After previously remodeling all of this family’s upstairs bathrooms, we were honored to return and transform their kitchen. Their goal was clear: improve function, enhance flow, and create spaces that truly support how they live day to day. We reworked the island to improve circulation and usability, added a dedicated pantry for better organization, and incorporated a custom drink station to make hosting easy. Smart storage solutions were thoughtfully integrated throughout the kitchen, including an appliance lift that keeps their KitchenAid mixer accessible but neatly tucked away when not in use. Personal details bring even more character to the space, like a chalkboard wall inside the pantry for last minute grocery list additions. The result is an updated kitchen that balances beauty and practicality, giving this family a space that feels both intentional and inviting.

The perfect kitchen for a young family on the go. Natural light floods into this colorful, cheery kitchen with a seriously long kitchen island perfect for all the food prep, homework and Saturday morning DIY projects this family will be sharing, This kitchen is filled with some impressive tech and gadgets from the state of the art smart fridge that keeps track of grocery lists, family schedules, recipes and more to the sleek under-mount sink with multiple work station interchangeable accessories, drain shelves, and cutting boards to name a few. The corner chest freezer is one of our favorite hidden treasures - this was custom built with a top loading hinge tucked beneath the wood countertop surface.

There was a little open shelving spot that we custom made a door for and painted it with chalkboard paint. It became a great storage spot and fun place to draw or keep a grocery list.

Our clients had just recently closed on their new house in Stapleton and were excited to transform it into their perfect forever home. They wanted to remodel the entire first floor to create a more open floor plan and develop a smoother flow through the house that better fit the needs of their family. The original layout consisted of several small rooms that just weren’t very functional, so we decided to remove the walls that were breaking up the space and restructure the first floor to create a wonderfully open feel. After removing the existing walls, we rearranged their spaces to give them an office at the front of the house, a large living room, and a large dining room that connects seamlessly with the kitchen. We also wanted to center the foyer in the home and allow more light to travel through the first floor, so we replaced their existing doors with beautiful custom sliding doors to the back yard and a gorgeous walnut door with side lights to greet guests at the front of their home. Living Room Our clients wanted a living room that could accommodate an inviting sectional, a baby grand piano, and plenty of space for family game nights. So, we transformed what had been a small office and sitting room into a large open living room with custom wood columns. We wanted to avoid making the home feel too vast and monumental, so we designed custom beams and columns to define spaces and to make the house feel like a home. Aesthetically we wanted their home to be soft and inviting, so we utilized a neutral color palette with occasional accents of muted blues and greens. Dining Room Our clients were also looking for a large dining room that was open to the rest of the home and perfect for big family gatherings. So, we removed what had been a small family room and eat-in dining area to create a spacious dining room with a fireplace and bar. We added custom cabinetry to the bar area with open shelving for displaying and designed a custom surround for their fireplace that ties in with the wood work we designed for their living room. We brought in the tones and materiality from the kitchen to unite the spaces and added a mixed metal light fixture to bring the space together Kitchen We wanted the kitchen to be a real show stopper and carry through the calm muted tones we were utilizing throughout their home. We reoriented the kitchen to allow for a big beautiful custom island and to give us the opportunity for a focal wall with cooktop and range hood. Their custom island was perfectly complimented with a dramatic quartz counter top and oversized pendants making it the real center of their home. Since they enter the kitchen first when coming from their detached garage, we included a small mud-room area right by the back door to catch everyone’s coats and shoes as they come in. We also created a new walk-in pantry with plenty of open storage and a fun chalkboard door for writing notes, recipes, and grocery lists. Office We transformed the original dining room into a handsome office at the front of the house. We designed custom walnut built-ins to house all of their books, and added glass french doors to give them a bit of privacy without making the space too closed off. We painted the room a deep muted blue to create a glimpse of rich color through the french doors Powder Room The powder room is a wonderful play on textures. We used a neutral palette with contrasting tones to create dramatic moments in this little space with accents of brushed gold. Master Bathroom The existing master bathroom had an awkward layout and outdated finishes, so we redesigned the space to create a clean layout with a dream worthy shower. We continued to use neutral tones that tie in with the rest of the home, but had fun playing with tile textures and patterns to create an eye-catching vanity. The wood-look tile planks along the floor provide a soft backdrop for their new free-standing bathtub and contrast beautifully with the deep ash finish on the cabinetry.

The perfect kitchen for a young family on the go. Natural light floods into this colorful, cheery kitchen with a seriously long kitchen island perfect for all the food prep, homework and Saturday morning DIY projects this family will be sharing, This kitchen is filled with some impressive tech and gadgets from the state of the art smart fridge that keeps track of grocery lists, family schedules, recipes and more to the sleek under-mount sink with multiple work station interchangeable accessories, drain shelves, and cutting boards to name a few. The corner chest freezer is one of our favorite hidden treasures - this was custom built with a top loading hinge tucked beneath the wood countertop surface.

