Search results for "Improve interesting" in Home Design Ideas

Inspiration for a large modern l-shaped light wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Boston with a farmhouse sink, quartz countertops, quartz backsplash, stainless steel appliances and two islands

At this couple’s house, we worked in the front and rear. Out front, we enlarged the bedded area to embrace the front walkway and to be more proportionate with the large covered porch. Then we brought in conditioned bio-soil to improve the existing site. Next, we transplanted some larger crowded Boxwoods throughout and added shrubs, perennials and bulbs to the bedded area to make a more welcoming feel to the front of the house and giving it year-round interest.
In the rear, we enlarged the beds around the patio, created pathways to the lawn and made a step way/walkway to the patio from the driveway. For the latter, we used slab flagstone steppers and river rock to check the flow of water coming from uphill during heavy rains. We added water-loving shrubs and perennials to create an inviting feel to the rear area.

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The monochromatic color scheme for this bathroom adds a modern touch but still keeps the space interesting by adding different patterns and design.
Inspiration for a modern bathroom remodel in Los Angeles
Inspiration for a modern bathroom remodel in Los Angeles

Example of a mid-sized trendy master porcelain tile and gray floor alcove bathtub design in Minneapolis with furniture-like cabinets, white cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink and solid surface countertops

Exquisite new bathroom finished with white cabinets with furniture feet, light grey quartzite counter top, pivot mirrors, square sink and a one handle sink fixture!! Extra large shower for 2 includes a hand-held shower for her and massage jets for him. Large decorative niche for a dramatic focal point over the bench which is topped with the quartize counter top!!! the water closet has barnwood on wall and a secret hiding spot for the plunger!! Every woman's dream come true!!!!

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours
The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents.
Early History
The earliest
St. Simons Island Village
record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini.
Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned.
Colonial History
As
Fort Frederica
early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat.
Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service.
Plantation Era
By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war.
Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton.
Between
Ebos Landing
the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing.
One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863).
Another
Retreat Plantation
large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves.
The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall.
The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church.
Civil War and Beyond
The
St. Simons Island Lighthouse
outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned.
After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations.
By
St. Simons Lumber Mills
1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross.
The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island.
Twentieth Century
The
St. Simons Island Pier and Village
opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development.
In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s.
The
St. Simons Island
outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents.
Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa.
Since
Epworth by the Sea
1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant.
Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

Sponsored
Columbus, OH
EverHome Improvement & Design
Top Choice for Reliable Tile & Stone | Franklin County, Ohio

Coral Honeysuckle at Garden in the Woods, the botanic garden of New England Wild Flower Society Photo copyright Ellen Sousa/THBFarm

This front yard landscape design was created to enhance curb appeal and provide a welcoming entrance to the home. The project includes custom planting beds, seasonal color, ornamental shrubs, decorative stone accents, and a brick paver driveway that complements the home's architecture. Careful plant selection and thoughtful landscape planning help create year-round visual interest while maintaining a clean, polished appearance. The result is a professionally designed outdoor space that improves both property value and overall aesthetics.

GOALS
After recently completing indoor renovations, the homeowners were now ready to focus on updating and improving their property. The home lacked curb appeal and was void of any landscape. The land sloped down to the right of the house where decaying retaining walls needed to be addressed and the backyard needed a complete overhaul.
– Add curb appeal
– Create seasonal interest
– Replace failing retaining walls
– Create a cohesive space in both the front and rear yards
APPROACH
The timber wall in the rear yard was removed along with the decaying wall in the front yard. The updated design incorporated a new masonry retaining wall to complement the stucco finish on the house. A natural moss rock wall was added to the front right side of the house to help even out the grade along the foundation. A selection of hardy plants were selected to soften the architecture of the home, providing year-round interest and immense curb appeal.
PLANTING COMPONENTS
• Large specimen trees, such as hinoki cypress and holly were used to add height and to anchor the home within the landscape.
• Southern magnolia and birch trees were placed in the lawn to add color and shade.
• Flowering hydrangea, carpet roses, azaleas and perennials such as geranium, liriope, astilbe, coreopsis and nepeta were used to create seasonal interest.
RESULT
The redesigned landscape provided the finishing touch to the home’s renovations, restoring its curb appeal and adding tremendous value to the home overall.

