Rift sawn white oak cabinetry stained dark gray anchor this open New York City loft kitchen by Meshberg Group. Handpicked gray and white quartzite slab countertop, backsplash and waterfall kitchen island provide a stunning workspace. Subzero and Wolf appliances, an architectural slot grill throughout and half inch flush baseboard reveals finish off this highly functional urban home chef's kitchen.

Open concept kitchen - contemporary l-shaped beige floor open concept kitchen idea in San Diego with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The Rustic Canyon Art Studio occupies a thin, triangular sliver of property close to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California. Connected to the main residence by both a footbridge and an automobile bridge, the studio is a retreat for art and exercise. The long, triangular plan is formed by the property line and a hillside on the east and the Rustic Canyon Creek Channel on the west. A simple steel column and beam system placed on the interior of the studio allows the roof plane to be “lifted” off the building. The building’s columnar system corresponds to a subterranean system of large concrete caissons that extend 30-40 feet below grade. The building interior consists of an art studio and an exercise area, with sliding glass panels creating a partial separation wall between the two areas. Continuous Douglas Fir clerestory windows around the studio perimeter separate the walls from the roof plane. The high windows bring soft, diffuse light into the building interior, creating optimal natural lighting for the art studio. The exterior walls are 12”-14” thick, to allow for horizontal air distribution. The thick walls also accommodate pockets for oversized Douglas fir sliding glass door panels, thus allowing the doors to completely disappear into the walls and opening the studio directly toward the Rustic Creek Channel. The shed roof is covered with standing seam Rheinzink. The triangular plan causes the roof to rise from the south end to the north end, and the north end is further cut on the diagonal and lifted to create large, north-facing clerestory windows for the studio. The studio is an exercise in spatial and structural simplicity. Sustainable design was incorporated from the beginning. High clerestory windows provide extensive natural light and ventilation throughout the studio. Insulation values 60% higher than conventional construction were achieved by using double 2x4 walls.

This full first-floor renovation transformed a family home in Northwest Indiana, originally built in the early 2000s, into a personalized, highly functional space that better reflects the lifestyle and taste of its four residents. The remodel included the kitchen, living room, a reimagined dining room turned sitting room, office, mudroom, and laundry room. The clients’ main objective was to move beyond dated, builder-grade finishes and create a home that felt curated, warm, and distinctive—infused with layered textures, custom details, and a sense of ease. The living room posed the biggest design challenge, with awkward furniture placement due to two structural columns. We used these features to anchor a revised layout, integrating custom built-ins for storage and balance, and adding mixed metals and refined textures for visual depth. A former dining room was transformed into a moody sitting room—contrasting the neutral palette used throughout the rest of the main floor, while still complementing it. The mudroom was reworked from a tight, underutilized space into a practical, polished drop zone with custom cabinetry and stylish utility. Throughout the renovation, our team focused on improving flow, enhancing functionality, and blending each room’s unique character into a cohesive, elevated whole—resulting in a home that’s as livable as it is beautifully tailored.

A complete open-concept transformation achieved by removing kitchen walls. The design centers on a furniture-grade wood island and floor-to-ceiling blue cabinetry that seamlessly integrates the refrigerator and ovens.

The LeNoir Kitchen Remodel When our client approached us for the LeNoir remodel, the vision was to transform a standard layout into a serene, organic modern retreat that felt at home in the Texas Hill Country. Since the client values understated elegance over trends, we immediately made the decision to strip back the excess and focus on high-quality, honest materials. Our team anchored the space with custom rift-sawn White Oak cabinetry, applying a natural matte finish to bring warmth and texture to the room without darkening it. We balanced this organic wood base with striking Calacatta stone, running the slab full-height up the backsplash and cascading it down the island’s waterfall edges for a seamless, monolithic look. The kitchen’s crowning touch is the custom plaster range hood. We designed this architectural element to add soft curves and a tactile quality to the cooking wall, distinct from standard cabinetry. This sculptural hood perfectly frames the chef-grade Italian range in white and brass, which is further highlighted by articulating brass sconces. We finished the space with unlacquered brass hardware and wide-plank flooring to maintain a cohesive, timeless palette. Finally, perhaps the most impactful element of this renovation is the atmosphere it creates. By merging natural light with "quiet luxury" finishes, we created a kitchen that is not just a workspace, but a grounded sanctuary for the family to gather and disconnect from the noise of the outside world.

