When a family living in Singapore decided to purchase a New York City pied-à-terre, they settled on the historic Langham Place, a 60-floor building along 5th Ave which features a mixture of permanent residencies and 5-star hotel suites. Immediately after purchasing the condo, they reached out to Decor Aid, and tasked us with designing a home that would reflect their jet-setting lifestyle and chic sensibility. Book Your Free In-Home Consultation Connecting to the historic Tiffany Building at 404 5th Ave, the exterior of Langham Place is a combination of highly contemporary architecture and 1920’s art deco design. And with this highly unique architecture, came highly angular, outward leaning floor-to-ceiling windows, which would prove to be our biggest design challenge. One of the apartment’s quirks was negotiating an uneven balance of natural light throughout the space. Parts of the apartment, such one of the kids’ bedrooms, feature floor-to-ceiling windows and an abundance of natural light, while other areas, such as one corner of the living room, receive little natural light. By sourcing a combination of contemporary, low-profile furniture pieces and metallic accents, we were able to compensate for apartment’s pockets of darkness. A low-profile beige sectional from Room & Board was an obvious choice, which we complemented with a lucite console and a bronze Riverstone coffee table from Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams. Circular tables were placed throughout the apartment in order to establish a design scheme that would be easy to walk through. A marble tulip table from Sit Down New York provides an opulent dining room space, without crowding the floor plan. The finishing touches include a sumptuous swivel chair from Safavieh, to create a sleek, welcoming vacation home for this international client.

This unique city-home is designed with a center entry, flanked by formal living and dining rooms on either side. An expansive gourmet kitchen / great room spans the rear of the main floor, opening onto a terraced outdoor space comprised of more than 700SF. The home also boasts an open, four-story staircase flooded with natural, southern light, as well as a lower level family room, four bedrooms (including two en-suite) on the second floor, and an additional two bedrooms and study on the third floor. A spacious, 500SF roof deck is accessible from the top of the staircase, providing additional outdoor space for play and entertainment. Due to the location and shape of the site, there is a 2-car, heated garage under the house, providing direct entry from the garage into the lower level mudroom. Two additional off-street parking spots are also provided in the covered driveway leading to the garage. Designed with family living in mind, the home has also been designed for entertaining and to embrace life's creature comforts. Pre-wired with HD Video, Audio and comprehensive low-voltage services, the home is able to accommodate and distribute any low voltage services requested by the homeowner. This home was pre-sold during construction. Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

This walk-in pantry provides lots of storage and includes a spot for an upright freezer.
Kitchen - craftsman laminate floor kitchen idea

Photo by Jay Sifford.
Design ideas for an eclectic landscaping in Charlotte.

By removing the closets there was enough space to add the needed appliances, plumbing and cabinets to transform this space into a luxury bar area. While incorporating the adjacent space’s materials and finishes (stained walnut cabinets, painted maple cabinets and matte quartz countertops with a hint of gold and purple glitz), a distinctive style was created by using the white maple cabinets for wall cabinets and the slab walnut veneer for base cabinets to anchor the space. The centered glass door wall cabinet provides an ideal location for displaying drinkware while the floating shelves serve as a display for three-dimensional art. To provide maximum function, roll out trays and a two-tiered cutlery divider was integrated into the cabinets. In addition, the bar includes integrated wine storage with refrigerator drawers which is ideal not only for wine but also bottled water, mixers and condiments for the bar. This entertainment area was finished by adding an integrated ice maker and a Galley sink, which is a workstation equipped with a 5-piece culinary kit including cutting board, drying rack, colander, bowl, and lower-tier platform, providing pure luxury for slicing garnishes and condiments for cocktail hour.

Custom mahogany double-french exterior grade doors provide full view of wine. Custom racks include combination individual, high reveal, diamond and rectangular bins. Accent lighting. Not shown: Water-cooled ducted cooling system.

Mudrooms are practical entryway spaces that serve as a buffer between the outdoors and the main living areas of a home. Typically located near the front or back door, mudrooms are designed to keep the mess of the outside world at bay. These spaces often feature built-in storage for coats, shoes, and accessories, helping to maintain a tidy and organized home. Durable flooring materials, such as tile or easy-to-clean surfaces, are common in mudrooms to withstand dirt and moisture. Additionally, mudrooms may include benches or cubbies for convenient seating and storage of bags or backpacks. With hooks for hanging outerwear and perhaps a small sink for quick cleanups, mudrooms efficiently balance functionality with the demands of an active household, providing an essential transitional space in the home.

