Kitchen - traditional kitchen idea in Portland

Entrance to East London house
1960s one-story entryway photo in London

Inspiration for a large farmhouse tile screened-in back porch remodel in Baltimore with a roof extension

A cabin in Western Wisconsin is transformed from within to become a serene and modern retreat. In a past life, this cabin was a fishing cottage which was part of a resort built in the 1920’s on a small lake not far from the Twin Cities. The cabin has had multiple additions over the years so improving flow to the outdoor space, creating a family friendly kitchen, and relocating a bigger master bedroom on the lake side were priorities. The solution was to bring the kitchen from the back of the cabin up to the front, reduce the size of an overly large bedroom in the back in order to create a more generous front entry way/mudroom adjacent to the kitchen, and add a fireplace in the center of the main floor. Photographer: Wing Ta Interior Design: Jennaea Gearhart Design

THE SETUP Client Background: Our clients, a couple who have transitioned into the empty nest phase, have cherished their home for over three decades without undergoing any significant renovations. With a newfound desire to adapt their living space to better suit their current lifestyle, they’ve embarked on a journey to reimagine their kitchen — the heart of their home. Their aspiration is to cultivate a serene, neutral-toned sanctuary on the first floor that seamlessly merges with their family room, ensuring a harmonious and inviting environment. Design Inspiration: The renovation is inspired by the couple’s penchant for soft, calming neutrals, using their cherished family room and the kitchen’s existing tile flooring as the cornerstone for the color scheme. This approach aims to foster a sense of warmth and tranquility throughout. Design Objectives: Harmonize the kitchen with the family room by adopting a soothing, neutral color scheme, ensuring a seamless flow across the first floor. Enhance kitchen functionality with thoughtfully designed cabinetry, providing a designated place for every item and maximizing storage efficiency. Cultivate an inviting and comfortable atmosphere that reflects the homeowners’ desire for a calm and relaxing space. Design Challenges: The homeowners wish to retain the existing kitchen tile flooring and integrate it into a refreshed, modern design. Accommodating a dining area spacious enough for family visits without compromising the kitchen’s open feel or functional layout. Despite liking the current placement of plumbing and appliances, the homeowners aspire for a more open floor plan to facilitate better movement and interaction. The need to amplify natural light in the kitchen, especially around the sink area, where existing lighting is insufficient. Preserving the half-wall between the kitchen and family room, a feature the homeowners want to keep, while ensuring it complements the new design. THE RENEWED SPACE Design Solutions: By choosing a neutral color palette that complements the existing tile, the design unifies the kitchen with the adjacent spaces. The tile’s grout was cleaned and restored, enhancing the floor’s appearance and integrating it seamlessly with the new kitchen aesthetic. The inclusion of a larger island with seating for two, alongside maintaining a substantial dining table, was achieved by optimizing the spatial layout. This allowed for a sociable yet functional kitchen, accommodating large family gatherings without feeling crowded. Minor adjustments to the kitchen’s layout maintained the preferred locations for plumbing and appliances while introducing an ‘open’ design concept. Strategic modifications, such as angling the pantry wall, improved the flow and accessibility within the space. Replacing the garden window with a broader, standard window significantly increased natural light, transforming the sink area into a bright, welcoming space with enhanced views of the outdoors. The decision to keep the half-wall was ingeniously leveraged to define the dining area while maintaining an open connection to the family room. This feature not only serves as a visual separator but also ties the two spaces together through the shared color scheme and design elements. The homeowners are thrilled with their newly remodeled kitchen, which has become a hub of warmth and hospitality. Hosting a wedding shower and a birthday party, they have shared their renewed space with friends and family, who have been equally enamored. This remodel has not only met their functional and aesthetic desires but has also enriched their home with a fresh sense of serenity and joy. The upstairs part of the home is shaping up nicely. Here’s their newly remodeled primary bathroom.

Example of a large classic hallway design in Tampa with yellow walls

Kitchen design and full gut remodel in post and beam kitchen. New layout to improve functionality and flow, with center kitchen island, tall pantry storage cabinet, soft gray-beige shaker-style cabinets (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter), quartz countertop, stacked subway tile backsplash, metal mesh cabinet fronts, Thermador range and hood vent, paneled refrigerator, Shaw's fireclay apron-front sink, matte black fixtures and hardware, cable lighting, and hardwood flooring.

