Guest Bathroom
Inspiration for a contemporary master gray tile pebble tile floor and multicolored floor doorless shower remodel in Portland with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and white countertops

Large elegant wooden u-shaped staircase photo in Vancouver with wooden risers

Tom Arban
Example of a large trendy two-story mixed siding gray patio design in Toronto

Pool - large modern backyard tile and rectangular infinity pool idea in Los Angeles

The house and swimming pool were designed to take full advantage of the magnificent and idyllic setting. A custom, Nutmeg Round retaining wall was built to raise and level the property and keep the swimming pool close to the home. A vanishing edge runs over 40ft along the full length of the pool and gives the illusion of dropping into the wetlands below. The pools is surrounded by an expansive, earth color Sahara Granite deck and equipped with an automatic cover. Phil Nelson Imaging

Luxury Vinyl Planks are a great option for water areas like bathrooms, basements, and kitchens. The technology is advancing so that the product looks and feels like natural products like wood and stone.

Attractive living as an architectural experiment: a 136-year-old water tower, a listed building with a spectacular 360-degree panorama view over the City of London. The task, to transform it into a superior residence, initially seemed an absolute impossibility. But when the owners came across architect Mike Collier, they had found a partner who was to make the impossible possible. The tower, which had been empty for decades, underwent radical renovation work and was extended by a four-storey cube containing kitchen, dining and living room - connected by glazed tunnels and a lift shaft. The kitchen, realised by Enclosure Interiors in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, with furniture from LEICHT is the very heart of living in this new building. Shiny white matt-lacquered kitchen fronts (AVANCE-LR), tone-on-tone with the worktops, reflect the light in the room and thus create expanse and openness. The surface of the handle-less kitchen fronts has a horizontal relief embossing; depending on the light incidence, this results in a vitally structured surface. The free-standing preparation isle with its vertical side panels with a seamlessly integrated sink represents the transition between kitchen and living room. The fronts of the floor units facing the dining table were extended to the floor to do away with the plinth typical of most kitchens. Ceiling-high tall units on the wall provide plenty of storage space; the electrical appliances are integrated here invisible to the eye. Floor units on a high plinth which thus appear to be floating form the actual cooking centre within the kitchen, attached to the wall. A range of handle-less wall units concludes the glazed niche at the top. LEICHT international: “Architecture and kitchen” in the centre of London. www.LeichtUSA.com

At Murakami Design Inc., we are in the business of creating and building residences that bring comfort and delight to the lives of their owners. Murakami provides the full range of services involved in designing and building new homes, or in thoroughly reconstructing and updating existing dwellings. From historical research and initial sketches to construction drawings and on-site supervision, we work with clients every step of the way to achieve their vision and ensure their satisfaction. We collaborate closely with such professionals as landscape architects and interior designers, as well as structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, respecting their expertise in helping us develop fully integrated design solutions. Finally, our team stays abreast of all the latest developments in construction materials and techniques.

This entrance to a garden room consists of a trellis that supports a 'Cascade Falls' weeping bald cypress. Photo by Jay Sifford.
This is an example of an eclectic landscaping in Charlotte.

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

Longshadow limestone planters welcome spring with blue hydrangea, white stock, purple pansies, and english ivy. Hannah Goering Photography
This is an example of a large traditional full sun front yard stone flower bed in Chicago for spring.

Troy Thies Photography
Elegant galley gray floor dedicated laundry room photo in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a side-by-side washer/dryer, beige countertops and gray walls

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2015 Houzz Landscape Design: Chris Kukula http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/56354604/list/my-houzz-backyard-cottage-office-and-an-artful-low-water-garden

Credit: Linda Oyama Bryan
Inspiration for a large country backyard rectangular and concrete paver pool remodel in Chicago

Photo: Andrew Snow © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for a contemporary gray two-story mixed siding gable roof remodel in Toronto

Initial Concept Design: Entasis Group; Landscape Architecture Design: MARPA; Landscape Construction: Environmental Designs, Inc.
Inspiration for a large contemporary front yard concrete patio remodel in Denver

Freestanding bathtub - traditional master white tile medium tone wood floor freestanding bathtub idea with an undermount sink, white cabinets, marble countertops and white walls

Design Forum Interantional
Example of a trendy kitchen design in Delhi

Brian Kellogg
Traditional beige two-story exterior home idea in Sacramento with a clipped gable roof