The homeowners of this 1922 Standish neighborhood bungalow wanted to accomplish two things for their Minneapolis home; make their tiny 96SF kitchen larger, and add a dining area next to the kitchen. Since the room to the kitchen was used as a living space, they wanted to expand out of the back, utilizing the deck space for the dining room kitchen, and allowing for more storage, natural light, and functionality. To achieve their goals, the chimney was removed, and a small addition was added on which allowed a galley style kitchen to take form and a nice, bright dining area. The challenge was leaving their living room and surrounding spaces untouched, and work around the existing stairs to the basement. The solution was to extend the wall out next to the stairway to grant more wall space to the kitchen and create a “hall” to the basement stairs. Creating an entrance in to the dining/kitchen area from the garage also helped tie in their most common point of entry to the new design. Check out this project on the 2018 Castle Home Tour, September 29 – 30th, 2018.

The driving force for the design of the new bathrooms was to completely reinvent the space to stylishly meet the clients’ current and future needs. Re-working the entire layout of the space was needed to achieve the goal. With a transitional style, we brought it rustic finished and modern colors to the space to reflect the character and style of the clients. The new placement of the shower and tub opened up the space allowing natural light penetrate throughout the entire room, making the space feel larger than before. With the addition of a custom frameless glass walk-in shower, a drop in tub under the window with tile surround, custom cabinetry with His and Her side, the couple is now enjoying their new master bath custom designed for their unique needs. Cindi with an eye Photography

This 1950s home got a major update and addition. It went from a modest three bedroom, two bath house to a beautiful five bedroom, four bath house. Our clients were outgrowing their home but loved their neighborhood and didn't want to move. So they decided to modify their existing home to bring it up to speed with their family's needs. The main goals were to enlarge the main living spaces and make the floor plan more open. This was primarily achieved by adding a second story which allowed new bedrooms to be created, freeing up space on the main floor for a larger kitchen, dining room, and living room. The soothing creams, blues, grays, and warm wood tones used throughout help make this home inviting, and the craftsman details add charm and character, ensuring our clients will be proud to call this space "home" for years to come.

The driving force for the design of the new bathrooms was to completely reinvent the space to stylishly meet the clients’ current and future needs. Re-working the entire layout of the space was needed to achieve the goal. With a transitional style, we brought it rustic finished and modern colors to the space to reflect the character and style of the clients. The new placement of the shower and tub opened up the space allowing natural light penetrate throughout the entire room, making the space feel larger than before. With the addition of a custom frameless glass walk-in shower, a drop in tub under the window with tile surround, custom cabinetry with His and Her side, the couple is now enjoying their new master bath custom designed for their unique needs. Cindi with an eye Photography

Kevin and Mary enlisted our services with the objective to modernize their antiquated kitchen. Their goals weren't restricted to a purely aesthetic overhaul; they asked us to devise a layout that prioritized better organization and storage options with improved lighting. We took great care to remove all the old components of the kitchen, then we proceeded to install the new Dove White Shaker style cabinets, and a larger contrasting island. In their pursuit of a perfect blend of aesthetics and utility, they selected Victoria White Quartz Countertops for the perimeter cabinets, and balanced that with the compelling elegance of White Ice Granite Countertops for the kitchen island. The selection of Flash Ivory 3x12 ceramic wall tiles were selected for the backsplash. A custom made range hood was installed breaking up the monotony of the wall cabinets and finishing off their gorgeous new kitchen.

This 1950s home got a major update and addition. It went from a modest three bedroom, two bath house to a beautiful five bedroom, four bath house. Our clients were outgrowing their home but loved their neighborhood and didn't want to move. So they decided to modify their existing home to bring it up to speed with their family's needs. The main goals were to enlarge the main living spaces and make the floor plan more open. This was primarily achieved by adding a second story which allowed new bedrooms to be created, freeing up space on the main floor for a larger kitchen, dining room, and living room. The soothing creams, blues, grays, and warm wood tones used throughout help make this home inviting, and the craftsman details add charm and character, ensuring our clients will be proud to call this space "home" for years to come.

