Patio - traditional patio idea in New York

The owner of this distinguished Somerville late Victorian wanted not just a new kitchen, but a more efficient and healthier house overall. The challenge wasn’t just to capture the light and view towards the Boston skyline; we also needed to improve the space plan and work flow. Overlaid on those goals, we needed to respect the carefully maintained Victorian character of the rest of the home and bring that sensibility back into the kitchen space. OPENING THE SPACE We removed the wall that isolated the sink space to create one unified kitchen area. We relocated the sink to a center island so that we could replace the small window with a large sliding glass door out onto the deck and the view of the skyline. REPURPOSING MATERIALS We salvaged and re-used the honey-colored southern yellow pine wainscoting; we matched and extended it to a window seat and laundry room door to create continuity and tie those new elements to the old. The cabinets and counters have traditional styling in light colors to reflect the light from the new sliding doors deep into the space. More light from the rear utility stairs is brought into the space by means of a frosted glass door. IMPROVING EFFICIENCY More prosaically, but just as important to the client and the project team, we upgraded the insulation and air-sealing throughout the house to improve the home’s comfort and efficiency. Photo by Jim Raycroft

The SIX is a 52-unit affordable housing project provides a home, support services and rehabilitation for disabled veterans. It is located in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles. McArthur Park has one of the highest densities in the USA with over 38,000 people per square mile and a total population of 120,000 people in 2.72 square miles. Offering shelter and comfort, the SIX breaks the prescriptive mold of the traditional shelter by creating public and private "zones" in which private space is deemphasized, in favor of large public areas. The organization of the space is intended to transform the way people live-away from a reclusive, isolating layout towards a community-oriented, interactive space. The ground level contains offices, support spaces for the veterans, bike storage and parking while the second level has a large public courtyard. Surrounded by four levels of housing units with balconies wrapped with a wood screen made from recycle planking the courtyard has large openings with green roofs that visually connects the space to the street on the lower level beyond. This allows the tenants to enjoy a secured open space while still connecting to the larger community. The uppermost level has a green roof, large public patio and edible garden with panoramic views of the area. The SIX distinguishes itself from most conventionally developed projects in that it incorporates energy efficient measures that exceed standard practice, optimize building performance, and ensure reduced energy use during all phases of construction and occupancy. The planning and design emerged from close consideration and employment of passive design strategies. These strategies include: locating and orienting the building to control solar cooling loads; shaping and orienting the building for exposure to prevailing winds; shaping the building to induce buoyancy for natural ventilation; designing windows to maximize day lighting; shading south facing windows and minimizing west-facing glazing; designing windows to maximize natural ventilation; utilizing low flow fixtures and storm water management; shaping and planning the interior to enhance daylight and natural air flow distribution. These passive strategies alone make this building 50% more efficient than a conventionally designed structure.

If you must be home isolating at least have some fun doing it in style! This all in basement brings games and fun for all!
Basement - transitional walk-out carpeted and beige floor basement idea in Baltimore with a bar and beige walls

In dialogue with history The gently curving figures create a whimsical play resembling an asymmetrical arabesque. Flirting with the traditional motif of the carpet's ornament is a meta-message addressed to cultural memory. The canvas of the rug is divided into segments by light lines, which look three-dimensional thanks to the yellow reflex. The framed spaces are colored as if isolated from the others. The color varies both through the effect of inhomogeneous coloring of the threads and weaving of two or three close colors next to each other, forming a background of a complex color gradient of shades of gray and blue. The virtue of centuries-old traditions of hand knotting The rug is made in the traditional hand weaving workshop of Nepal. Masters of this art have been preserving the technology for hundreds of years, and in collaboration with modern European designers create unique rugs at the junction of tradition and modernity. Natural raw materials are used in the creation of this rug, which reflects the idea of authentic aesthetics and modern requirements for ecological comfort. The density of the rug is 100 knots per inch.

We transformed this dark and isolated kitchen, dining, and family room into a large, open concept space for a family who loves to cook and entertain. Using the floors and kitchen cabinet colors as an anchor, we opted to keep everything else light and bright while allowing seasonal decor items to serve as our bold color statement in the space. We chose a quartz countertop as an island waterfall and kitchen backsplash to ensure this space remains easy to use for years to come. Interior Design by Bennett Design Co

2010 NARI CAPITAL COTY FINALIST AWARD WINNER Project Scope: Transform a little-used room in the client’s lower level into an entertainment center, featuring a 1,500-bottle refrigerated wine cabinet, a wet bar, a custom-made bookshelves surround for existing hearth, and television hanging built-ins. Challenges: Primary technical challenge was to find a way to unobtrusively install a large “split system” chilling unit to service the wine cooler. Solutions The contractor started with a rectangular space that was appreciably stripped down, except for the fireplace at the far end. An adjacent room housed a professional pool table. The client’s primary concern was how to situate the custom-built wine rack were to specify and fabricate. Although there was plenty of space in niche to the left of the stairway, there was no obvious way to locate the wine rack’s chilling unit for ducting and chiller unit. Both client and contractor agreed that the logical setting for the rack would be along the short wall adjacent to the room’s entrance. But the short wall afforded no room for the chiller, a “split system” unit that needed adequate “breathing room” to avoid overheating After many design sketches, the contractor had a tentative solution: house the chilling unit in a utility room behind the stairs leading to the basement. This would keep the unit out of sight and muffle the sound of the compressor. Then question was how to “circumnavigate” the stairwell and run plumbing lines from the utility room – which was about 20 feet away — to the rack. A floor-level path would be exposed to possible damage and aesthetically unpleasing. Installing the line in the concrete slab flooring would be difficult and expensive – and any repairs to the line would mean tearing up the floor.The only alternative, the contractor suggested, would be to route the lines overhead – run them straight up from the chilling unit, over the joists above, and around the back of the stair case. Once past the staircase, it was straight shot above the joists to the short wall; the lines would then run behind the wall to the wine cooler resting on the floor. This highly creative solution pleased the client greatly: it not only isolated the chilling unit, but allowed it to be easily serviced; the lines were protected and out of sight; and the wine rack – situated as it was in the room – seemed like it was part of the original house design. At that point, the contractor needed a wine rack design that seemed equally “original” to the home – and here, too, the challenge was met. Custom-built cabinetry span the length of the wall, with two floor-level cabinets flanking the wine cooler. Above, twin glass-facing walnut displays – lighted and rising nearly to the ceiling – rest on a black marble countertop, showcasing the client’s impressive wine collection. On the long wall perpendicular to the rack, a widescreen television hangs between two built-in bookcases designed by the contractor. The firm also fabricated the two bookcases now flanking the original fireplace in the far end wall – as well as the glass-faced hanging cabinets which are lighted above the newly installed wet bar.

The client wanted a kitchen workspace that was isolated from the traffic flow of the house.
Enclosed kitchen - traditional u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Indianapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, limestone countertops, stone slab backsplash and stainless steel appliances

As part of the initiative to rebuild New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Brooks + Scarpa’s Make it Right (MIR) home seeks to redefine the concept of a home into a flexible, multifunctional and adaptable space addressing the needs of today’s modern family, on a limited budget. Offering shelter and comfort, the MIR home breaks the prescriptive mold of the traditional home by creating public and private “zones” in which private space is deemphasized in favor of large public living areas. The organization of the space is intended to transform the way people live—away from a reclusive, isolating layout, towards a family-oriented, interactive space. The inspiration for the exterior’s design came from American patchwork quilting traditions, particularly the distinctive Gee’s Bend quilt-makers of southwest Alabama. Recycled wooden pallets are repositioned here as a patchworked shade screen wrapping the building, an innovative alternative to expensive façade materials. The visually expressive pallets impart an imperfect, rough-hewn individuality, adding depth and texture. Brooks + Scarpa is working with local manufacturers to ensure the viability of this cost-effective and sustainable off-the-shelf product, easily obtainable and readily replaceable. The pallet wrapping is joined by decoratively perforated cement board on the east and west façades, providing both shade and privacy, while allowing views out and dappled, indirect daylight and breezes to enter. All the exterior elements will combine and interweave, emerging as a distinctive pattern-making aesthetic.

