Set within St. Petersburg's historic Old Northeast neighborhood, this century-old waterfront residence provided the perfect backdrop for a first-floor interior renovation focusing on furnishings, refreshed library, and adding a custom bar to the Breakfast Room. Every decision—from the custom millwork in the Library and Breakfast Room to the furnishings—was guided by a timeless Ralph Lauren-inspired coastal aesthetic that feels authentic to the home rather than imposed upon it. When flood damage required a complete first-floor renovation, the opportunity emerged to create a new Kitchen that honored the home's history while supporting modern family living.

Location: Los Olivos, CA // Type: New Construction // Architect: Appelton & Associates // Photo: Creative Noodle
Family room - large rustic open concept dark wood floor family room idea in Santa Barbara with beige walls, no fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

This gorgeous summer retreat was in need of a complete overhaul! After SuperStorm Sandy renovations to the lower level, my clients were ready to tackle the 3 upper floors. The home is chock full of original beauty with its custom bead board and moldings. Walnut banisters and solid five panels interior doors - adorned with crystal knobs. We took advantage of the amazing exposed ceiling beams in living and dining rooms. Incredible wavy leaded glass doors are found in both the foyer and bar rooms. Imposing interior walls were removed to make way for this dream kitchen! A classic 9" subway tile sets the tone for the white shaker front cabinets and quartz counter top. While the contrasting soft gray island carries an almost black dropped miter edge quartz top. For that old world charm, we added a pair of open shelves to showcase the dinnerware and glasses. Custom furnishings and window treatments are found through the home. Our goal was to create an amazingly cozy home that our clients could enjoy for generations to come!!

james ray spahn
Small farmhouse gray three-story wood gable roof photo in Denver

This garden was designed to provide large terrace spaces that do not impose on the natural woodland setting. Natural flagstone is dry set in an irregular pattern with planted joints to help soften the overall appearance. The flagstone terraces weave around the trees, creating separate outdoor rooms for entertaining, dining, or lounging on a hammock. Boulders placed throughout the garden, provide terracing between patios and create sculptural supports for the grill. As part of the boulder terracing, a fire pit is located where it can be enjoyed from both levels of the terrace. The plantings are carefully selected to provide a full range of interest that is both shade and deer tolerant. A later phase of this installation includes a swimming pool that ties in with the overall woodland theme.

This bright and happy mudroom features custom built ins for storage and well as shoe niches to keep things organized. The pop of color adds a bright and refreshing feel upon entry that flows with the rest of the character this home has to offer.

Kowalske Kitchen & Bath was the remodeling contractor for this beautiful Waukesha first floor remodel. The homeowners recently purchased the home and wanted to immediately update the space. The old kitchen was outdated and closed off from the great room. The goal was to design an open-concept space for hosting family and friends. LAYOUT The first step was to remove the awkward dining room walls. This made the room feel large and open. We tucked the refrigerator into a wall of cabinets so it didn’t impose. Seating at the island and peninsula makes the kitchen very versatile. DESIGN We created an elegant entertaining space to take advantage of the lake view. The Waukesha homeowners wanted a contemporary design with neutral colors and finishes. They chose soft gray lower cabinets and white upper cabinets. We added texture with wood accents and a herringbone marble backsplash tile. The desk area features a walnut butcher block countertop. We also used walnut for the open shelving, detail on the hood and the legs on the island. CUSTOM CABINETRY Frameless custom cabinets maximize storage in this Waukesha kitchen. The upper cabinets have hidden light rail molding. Angled plug molding eliminates outlets on the backsplash. Drawers in the lower cabinets allow for excellent storage. The cooktop has a functioning top drawer with a hidden apron to hide the guts of the cooktop. The clients also asked for a home office desk area and pantry cabinet.

These homeowners love to entertain family, friends and work colleagues but their existing floor plan kept hosts and guests awkwardly separated. By removing the preexisting imposing offending wall entirely, the design team was able to create an appropriate environment for entertaining. Perimeter cabinetry in Alabaster White adds to the sense of light and openness in a once-confined space. The contrasting Pecan finished island serves as a focal point for the room. Cambria Berwyn quartz countertops are highlighted by gorgeous Walker Zanger gray ceramic backsplash tile. Calcutta marble and wood water-jet mosaic add just the right amount of visual interest to this kitchen. 205 Photography

VSI Original scored stucco over brick exterior. The 9-acre Mimosa Hall, built circa 1840, is a landmark of neoclassical design with extensive gardens in the vibrant historic district of Roswell, Georgia, 20 miles north of Atlanta. The 6,000-square-foot temple-style home has heart-of-pine floors throughout, a black-and-white marble hall, soaring ceilings, and 10 fireplaces. Famed architect Neel Reid made Mimosa his home in the 1920s, creating a double parlor and designing a long fieldstone driveway and courtyard. The gardens include century-old trees, imposing boxwood hedges, rare specimen trees, stone walls, paths, parterres, a swimming pool, and a 19th Century grist mill refashioned into a barn. In addition, 21 acres of adjoining woods are for sale, one of the few remaining tracts of developable land of its size within walking distance of Roswell’s old town square.

Mid-sized trendy guest medium tone wood floor bedroom photo in Calgary with gray walls

This custom home’s goal was to create a beautiful and functional alpine retreat. A place for family and friends to gather. A warm, welcoming feeling that connected to nature was prioritized. Outside, there are arched timber trusses and stone accents. The home’s angles and extensive picture windows take advantage of panoramic three-story views. Front entry has vaulted ceiling and posts with rock bases. Full height rear chimney creates an imposing profile from the road below. Structural timbers and glulams lean into the decorative timber trusses, highlighting the rustic chalet inspiration.