The driving force for the design of the new bathrooms was to completely reinvent the space to stylishly meet the clients’ current and future needs. Re-working the entire layout of the space was needed to achieve the goal. With a transitional style, we brought it rustic finished and modern colors to the space to reflect the character and style of the clients. The new placement of the shower and tub opened up the space allowing natural light penetrate throughout the entire room, making the space feel larger than before. With the addition of a custom frameless glass walk-in shower, a drop in tub under the window with tile surround, custom cabinetry with His and Her side, the couple is now enjoying their new master bath custom designed for their unique needs. Cindi with an eye Photography

The homeowners of this 1922 Standish neighborhood bungalow wanted to accomplish two things for their Minneapolis home; make their tiny 96SF kitchen larger, and add a dining area next to the kitchen. Since the room to the kitchen was used as a living space, they wanted to expand out of the back, utilizing the deck space for the dining room kitchen, and allowing for more storage, natural light, and functionality. To achieve their goals, the chimney was removed, and a small addition was added on which allowed a galley style kitchen to take form and a nice, bright dining area. The challenge was leaving their living room and surrounding spaces untouched, and work around the existing stairs to the basement. The solution was to extend the wall out next to the stairway to grant more wall space to the kitchen and create a “hall” to the basement stairs. Creating an entrance in to the dining/kitchen area from the garage also helped tie in their most common point of entry to the new design. Check out this project on the 2018 Castle Home Tour, September 29 – 30th, 2018.