Karen Cole
Farmhouse patio photo in Philadelphia

Greg Powers
Example of a trendy exterior home design in DC Metro

Josh Thornton
Inspiration for a large eclectic powder room remodel in Chicago with multicolored walls

After the mud room addition, the dogs have their own personal bowls and a customized washing area for when they come in from outside. Plato Prelude cabinets provide plenty of cabinet space for dog food and other items. One golden retriever and four flat coated retrievers = a lot of food storage needs! Porcelain fired earth ceramics 18" field tile was installed for a durable floor. An LG Hi-Macs Volcanics Solid Surface material was used on the counter tops featuring built-in food bowls. Hooks were conveniently added for hanging leashes by the door. As if this was not enough, the dogs can exit the mud room and run into the fenced backyard with their own in-ground pool! The dogs love the new amenities but the homeowners have a spectacular kitchen, improved dining/coffee experience, an efficient flow from the kitchen to the backyard, and functional designs to make their life easier.

Relocating to Portland, Oregon from California, this young family immediately hired Amy to redesign their newly purchased home to better fit their needs. The project included updating the kitchen, hall bath, and adding an en suite to their master bedroom. Removing a wall between the kitchen and dining allowed for additional counter space and storage along with improved traffic flow and increased natural light to the heart of the home. This galley style kitchen is focused on efficiency and functionality through custom cabinets with a pantry boasting drawer storage topped with quartz slab for durability, pull-out storage accessories throughout, deep drawers, and a quartz topped coffee bar/ buffet facing the dining area. The master bath and hall bath were born out of a single bath and a closet. While modest in size, the bathrooms are filled with functionality and colorful design elements. Durable hex shaped porcelain tiles compliment the blue vanities topped with white quartz countertops. The shower and tub are both tiled in handmade ceramic tiles, bringing much needed texture and movement of light to the space. The hall bath is outfitted with a toe-kick pull-out step for the family’s youngest member!

Photo: Charlotte Albers © 2014 Houzz
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Burlington.

Modern custom home nestled in quiet Arcadia neighborhood. The expansive glass window wall has stunning views of Camelback Mountain and natural light helps keep energy usage to a minimum. CIP concrete walls also help to reduce the homes carbon footprint while keeping a beautiful, architecturally pleasing finished look to both inside and outside. The artfully blended look of metal, concrete, block and glass bring a natural, raw product to life in both visual and functional way

The homeowners wanted to improve the layout and function of their tired 1980’s bathrooms. The master bath had a huge sunken tub that took up half the floor space and the shower was tiny and in small room with the toilet. We created a new toilet room and moved the shower to allow it to grow in size. This new space is far more in tune with the client’s needs. The kid’s bath was a large space. It only needed to be updated to today’s look and to flow with the rest of the house. The powder room was small, adding the pedestal sink opened it up and the wallpaper and ship lap added the character that it needed

Deck Remodel in Massapequa Park by Incredible Home Improvements, LLC
Mid-sized elegant backyard deck photo in New York with decking and no cover

Norwood House is a 55 year old center hall Georgian Revival style house that sits on an expansive piece of property across from the main campus at Kent Place School. The house and grounds are owned and maintained by the School, and serve as the primary residence for the Head of School and her family. The property is also used on occasion for school functions. Since there have been no significant improvements to the property since the 1980’s, we worked with the School to improve the entire house and surrounding grounds. Specifics included creating a mudroom between the garage and the kitchen, relocating the dining room and family room to improve the flow of the first floor layout, adding three pairs of French doors in the sunroom leading out to a new bluestone patio, gutting and redoing the kitchen, renovating all of the bathrooms, and refinishing the basement. The scope also encompassed various infrastructure improvements, including a new roof, new windows, new high efficiency HVAC and lighting, etc. For the project, we also worked closely with Frances Chester, a local Landscape Architect, on improving the property with new plantings, walkways, patios, driveway, lighting, etc. The school required that the project be complete by the beginning of the 2014 school year. We worked the Contractor, Owner’s Rep, and members of the Board of Trustees to have construction completed within 5 months, which was a very aggressive schedule for a project of this size.

Inspiration for a transitional open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Los Angeles with white walls

Mid-sized minimalist open concept porcelain tile living room photo in Austin with gray walls, a corner fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv