Photo by Ronda Batchelor Large subway tiles extend the shower walls
Example of a mid-sized urban home design design in Salt Lake City

Lawn panel with surrounding planting beds
Photo of a small contemporary partial sun side yard concrete paver landscaping in New York for fall.

Large trendy backyard concrete and rectangular lap hot tub photo in Phoenix

Designed By: Sarah Buehlman Marc and Mandy Maister were clients and fans of Cantoni before they purchased this harbor home on Balboa Island. The South African natives originally met designer Sarah Buehlman and Cantoni’s Founder and CEO Michael Wilkov at a storewide sale, and quickly established a relationship as they bought furnishings for their primary residence in Newport Beach. So, when the couple decided to invest in this gorgeous second home, in one of the ritziest enclaves in North America, they sought Sarah’s help in transforming the outdated 1960’s residence into a modern marvel. “It’s now the ultimate beach house,” says Sarah, “and finished in Cantoni from top to bottom—including new custom cabinetry installed throughout.” But let’s back up. This project began when Mandy contacted Sarah in the midst of the remodel process (in December 2010), asking if she could come take a look and help with the overall design. “The plans were being drawn up with an architect, and they opted not to move anything major. Instead, they updated everything—as in the small carpeted staircase that became a gorgeous glass and metal sculpture,” Sarah explains. She took photographs and measurements, and then set to work creating the scaled renderings. “Marc and Mandy were drawn to the One and Only Collection. It features a high-gloss brown and white color scheme which served as inspiration for the project,” says Sarah. Primary pieces in the expansive living area include the Mondrian leather sectional, the Involution sculpture, and a pair of Vladimir Kagan Corkscrew swivel chairs. The Maisters needed a place to house all their electronics but didn’t want a typical entertainment center. The One and Only buffet was actually modified by our skilled shop technicians, in our distribution center, so it could accommodate all the couple’s media equipment. “These artisans are another one of our hidden strengths—in addition to the design tools, inventory and extensive resources we have to get a job done,” adds Sarah. Marc and Mandy also fell in love with the exotic Makassar ebony wood in the Ritz Collection, which Sarah combined in the master bedroom with the Ravenna double chaise to provide an extra place to sit and enjoy the beautiful harbor views. Beyond new furnishings, the Maisters also decided to completely redo their kitchen. And though Marc and Mandy did not have a chance to actually see our kitchen displays, having worked with Sarah over the years, they had immense trust in our commitment to craftsmanship and quality. In fact, they opted for new cabinetry in four bathrooms as well as the laundry room based on our 3D renderings and lacquer samples alone—without ever opening a drawer. “Their trust in my expertise and Cantoni’s reputation were a major deciding factor,” says Sarah. This plush second home, complete with a private boat dock right out back, counts as one of Sarah’s proudest accomplishments. “These long-time clients are great. They love Cantoni and appreciate high quality Italian furnishings in particular. The home is so gorgeous that once you are inside and open the Nano doors, you simply don’t want to leave.” The job took almost two years to complete, but everyone seems quite happy with the results, proving that large or small—and in cases necessitating a quick turnaround or execution of a long-term vision—Cantoni has the resources to come through for all clients.

This California native plant front yard is Certified Ocean Friendly, Certified Wildlife Habitat, has been featured on the Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase. Salvia spathacea, or hummingbird sage lines either side of the path. There is also Salvia leucantha (purple), a small Persimmon tree and large Sycamore tree in this photo. Grape vine on porch has not leafed out yet. Rain chain instead of down spout is decorative and functional. This installation was partially funded by a turf removal rebate. --Jacky Surber

