Laura Beeler: I recently took a call from a customer looking for a designer. The mission was to help him create a wonderful, new living space in his downtown Des Moines loft. Matt & I had an instant connection. Since he had been in by Design before, we quickly set up a house call. An additional challenge was time — he was hosting a big party in 4 weeks! We chose the Tristan sofa for it’s retro look. We love how it appears to “float” over the stainless sleigh base. (Light & airy pieces were important as we didn’t want to overpower the intimate space). We anchored the room with a deep pile, chunky shag rug and topped it with a large storage ottoman. The two George chairs can span the decades and certainly have a personality all their own. The repetition of the metal and tufting in all of the pieces gives continuity to the design – an important consideration when designing a space this eclectic. The open shelving offered more storage as well as giving a great silhouette against the original white brick wall. I think the end result suits him to a tee, whether he is relaxing or entertaining. The best part was that we had it all in place in the allotted time frame.

This project was a return client who wanted us to create usable space in their basement. We did a complete underpinning of the house to construct a spacious, inviting basement which features 9' feet ceilings, exposed bricks and beams, a new guest bedroom which doubles as a home office, a bathroom, a laundry room and family room, with ample storage space as well. We also built a custom garage, and designed a lovely back patio for gatherings with family and friends.

This project was a return client who wanted us to create usable space in their basement. We did a complete underpinning of the house to construct a spacious, inviting basement which features 9' feet ceilings, exposed bricks and beams, a new guest bedroom which doubles as a home office, a bathroom, a laundry room and family room, with ample storage space as well. We also built a custom garage, and designed a lovely back patio for gatherings with family and friends.

Example of a mountain style family room design in Los Angeles

This two bedroom apartment is located in a converted loft building dating from 1881 near Gramercy Park in Manhattan. The design involved the complete remodeling of the apartment, including a new open plan kitchen with an island overlooking the living area. The existing building fabric becomes part of the redesigned space in the form of an exposed cast iron column and an uncovered brickwork wall. These simple moves serve as tectonic reminders of the building's history while being juxtaposed with the modern fixtures and finishes that form the rest of the apartment. Natural light is drawn into the hallway by inserting a glass clerestory over a new storage wall. Cabinetry in the living, kitchen and bedroom spaces is built into the walls to maximize storage areas while creating a fully integrated architectural solution throughout the apartment. Artificial lighting is discreetly added through light coves, recessed ceiling fixtures and under cabinet lights. A warm, yet limited palette of materials include American walnut, limestone and bright red full height closet doors - located in the children's bedroom. www.archphoto.com

Enjoy a perfect sleep and study space from Maxtrix, by creating floor space and gaining storage with this high loft bed! Over 4 feet of under-bed clearance, perfect for a study space or play area. Super functional staircase, steps double as storage drawers. Full XL size = extra 4” in length to accommodate even your tallest child. www.maxtrixkids.com

This two bedroom apartment is located in a converted loft building dating from 1881 near Gramercy Park in Manhattan. The design involved the complete remodeling of the apartment, including a new open plan kitchen with an island overlooking the living area. The existing building fabric becomes part of the redesigned space in the form of an exposed cast iron column and an uncovered brickwork wall. These simple moves serve as tectonic reminders of the building's history while being juxtaposed with the modern fixtures and finishes that form the rest of the apartment. Natural light is drawn into the hallway by inserting a glass clerestory over a new storage wall. Cabinetry in the living, kitchen and bedroom spaces is built into the walls to maximize storage areas while creating a fully integrated architectural solution throughout the apartment. Artificial lighting is discreetly added through light coves, recessed ceiling fixtures and under cabinet lights. A warm, yet limited palette of materials include American walnut, limestone and bright red full height closet doors - located in the children's bedroom. www.archphoto.com

This project was a return client who wanted us to create usable space in their basement. We did a complete underpinning of the house to construct a spacious, inviting basement which features 9' feet ceilings, exposed bricks and beams, a new guest bedroom which doubles as a home office, a bathroom, a laundry room and family room, with ample storage space as well. We also built a custom garage, and designed a lovely back patio for gatherings with family and friends.

Custom built in’s for added storage in this comfortable loft that is a multi-purpose family room and home office. Plenty of storage space, natural light and more.

open loft: elevated office with storage below © Heather Weiss, Architect cabinetry built by KJS Custom Works
Staircase - modern staircase idea in New York

This loft-turned-office has lots of storage and takes advantage of the tall, angled ceilings. The beadboard ceiling and white cabinets against gray and blue walls creates a nautical feel. The little table in the blue niche was cut in half, painted white, then wall hung in each of the two niches. Gail Owens Photography

This project was a return client who wanted us to create usable space in their basement. We did a complete underpinning of the house to construct a spacious, inviting basement which features 9' feet ceilings, exposed bricks and beams, a new guest bedroom which doubles as a home office, a bathroom, a laundry room and family room, with ample storage space as well. We also built a custom garage, and designed a lovely back patio for gatherings with family and friends.