The owners of this kitchen had spent the money to upgrade the finishes in their kitchen upon building the home 12 years ago, but after living in the space for several years they realized how nonfunctional the layout really was. The (then) two preschool aged children had grown into busy, hungry teenagers with many friends who also liked to hang out at the house. So the family needed a more functional kitchen with better traffic flow, space for daily activities revolving around the kitchen at different times of day, and a kitchen that could accommodate cooking for and serving large groups. Furthermore, the dark, traditional finishes no longer reflected the homeowners’ style. They requested a brighter, more relaxed, coastal style that reflected their love of the seaside cities they like to visit. Originally, the kitchen was U-shaped with a narrow island in the middle. The island created narrow aisles that bottle-necked at the dishwasher, refrigerator, and cooktop areas. There was a pass-through from the foyer into the kitchen, but the owners never liked that the pass-through was also located so close to the powder room. The awkward proximity was unappealing and made guests feel uncomfortable. The kitchen’s storage was made up of lots of narrow cabinets, apothecary drawers, clipped corner units, and very few drawers. It lacked useful storage for the larger items the family used on a daily basis. And the kitchen’s only pantry was small closet that had only builder-grade, narrow shelving with no illumination to be able to see the contents inside. Overall, the kitchen’s lighting plan was poorly executed. Only six recessed cans illuminated the entire kitchen and nook areas. The under cabinet lighting was not evenly distributed either. In fact, the builder had mis-placed the under cabinet lighting around the decorative pilasters which made for choppy, dark cubbies. Further, the builder didn’t include any lighting over the sink or the bar area, which meant whoever was doing the dishes was always in their own shadow. That, coupled with the steep overhang of the game room above made the bar area feel like a dim, cavernous space that wasn’t inviting or task oriented. The kitchen looked out into the main living space, but the raised bar and a narrow wall (which held the only large cabinet in the kitchen) created more of a barrier than a relationship to the living room or breakfast nook. In fact, one couldn’t even see the breakfast nook from the cooktop or sink areas due to its orientation. The raised bar top was too narrow to comfortably sit to either dine at or chat from due to the lack of knee space. The the homeowners confided that the kitchen felt more like a dark, dirty prison than place where the family, or their guests, wanted to gather and commune. The clients' needs and desires were: ➢ to create a kitchen that would be a space the family loved to be in; to relate to the adjacent spaces all around, and to have better flow for entertaining large groups ➢ to remove the walls between the breakfast nook and living area and to be able to utilize the natural light from the windows in both those areas ➢ to incorporate a functional chopping block for prepping fresh food for home cooked meals, an island with a large sink and drain board, 2 pull out trash cans, and seating for at least the 2 teens to eat or do homework ➢ to design a kitchen and breakfast nook with an airy, coastal, relaxed vibe that blended with the rest of the house's coastal theme ➢ to integrate a layered lighting plan which would include ample general illumination, specific task lighting, decorative lighting, and lots of illuminated storage ➢ to design a kitchen with not only more storage for all the husband’s kitchen gadgets and collection of oils and spices, but smart storage, including a coffee/breakfast bar and a place to store and conceal the toaster oven and microwave ➢ to find a way to utilize the large open space between the kitchen, pantry area, and breakfast nook Twelve Stones Designs achieved the owner's goals by: ➢ removing the walls between the kitchen and living room to allow the natural light to filter in from the adjacent rooms and to create a connection between the kitchen, nook, and living spaces for a sense of unity and communion ➢ removing the existing pantry and designing 3 large pantry style cabinets with LED tape lights and rollout drawers to house lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets, and tons of groceries. We also took the cabinets all the way up to the 9’ ceiling for additional storage for seasonal items and bulk storage. ➢ designing 2 islands - 1 with a gorgeous black walnut chopping block that houses a drawer for chopping and carving knives and a custom double pull out trash unit for point of use utilization - and 1 that houses the dishwasher, a large Blanco Gourmet sink with integrated drain board, woven baskets for fresh root vegetables and kitchen towels, plenty of drawer storage for kitchen items, and bar seating for up to 4 diners. ➢ closing off the space between the kitchen and the powder room to create a beautiful new private alcove for the powder room as well as adding some decorative storage. This also gave us space to include more tall storage near the new range for precision placement of the husband’s extensive oil and spice collection as well as a location for a combo-steam oven the wife wanted for baking and cooking healthy meals. The project is enhanced functionally by: ➢ incorporated USB and standard receptacles for the kids’ laptops and phone charging in the large island ➢ designing the small island to include additional open shelving for items used on a daily basis such as a variety of bowls, plates, and colanders. This set up also works well for the husband who prefers to “plate” his dinners in restaurant-style fashion before presenting them to the table. ➢ the integration of specific storage units, such as double stacked cutlery drawers, a custom spice pull-out, a Kuerig coffee and tea pod drawer, and custom double stacked utensil drawers ➢ moving the refrigerator to the old oven location - this eliminated the bottle neck as well as created a better relationship to the eating table. It also utilizes the floor space between the pantry, nook, and kitchen ➢ creating a banquet style breakfast nook - this banquette seating not only doubles the amount of seating for large gatherings but it better utilizes the odd space between the kitchen and the previous nook area. It also helps to create a distinct pathway from the mudroom room through the pantry area, kitchen, nook, and living room. ➢ the coffee/breakfast bar area which includes the perfect location for the concealed microwave and toaster oven, convenient storage for the coffee pods and tea accoutrements. Roll-out drawers below also house the smoothie maker, hot water kettle, and a plethora of smoothie-making ingredients such as protein powders, smoothie additives, etc. Furthermore, the drawers below the Keurig house measuring utensil, cutlery, baking supplies and tupperware storage. ➢ incorporating lots of wide drawers and pullouts to accommodate large cookware. ➢ utilizing as much vertical space as possible by building storage to the ceiling which accommodates the family’s abundant amount of serving platters, baking sheets, bakeware, casserole dishes, and additional cutting boards. The project is enhanced aesthetically by: ➢ new 5-piece Versailles pattern porcelain tile that now seamlessly joins the entire down stairs area together creating a bright, cohesiveness feeling instead of choppy separated spaces - it also adds a coastal feeling ➢ designing a cabinet to conceal the microwave and toaster oven ➢ the coastal influenced light fixtures over the nook table and island ➢ the sandy colors of the Langdon Cambria countertops. The swirling pattern and sparkling quartz pieces remind the homeowner of black-and-tan sandy beaches ➢ the striped banquet seating whose creamy white background and blue-green stripes were the inspiration for the cabinet and wall colors. ➢ All the interior doors were painted black to coordinate with the blacks and grays in the backsplash tile and countertop. This also adds a hint of tailored formality to an otherwise casual space. ➢ the use of WAC's Oculux small aperture LED units for the overhead lighting complimented with Diode LED strips for task lighting under the cabinets and inside the pantry and glass wall cabinets. All of the lighting applications are on separate dimmer switches. Innovative uses of materials or construction methods by Realty Restoration LLC: ➢ Each 1-1/2” x 3” block of reclaimed end-grain black walnut that makes up the center island chopping block was hand milled and built in the shop. It was designed to look substantial and proportional to the surrounding elements, executed by creating the 4 inch tall top with a solid wood chamfered edge band. ➢ The metal doors on either side of the vent hood were also custom designed for this project and built in the Realty Restoration LLC shop. They are made 1x2, 11-gauge mild steel with ribbed glass. Weighing 60 lbs a piece, heavy duty cabinet hinges were added to support the weight of the door and keep them from sagging. ➢ Under-cabinet receptacles were added along the range wall in order to have a clean, uninterrupted backsplash. Design obstacles to overcome: ➢ Because we were removing the demising walls between the kitchen and living room, we had to find a way to plumb and vent the new island. We did this by tunneling through the slab (the slab had post tension cables which prevented us from just trenching) to run a new wet vent through a nearby structural wall. We pulled the existing hot and cold lines between upper floor joists and ran them down the structural wall as well and up through a conduit in the tunnel. ➢ Since we were converting from wall overs to a gas range it allowed us to utilize the 220 feed for the wall ovens to provide a new sub panel for all the new kitchen circuits ➢ Due to framing deficiencies inherited from the original build there was a 1-1/2” differential in the floor-to-ceiling height over a 20 foot span; by utilizing the process of cutting and furring coupled with the crown moulding details on the cabinet elevations we were able to mask the problem and provide seamless transitions between the cabinet components. Evidence of superior craftsmanship: ➢ uniquely designed, one-of-a-kind metal “X” end panels on the large island. The end panels were custom made in the Realty Restoration LLC shop and fitted to the exact dimensions of the island. The welding seams are completely indistinguishable - the posts look like they are cut from a single sheet of metal ➢ square metal posts on the small island were also custom made and designed to compliment and carry through the metal element s throughout the kitchen ➢ the beautiful, oversized end panels on the pantry cabinets which give the breakfast nook a tailored look ➢ integrating a large format 5 piece Versailles tile pattern to seamlessly flow from the existing spaces into the new kitchen space ➢ By constructing a custom cabinet that jogged around a corner we could not remodel (housing the entry way coat closet) we were able to camouflage the adjacent wall offset within the upper and lower cabinets. By designing around the existing jog in the structural walls we accomplished a few things: we were able to find the space to house, and hide, the microwave and toaster oven yet still have a clean cohesive appearance from the kitchen side. Additionally, the owners were able to keep their much needed coat closet and we didn’t have to increase the budget with unnecessary structural work.