Occupying a prominent property in Notting Hill, the brief for this 120 sq m apartment was to rationalise a sequence of disconnected spaces in order to create a coherent design. The palette of materials is restrained in order to provide a neutral backdrop for the client’s collection of furniture and artworks. High quality finishes and detailing include shadow gaps, full height door apertures, concealed storage and limed oak flooring, together with a library area equipped with bespoke storage to display books and objets d’art. A notable feature of the apartment is the corner ‘rotunda’, now accommodating a shower-room; the rotunda’s roof structure has been exposed to add architectural interest. Throughout the apartment, great care has been taken to maximise natural light

2013 CHRYSALIS AWARD SOUTH REGION WINNER, RESIDENTIAL EXTERIOR This 1970’s split-level single-family home in an upscale Arlington neighborhood had been neglected for years. With his surrounding neighbors all doing major exterior and interior remodeling, however, the owner decided it was time to renovate his property as well. After several consultation meetings with the design team at Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, he settled on an exterior layout to create an Art & Craft design for the home. It all got started by excavating the front and left side of the house and attaching a wrap-around stone porch. Key design attributes include a black metal roof, large tapered columns, blue and grey random style flag stone, beaded stain ceiling paneling and an octagonal seating area on the left side of this porch. The front porch has a wide stairway and another set of stairs leads to the back yard. All exterior walls of homes were modified with new headers to allow much larger custom-made windows, new front doors garage doors, and French side and back doors. A custom-designed mahogany front door with leaded glass provides more light and offers a wider entrance into the home’s living area. Design challenges included removing the entire face of the home and then adding new insulation, Tyvek and Hardiplank siding. The use of high-efficiency low-e windows makes the home air tight. The Arts & Crafts design touches include the front gable over the front porch, the prairie-style grill pattern on the windows and doors, the use of tapered columns sitting over stone columns and the leaded glass front door. Decorative exterior lighting provides the finishing touches to this look.

This gorgeous riverfront home provides over 4,200 SF of living space across four bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths, including separate study, exercise room and game room. An expansive 3,000 SF screened lanai and pool deck provides plenty of space for outdoor activities. Photo credit: Deremer Studios

ZeroEnergy Design (ZED) created this modern home for a progressive family in the desirable community of Lexington. Thoughtful Land Connection. The residence is carefully sited on the infill lot so as to create privacy from the road and neighbors, while cultivating a side yard that captures the southern sun. The terraced grade rises to meet the house, allowing for it to maintain a structured connection with the ground while also sitting above the high water table. The elevated outdoor living space maintains a strong connection with the indoor living space, while the stepped edge ties it back to the true ground plane. Siting and outdoor connections were completed by ZED in collaboration with landscape designer Soren Deniord Design Studio. Exterior Finishes and Solar. The exterior finish materials include a palette of shiplapped wood siding, through-colored fiber cement panels and stucco. A rooftop parapet hides the solar panels above, while a gutter and site drainage system directs rainwater into an irrigation cistern and dry wells that recharge the groundwater. Cooking, Dining, Living. Inside, the kitchen, fabricated by Henrybuilt, is located between the indoor and outdoor dining areas. The expansive south-facing sliding door opens to seamlessly connect the spaces, using a retractable awning to provide shade during the summer while still admitting the warming winter sun. The indoor living space continues from the dining areas across to the sunken living area, with a view that returns again to the outside through the corner wall of glass. Accessible Guest Suite. The design of the first level guest suite provides for both aging in place and guests who regularly visit for extended stays. The patio off the north side of the house affords guests their own private outdoor space, and privacy from the neighbor. Similarly, the second level master suite opens to an outdoor private roof deck. Light and Access. The wide open interior stair with a glass panel rail leads from the top level down to the well insulated basement. The design of the basement, used as an away/play space, addresses the need for both natural light and easy access. In addition to the open stairwell, light is admitted to the north side of the area with a high performance, Passive House (PHI) certified skylight, covering a six by sixteen foot area. On the south side, a unique roof hatch set flush with the deck opens to reveal a glass door at the base of the stairwell which provides additional light and access from the deck above down to the play space. Energy. Energy consumption is reduced by the high performance building envelope, high efficiency mechanical systems, and then offset with renewable energy. All windows and doors are made of high performance triple paned glass with thermally broken aluminum frames. The exterior wall assembly employs dense pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier, and four inches exterior rigid foam insulation. The 10kW rooftop solar electric system provides clean energy production. The final air leakage testing yielded 0.6 ACH 50 - an extremely air tight house, a testament to the well-designed details, progress testing and quality construction. When compared to a new house built to code requirements, this home consumes only 19% of the energy. Architecture & Energy Consulting: ZeroEnergy Design Landscape Design: Soren Deniord Design Paintings: Bernd Haussmann Studio Photos: Eric Roth Photography

