In association with Martin Perri Interiors, Sight And Sounds created a modern sports bar environment inside a pool cabana for a well-known baseball pitcher. Complete with media wall, 12' projection screen, automated lighting, motorized shades, and sixteen separate HD video choices to choose from, this project won EHX 2007 Home of the Year. Photo courtesy Douglas Johnson.

Originally designed by one of the most notable landscape architects in town, this once impressive project had faltered in recent years. The pool and spa still functioned well, and the client wanted to keep it intact. In addition, they wanted to keep as much of the existing landscaping as possible. The surrounding decks, walls, and steps were fair game. At first glance, one might think that our changes were simple material changes. Upon closer inspection, however, one can see the subtle, yet transformative changes that come together to update this classic pool in a tasteful, timeless manner, and improve the flow and usability of the deck areas, while softening the feel of the massive hardscape. The subtle changes begin as soon as you walk out the back door of the house. The existing decking had a lot of what we call “tweeners”; areas that are overly generous walkways, yet not large enough to house furniture. The awkwardly small bluestone patio was expanded to accommodate a generous seating area, by pushing the step-down closer to the pool. Our talented stone mason carefully married the new bluestone into the existing, resulting in an imperceptible difference between the two. As you descend the new bluestone steps to the pool level, your bare feet will be thankful for the new smooth-finished limestone colored concrete, with a hand cut pattern carefully etched into its surface. The old red brick decking was so hot that the owners could not walk around the pool in bare feet. The brick coping was also replaced with an eased edge Pennsylvania Premier Stone which matches the new step treads throughout the project. Between the house and the pool, a large raised planter was reconfigured, giving additional space to the pool deck for a shaded lounge chair area. Across the pool, a bank of rather tall painted brick retaining walls were cut down, shortened, and moved. This lessened the visual impact of the walls, which were rather overwhelming in the space, as well as opening up a new seating area, nestled under the arms of the massive pecan at the back of the property. Rather than continuing solid decking around the entire pool, the area near these walls has been transformed to large stone stepper pads set in a sea of beautiful St. Augustine lawn. This creates a visually softened area that is still suited to setting tables and chairs when the guest list calls for additional seating. The spa area is quite possibly the most dramatic change on this project. Yet more raised planter walls divided this area into awkward spaces, unsuited to proper furniture placement. The planters were removed, new stone decks, once again expertly married into the existing, opening the area to house a large dining table and new built in bbq area. The spa itself was re-imagined with the bluestone coping, and painted brick veneer. The most impressive addition though is the new handmade glazed tiles that surround the existing cast stone water feature. This water feature was almost unnoticeable against the painted brick wall, but now the dramatic arch and pop of color draw the eye to this quaint little corner of the property.

An abundance of living space is only part of the appeal of this traditional French county home. Strong architectural elements and a lavish interior design, including cathedral-arched beamed ceilings, hand-scraped and French bleed-edged walnut floors, faux finished ceilings, and custom tile inlays add to the home's charm. This home features heated floors in the basement, a mirrored flat screen television in the kitchen/family room, an expansive master closet, and a large laundry/crafts room with Romeo & Juliet balcony to the front yard. The gourmet kitchen features a custom range hood in limestone, inspired by Romanesque architecture, a custom panel French armoire refrigerator, and a 12 foot antiqued granite island. Every child needs his or her personal space, offered via a large secret kids room and a hidden passageway between the kids' bedrooms. A 1,000 square foot concrete sport court under the garage creates a fun environment for staying active year-round. The fun continues in the sunken media area featuring a game room, 110-inch screen, and 14-foot granite bar. Story - Midwest Home Magazine Photos - Todd Buchanan Interior Designer - Anita Sullivan

Stone: Longitude24 - Snowdrift Create a calming environment with Longitude24. The big silky surface features a monolithic palette with natural color variations. Combine with any of our 12 x 24 stones for a unique textural blend. Stone: Vantage30 - White Elm Vantage30 delivers a unique planking appearance with its long 30″ linear lines. The gentle textural surface brings an additional element of movement while uniformly stacking tight for clean installation. Get a Sample of Vantage30: https://shop.eldoradostone.com/products/vantage-30

State-of-the-art home theater environment featuring a sound isolated room, a 227” 2.40:1 aspect ratio screen illuminated by a dual laser projection system, and an 11.2.4 immersive audio system delivering an outstanding movie AND music experience. The control system simplifies extremely unique customer requirements such as a dual screen mode to enable watching two A/V sources simultaneously – one heard through the audio system, and the second through headphones. Granular lighting control provides zones to support movie playback, game-room style usage, and an intimate reading and music environment. The room was built from the ground up as “floating” room featuring a custom engineered isolation system, floating concrete floor, and unique speaker placement system. Designed by industry renowned acoustician Russ Berger, the room’s noise floor measured quieter than a typical recording studio and produces a pinpoint accurate reference audio experience. Powered by a 20kW RoseWater HUB20, electrical noise and potential power interruptions are completely eliminated. The audio system is driven by 11.1kW of amplification powering a reference speaker system. Every detail from structural to mechanical, A/V, lighting, and control was carefully planned and executed by a team of experts whose passion, dedication, and commitment to quality are evident to anyone who experiences it.

The change in flooring in the sunroom gives a beautiful division, creating a new atmosphere. It allows a section for recreation, while leaving a space for a more relaxed environment. The sliding door adds a beautiful touch. Designed and Constructed by John Mast Construction, Photo by Caleb Mast

Designing and programming an entire home automation system is an art. Understanding and taking into account a multi-generation family's needs, and making all electronics work together in a easy and usable way takes years of experience. Let Domotics help you bring life to your environment.

Screened porch is 14'x20'. photos by Ryann Ford
Elegant screened-in porch photo in Austin with decking and a roof extension

This is an example of a contemporary vegetable garden landscape in San Francisco.

Game On is a lower level entertainment space designed for a large family. We focused on casual comfort with an injection of spunk for a lounge-like environment filled with fun and function. Architectural interest was added with our custom feature wall of herringbone wood paneling, wrapped beams and navy grasscloth lined bookshelves flanking an Ann Sacks marble mosaic fireplace surround. Blues and greens were contrasted with stark black and white. A touch of modern conversation, dining, game playing, and media lounge zones allow for a crowd to mingle with ease. With a walk out covered terrace, full kitchen, and blackout drapery for movie night, why leave home?

Our clients live in a country club community and were looking to renovate their unfinished basement. The client knew he wanted to include a gym, theater, and gaming center. We incorporated a Home Automation system for this project, providing for music playback, movie watching, lighting control, and security integration. Our challenges included a short construction deadline and several structural issues. The original basement had a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-0” with several columns running down the center of the basement that interfered with the seating area of the theater. Our design/build team installed a second beam adjacent to the original to help distribute the load, enabling the removal of columns. The theater had a water meter projecting a foot out from the front wall. We retrofitted a piece of A/V acoustically treated furniture to hide the meter and gear. This homeowner originally planned to include a putting green on his project, until we demonstrated a Visual Sports Golf Simulator. The ceiling height was two feet short of optimal swing height for a simulator. Our client was committed, we excavated the corner of the basement to lower the floor. To accent the space, we installed a custom mural printed on carpet, based upon a photograph from the neighboring fairway of the client’s home. By adding custom high-impact glass walls, partygoers can join in on the fun and watch the action unfold while the sports enthusiasts can view the party or ball game on TV! The Visual Sports system allows guests and family to not only enjoy golf, but also sports such as hockey, baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. We overcame the structural and visual challenges of the space by using floor-to-glass walls, removal of columns, an interesting mural, and reflective floor surfaces. The client’s expectations were exceeded in every aspect of their project, as evidenced in their video testimonial and the fact that all trades were invited to their catered Open House! The client enjoys his golf simulator so much he had tape on five of his fingers and his wife informed us he has formed two golf leagues! This project transformed an unused basement into a visually stunning space providing the client the ultimate fun get-a-away!