Example of a trendy kitchen design in New York

Holland Photography
Transitional medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Seattle with shaker cabinets, white cabinets and stainless steel appliances

Example of a transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen design in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white backsplash and stainless steel appliances

For this urban loft in an old paint factory, the builder used reclaimed wood, a custom island, rolling "cabinet doors," exposed pipes and industrial lighting. In keeping with this feel, we added these great wire caged pendant fixtures and a punch of orange for the barstools to create a fun, ecclectic, urban feel. Photo:Aimee Mazzenga

end view of narrow black box. family entry on left. powder room window on right. steep slope to creek far below. deck edge in trees.
Inspiration for a modern home design remodel in Charlotte

Trendy living room photo in New York

Example of a country kitchen design in Minneapolis

The owners of this kitchen had spent the money to upgrade the finishes in their kitchen upon building the home 12 years ago, but after living in the space for several years they realized how nonfunctional the layout really was. The (then) two preschool aged children had grown into busy, hungry teenagers with many friends who also liked to hang out at the house. So the family needed a more functional kitchen with better traffic flow, space for daily activities revolving around the kitchen at different times of day, and a kitchen that could accommodate cooking for and serving large groups. Furthermore, the dark, traditional finishes no longer reflected the homeowners’ style. They requested a brighter, more relaxed, coastal style that reflected their love of the seaside cities they like to visit. Originally, the kitchen was U-shaped with a narrow island in the middle. The island created narrow aisles that bottle-necked at the dishwasher, refrigerator, and cooktop areas. There was a pass-through from the foyer into the kitchen, but the owners never liked that the pass-through was also located so close to the powder room. The awkward proximity was unappealing and made guests feel uncomfortable. The kitchen’s storage was made up of lots of narrow cabinets, apothecary drawers, clipped corner units, and very few drawers. It lacked useful storage for the larger items the family used on a daily basis. And the kitchen’s only pantry was small closet that had only builder-grade, narrow shelving with no illumination to be able to see the contents inside. Overall, the kitchen’s lighting plan was poorly executed. Only six recessed cans illuminated the entire kitchen and nook areas. The under cabinet lighting was not evenly distributed either. In fact, the builder had mis-placed the under cabinet lighting around the decorative pilasters which made for choppy, dark cubbies. Further, the builder didn’t include any lighting over the sink or the bar area, which meant whoever was doing the dishes was always in their own shadow. That, coupled with the steep overhang of the game room above made the bar area feel like a dim, cavernous space that wasn’t inviting or task oriented. The kitchen looked out into the main living space, but the raised bar and a narrow wall (which held the only large cabinet in the kitchen) created more of a barrier than a relationship to the living room or breakfast nook. In fact, one couldn’t even see the breakfast nook from the cooktop or sink areas due to its orientation. The raised bar top was too narrow to comfortably sit to either dine at or chat from due to the lack of knee space. The the homeowners confided that the kitchen felt more like a dark, dirty prison than place where the family, or their guests, wanted to gather and commune. The clients' needs and desires were: ➢ to create a kitchen that would be a space the family loved to be in; to relate to the adjacent spaces all around, and to have better flow for entertaining large groups ➢ to remove the walls between the breakfast nook and living area and to be able to utilize the natural light from the windows in both those areas ➢ to incorporate a functional chopping block for prepping fresh food for home cooked meals, an island with a large sink and drain board, 2 pull out trash cans, and seating for at least the 2 teens to eat or do homework ➢ to design a kitchen and breakfast nook with an airy, coastal, relaxed vibe that blended with the rest of the house's coastal theme ➢ to integrate a layered lighting plan which would include ample general illumination, specific task lighting, decorative lighting, and lots of illuminated storage ➢ to design a kitchen with not only more storage for all the husband’s kitchen gadgets and collection of oils and spices, but smart storage, including a coffee/breakfast bar and a place to store and conceal the toaster oven and microwave ➢ to find a way to utilize the large open space between the kitchen, pantry area, and breakfast nook Twelve Stones Designs achieved the owner's goals by: ➢ removing the walls between the kitchen and living room to allow the natural light to filter in from the adjacent rooms and to create a connection between the kitchen, nook, and living spaces for a sense of unity and communion ➢ removing the existing pantry and designing 3 large pantry style cabinets with LED tape lights and rollout drawers to house lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets, and tons of groceries. We also took the cabinets all the way up to the 9’ ceiling for additional storage for seasonal items and bulk storage. ➢ designing 2 islands - 1 with a gorgeous black walnut chopping block that houses a drawer for chopping and carving knives and a custom double pull out trash unit for point of use utilization - and 1 that houses the dishwasher, a large Blanco Gourmet sink with integrated drain board, woven baskets for fresh root vegetables and kitchen towels, plenty of drawer storage for kitchen items, and bar seating for up to 4 diners. ➢ closing off the space between the kitchen and the powder room to create a beautiful new private alcove for the powder room as well as adding some decorative storage. This also gave us space to include more tall storage near the new range for precision placement of the husband’s extensive oil and spice collection as