Photography by Natalie Marotta Bungalows are lovable homes, but how can they be better? Along with many of our clients, we find that older (early 20th c.) homes have a lot of character and a comfortable scale, but are leaky, damp (especially in the basement), have fair to poor air quality, and use unconscionable amounts of fossil fuels to heat. The owners of this bungalow were ready to change that, and wanted to do so with minimal upfront carbon emissions as well. The gut renovation included replacing the basement slab and providing capillary breaks and insulation continuously below grade. The brick structure was treated with a fluid-applied air and water barrier from the interior and insulated entirely with cellulose, a carbon-storing insulation. The roof used HFO-blown spray foam to provide sufficient insulation while allowing headroom for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry. One great benefit of a full renovation is the possibility of reconfiguring spaces to suit the family’s lifestyle, and to make the best of indoor-outdoor connections. We opened up the main rooms on the first floor, creating a family gathering spot with a view to the back yard, and a spacious kitchen that supports the family’s commitment to cooking for healthy eating. The stair uses a north-facing skylight to bring light from above into the middle of the home, where it was previously dark. As a decarbonization retrofit, the inefficient furnace was replaced with two small ducted heat pump systems, water heating and clothes drying are powered by air-source heat pumps, and cooking uses an induction cooktop plus electric ovens. Energy recovery ventilation provides filtered fresh air continuous exhaust from the kitchen, baths, and laundry, and supplies fresh, highly filtered air to bedrooms and living spaces. The Better Bungalow now makes sense for the 21st century–it now fits the owners’ life-patterns, is super comfortable, has great air quality, and uses a fraction of the energy it did before, greatly lowering the demand on the utility grid. In the near future, when solar PV is installed, it can achieve net zero or near net zero emissions, and with battery backup, can provide great resilience in the event of power outages.

This Carmel kitchen remodel blends warm natural materials with timeless transitional design. Custom white oak cabinetry anchors the space, paired with crisp white perimeter cabinets and a neutral tile backsplash for a clean, elevated look. A large island with quartz countertops creates a central gathering space, complemented by integrated seating and layered lighting. High-end appliances, including a professional-grade range, add both performance and visual impact. Thoughtful details—from textured backsplash tile to mixed metal finishes—bring depth and character while maintaining a cohesive, livable design. This space was designed for both everyday functionality and effortless entertaining.

A gourmet, art gallery-inspired kitchen.
Mid-sized transitional u-shaped kitchen pantry photo in Portland with shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, paneled appliances and an island

This full first-floor renovation transformed a family home in Northwest Indiana, originally built in the early 2000s, into a personalized, highly functional space that better reflects the lifestyle and taste of its four residents. The remodel included the kitchen, living room, a reimagined dining room turned sitting room, office, mudroom, and laundry room. The clients’ main objective was to move beyond dated, builder-grade finishes and create a home that felt curated, warm, and distinctive—infused with layered textures, custom details, and a sense of ease. The living room posed the biggest design challenge, with awkward furniture placement due to two structural columns. We used these features to anchor a revised layout, integrating custom built-ins for storage and balance, and adding mixed metals and refined textures for visual depth. A former dining room was transformed into a moody sitting room—contrasting the neutral palette used throughout the rest of the main floor, while still complementing it. The mudroom was reworked from a tight, underutilized space into a practical, polished drop zone with custom cabinetry and stylish utility. Throughout the renovation, our team focused on improving flow, enhancing functionality, and blending each room’s unique character into a cohesive, elevated whole—resulting in a home that’s as livable as it is beautifully tailored.

This custom glass-enclosed wine cellar in Wilmette, IL was designed and built as a turnkey luxury residential wine cellar project, combining modern architecture with professional-grade wine storage. The frameless glass wine enclosure creates an open, contemporary feel while showcasing the cellar as a focal design element within the home. The cellar features custom wine racks finished in a deep petrol-teal sprayed lacquer with a satin to semi-gloss sheen, creating a bold and original backdrop for the wine collection. Satin brushed brass metal wine racks add warmth and contrast, elevating the overall design and reinforcing the high-end, custom nature of the space. Integrated LED wine cellar lighting highlights the unique finishes, rack layout, and bottle presentation. Designed for a combination of wine display and functional wine storage, the cellar is equipped with a professional climate-controlled wine cooling system to maintain proper temperature and humidity for long-term preservation. From design and fabrication to full installation, this project reflects a seamless, one-stop approach to custom wine cellar construction for luxury homeowners and wine collectors throughout Wilmette, the North Shore, and the greater Chicago area.

