and 72" wide steel and glass pivot door opening into an all-glass formal entry. Spectacular open Kitchen/Family combination, custom kitchen cabinetry and large spacious island with counter seating and beautiful thick quartz countertop. Fisher and Paykel stainless appliances, custom built- gas fireplace in family room. Floor to ceiling windows create spectacular bay and mountain views and leads you out to the open and spacious deck area. Vein-cut limestone plank flooring throughout the main areas of the house. Wood floors in master bedroom and high end carpeting in the additional bedrooms. New roof, electric, plumbing, furnace, tank less water heaters, air-conditioning.

Grand Entry for a stunning home.
Entryway - entryway idea in San Francisco

Photo by Becky Kimball
Eclectic light wood floor living room photo in Salt Lake City with white walls