This gorgeous summer retreat was in need of a complete overhaul! After SuperStorm Sandy renovations to the lower level, my clients were ready to tackle the 3 upper floors. The home is chock full of original beauty with its custom bead board and moldings. Walnut banisters and solid five panels interior doors - adorned with crystal knobs. We took advantage of the amazing exposed ceiling beams in living and dining rooms. Incredible wavy leaded glass doors are found in both the foyer and bar rooms. Imposing interior walls were removed to make way for this dream kitchen! A classic 9" subway tile sets the tone for the white shaker front cabinets and quartz counter top. While the contrasting soft gray island carries an almost black dropped miter edge quartz top. For that old world charm, we added a pair of open shelves to showcase the dinnerware and glasses. Custom furnishings and window treatments are found through the home. Our goal was to create an amazingly cozy home that our clients could enjoy for generations to come!!

In this fantastical render the private residence embodies moderation, sophistication and modernity. The house looks stunning in the sunlight, with its imposing silhouette and reserved color scheme. Furthermore, despite the fact that this amazing private residence is only an architectural concept, the render makes the viewer believe he’s looking at a photo of a real building – and it’s only waiting for him to move in.

Modern kitchen design by Benning Design Construction. Photos by Matt Rosendahl at Premier Visuals.
Living room - large coastal open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room idea in Sacramento with beige walls, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

Design work started with a modest design focused on improving the kitchen, living, dining and outdoor living areas. However, a feasibility study determined that a better option was to fully remodel the existing dwelling, resulting in reclaiming some of the front veranda to increase the size of the living and dining areas. The remaining section created an alcove to the main bedroom, increasing privacy and creating a dedicated outdoor area. A large awning, cantilevered so as not to impose on the existing septic, created a separate outdoor living area. A teak facade, that will weather to grey in the salty sea air over time, was added to extend high above the box gutter, conceal the solar panels and cap the ends of the separation walls. The roof was repitched and the internal ceilings raked upwards from the teak facade, thereby increasing the internal volume and allowing for the addition of high-light windows in rooms on the ridge side of the dwelling to capture the vista, increase natural light, ventilation and sense of space. A skillion roof outside the back kitchen area was strategically positioned out of sight from the inside of the home and created a second outdoor area in the rear courtyard, serving as the main entry point. A gate house was incorporated in the rear fence to enhance the entry. The rear courtyard reclaimed an existing parking bay to create space for the cellar/music room.

Our clients requested an energy-efficient escape home on a 16-acre site in rural Elgin that would be maintenance friendly, age-in-place adaptable, and whose sculptural quality could harbor for their expressive family. With its dominant east-west axis, the maximizes control of solar gain control; its placement was carefully adjusted to allow all of the nearby trees to thrive. The standing seam roof’s pitch and azimuth provide optimal solar PV and fills a 20,000-gallon rainwater cistern. The age-in-place, step-less interior provides an expansive view at the south terrace. The cantilever of the board-formed foundation is a structurally expressive solution resolving an otherwise imposing mass. The curved prow of the north-pointing entry is a nod to local Elgin brick. A bowed and formally jubilant thermal chimney faces south for efficient passive ventilation. Photo credit: Chris Diaz General Contractor: Native (buildnative.com)

This garden was designed to provide large terrace spaces that do not impose on the natural woodland setting. Natural flagstone is dry set in an irregular pattern with planted joints to help soften the overall appearance. The flagstone terraces weave around the trees, creating separate outdoor rooms for entertaining, dining, or lounging on a hammock. Boulders placed throughout the garden, provide terracing between patios and create sculptural supports for the grill. As part of the boulder terracing, a fire pit is located where it can be enjoyed from both levels of the terrace. The plantings are carefully selected to provide a full range of interest that is both shade and deer tolerant. A later phase of this installation includes a swimming pool that ties in with the overall woodland theme.

This gorgeous summer retreat was in need of a complete overhaul! After SuperStorm Sandy renovations to the lower level, my clients were ready to tackle the 3 upper floors. The home is chock full of original beauty with its custom bead board and moldings. Walnut banisters and solid five panels interior doors - adorned with crystal knobs. We took advantage of the amazing exposed ceiling beams in living and dining rooms. Incredible wavy leaded glass doors are found in both the foyer and bar rooms. Imposing interior walls were removed to make way for this dream kitchen! A classic 9" subway tile sets the tone for the white shaker front cabinets and quartz counter top. While the contrasting soft gray island carries an almost black dropped miter edge quartz top. For that old world charm, we added a pair of open shelves to showcase the dinnerware and glasses. Custom furnishings and window treatments are found through the home. Our goal was to create an amazingly cozy home that our clients could enjoy for generations to come!!

This gorgeous summer retreat was in need of a complete overhaul! After SuperStorm Sandy renovations to the lower level, my clients were ready to tackle the 3 upper floors. The home is chock full of original beauty with its custom bead board and moldings. Walnut banisters and solid five panels interior doors - adorned with crystal knobs. We took advantage of the amazing exposed ceiling beams in living and dining rooms. Incredible wavy leaded glass doors are found in both the foyer and bar rooms. Imposing interior walls were removed to make way for this dream kitchen! A classic 9" subway tile sets the tone for the white shaker front cabinets and quartz counter top. While the contrasting soft gray island carries an almost black dropped miter edge quartz top. For that old world charm, we added a pair of open shelves to showcase the dinnerware and glasses. Custom furnishings and window treatments are found through the home. Our goal was to create an amazingly cozy home that our clients could enjoy for generations to come!!