Arnona Oren
Trendy medium tone wood floor great room photo in San Francisco with white walls

Warmly contemporary, airy, and above all welcoming, this single-family home in the heart of the city blends family-friendly living – and playing – space with rooms designed for large-scale entertaining. As at ease hosting a team’s worth of basketball-dribbling youngsters as it is gathering hundreds of philanthropy-minded guests for worthy causes, it transitions between the two without care or concern. An open floor plan is thoughtfully segmented by custom millwork designed to define spaces, provide storage, and cozy large expanses of space. Sleek, yet never cold, its gallery-like ambiance accommodates an art collection that ranges from the ethnic and organic to the textural, streamlined furniture silhouettes, quietly dynamic fabrics, and an arms-wide-open policy toward the two young boys who call this house home. Of course, like any family home, the kitchen is its heart. Here, linear forms – think wall upon wall of concealed cabinets, hugely paned windows, and an elongated island that seats eight even as it provides generous prep and serving space – define the ultimate in contemporary urban living. Photo Credit: Werner Straube

Penza Bailey Architects was contacted to update the main house to suit the next generation of owners, and also expand and renovate the guest apartment. The renovations included a new mudroom and playroom to accommodate the couple and their three very active boys, creating workstations for the boys’ various activities, and renovating several bathrooms. The awkwardly tall vaulted ceilings in the existing great room and dining room were scaled down with lowered tray ceilings, and a new fireplace focal point wall was incorporated in the great room. In addition to the renovations to the focal point of the home, the Owner’s pride and joy includes the new billiard room, transformed from an underutilized living room. The main feature is a full wall of custom cabinetry that hides an electronically secure liquor display that rises out of the cabinet at the push of an iPhone button. In an unexpected request, a new grilling area was designed to accommodate the owner’s gas grill, charcoal grill and smoker for more cooking and entertaining options. This home is definitely ready to accommodate a new generation of hosting social gatherings. Mitch Allen Photography

With a recently updated kitchen, these clients had big plans in mind on how to connect their interior living space to the exterior. They wanted a seamless transition that was low maintenance, stylish and large enough to host a party. They got all of that and more! The tiered PVC deck designed to look like exotic wood is flanked with built-in containers, modern cable railings, raised garden beds and a bluestone walkway for driveway access. The clients are thrilled with the new space and how well it integrates with their home.

Inspiration for a farmhouse family room remodel in Salt Lake City

A mountain lake style pool nestles into this West Newton property surrounded by lush plantings and colorful annual and perennial boarders. An ample entertaining space lends itself to summer enjoyment. Richard Mandelkorn Photography

Large kitchen with open floor plan. Double islands, custom cabinets, wood ceiling, hardwood floors. Beautiful All White Siding Country Home with Spacious Brick Floor Front Porch. Home Features Hardwood Flooring and Ceilings in Foyer and Kitchen. Rustic Family Room includes Stone Fireplace as well as a Vaulted Exposed Beam Ceiling. A Second Stone Fireplace Overlooks the Eating Area. The Kitchen Hosts Two Granite Counter Top Islands, Stainless Steel Appliances, Lots of Counter Tops Space and Natural Lighting. Large Master Bath. Outdoor Living Space includes a Covered Brick Patio with Brick Fireplace as well as a Swimming Pool with Water Slide and a in Ground Hot Tub.

Photo Credit Landmark Photography. This home was designed with entertainment in mind. It has minimal detailing to give that contemporary transitional simplicity. The outdoor living and entertainment takes advantage of the lush wooded back lot. The see through aquarium and fireplace gives each space a feeling of coziness while allowing the open feel desired. In the basement the bar and wine cellar hosts more entertaining possibilities. Across from the bar is a sunken gulf simulator room and Theater. With the ongoing concept of open floor plan guests can communicate from the many exciting spaces in the basement.

After having lived in 22 different places all around the world, this family decided to settle in a Dutch colonial home in Harding Township. The house sits on a wonderful piece of property that is only challenged by the wetlands that surround it. For this reason, we had to work within the existing footprint and not consider any additions. The homeowners wanted to be able to host the holidays in their new home which meant we had an aggressive design and construction schedule. We started the design work in the Spring of 2012 and construction took place over the Summer and into the Fall. By Thanksgiving, the project was complete, with no meaningful cost overruns. Renovations included a new kitchen, mudroom, and office/library on the first floor and a new master suite, hall bath, home office, and laundry room upstairs. The challenge was creating comfortable space with clean lines that would accommodate the homeowner’s casual and worldly lifestyle, but would not feel out of place with the character of the existing house. The kitchen is a glorious hard-working space with lots of counter space, space for a giant farmer’s table, and symmetrical views through oversized double hung-windows out to the expansive yard. The master bath is outfitted with wood, stone, and metal, and also includes artifacts from some of their world travels. In a second phase of work, we designed some outbuilding to further enhance the character of the property. Currently we are working with the family to design a memorial to honor their child who died of Leukemia.