Over the years, the deck of this large executive home had been slowly pulling away from the house. Many of the 2 ft. x 2 ft. masonry support piers had begun to sink and lean in various directions. Unfortunately, the problem wasn’t isolated to just the deck support columns. An inspection of the columns supporting the adjacent Sunroom confirmed that the same structural failures were occurring to all of them. An excavation of one of the piers and its concrete footer revealed that the Sunroom and half of the Deck columns had been built on soil fill, and were slowly sinking and tilting away from the house. The only permanent solution to keep the Deck and Sunroom from collapsing was to replace the piers and the underlying footers. The Sunroom and a portion of the Deck were jacked up and supported by wooden cribs until new 2 ft. x 2ft. solid masonry columns could be built to replace the failed ones. In order to create enough bearing support under the footers, galvanized steel helical screws were driven under each column footer to an average depth of 26 feet. Concrete footers were poured on top of the screws, and each footer was tied into the adjacent footer and eventually back into the foundation of the home by a series of stabilizing rebar and concrete cross-tie footers. Once all 14 of the failed columns were rebuilt, the Sunroom was lowered onto the new support piers. A new deck was built to replace the compromised section, and the rest of the original decking and railings were removed and replaced. After the new wood had been acclimated to weather for several months and allowed to dry out and stabilize, the deck and railings were stained and sealed.

Make a bold statement with glassware for your dining room centerpiece. Here we have incorporated three similarly colored pieces of marine glassware with mirrors beneath them in order to isolate each piece but also to designate the center of the table.

This 1,400 sq. ft. studio, built in 2018 for Grammy Award–winning drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Adam Box, was one of the earliest full-scale NILES design–build projects. After years of session and touring work, Adam had a clear vision for his own creative home—a space that combined comfort, vibe, and technical precision. Our team partnered closely with him through every phase of the design and build process to bring that vision to life. The studio features a full Control Room, a spacious Live Room, two amp isolation booths, and a large dedicated ISO booth engineered specifically for dry drum capture. Each room is fully wired for a complete live-tracking environment, enabling an entire band to plug in and record seamlessly. The Live Room is sonically open and collaborative, while the Control Room is fine-tuned for long stretches of creative focus and accurate monitoring. Aesthetic direction played a major role in this project. Natural stonework, warm wood details, and a comfortable, lived-in feel create a distinctive character throughout the space. Adam added many of his own finishing touches, giving the studio an unmistakable personal identity that reflects his style and musical approach. The result is a studio that delivers both atmosphere and performance—an inspiring hub for writing, tracking, mixing, and producing at the highest level.

Home design - contemporary home design idea in Nashville

This 2022 project for Sovereign Grace Music was a full-scale, purpose-built recording and production facility designed to support songwriting, live tracking, mixing, and video content creation. Working alongside the extraordinary Sovereign Grace team—and in collaboration with Authentic Carpentry—NILES handled sound reduction, audio integration, and all acoustic treatment design and installation. The facility features a full Control Room, a spacious Live Room, and a large Isolation Booth engineered for dry drum capture or vocal tracking during full-band sessions. Each space was crafted for accuracy, clarity, and intuitive workflow, ensuring that engineers and artists can move seamlessly between rooms without breaking creative momentum. Clear sightlines, generous lighting, and intentional layout choices make the studio equally suited for recording and video production. Every room is wired for a plug-and-play workflow, supporting multi-camera shoots, ensemble tracking, and efficient session flow. Behind the aesthetic, the acoustic infrastructure is highly robust. The Control Room, Live Room, and ISO Booth sit on independent floor systems with tailored sound-reducing wall assemblies and strategic treatments throughout. No suite is mechanically bonded, allowing simultaneous use of all rooms with minimal sound transmission. Monitoring in the Control Room centers around PMC 6-2 loudspeakers, precisely tuned to ensure accurate translation from mix position to the final master. The result is a balanced, inviting, and technically exact environment—built to serve the diverse creative needs of Sovereign Grace Music for years to come.

This 2022 project was a fully custom mix and writing suite designed for multi-Grammy and Dove Award–winning producer and songwriter Kyle Lee. The goal was to create an environment that mirrors his creative workflow—quiet, natural, highly accurate, and intentionally crafted for long sessions of collaboration and focused work. The layout is compact but feels open thanks to high ceilings, soft daylight from the surrounding windows, and a palette of warm textures and natural materials. The room maintains a clean, grounded aesthetic without sacrificing technical performance, balancing style and acoustical precision in a way that supports both creativity and accuracy. Acoustic isolation was a core priority. The suite is fully separated from the rest of the home using sound-reducing wall assemblies, custom bass management including a full soft-ceiling trap and a false rear wall trap, and full-lite doors designed for controlled leakage. The result is a private, self-contained environment that integrates seamlessly with the home’s flow yet transforms into a focused creative space the moment the doors close. Monitoring was built around Kyle’s preferred ATC SCM45A loudspeakers, paired with Dynaudio subwoofers and calibrated specifically to the room’s frequency response. Every treatment, material, and speaker position was selected to ensure what Kyle hears while mixing precisely translates to the final master. The finished suite delivers an effortless feel with professional-grade performance—an inspiring, accurate, and dependable space built to support Kyle’s work at the highest level.