This kitchen renovation masterfully pairs white Shaker cabinetry with a dark island for a timeless, high-contrast look. Brass pulls and pendant lights provide a sophisticated glow, perfectly complementing the Calacatta Bologna quartz countertops. The design prioritizes bespoke utility, featuring professional-grade appliances and a dedicated bar unit with matte black mullion glass doors and open wood floating shelves. It is a refined, functional space that serves as the modern heart of the home. Project designed by Chi Renovation & Design, a renowned renovation firm based in Skokie. We specialize in general contracting, kitchen and bath remodeling, and design & build services. We cater to the entire Chicago area and its surrounding suburbs, with emphasis on the North Side and North Shore regions. You'll find our work from the Loop through Lincoln Park, Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, and all the way up to Lake Forest. For more info about Chi Renovation & Design, click here: https://www.chirenovation.com/

clear and simple forms. The simplicity and architectural dialogue between form and function are the theme for inside and outside. Walnut bench that stretches under the wide windows along the entire length of the bath a, the window continues as a narrow band. The white high gloss acrylic surface of the Vanity. Leicht Program Luna-AG, with electrical drawers SensoMatic, Find a Leicht Showroom http://www.leicht.com/en-us/find-a-showroom/

Photography by Studio H Landscape Architecture & COCO Gallery. Post processing by Isabella Li.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary backyard stone landscaping in Orange County with a fire pit.

This beautiful warm farmhouse kitchen features painted and walnut frameless cabinetry and a custom-made furniture-style island.
Large country l-shaped kitchen pantry photo in Portland with shaker cabinets and an island

**Paragraph 1: Spatial Composition & Architectural Volume** This terrace operates as an outdoor room in the fullest architectural sense — a compressed foreground plane opening onto one of the most consequential borrowed landscapes in the world. The composition is organized along a strong diagonal: an L-shaped seating arrangement anchors the lower left and right quadrants, its low-slung horizontality deliberately calibrated to sit beneath the sightline of the parapet rail so that the vista remains uninterrupted from a seated position. The spatial logic is one of layered thresholds. First, the intimate zone of the furniture group; second, the clipped boxwood hedge set within a matte-dark planter, functioning as a green datum line and soft balustrade; third, the slender vertical picket railing, whose rhythmic cadence reads as a fine-grained screen rather than a barrier; and finally the middle-ground canopy of Central Park and the distant supergraphic of the Billionaires' Row skyline. To the left, a mature juniper mass performs as a living pilaster, terminating the composition and screening the adjacent stone masonry wall — a rough-hewn ashlar remnant of the prewar building envelope that grounds the scheme in its architectural provenance. The stepped stone paving and the raked geometry of the railing as it descends to the right introduce a subtle asymmetry, preventing the picturesque from becoming static. **Paragraph 2: Materiality, Color & Texture** The material palette is disciplined to the point of austerity, precisely so the horticulture and the skyline may carry the chromatic load. Powder-coated aluminum in a deep graphite-bronze forms the furniture armature — slender, squared-section framing with an almost Miesian restraint — paired with performance-grade upholstery in a warm dove grey whose greige undertone reads neither cold nor sallow against the surrounding foliage. The single decorative gesture, ikat-patterned scatter cushions in charcoal and ecru, introduces a hand-loomed irregularity that humanizes the machined frames. Underfoot, large-format bluestone or cast-stone pavers in a cool grey provide a matte, granular ground plane, echoed in the honed surface of the low cocktail table. Against this monochrome scaffolding, the botanical register supplies saturation: the dense, glossy, small-leaf texture of the boxwood; the feathery, blue-green needling of the juniper; trailing ivy softening the planter edge; and, in the near foreground, the blowsy, dessicating panicles of hydrangea in blush, sage and antique rose. A ceramic vessel of coral-and-butter garden roses and a pair of banded stoneware cups on a rimmed tray introduce warm terracotta accents — small, deliberate points of chromatic heat within an otherwise tonal field. **Paragraph 3: Lighting, Atmosphere & Style Profile** The scheme is lit almost entirely by ambient, high-latitude daylight, diffused through a stratus-laced sky that acts as an enormous softbox. The result is shadowless modeling: the upholstery reads as luminous rather than glaring, the foliage retains full chromatic depth without specular hotspots, and the pale limestone and glass towers beyond are rendered in atmospheric perspective, receding into a silvered haze. No artificial fixtures assert themselves in the frame — a confident editorial choice that keeps the scheme legible as a daytime sanctuary and defers entirely to the natural theatre of the site. The prevailing mood is one of cultivated repose: urbane but unhurried, private without being hermetic. Stylistically, the project synthesizes into what might be termed **Refined Metropolitan Naturalism** — a hybrid of Soft Minimalism's tonal restraint and reductive geometry with the structured horticultural formality of a classical English terrace garden. The vocabulary is contemporary and materially honest, yet it observes the compositional manners of the prewar building it inhabits, treating the skyline not as backdrop but as the primary work of art around which the entire interior architecture of the terrace has been quietly framed.