Faced with extensive water damage to their home, the Patel’s turned to Cantoni designer Andrea Petor to infuse new life into their family’s beloved weekend retreat in Montgomery, Texas. Balancing the client’s minimalist wants with their love of hosting, Andrea created a cohesive design to accommodate their frequent guests and large extended family. Beginning with the kitchen remodel, Andrea worked with the Patel’s to identify the best layout for the space, understanding it would be used regularly for entertaining. To maximize storage space, Andrea designed custom floor to ceiling cabinetry finished in high gloss white lacquer. She selected Miele optic white appliances to enhance the sleek design. Andrea had a custom dining table built into the island to provide ample seating and ensure the entire family could enjoy meals together. The kitchen’s monochromatic color palette was carried throughout the interiors allowing the home’s beautiful waterfront views to take center stage. Adding richness and texture to each room, Andrea selected sculptural, modern furnishings to complete the space and bring the Patel’s vision to life.

Pool house - mid-sized tropical backyard rectangular lap pool house idea in Other

This exclusive guest home features excellent and easy to use technology throughout. The idea and purpose of this guesthouse is to host multiple charity events, sporting event parties, and family gatherings. The roughly 90-acre site has impressive views and is a one of a kind property in Colorado. The project features incredible sounding audio and 4k video distributed throughout (inside and outside). There is centralized lighting control both indoors and outdoors, an enterprise Wi-Fi network, HD surveillance, and a state of the art Crestron control system utilizing iPads and in-wall touch panels. Some of the special features of the facility is a powerful and sophisticated QSC Line Array audio system in the Great Hall, Sony and Crestron 4k Video throughout, a large outdoor audio system featuring in ground hidden subwoofers by Sonance surrounding the pool, and smart LED lighting inside the gorgeous infinity pool. J Gramling Photos

Who wouldn't fall in love with the Water Street building, and the elegant industrial vibe? The light that floods in through the floor-to-ceiling windows makes this a perfect spot to entertain and host friends from California or adult kids who visit. The location can't be beat--these clients ride their bikes to meet friends for lunch or a tour through the Hirschhorn. We knocked down a wall to open the kitchen, and added modern furnishings punctuated by splashes of deep orangey-red. High contrast and lots of rich textures can be found throughout this urban loft. Photography: Stacy Zarin Goldberg

This porch overlooking the river and marsh is peaceful and relaxing. With outdoor furniture, a barbecue with. a vent hood, it feels like youre inside, but you get to enjoy the beauty of the outdoor breezes!

Industrial transitional English style kitchen. The addition and remodeling were designed to keep the outdoors inside. Replaced the uppers and prioritized windows connected to key parts of the backyard and having open shelvings with walnut and brass details. Custom dark cabinets made locally. Designed to maximize the storage and performance of a growing family and host big gatherings. The large island was a key goal of the homeowners with the abundant seating and the custom booth opposite to the range area. The booth was custom built to match the client's favorite dinner spot. In addition, we created a more New England style mudroom in connection with the patio. And also a full pantry with a coffee station and pocket doors.

Christmas house tour, holidays, Christmas tree, Christmas decorations, Holiday bar cart
Inspiration for a country beige floor bar cart remodel in Sacramento

Photography © Calder Wilson
Inspiration for a huge contemporary white two-story stucco exterior home remodel in Miami with a mixed material roof

Bess Friday
Dining room - transitional dining room idea in San Francisco with white walls

For a family that loves hosting large gatherings, this expansive home is a dream; boasting two unique entertaining spaces, each expanding onto outdoor-living areas, that capture its magnificent views. The sheer size of the home allows for various ‘experiences’; from a rec room perfect for hosting game day and an eat-in wine room escape on the lower-level, to a calming 2-story family greatroom on the main. Floors are connected by freestanding stairs, framing a custom cascading-pendant light, backed by a stone accent wall, and facing a 3-story waterfall. A custom metal art installation, templated from a cherished tree on the property, both brings nature inside and showcases the immense vertical volume of the house. Photography: Paul Grdina