This stunning one-acre garden, within walking distance of downtown Bethesda, was designed and installed by our firm in 2004.. LPI continues to maintain it today. The owners, devoted gardeners, wanted to utilize as much of the existing plant palette as possible but also to have space for a pond, a cutting garden, and expanses of lawn. The biggest challenge proved to be coping with the prodigious amount of water on site due to an underground spring and drainage issues posed by it and the topography of the site.
In 2010 this garden won an Award of Merit from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, , a Grand Award from the MD*DC*VA Landscape Contractors Association, and an Environmental Improvement Award of Distinction from PLANET.
© Melissa Clark Photography All rights reserved.

We recently enjoyed the opportunity to remodel three floors of a nineteenth-century Cambridge home with our project partners, architect Tom Downer and designer Jayme Kennerknecht/LDa Architects.
.
• The owners – a family of four that includes both a teenager and a toddler - wanted a house better suited to entertaining but also appropriate for family together time. Specific improvements on their wish list included a playroom that could handle differing family needs, a custom bar for entertaining, a new fireplace, and an inviting kitchen that would remain distinct but be better connected to adjoining rooms.
• Adding a fireplace to the living room involved rebuilding the entire back wall of the home. The fireplace mantel was custom designed to match an existing mantel in the nearby dining room, which is original to the home.
• In the playroom, care was taken to create zones for three members of the family: The mother enjoys crafting and now has a station directly below existing skylights, the teenager has a semi-private nook at the back of the space for relaxing, and the youngest in the family can enjoy toys and games placed along one wall alongside a rug for playing on the floor. On the same level, we created a separate guest bedroom with a new closet and a window designed to match other windows throughout the home.
• The kitchen is fully upgraded and custom designed to accommodate the mother’s cooking habits, with specific elements including a farmer’s sink in the island and a stainless steel counter with an integrated sink for food preparation placed behind it on the counter. To improve storage in the much-used room, corner drawer units were installed instead of lazy Susan cabinets. Also, the homeowners were not interested in an open floor plan, but did want to improve access to the living room and yard beyond. This was achieved by expanding the opening between the two rooms allowing the cook to engage with family and guests and have a clear view when children are playing in the yard.
Photo by Shelly Harrison

At the present level of development of the concept of "quality" is considered as a complex component, which includes the quality of the final product, the quality of management, quality of deliveries or work, the quality of life of people (employees) and society as a whole.
Quality management is coordinated and interconnected management activities, which was built in such a way as to ensure safe and smooth operation of the organization.
Organization Management, with regard to quality means that all activity is subject to the objectives set for quality, and to achieve these goals, the organization has developed a system of plans, have the necessary resources, carried out actions to achieve their goals.
Quality management - a very important element for any business. After all, quality is one of the criteria of the high popularity of a brand among consumers. Besides good quality will save the company from warranty repairs, lawsuits, etc.
Quality management includes four basic components:
• quality control;
• quality assurance;
• quality planning;
• quality improvement.
There are 8 basic principles of quality management system:
• The principle of orientation to the user. Product success primarily depends on how the user takes it. Moreover, this principle directs the company to study the needs of its customers.
• The principle of leadership or leadership role. Quality management in the first place depends directly on the company's management, which should by their actions show his concern for the produced goods, on its quality.
• The principle of staff involvement. From more - in less. If the head of the company must set an example in their interest in the quality of products, the company and each employee must also work to improve the quality of products and must want to improve it.
• The principle of the process approach. Based on the division of the company to suppliers and consumers. Suppliers - material security that comes into the company, and which must comply with certain quality. Consumers - the product, which is depending on the materials, must be of good quality. Because this is a direct product of your company.
• The principle of the system approach. It combines two previously identified types of organization in the common system. Moreover, he claims that this system should be a common goal, and general management.
• The principle of continuous improvement. Or to put it in simple words - "There is no limit to perfection." The principle involves constant monitoring of the quality of products in order to improve it.
• The principle of decision-making based on facts. It implies that all decisions will be taken by research, scientific evidence, public opinion polls, and not on an intuitive level head.
• Mutually beneficial supplier relationships. It's simple - the supplier delivers you high-quality materials and receives respective payment. The lower the quality of the goods, the less the cost.
• It is believed that the introduction of these 8 principles in any company will improve the quality of its products and the improvement of the production process. That, in turn, affect the overall good of the company success.
About Author: Anna Lynch is a freelance writer at http://online-check-in.org/, who creates papers about business and marketing. She has a long practice and great experience in the sphere of economics and now is able to help young people.

