The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

2011 NARI CAPITAL COTY FINALIST AWARD WINNER 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 the home 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. Inside, custom woodwork, crown molding, custom glass cabinets and interior pillars carry the design. Upon entering the space, visitors face a large partition that separates the living area from a gourmet Arts & Crafts kitchen and dining room. The home’s signature space, the kitchen offers contrasting dark and light cherry cabinets. Wide plank hard wood floors, exotic granite counters and stainless steel professional-grade appliances make this a kitchen fit for any chef.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The need for a kitchen better suited to entertaining was the driving force behind the start of this great kitchen remodel. The original kitchen and adjacent living area were redesigned to encompass a new larger kitchen with semiformal eating area along with a wet bar and great cozy sitting room. The clients Christine and Steve along with the interior designer Sharon Ryan made great choices in products and finishes to give these new spaces a fresh new look that blended seamlessly with the rest of the home. The kitchen designer John Noland used Fieldstone Cabinetry in the LaGrange door style ( Beaded inset ). The perimeter kitchen cabinetry is finished in Dove paint with a latte glaze complimented by the island and bar cabinetry in Cherry wood with Hazelnut Stain. The expansive new kitchen countertops are Taj Mahal Quartzite with a sleek apron front sink from Kohler. The bar top granite is Peacock with a stainless steel undermount bar sink. Everything from new random width hardwood flooring, window replacement, cabinetry and finishes were done by CCKAB’s lead contractor Don Pitt and assistant Dan. Everyone involved in this great kitchen project did an awesome job and what a result.

The Family Fire Pit Patio. We remodeled the existing patio cover columns and wood, added a white glass fire pit and raised stuccoed planters and staircase leading to the upper Champagne Terrace. Wisteria softens the patio cover columns and the lush planting of lavender, bearded iris and roses provide a serene backdrop. This is a good example of the sand finish colored concrete paving and the large custom saw-cut Ashlar pattern. Photo: Wendy Harper Master Builder: Ken Palmer

We started with a blank slate on this basement project where our only obstacles were exposed steel support columns, existing plumbing risers from the concrete slab, and dropped soffits concealing ductwork on the ceiling. It had the advantage of tall ceilings, an existing egress window, and a sliding door leading to a newly constructed patio. This family of five loves the beach and frequents summer beach resorts in the Northeast. Bringing that aesthetic home to enjoy all year long was the inspiration for the décor, as well as creating a family-friendly space for entertaining. Wish list items included room for a billiard table, wet bar, game table, family room, guest bedroom, full bathroom, space for a treadmill and closed storage. The existing structural elements helped to define how best to organize the basement. For instance, we knew we wanted to connect the bar area and billiards table with the patio in order to create an indoor/outdoor entertaining space. It made sense to use the egress window for the guest bedroom for both safety and natural light. The bedroom also would be adjacent to the plumbing risers for easy access to the new bathroom. Since the primary focus of the family room would be for TV viewing, natural light did not need to filter into that space. We made sure to hide the columns inside of newly constructed walls and dropped additional soffits where needed to make the ceiling mechanicals feel less random. In addition to the beach vibe, the homeowner has valuable sports memorabilia that was to be prominently displayed including two seats from the original Yankee stadium. For a coastal feel, shiplap is used on two walls of the family room area. In the bathroom shiplap is used again in a more creative way using wood grain white porcelain tile as the horizontal shiplap “wood”. We connected the tile horizontally with vertical white grout joints and mimicked the horizontal shadow line with dark grey grout. At first glance it looks like we wrapped the shower with real wood shiplap. Materials including a blue and white patterned floor, blue penny tiles and a natural wood vanity checked the list for that seaside feel. A large reclaimed wood door on an exposed sliding barn track separates the family room from the game room where reclaimed beams are punctuated with cable lighting. Cabinetry and a beverage refrigerator are tucked behind the rolling bar cabinet (that doubles as a Blackjack table!). A TV and upright video arcade machine round-out the entertainment in the room. Bar stools, two rotating club chairs, and large square poufs along with the Yankee Stadium seats provide fun places to sit while having a drink, watching billiards or a game on the TV. Signed baseballs can be found behind the bar, adjacent to the billiard table, and on specially designed display shelves next to the poker table in the family room. Thoughtful touches like the surfboards, signage, photographs and accessories make a visitor feel like they are on vacation at a well-appointed beach resort without being cliché.

2011 NARI CAPITAL COTY FINALIST AWARD WINNER 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 the home 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. Inside, custom woodwork, crown molding, custom glass cabinets and interior pillars carry the design. Upon entering the space, visitors face a large partition that separates the living area from a gourmet Arts & Crafts kitchen and dining room. The home’s signature space, the kitchen offers contrasting dark and light cherry cabinets. Wide plank hard wood floors, exotic granite counters and stainless steel professional-grade appliances make this a kitchen fit for any chef.

This is a rear yard landscape in Old Town, Chicago. The major defining element that we designed and build was the Ipe deck. The design and installation of the deck allowed for functional use and unobstructed views out to the landscape. The deck is blind fastened and the railings are stainless steel cable with ipe caps. The fence is completely rebuilt using cedar.. There is a decorative screen next to the planter boxes, which helps to bring down the scale of the neighboring house. The patio is travertine laid in a random pattern, and continues underneath the elevated deck. We added a mexican pebble bed on the edge of the patio which will help show a future sculpture/art piece. A stone walkway at the edge of the patio leads under the canopy of the upright trees, to access to the doorway that is underneath the deck. The landscape consists of two types of ground cover. The inner circle is a lower, purple-leafed, ajuga, and the outer edge is pachysandra. The fence and deck posts have climbing hydrangea planted underneath which will eventually grow to cover the vertical elements.