well as a location for a combo-steam oven the wife wanted for baking and cooking healthy meals. The project is enhanced functionally by: ➢ incorporated USB and standard receptacles for the kids’ laptops and phone charging in the large island ➢ designing the small island to include additional open shelving for items used on a daily basis such as a variety of bowls, plates, and colanders. This set up also works well for the husband who prefers to “plate” his dinners in restaurant-style fashion before presenting them to the table. ➢ the integration of specific storage units, such as double stacked cutlery drawers, a custom spice pull-out, a Kuerig coffee and tea pod drawer, and custom double stacked utensil drawers ➢ moving the refrigerator to the old oven location - this eliminated the bottle neck as well as created a better relationship to the eating table. It also utilizes the floor space between the pantry, nook, and kitchen ➢ creating a banquet style breakfast nook - this banquette seating not only doubles the amount of seating for large gatherings but it better utilizes the odd space between the kitchen and the previous nook area. It also helps to create a distinct pathway from the mudroom room through the pantry area, kitchen, nook, and living room. ➢ the coffee/breakfast bar area which includes the perfect location for the concealed microwave and toaster oven, convenient storage for the coffee pods and tea accoutrements. Roll-out drawers below also house the smoothie maker, hot water kettle, and a plethora of smoothie-making ingredients such as protein powders, smoothie additives, etc. Furthermore, the drawers below the Keurig house measuring utensil, cutlery, baking supplies and tupperware storage. ➢ incorporating lots of wide drawers and pullouts to accommodate large cookware. ➢ utilizing as much vertical space as possible by building storage to the ceiling which accommodates the family’s abundant amount of serving platters, baking sheets, bakeware, casserole dishes, and additional cutting boards. The project is enhanced aesthetically by: ➢ new 5-piece Versailles pattern porcelain tile that now seamlessly joins the entire down stairs area together creating a bright, cohesiveness feeling instead of choppy separated spaces - it also adds a coastal feeling ➢ designing a cabinet to conceal the microwave and toaster oven ➢ the coastal influenced light fixtures over the nook table and island ➢ the sandy colors of the Langdon Cambria countertops. The swirling pattern and sparkling quartz pieces remind the homeowner of black-and-tan sandy beaches ➢ the striped banquet seating whose creamy white background and blue-green stripes were the inspiration for the cabinet and wall colors. ➢ All the interior doors were painted black to coordinate with the blacks and grays in the backsplash tile and countertop. This also adds a hint of tailored formality to an otherwise casual space. ➢ the use of WAC's Oculux small aperture LED units for the overhead lighting complimented with Diode LED strips for task lighting under the cabinets and inside the pantry and glass wall cabinets. All of the lighting applications are on separate dimmer switches. Innovative uses of materials or construction methods by Realty Restoration LLC: ➢ Each 1-1/2” x 3” block of reclaimed end-grain black walnut that makes up the center island chopping block was hand milled and built in the shop. It was designed to look substantial and proportional to the surrounding elements, executed by creating the 4 inch tall top with a solid wood chamfered edge band. ➢ The metal doors on either side of the vent hood were also custom designed for this project and built in the Realty Restoration LLC shop. They are made 1x2, 11-gauge mild steel with ribbed glass. Weighing 60 lbs a piece, heavy duty cabinet hinges were added to support the weight of the door and keep them from sagging. ➢ Under-cabinet receptacles were added along the range wall in order to have a clean, uninterrupted backsplash. Design obstacles to overcome: ➢ Because we were removing the demising walls between the kitchen and living room, we had to find a way to plumb and vent the new island. We did this by tunneling through the slab (the slab had post tension cables which prevented us from just trenching) to run a new wet vent through a nearby structural wall. We pulled the existing hot and cold lines between upper floor joists and ran them down the structural wall as well and up through a conduit in the tunnel. ➢ Since we were converting from wall overs to a gas range it allowed us to utilize the 220 feed for the wall ovens to provide a new sub panel for all the new kitchen circuits ➢ Due to framing deficiencies inherited from the original build there was a 1-1/2” differential in the floor-to-ceiling height over a 20 foot span; by utilizing the process of cutting and furring coupled with the crown moulding details on the cabinet elevations we were able to mask the problem and provide seamless transitions between the cabinet components. Evidence of superior craftsmanship: ➢ uniquely designed, one-of-a-kind metal “X” end panels on the large island. The end panels were custom made in the Realty Restoration LLC shop and fitted to the exact dimensions of the island. The welding seams are completely indistinguishable - the posts look like they are cut from a single sheet of metal ➢ square metal posts on the small island were also custom made and designed to compliment and carry through the metal element s throughout the kitchen ➢ the beautiful, oversized end panels on the pantry cabinets which give the breakfast nook a tailored look ➢ integrating a large format 5 piece Versailles tile pattern to seamlessly flow from the existing spaces into the new kitchen space ➢ By constructing a custom cabinet that jogged around a corner we could not remodel (housing the entry way coat closet) we were able to camouflage the adjacent wall offset within the upper and lower cabinets. By designing around the existing jog in the structural walls we accomplished a few things: we were able to find the space to house, and hide, the microwave and toaster oven yet still have a clean cohesive appearance from the kitchen side. Additionally, the owners were able to keep their much needed coat closet and we didn’t have to increase the budget with unnecessary structural work.