This Downtown Sophisticate is a new construction home in Greenwich, CT. We provided complete custom mill work throughout this beautiful house. We installed all cabinets, including kitchen cabinets, built-ins and window seats. Provided installation of wainscoting, all moldings, doors, and anything else wood related.

Inspiration for a transitional patio remodel in San Francisco

An installation of Barberry Alto Steps with a custom L-shaped landing. This design was inspired by the dark branches of Barberry bushes in winter seen against the white snow. They are hand knotted in Nepal at 100 knots in pure un-dyed black sheep, (which is truly a dark expresso brown) and light Himalayan natural sheep tone (very light grey beige). The design includes six different pieces which can be arranged to form a complete picture or randomly placed for an all-over effect. These can be custom ordered in "true" black and white, rather than in our natural un-dyed tones. Adhesive mesh is provided with each order. Set of 12 for $1,125. Single steps are $98

Winner of the 2018 Tour of Homes Best Remodel, this whole house re-design of a 1963 Bennet & Johnson mid-century raised ranch home is a beautiful example of the magic we can weave through the application of more sustainable modern design principles to existing spaces. We worked closely with our client on extensive updates to create a modernized MCM gem. Extensive alterations include: - a completely redesigned floor plan to promote a more intuitive flow throughout - vaulted the ceilings over the great room to create an amazing entrance and feeling of inspired openness - redesigned entry and driveway to be more inviting and welcoming as well as to experientially set the mid-century modern stage - the removal of a visually disruptive load bearing central wall and chimney system that formerly partitioned the homes’ entry, dining, kitchen and living rooms from each other - added clerestory windows above the new kitchen to accentuate the new vaulted ceiling line and create a greater visual continuation of indoor to outdoor space - drastically increased the access to natural light by increasing window sizes and opening up the floor plan - placed natural wood elements throughout to provide a calming palette and cohesive Pacific Northwest feel - incorporated Universal Design principles to make the home Aging In Place ready with wide hallways and accessible spaces, including single-floor living if needed - moved and completely redesigned the stairway to work for the home’s occupants and be a part of the cohesive design aesthetic - mixed custom tile layouts with more traditional tiling to create fun and playful visual experiences - custom designed and sourced MCM specific elements such as the entry screen, cabinetry and lighting - development of the downstairs for potential future use by an assisted living caretaker - energy efficiency upgrades seamlessly woven in with much improved insulation, ductless mini splits and solar gain

This gorgeous riverfront home provides over 4,200 SF of living space across four bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths, including separate study, exercise room and game room. An expansive 3,000 SF screened lanai and pool deck provides plenty of space for outdoor activities. Photo credit: Deremer Studios

This turn of the century Bernal Heights cottage underwent a complete remodel and addition. Highlights include a new glass roll-up door in the office/studio and ipe decking used both inside and out providing a seamless transition to the outdoor area.

A concept design prepared in response to an open competition organised by Maggies, designed to be full of light, with views to every room, to the sky and the landscape beyond. The design is arranged around a social space in the centre, with seating around a fireplace and a dining table, off which the rooms radiate. Thick walls help provide a sense of safety and stability, and contain all of the utilitarian and storage spaces in the building, including cloaks cupboard, WC, storage, folding partitions, pantry, garden kitchen and chair store. A timber vaulted roof brings warmth and height to the spaces, and each room is illuminated by rooflights and provided with a view and access to gardens, including an entrance garden, sensory garden and kitchen garden.

This traditional kitchen design includes plenty of practical and elegant features. The well-designed layout of this smaller kitchen incorporates ample countertop and storage space. The island is designed in contrasting dark cabinetry and provides valuable food preparation space, while the white cabinetry includes customized pull-out storage for spices and oils as well as a handy drawer under the range for pots and pans. The stacked cabinets include upper lighted display cabinets for showing off your glassware, and the backsplash features framed tile to add an extra eye-catching design element.