Gilbert custom built loft with bunkbeds, lighting and storage.
Family room - transitional family room idea in Phoenix

Contemporary Clubhouse Bringing the outdoors inside for a bright and colorful indoor playroom perfect for playtime, arts and crafts or schoolwork. Theme: The theme for this inviting and playful space is a creative take on a functional playroom blending the contemporary and functional base of the room with the playful and creative spirit that will engage these lucky children. Focus: The playroom centers on an amazing lofted clubhouse perched against a custom painted pasture and perched on makeshift trees boasting the perfect place for creative adventures or quiet reading and setting the inviting feel for the entire room. The creative and playful feeling is expanded throughout the space with bright green patches of shag carpet invoking the feel of the pasture continuing off the wall and through the room. The space is then flanked with more contemporary and functional elements perfect for children ages 2-12 offering endless hours of play. Storage: This playroom offers storage options on every wall, in every corner and even on the floor. The myWall storage and entertainment unit offers countless storage options and configurations along the main wall with open shelving, hanging buckets, closed shelves and pegs, anything you want to store or hang can find a home. Even the floor under the myWall panel is a custom floordrobe perfect for all those small floor toys or blankets. The pasture wall has a shelving unit cloaked as another tree in the field offering opened and closed cubbies for books or toys. The sink and craft area offers a home to all the kids craft supplies nestled right into the countertop with colorful containers and buckets. Growth: While this playroom provides fun and creative options for children from 2-12 it can adapt and grow with this family as their children grow and their interests or needs change. The myWall system is developed to offer easy and immediate customization with simple adjustments every element of the wall can be moved offering endless possibilities. The full myWall structure can be moved along with the family if necessary. The sink offers steps for the small children but as they grow they can be removed. Safety: The playroom is designed to keep the main space open to allow for creative and safe playtime without obstacles. The myWall system uses a custom locking mechanism to ensure that all elements are securely locked into place not to fall or become loose from wear. Custom cushioned floor rugs offer another level of safety and comfort to the little ones playing on the floor.

This beautiful bar cabinet with burnt oak adjustable shelves is part of our Loft Shelving System. Our Loft posts in blackened gunmetal and fully machined brass fittings in our buffed brass finish mount from the top of our cabinet and tie back to the wall to support 8 shelves. Amuneal’s proprietary machined hardware clamps onto the posts so that the shelves can be easily adjusted at any time. The burnt oak shelves are milled in house from solid white oak to a thickness of 1.5” before being hand-finished using the traditional Shou Sugi Ban process of burning the wood. Once completed, the shelves are sealed with a protective coating that keeps that burnt finish from rubbing off. The combination of blackened steel posts, machined and patinated brass hardware and the charred oak shelves make this a stunning and sculptural shelving option for any space. Integrated bronze bottle stops and wine glass holders add detail and purpose. The lower portion of this bar system is a tall credenza in one of Amuneal’s new finishes, cerused chestnut. The credenza storage highlights the system’s flexibility with drawers, cabinets and glass fronted doors, all with Amuneal fully machined and full width drawer pulls. Behind the glass doors, are a series of pull-out wine trays, carved from solid oak, allowing both display and storage in this unit. This unit is fabricated in our Philadelphia-based furniture studio and can be customized with different metal and wood finishes as well as different shelf widths, sizes and configurations.

TIFFANY STORAGE. The Downtown Collection. Metal and wood load-bearing frame. Polyurethane foam padding covered with lined protective fabric. Comer in fabric or leather of your choice. Available with slatted bed base or lined orthopaedic panel. Detailed price by request.

Living room library - mid-sized modern loft-style living room library idea in New York with white walls

Pivot door design for the entry closet storage spaces! The floor to ceiling doors were custom colored to match the cabinetry in the kitchen.
Reach-in closet - large modern gender-neutral reach-in closet idea in New York with flat-panel cabinets and black cabinets

Laura Beeler: I recently took a call from a customer looking for a designer. The mission was to help him create a wonderful, new living space in his downtown Des Moines loft. Matt & I had an instant connection. Since he had been in by Design before, we quickly set up a house call. An additional challenge was time — he was hosting a big party in 4 weeks! We chose the Tristan sofa for it’s retro look. We love how it appears to “float” over the stainless sleigh base. (Light & airy pieces were important as we didn’t want to overpower the intimate space). We anchored the room with a deep pile, chunky shag rug and topped it with a large storage ottoman. The two George chairs can span the decades and certainly have a personality all their own. The repetition of the metal and tufting in all of the pieces gives continuity to the design – an important consideration when designing a space this eclectic. The open shelving offered more storage as well as giving a great silhouette against the original white brick wall. I think the end result suits him to a tee, whether he is relaxing or entertaining. The best part was that we had it all in place in the allotted time frame.