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

Kevin and Mary enlisted our services with the objective to modernize their antiquated kitchen. Their goals weren't restricted to a purely aesthetic overhaul; they asked us to devise a layout that prioritized better organization and storage options with improved lighting. We took great care to remove all the old components of the kitchen, then we proceeded to install the new Dove White Shaker style cabinets, and a larger contrasting island. In their pursuit of a perfect blend of aesthetics and utility, they selected Victoria White Quartz Countertops for the perimeter cabinets, and balanced that with the compelling elegance of White Ice Granite Countertops for the kitchen island. The selection of Flash Ivory 3x12 ceramic wall tiles were selected for the backsplash. A custom made range hood was installed breaking up the monotony of the wall cabinets and finishing off their gorgeous new kitchen.

This transformation started with a builder grade bathroom and was expanded into a sauna wet room. With cedar walls and ceiling and a custom cedar bench, the sauna heats the space for a relaxing dry heat experience. The goal of this space was to create a sauna in the secondary bathroom and be as efficient as possible with the space. This bathroom transformed from a standard secondary bathroom to a ergonomic spa without impacting the functionality of the bedroom. This project was super fun, we were working inside of a guest bedroom, to create a functional, yet expansive bathroom. We started with a standard bathroom layout and by building out into the large guest bedroom that was used as an office, we were able to create enough square footage in the bathroom without detracting from the bedroom aesthetics or function. We worked with the client on her specific requests and put all of the materials into a 3D design to visualize the new space. Houzz Write Up: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/bathroom-of-the-week-stylish-spa-retreat-with-a-real-sauna-stsetivw-vs~168139419 The layout of the bathroom needed to change to incorporate the larger wet room/sauna. By expanding the room slightly it gave us the needed space to relocate the toilet, the vanity and the entrance to the bathroom allowing for the wet room to have the full length of the new space. This bathroom includes a cedar sauna room that is incorporated inside of the shower, the custom cedar bench follows the curvature of the room's new layout and a window was added to allow the natural sunlight to come in from the bedroom. The aromatic properties of the cedar are delightful whether it's being used with the dry sauna heat and also when the shower is steaming the space. In the shower are matching porcelain, marble-look tiles, with architectural texture on the shower walls contrasting with the warm, smooth cedar boards. Also, by increasing the depth of the toilet wall, we were able to create useful towel storage without detracting from the room significantly. This entire project and client was a joy to work with.

Inspiration for a timeless home gym remodel in New York with green walls

There’s no such thing as too much storage, am I right? ? Our designers are experts at adding in storage solutions wherever you need them. So if you have an oddly shaped room or need cabinetry to fit specific dimensions, we’ve got you covered!

