This subtle safari themed nursery features white and gold animal print wallpaper and a custom elephant above the (existing) fireplace. The room is white and gold, but has been warmed up with a variety of textures throughout the space. Photos: Alan Barry Photography

Photography by Lindsay Salazar
Inspiration for a modern entryway remodel in Salt Lake City

The chance to build a lakeside weekend home in rural NC provided this Chapel Hill family with an opportunity to ditch convention and think outside the box. For instance, we traded the traditional boat dock with what's become known as the "party dock"… a floating lounge of sorts, complete with wet bar, TV, swimmer's platform, and plenty of spots for watching the water fun. Inside, we turned one bedroom into a gym with climbing wall - and dropped the idea of a dining room, in favor of a deep upholstered niche and shuffleboard table. Outdoor drapery helped blur the lines between indoor spaces and exterior porches filled with upholstery, swings, and places for lazy napping. And after the sun goes down....smores, anyone? John Bessler

Inspiration for an eclectic powder room remodel in Charlotte

This guest bathroom has the perfect balance of warm and cool, earthy and modern, chic and farmhouse. The "Cinnamon & Sugar" wall paint contrasts nicely with the warm white shower wall tile and other pops of white throughout the space. The Islandstone flooring and pebble shower floor unite all the colors. The frameless glass sliding doors opened up a room that previously felt small, dark, and dated. Earth tones in beige, gray, taupe, ivory, and plum create subtle and sophisticated interest. The textures and color combination is warm and inviting.

Inspiration for a contemporary bathroom remodel in Las Vegas

Tucked into a corner of the dining room, this butler’s pantry is small but has a lot of style, with its metal grout joints and oversize antiqued tile. We repeated the brass plumbing fixture – it’s from the same collection as the kitchen faucet. The clean, sleek lines are perfect for this small space. Photo © Alyssa Rosenheck 2016

Turned a basic room into a luxury speakeasy in Ladera Ranch.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional enclosed carpeted and gray floor home theater remodel in Los Angeles with black walls and a wall-mounted tv

Tom Crane Photography Inc
Elegant formal and open concept dark wood floor living room photo in Philadelphia with gray walls and no tv

Inspiration for a transitional master gray tile and marble tile pebble tile floor and brown floor freestanding bathtub remodel in New Orleans with gray walls

A traditional desk accented with gold hardware stands in one corner of this serene master bedroom. A charcoal grey glass lamp illuminates the desk and is joined by a silverleaf Chippendale chair covered in navy crushed velvet. On the wall hangs a large gold-framed abstract artwork in shades of aqua, navy, gold and ivory. A wall shelf with pagoda top hangs on an adjacent wall, displaying Asian accessories in aqua and turquoise. Light gray walls with white trim contrast with the depth of the walnut stained hardwood floor. Carter Tippins Photography

Distinctive Designs in a variety of geometric and textures slightly raised for a unique look. Some of the designs are done in a traditional style with shimmer and glitter giving you the best of both worlds. Great wall covering for hallways, dining rooms and master bedrooms…. Wallpapering walls is definite the new trend. inquiries email kims@wallauer.com

CreativeShot Photography / Christophe Testi
Eat-in kitchen - large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in San Francisco with an undermount sink, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, gray backsplash and granite countertops

Close up of the repeating pattern of Pratt and Larson's 6x6 Motif A (MT-66XA) in a custom colorfill
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Portland

Exterior design by Stacey Aguilar.
Inspiration for a timeless detached one-car garage remodel in San Francisco

Colleen Duffley
Inspiration for a coastal home design remodel in Miami

Bud Kane has remodeled nearly every room in his own home over many years. Now reaching his 70’s, he contemplated heading up a major kitchen and laundry room renovation himself, planning on doing the carpentry work with his own hands. “I was not convinced I would ever meet anyone who could do it as well as I could do it myself”, said Bud. Ruth and Bud spent 5 years visiting kitchen firms and interviewing designers. They couldn’t however bring themselves to pull the trigger on the project, until they met Advance Design Studio in 2015. “No one understood what I wanted”, said Ruth. She was continually frustrated by experiences with designers who weren’t hearing what was important to her. “Everyone kept designing my kitchen with what they thought it should look like; I couldn’t find anyone who would listen to me”! When they met designer Scott Christensen from Advance Design Studio, they liked him right away. He listened to Ruth and designed a kitchen that she loved, all the while interjecting years of wisdom and design expertise that Ruth appreciated. “The finished product is better than I expected”, says Ruth. “I respected Scott’s opinions and together we created the perfect place for me to bake with my grandkids and truly enjoy the kitchen and laundry room I’ve been dreaming of for many years!” The kitchen transformation began with removing the home’s soffits, and extending new painted maple cabinetry to the ceiling with the addition of an elegant crown molding. Ruth’s new Vita Mix holds a coveted place on her counter, and adjustments were planned to size the cabinets in conjunction with the under cabinet decorative light molding to fit this appliance just right. “This one small detail was really important to me”, says Ruth smiling. An elegant new island replaced the original island, complete with room for 3 stools where her grandchildren will sit to make home-made pasta every Thanksgiving, and cookies at Christmas time. “Traditions are very important in my family, and making my kitchen work to suit cherished activities with my family was the number one reason this renovation was so desired”, replied Ruth when asked about the island. A picture perfect new tea station replaced a cluttered unused desk area, creating a wonderful place to prepare hot drinks for sipping any season of the year while overlooking the couple’s wonderfully manicured gardens from the lovely 3 season’s room just off the kitchen. The soft sage island bead panel detail was repeated on the backsplash, replicating the feel of a fine old piece of furniture. The biggest problem with the laundry room was 3 doors, one from the garage, one from the closet, and one to the hallway. “Scott designed a pocket door, and oh what a dream it is now to bring groceries in from the garage!” exclaims Bud who grew to disdain this task! Doing laundry is now a breeze in this attractive new space that doubles as a wonderful pantry for the kitchen with room to store food items that didn’t have a home in the poorly designed original space. New Hickory distressed wood flooring was laid both in the kitchen and leading to the hall foyer. Soft gray wood-replicating porcelain was placed in the laundry area, making for an easily cleanable surface for what doubles as a mud room from the garage. Creamy tumbled marble graces an unobtrusive backsplash spilling onto shiny granite counter tops in a rich earthy pattern of fall colors that mimic colors throughout the home. Advance is known details that included custom crafted furniture toe kicks, luxurious crown moldings, and beaded under cabinet moldings. The kitchen is complete with a glass display cabinet showing Ruth’s treasured china tea collection. Early on, it was initially only their intention of purchasing cabinets for the new design. They were so impressed however with Advance Design’s complete program for budgeting, design, installation and management that it became clear to them both that they wanted Advance to handle the entire project from start to finish. “After seeing the quality work they did, coupled with the in-house team completely dedicated to our satisfaction, it became apparent there was no other choice but to hire them to handle everything. And we’re so glad we did, we have not one regret”, says Bud. “The attention to detail by the carpentry crew more than satisfied my perfectionist expectations of the finished carpentry,” exclaimed Bud. “Every one of Advance Design’s people we encountered from design through construction was wonderful. We’ve never met a group of people so dedicated to making sure we were happy with every single detail, and every single part of this experience”, said Ruth and Bud. Designer: Scott Christensen Photographer: Joe Nowak