Photo by Casey Dunn
Kitchen - contemporary l-shaped kitchen idea in Houston with flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, gray backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

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.

J Quick Studios LLC
Inspiration for a huge contemporary white three-story mixed siding flat roof remodel in Miami

Brandon Barre & Gillian Jackson
Living room - mid-sized eclectic formal and enclosed light wood floor living room idea in Toronto with a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

J Quick Studios LLC
Huge contemporary white three-story mixed siding flat roof idea in Miami

Bold, dramatic and singular home with a relaxed yet sophisticated interior. Minimal but not austere. Subtle but impactful. Mix of California and Colorado influences in a Minnesota foundation. Builder - John Kraemer & Sons / Architect - Sharratt Design Company / Troy Thies - Project Photographer

This unique farmhouse kitchen is a throw-back to the simple yet elegant white 3x6 subway tile, glass cabinetry, and spacious 12 foot white quartz island. The subway tile has been extended into the interior cabinets, making the kitchen feel even lighter and brighter. With a farmhouse apron front sink and a 36" cooktop, this kitchen is a dreamy place to whip up some comfort food.

Transitional galley eat-in kitchen photo in Orange County with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash and an island

Allison Cartwright
Inspiration for a contemporary open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Austin with white walls and a ribbon fireplace

Roger Wade Studio

Incorporating a reclaimed wood wall into this newly renovated East Village Duplex, brought in warm materials into an open stairwell. © Devon Banks
Staircase - large contemporary wooden u-shaped staircase idea in New York

Stoffer Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized country l-shaped dark wood floor open concept kitchen remodel in Grand Rapids with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, an island, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances and wood countertops

Walter Elliott Photography
Example of a mid-sized beach style medium tone wood floor and brown floor hallway design in Charleston with white walls

This transformation started with a builder grade bathroom and was expanded into a sauna wet room. With cedar walls and ceiling and a custom cedar bench, the sauna heats the space for a relaxing dry heat experience. The goal of this space was to create a sauna in the secondary bathroom and be as efficient as possible with the space. This bathroom transformed from a standard secondary bathroom to a ergonomic spa without impacting the functionality of the bedroom. This project was super fun, we were working inside of a guest bedroom, to create a functional, yet expansive bathroom. We started with a standard bathroom layout and by building out into the large guest bedroom that was used as an office, we were able to create enough square footage in the bathroom without detracting from the bedroom aesthetics or function. We worked with the client on her specific requests and put all of the materials into a 3D design to visualize the new space. Houzz Write Up: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/bathroom-of-the-week-stylish-spa-retreat-with-a-real-sauna-stsetivw-vs~168139419 The layout of the bathroom needed to change to incorporate the larger wet room/sauna. By expanding the room slightly it gave us the needed space to relocate the toilet, the vanity and the entrance to the bathroom allowing for the wet room to have the full length of the new space. This bathroom includes a cedar sauna room that is incorporated inside of the shower, the custom cedar bench follows the curvature of the room's new layout and a window was added to allow the natural sunlight to come in from the bedroom. The aromatic properties of the cedar are delightful whether it's being used with the dry sauna heat and also when the shower is steaming the space. In the shower are matching porcelain, marble-look tiles, with architectural texture on the shower walls contrasting with the warm, smooth cedar boards. Also, by increasing the depth of the toilet wall, we were able to create useful towel storage without detracting from the room significantly. This entire project and client was a joy to work with.

Rikki Snyder

Garage - transitional detached two-car garage idea in New York

Large tuscan porcelain tile and white floor foyer photo in Miami with multicolored walls

Lauren Rubenstein
Mid-sized elegant enclosed dark wood floor family room photo in Atlanta with a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and white walls

Photos by Steven Begleiter
Example of a trendy concrete floor family room library design in Seattle