This 2022 project was a fully custom mix and writing suite designed for multi-Grammy and Dove Award–winning producer and songwriter Kyle Lee. The goal was to create an environment that mirrors his creative workflow—quiet, natural, highly accurate, and intentionally crafted for long sessions of collaboration and focused work. The layout is compact but feels open thanks to high ceilings, soft daylight from the surrounding windows, and a palette of warm textures and natural materials. The room maintains a clean, grounded aesthetic without sacrificing technical performance, balancing style and acoustical precision in a way that supports both creativity and accuracy. Acoustic isolation was a core priority. The suite is fully separated from the rest of the home using sound-reducing wall assemblies, custom bass management including a full soft-ceiling trap and a false rear wall trap, and full-lite doors designed for controlled leakage. The result is a private, self-contained environment that integrates seamlessly with the home’s flow yet transforms into a focused creative space the moment the doors close. Monitoring was built around Kyle’s preferred ATC SCM45A loudspeakers, paired with Dynaudio subwoofers and calibrated specifically to the room’s frequency response. Every treatment, material, and speaker position was selected to ensure what Kyle hears while mixing precisely translates to the final master. The finished suite delivers an effortless feel with professional-grade performance—an inspiring, accurate, and dependable space built to support Kyle’s work at the highest level.

This 1,400 sq. ft. studio, built in 2018 for Grammy Award–winning drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Adam Box, was one of the earliest full-scale NILES design–build projects. After years of session and touring work, Adam had a clear vision for his own creative home—a space that combined comfort, vibe, and technical precision. Our team partnered closely with him through every phase of the design and build process to bring that vision to life. The studio features a full Control Room, a spacious Live Room, two amp isolation booths, and a large dedicated ISO booth engineered specifically for dry drum capture. Each room is fully wired for a complete live-tracking environment, enabling an entire band to plug in and record seamlessly. The Live Room is sonically open and collaborative, while the Control Room is fine-tuned for long stretches of creative focus and accurate monitoring. Aesthetic direction played a major role in this project. Natural stonework, warm wood details, and a comfortable, lived-in feel create a distinctive character throughout the space. Adam added many of his own finishing touches, giving the studio an unmistakable personal identity that reflects his style and musical approach. The result is a studio that delivers both atmosphere and performance—an inspiring hub for writing, tracking, mixing, and producing at the highest level.

This was a complete kitchen renovation. The remodel included removing skylights and installing a two story bump up adding no square footage to the room but creating a dramatic visual even for the most discriminating designer. When you enter this kitchen your eyes wander trying to absorb the immense planning and detail that went into the renovation but ultimately you find yourself positioned under the large Theresa Maria chandelier gazing into the sky. The kitchen was designed around the 48 inch Thermador stove. The 2 story inset cabinet creation around the stove flows up into the addition creating a visual masterpiece that is only rivaled by original pieces of art works created by the likes of Van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt. The sink was relocated from the exterior wall and into the island so that the stove wall would be isolated and not connected any other cabinets. The 36-inch-wide refrigerator and 36-inch-wide freezer were designed and installed next to a microwave cabinet that makes heating up items as convenient as 1,2,3. The outside cabinet wall section is perfect for entertaining with the 42 inch base cabinets. The massive two-tiered island of 124 inches long is perfect for everyday family living. A farmer’s sink adds the perfect touch to this traditional design. Renovating a kitchen without ceiling detail is one of the most overlooked parts of the renovation. The amount of money spent on the renovation depends on the budget of course but I highly recommend including ceiling detail as much as one considers the tile backsplash.

We have remodeled entire main floor and staircase of this house. Our client complained that kitchen is isolated from entertainment area. Formal Living room was never used. We removed walls separating kitchen from Dining and Family Rooms. We also combined Living and Dining rooms. Redesigned Family Room, rebuilt existing fireplace and added an entertainment center.