This dedicated wine cellar features floor-to-ceiling custom racking constructed from richly stained hardwood, accommodating a high-capacity collection across horizontal and angled bottle storage formats. Individual cubbies are designed for standard 750ml bottles, while select vertical shelving units allow for oversized formats, boxed spirits, and decorative decanters. The flooring is finished in cork tile—chosen for its temperature-insulating and vibration-dampening properties—complementing the cellar's natural wood tones. Overhead, the slatted ceiling integrates hidden climate control vents for maintaining consistent humidity and temperature. A frameless glass door with wood trim separates the wine room from the adjacent butler’s pantry, which features stone countertops and additional cabinet storage for glassware and service accessories. Accent lighting is recessed above select racks, highlighting vintage labels and bottle necks without exposing inventory to direct light. Wall tones contrast deep red with neutral transitional hues, creating visual depth within this collector-grade storage environment.

Most home theaters feel like an afterthought—a dark box in the basement with a few recliners. For this project, we wanted to build something that inspired pride the moment you walked in with a guest. We leaned into a Moody Transitional aesthetic, using a "color-drenching" technique with a deep, sophisticated teal across the walls, ceiling, and custom millwork. This creates an immersive, cocoon-like feel that’s as much about the atmosphere as it is about the movie. The centerpiece is the waterfall-edge stone bar. We designed this specifically so the host can pour a drink or serve appetizers without being tucked away in a kitchen or disconnected from the conversation. It bridges the gap between a high-end sports lounge and a professional-grade cinema. From the custom-curated memorabilia gallery to the digital "Now Showing" display, every detail was executed with elite craftsmanship to ensure this space feels like an extension of the homeowner’s success.

This wonderful bespoke country kitchen was designed and built for our clients’ new oak-framed extension at their Grade II listed home in the historic village of Billingshurst in West Sussex. Acorn Bespoke Carpentry and Joinery undertook the entire kitchen project which includes a hidden walk-in pantry, bar unit and solid hardwood windows. The owners wanted to achieve a high-quality interior that stayed true to the traditional character and heritage of their property. Their keen eye for design is evident in their chosen sophisticated colour palette and finishes. An AGA® was to be a focal point and key feature of the kitchen layout, and we designed the cabinetry to align perfectly with the extra depth and height of the cooker, leaving no unsightly gaps. There are no upper wall cabinets in this kitchen which creates an open airy feel and allows more natural light. Instead, a run of generous base cabinets with customised deep drawers and pull-outs, as well as a kitchen island, open shelving and large pantry provide a wealth of superb storage solutions. One empty wall has been dedicated for full-height floor to ceiling cabinets for integrated appliances and a pantry. Traditional style with a modern twist The custom-made cabinets have been traditionally constructed in an authentic shaker-style and feature solid oak dovetailed drawers. The doors and frames are in solid maple, which has a smooth grain and is an extremely hard and durable timber, and perfect for taking a painted finish. The cabinets are all spraypainted in Fired Earth Moon Grape, a deliciously distinctive purple-black colour. We then hand painted exterior surfaces for a textured effect which can also be easily touched up in the future. The shaker style in this striking dark colour adds grandeur to the space, without feeling too overbearing or showy. All the kitchen cabinets are internally finished with premium quality Egger MFC. The hardwearing Unistone worktops are Nero Assoluto with a Velluto finish - a durable, jet black, velvet-like black texture, which gives depth without gloss. Hidden walk-in pantry Floor-to-ceiling doors neatly conceal an impressive hidden walk-in pantry, which we cleverly integrated into the overall kitchen design. As soon as you open the doors, the interior shelves are automatically illuminated by a motion-activated sensor. Every inch of space has been utilised with a range of open shelving laden with artisan ingredients, deep handcrafted drawers and basket storage, perfect for storing anything from vegetables to fresh bread. Beautiful bespoke bar unit Innovative pocket doors fold elegantly away to reveal a stunning well-equipped bar with a vibrant pink glass back panel and painted interior. This bright pink is a signature colour from the 1970s - Leather by Little Greene. The colour is a strategic choice by our clients to create a statement and infuse their home with an uplifting, spirited atmosphere. Undershelf lighting and a spotlight are activated as soon as the doors are opened enhancing the wow factor. Bespoke freestanding island featuring upcycled wood A focal point of the room, the kitchen island provides extra storage and worktop space. We handcrafted the island in solid hardwood with the top was once our clients’ old French dining table which we repurposed. Reusing old wood creates beautiful and unique pieces of furniture and has significant environmental benefits too. The mantle above the range cooker is salvaged timber too, made from an old oak beam.