Basement Media Room
Example of an urban underground white floor basement design in Cincinnati with white walls

Our clients live in a country club community and were looking to renovate their unfinished basement. The client knew he wanted to include a gym, theater, and gaming center. We incorporated a Home Automation system for this project, providing for music playback, movie watching, lighting control, and security integration. Our challenges included a short construction deadline and several structural issues. The original basement had a floor-to-ceiling height of 8’-0” with several columns running down the center of the basement that interfered with the seating area of the theater. Our design/build team installed a second beam adjacent to the original to help distribute the load, enabling the removal of columns. The theater had a water meter projecting a foot out from the front wall. We retrofitted a piece of A/V acoustically treated furniture to hide the meter and gear. This homeowner originally planned to include a putting green on his project, until we demonstrated a Visual Sports Golf Simulator. The ceiling height was two feet short of optimal swing height for a simulator. Our client was committed, we excavated the corner of the basement to lower the floor. To accent the space, we installed a custom mural printed on carpet, based upon a photograph from the neighboring fairway of the client’s home. By adding custom high-impact glass walls, partygoers can join in on the fun and watch the action unfold while the sports enthusiasts can view the party or ball game on TV! The Visual Sports system allows guests and family to not only enjoy golf, but also sports such as hockey, baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. We overcame the structural and visual challenges of the space by using floor-to-glass walls, removal of columns, an interesting mural, and reflective floor surfaces. The client’s expectations were exceeded in every aspect of their project, as evidenced in their video testimonial and the fact that all trades were invited to their catered Open House! The client enjoys his golf simulator so much he had tape on five of his fingers and his wife informed us he has formed two golf leagues! This project transformed an unused basement into a visually stunning space providing the client the ultimate fun get-a-away!

Basement game room - large traditional underground carpeted basement game room idea in New York with brown walls and no fireplace

An abundance of living space is only part of the appeal of this traditional French county home. Strong architectural elements and a lavish interior design, including cathedral-arched beamed ceilings, hand-scraped and French bleed-edged walnut floors, faux finished ceilings, and custom tile inlays add to the home's charm. This home features heated floors in the basement, a mirrored flat screen television in the kitchen/family room, an expansive master closet, and a large laundry/crafts room with Romeo & Juliet balcony to the front yard. The gourmet kitchen features a custom range hood in limestone, inspired by Romanesque architecture, a custom panel French armoire refrigerator, and a 12 foot antiqued granite island. Every child needs his or her personal space, offered via a large secret kids room and a hidden passageway between the kids' bedrooms. A 1,000 square foot concrete sport court under the garage creates a fun environment for staying active year-round. The fun continues in the sunken media area featuring a game room, 110-inch screen, and 14-foot granite bar. Story - Midwest Home Magazine Photos - Todd Buchanan Interior Designer - Anita Sullivan

The design of this home drew upon historical styles, preserving the essentials of the original movement while updating these elements with clean lines and modern materials. Peers Homestead drew upon the American Farmhouse. The architectural design was based on several factors: orientation with views and connection to seasonal water elements, glass cubes, simplistic form and material palette, and steel accents with structure and cladding. To capture views, the floor to ceiling windows in the great room bring in the natural environment into the home and were oriented to face the Spanish Peaks. The great room’s simple gable roof and square room shape, accompanied by the large glass walls and a high ceiling, create an impressive glass cube effect. Following a contemporary trend for windows, thin-frame, aluminum clad windows were utilized for the high performance qualities as well as the aesthetic appeal. (Photos by Whitney Kamman)

Example of a mid-sized trendy built-in desk medium tone wood floor and brown floor home office design in Dallas with beige walls and no fireplace

Example of a mid-sized classic enclosed carpeted game room design in Denver with a wall-mounted tv

Ryan Struck Photography
Urban l-shaped light wood floor kitchen photo in New York with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island