Sponsored
Columbus, OH
Free consultation for landscape design!
Peabody Landscape Group
Columbus' Reliable Landscape Design & Contracting

This project is a full bathroom remodel designed in a transitional style, combining clean modern lines with timeless finishes.
The space was completely reimagined with new wood-look tile flooring, a custom-built vanity, and quartz countertops that bring both durability and elegance. The shower was rebuilt as a walk-in design featuring frameless sliding glass doors, large-format tile, and a recessed niche with detailed mosaic for added visual interest.
A matching quartz curb was installed to create continuity with the vanity surfaces, while brushed brass fixtures and hardware add warmth and contrast throughout the space. Lighting was upgraded with a modern vanity fixture and LED mirror, enhancing both functionality and ambiance.
Additional improvements include full interior painting and the installation of a dedicated electrical outlet to support a smart toilet.
The result is a clean, functional, and elevated bathroom designed for everyday comfort with a refined aesthetic.

Protect and enhance any porch with an awning. All awnings are sewn and manufactured at our shop by experienced professionals using only the finest materials, piping and hardware available.
Benefits include:
Shade.
Creates a cozy, usable area.
Rain protection.
Enlarges the feel of any porch.
Removable in winter when you need the sunlight for added heat in your home.
Adds texture, color, and interest to your home.
Rope systems are available to retract awnings when needed.
Privacy.
Save on AC costs.

© amandakirkpatrickphoto
Example of a large transitional medium tone wood floor kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, light wood cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops
Example of a large transitional medium tone wood floor kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, light wood cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

GOALS
After recently completing indoor renovations, the homeowners were now ready to focus on updating and improving their property. The home lacked curb appeal and was void of any landscape. The land sloped down to the right of the house where decaying retaining walls needed to be addressed and the backyard needed a complete overhaul.
– Add curb appeal
– Create seasonal interest
– Replace failing retaining walls
– Create a cohesive space in both the front and rear yards
APPROACH
The timber wall in the rear yard was removed along with the decaying wall in the front yard. The updated design incorporated a new masonry retaining wall to complement the stucco finish on the house. A natural moss rock wall was added to the front right side of the house to help even out the grade along the foundation. A selection of hardy plants were selected to soften the architecture of the home, providing year-round interest and immense curb appeal.
PLANTING COMPONENTS
• Large specimen trees, such as hinoki cypress and holly were used to add height and to anchor the home within the landscape.
• Southern magnolia and birch trees were placed in the lawn to add color and shade.
• Flowering hydrangea, carpet roses, azaleas and perennials such as geranium, liriope, astilbe, coreopsis and nepeta were used to create seasonal interest.
RESULT
The redesigned landscape provided the finishing touch to the home’s renovations, restoring its curb appeal and adding tremendous value to the home overall.

Sponsored
Columbus, OH
EverHome Improvement & Design
Top Choice for Reliable Tile & Stone | Franklin County, Ohio

This project is a full bathroom remodel designed in a transitional style, combining clean modern lines with timeless finishes.
The space was completely reimagined with new wood-look tile flooring, a custom-built vanity, and quartz countertops that bring both durability and elegance. The shower was rebuilt as a walk-in design featuring frameless sliding glass doors, large-format tile, and a recessed niche with detailed mosaic for added visual interest.
A matching quartz curb was installed to create continuity with the vanity surfaces, while brushed brass fixtures and hardware add warmth and contrast throughout the space. Lighting was upgraded with a modern vanity fixture and LED mirror, enhancing both functionality and ambiance.
Additional improvements include full interior painting and the installation of a dedicated electrical outlet to support a smart toilet.
The result is a clean, functional, and elevated bathroom designed for everyday comfort with a refined aesthetic.

Balance dark cherry wood cabinets in a kitchen with light mosaic backsplash. A nickel pendant light and black stone countertop add a polished feel.
Example of a transitional galley enclosed kitchen design in Charlotte with medium tone wood cabinets, soapstone countertops, brown backsplash and stainless steel appliances
Example of a transitional galley enclosed kitchen design in Charlotte with medium tone wood cabinets, soapstone countertops, brown backsplash and stainless steel appliances

This stunning one-acre garden, within walking distance of downtown Bethesda, was designed and installed by our firm in 2004.. LPI continues to maintain it today. The owners, devoted gardeners, wanted to utilize as much of the existing plant palette as possible but also to have space for a pond, a cutting garden, and expanses of lawn. The biggest challenge proved to be coping with the prodigious amount of water on site due to an underground spring and drainage issues posed by it and the topography of the site.
In 2010 this garden won an Award of Merit from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, , a Grand Award from the MD*DC*VA Landscape Contractors Association, and an Environmental Improvement Award of Distinction from PLANET.
©Melissa Clark Photography. All rights reserved.
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