Klopf Architecture completely remodeled this once dark Eichler house in Palo Alto creating a more open, bright and functional family home. The reconfigured great room with new full height windows and sliding glass doors blends the indoors with the newly landscaped patio and seating areas outside. The former galley kitchen was relocated and was opened up to have clear sight lines through the great room and out to the patios and yard, including a large island and a beautiful walnut bar countertop with seating. An integrated small front addition was added allowing for a more spacious master bath and hall bath layouts. With the removal of the old brick fireplace, larger sliding glass doors and multiple skylights now flood the home with natural light. The goals were to work within the Eichler style while creating a more open, indoor-outdoor flow and functional spaces, as well as a more efficient building envelope including a well insulated roof, providing solutions that many Eichler homeowners appreciate. The original entryway lacked unique details; the clients desired a more gracious front approach. The historic Eichler color palette was used to create a modern updated front facade. Durable grey porcelain floor tiles unify the entire home, creating a continuous flow. They, along with white walls, provide a backdrop for the unique elements and materials to stand on their own, such as the brightly colored mosaic tiles, the walnut bar and furniture, and stained ceiling boards. A secondary living space was extended out to the patio with the addition of a bench and additional seating. This Single family Eichler 4 bedroom 2 bath remodel is located in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, Klara Kevane, and Ethan Taylor Contractor: Coast to Coast Construction Landscape Contractor: Discelli Structural Engineer: Brian Dotson Consulting Engineer Photography ©2018 Mariko Reed Location: Palo Alto, CA Year completed: 2017

The homeowners of this 1922 Standish neighborhood bungalow wanted to accomplish two things for their Minneapolis home; make their tiny 96SF kitchen larger, and add a dining area next to the kitchen. Since the room to the kitchen was used as a living space, they wanted to expand out of the back, utilizing the deck space for the dining room kitchen, and allowing for more storage, natural light, and functionality. To achieve their goals, the chimney was removed, and a small addition was added on which allowed a galley style kitchen to take form and a nice, bright dining area. The challenge was leaving their living room and surrounding spaces untouched, and work around the existing stairs to the basement. The solution was to extend the wall out next to the stairway to grant more wall space to the kitchen and create a “hall” to the basement stairs. Creating an entrance in to the dining/kitchen area from the garage also helped tie in their most common point of entry to the new design. Check out this project on the 2018 Castle Home Tour, September 29 – 30th, 2018.

The homeowners of this 1922 Standish neighborhood bungalow wanted to accomplish two things for their Minneapolis home; make their tiny 96SF kitchen larger, and add a dining area next to the kitchen. Since the room to the kitchen was used as a living space, they wanted to expand out of the back, utilizing the deck space for the dining room kitchen, and allowing for more storage, natural light, and functionality. To achieve their goals, the chimney was removed, and a small addition was added on which allowed a galley style kitchen to take form and a nice, bright dining area. The challenge was leaving their living room and surrounding spaces untouched, and work around the existing stairs to the basement. The solution was to extend the wall out next to the stairway to grant more wall space to the kitchen and create a “hall” to the basement stairs. Creating an entrance in to the dining/kitchen area from the garage also helped tie in their most common point of entry to the new design. Check out this project on the 2018 Castle Home Tour, September 29 – 30th, 2018.

Joe and Tod, homeowners in the Vintage Hills area of Temecula, undertook this yard transformation themselves. Their goal was to replace a lawned portion of the right side of their front yard with drought-tolerant plants and rock complementing the existing landscaping. The homeowners began the project by transplanting kangaroo paw, yucca, lantana and jade plants. Some of the plants made the journey from their former home in Long Beach and others came from thinning out existing plants in the yard. In addition to designing the space together, they also installed the project themselves. The small, light gray boulders and cobble were already located on the property, and closely resemble Sierra boulders. Gambler's Gold 3/4" crushed rock was used to create the "islands" around the plants, with 3/4" gray crushed rock to fill in the larger areas. Premium Sunburst pebbles in the 1"-3" size finished the area off as the border with the neighbor's property.

Kevin and Mary enlisted our services with the objective to modernize their antiquated kitchen. Their goals weren't restricted to a purely aesthetic overhaul; they asked us to devise a layout that prioritized better organization and storage options with improved lighting. We took great care to remove all the old components of the kitchen, then we proceeded to install the new Dove White Shaker style cabinets, and a larger contrasting island. In their pursuit of a perfect blend of aesthetics and utility, they selected Victoria White Quartz Countertops for the perimeter cabinets, and balanced that with the compelling elegance of White Ice Granite Countertops for the kitchen island. The selection of Flash Ivory 3x12 ceramic wall tiles were selected for the backsplash. A custom made range hood was installed breaking up the monotony of the wall cabinets and finishing off their gorgeous new kitchen.