This bathroom is a tranquil and inviting space. The tile wainscoting creates a seamless, clean line of sight leading into the shower. The decorative splash wraps the vanity and continues into the shower area, again reinforcing the clean sight lines. The mosaic is a stone and glass blend with a modern style and color pallet. The porcelain tile is maintenance free and durable. The pattern mimics the look of vein cut travertine, giving the space a natural look while maintaining the ease of maintenance. The larger format of the tiles decreases the frequency of the grout lines. The dark vanity cabinet gives a great contrast with the neutral pallet of the tile, and adds to the overall appeal of the space. The granite is subdued in its movement and compliments the modern color tones found in the decorative glass mosaic. The brushed nickel fixtures finish off the space. The square trim on the faucets and shower trim give this space a great finishing touch.

With rooms that are sixteen feet wide with occasional bay window-like extensions, the building is long and narrow to capture views in all directions and to be able to live mostly on the ground. There are deep overhanging porches wherever there are larger areas of glass. The major rooms of the house, living room and dining room, are taller barn-like volumes. The building is elevated 28" on a rough gray/black slate stone base laid up in long random horizontal lengths with walls above clad in horizontal cedar siding. The cedar shingle roof, cedar posts and roof overhangs are all finished in a light gray weathering stain, which resembles the lighter gray tones of weathered cedar and fir. The underside of the sloped porch roofs, invisible from beyond the building, are tinted with a minimal wipe of clear white stain to match the interior ceilings. Lead coated copper, which weathers in a short time to a chalky dull gray similar to the stain color, is used to clad vulnerable trim, to transition at inside and outside corners as well as roof edges and gutters, smaller windows under minimal overhangs and extensions above the roof, such as chimneys and flues. Window frames that are protected by deep porch roofs are hardwood wiped with a transparent black stain. Interior floors and porches are a smooth cut of the same gray/black slate in 16" squares. The landscape is intended to extend the ground to enhance the connection of the rooms to the exterior and the views beyond. The exception to this the great square north green which is to be a sort of hard lawn suitable for grandchildren to plan on and which is intentionally synthetic as a way of distinguishing it from the more “natural” landscape.

This is a rear yard landscape in Old Town, Chicago. The major defining element that we designed and build was the Ipe deck. The design and installation of the deck allowed for functional use and unobstructed views out to the landscape. The deck is blind fastened and the railings are stainless steel cable with ipe caps. The fence is completely rebuilt using cedar.. There is a decorative screen next to the planter boxes, which helps to bring down the scale of the neighboring house. The patio is travertine laid in a random pattern, and continues underneath the elevated deck. We added a mexican pebble bed on the edge of the patio which will help show a future sculpture/art piece. A stone walkway at the edge of the patio leads under the canopy of the upright trees, to access to the doorway that is underneath the deck. The landscape consists of two types of ground cover. The inner circle is a lower, purple-leafed, ajuga, and the outer edge is pachysandra. The fence and deck posts have climbing hydrangea planted underneath which will eventually grow to cover the vertical elements.

This is a rear yard landscape in Old Town, Chicago. The major defining element that we designed and build was the Ipe deck. The design and installation of the deck allowed for functional use and unobstructed views out to the landscape. The deck is blind fastened and the railings are stainless steel cable with ipe caps. The fence is completely rebuilt using cedar.. There is a decorative screen next to the planter boxes, which helps to bring down the scale of the neighboring house. The patio is travertine laid in a random pattern, and continues underneath the elevated deck. We added a mexican pebble bed on the edge of the patio which will help show a future sculpture/art piece. A stone walkway at the edge of the patio leads under the canopy of the upright trees, to access to the doorway that is underneath the deck. The landscape consists of two types of ground cover. The inner circle is a lower, purple-leafed, ajuga, and the outer edge is pachysandra. The fence and deck posts have climbing hydrangea planted underneath which will eventually grow to cover the vertical elements.

This is a rear yard landscape in Old Town, Chicago. The major defining element that we designed and build was the Ipe deck. The design and installation of the deck allowed for functional use and unobstructed views out to the landscape. The deck is blind fastened and the railings are stainless steel cable with ipe caps. The fence is completely rebuilt using cedar.. There is a decorative screen next to the planter boxes, which helps to bring down the scale of the neighboring house. The patio is travertine laid in a random pattern, and continues underneath the elevated deck. We added a mexican pebble bed on the edge of the patio which will help show a future sculpture/art piece. A stone walkway at the edge of the patio leads under the canopy of the upright trees, to access to the doorway that is underneath the deck. The landscape consists of two types of ground cover. The inner circle is a lower, purple-leafed, ajuga, and the outer edge is pachysandra. The fence and deck posts have climbing hydrangea planted underneath which will eventually grow to cover the vertical elements.

This is a rear yard landscape in Old Town, Chicago. The major defining element that we designed and build was the Ipe deck. The design and installation of the deck allowed for functional use and unobstructed views out to the landscape. The deck is blind fastened and the railings are stainless steel cable with ipe caps. The fence is completely rebuilt using cedar.. There is a decorative screen next to the planter boxes, which helps to bring down the scale of the neighboring house. The patio is travertine laid in a random pattern, and continues underneath the elevated deck. We added a mexican pebble bed on the edge of the patio which will help show a future sculpture/art piece. A stone walkway at the edge of the patio leads under the canopy of the upright trees, to access to the doorway that is underneath the deck. The landscape consists of two types of ground cover. The inner circle is a lower, purple-leafed, ajuga, and the outer edge is pachysandra. The fence and deck posts have climbing hydrangea planted underneath which will eventually grow to cover the vertical elements.