1960s home design photo in Salt Lake City

Photo: Caela McKeever © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a bathroom remodel in Seattle

Add a hook board outside your pantry to store your grocery totes or keys. Check your pantry, make your shopping list, grab your bag, and head out the door. With convenient organizing solutions like these, you'll love spending time in the kitchen.

For this young family, their existing space wasn’t working for their lifestyle. Besides the aesthetics, they felt the kitchen wasn’t living up to its full potential. A list of their wants/needs included an open, sleek design that allowed their three children to eat at the island and have a place at a nearby desk to complete homework or watch television while dinner was being prepared. With the family’s main traffic area leading directly from the garage into the kitchen, it was critical to consider a place for the kids to place their schoolwork, sports equipment, art supplies and even bring in groceries. With all of that in mind, we added lockers for each child right at the garage entry, with the idea that the cabinets could be transitioned into additional pantry storage as the family matures. With the new open space, we were able to update the room using dark and light grays, on the cabinetry and walls. Combining the elegance of traditional design with the fresh and refined look of contemporary style trends, we mixed natural wood and stone and dark oak flooring with the contemporary look of paneled cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, sleek hardware, and a glass and marble tile backsplash. By mixing these materials the home’s traditional heritage is kept intact, but the young tech savvy family now has a fantastic space where they can gather for family meals and entertainment. Kate Benjamin Photography

For this young family, their existing space wasn’t working for their lifestyle. Besides the aesthetics, they felt the kitchen wasn’t living up to its full potential. A list of their wants/needs included an open, sleek design that allowed their three children to eat at the island and have a place at a nearby desk to complete homework or watch television while dinner was being prepared. With the family’s main traffic area leading directly from the garage into the kitchen, it was critical to consider a place for the kids to place their schoolwork, sports equipment, art supplies and even bring in groceries. With all of that in mind, we added lockers for each child right at the garage entry, with the idea that the cabinets could be transitioned into additional pantry storage as the family matures. With the new open space, we were able to update the room using dark and light grays, on the cabinetry and walls. Combining the elegance of traditional design with the fresh and refined look of contemporary style trends, we mixed natural wood and stone and dark oak flooring with the contemporary look of paneled cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, sleek hardware, and a glass and marble tile backsplash. By mixing these materials the home’s traditional heritage is kept intact, but the young tech savvy family now has a fantastic space where they can gather for family meals and entertainment. Kate Benjamin Photography

Ryan Bohle Coldwell Banker Signature Welcome to 1111 Shepherd Way. THIS IS HOME! A Willowgrove, custom build with quality workmanship and luxurious finishings throughout it's 1936 sq. ft. Attractive street appeal is complimented by a triple drive, wide walkway, oversized double attached garage, a fully landscaped and fenced yard with underground sprinklers and a spacious South facing rear deck. The experience begins with the grand entry, soaring ceilings and an elegant staircase with wood end capping that leads into a substantial living room with gas fireplace, built-in cabinets and floating shelves. A beautiful bright kitchen offers an abundance of rich maple cabinetry, pullout drawers, stainless appliance pkg with a gas stove, a corner pantry, large island, quartz countertops, under cabinet lighting, tiled backsplash and a large dining area. A list of convenient extras include; central air, central vac, HRV, main floor laundry, triple pain low E windows, Hunter Douglas blinds as well as hardwoods and porcelain tiling. Upstairs boasts a total of three bedrooms including a gorgeous master suite with an air jet tub & tiled walk in shower plus additional 4 piece bath. This lovely home is walking distance to the new school and is conveniently located near grocery stores, restaurants, physician's offices, spas, salons and the gym. Willowgrove isn't just a destination, it's a lifestyle.