Context After retiring from their careers in New Jersey, an active professional couple decided to move to Vermont to be closer to their family. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to sensibly plan for the future by building a sunlit home in which they could comfortably age in place with predictable, low energy costs through the harsh Vermont winter. A spacious, open lot near a historic river village provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s favorite hobbies: gardening, woodworking, and yoga. The couple’s son, owner of Shelterwood Construction, would have the chance to showcase his meticulous craftsmanship in a home lovingly built for his parents. Response The home was built using very local natural materials that blend into the surrounding landscape. Cor-ten steel weathered clapboards transition from the earth to the wood clapboards above and the entire exterior has no finish, allowing the house to change and weather with the seasons. Many of the interior finishes, including the decorative stair wall, were made from locally-milled white pine that was harvested from the site. This certified Passive House is designed to be lived in for a lifetime with wheelchair accessibility, wide doorways, accessible fixtures, and everything the couple needs located on the main level. Framed by large south-facing windows, the light-filled main living area includes a lofted ceiling transected with a glass bridge that connects the guest bedrooms above and looks out onto the garden and fruit trees below. The attached barn, which creates a courtyard for gardens, houses a yoga studio and woodworking shop. With an ample array of solar panels and airtight construction to keep the heat in, the house is predicted to be net zero with no energy bills even in the coldest of Vermont winters. A Tesla Powerwall stores backup electricity for this all-electric home.

Intentional. Elevated. Artisanal. With three children under the age of 5, our clients were starting to feel the confines of their Pacific Heights home when the expansive 1902 Italianate across the street went on the market. After learning the home had been recently remodeled, they jumped at the chance to purchase a move-in ready property. We worked with them to infuse the already refined, elegant living areas with subtle edginess and handcrafted details, and also helped them reimagine unused space to delight their little ones. Elevated furnishings on the main floor complement the home’s existing high ceilings, modern brass bannisters and extensive walnut cabinetry. In the living room, sumptuous emerald upholstery on a velvet side chair balances the deep wood tones of the existing baby grand. Minimally and intentionally accessorized, the room feels formal but still retains a sharp edge—on the walls moody portraiture gets irreverent with a bold paint stroke, and on the the etagere, jagged crystals and metallic sculpture feel rugged and unapologetic. Throughout the main floor handcrafted, textured notes are everywhere—a nubby jute rug underlies inviting sofas in the family room and a half-moon mirror in the living room mixes geometric lines with flax-colored fringe. On the home’s lower level, we repurposed an unused wine cellar into a well-stocked craft room, with a custom chalkboard, art-display area and thoughtful storage. In the adjoining space, we installed a custom climbing wall and filled the balance of the room with low sofas, plush area rugs, poufs and storage baskets, creating the perfect space for active play or a quiet reading session. The bold colors and playful attitudes apparent in these spaces are echoed upstairs in each of the children’s imaginative bedrooms. Architect + Developer: McMahon Architects + Studio, Photographer: Suzanna Scott Photography

After moving into a mid-century ranch home on Spokane's South Hill, these homeowners gave the tired landscape a dramatic makeover. The aging asphalt driveway was replaced by precast concrete pavers that coordinate with a new walkway of sandwashed concrete pads. A pared-down front lawn reduces the overall water use of the landscape, while sculptural boulders add character. A small flagstone patio creates a spot to enjoy the outdoors in the courtyard-like area between the house and the towering ponderosa pines. The backyard received a similar update, with a new garden area, water feature, and paver patio anchoring the updated space.

J. Marc Photography
Open concept kitchen - mid-sized contemporary u-shaped linoleum floor open concept kitchen idea in Philadelphia with a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Context After retiring from their careers in New Jersey, an active professional couple decided to move to Vermont to be closer to their family. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to sensibly plan for the future by building a sunlit home in which they could comfortably age in place with predictable, low energy costs through the harsh Vermont winter. A spacious, open lot near a historic river village provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s favorite hobbies: gardening, woodworking, and yoga. The couple’s son, owner of Shelterwood Construction, would have the chance to showcase his meticulous craftsmanship in a home lovingly built for his parents. Response The home was built using very local natural materials that blend into the surrounding landscape. Cor-ten steel weathered clapboards transition from the earth to the wood clapboards above and the entire exterior has no finish, allowing the house to change and weather with the seasons. Many of the interior finishes, including the decorative stair wall, were made from locally-milled white pine that was harvested from the site. This certified Passive House is designed to be lived in for a lifetime with wheelchair accessibility, wide doorways, accessible fixtures, and everything the couple needs located on the main level. Framed by large south-facing windows, the light-filled main living area includes a lofted ceiling transected with a glass bridge that connects the guest bedrooms above and looks out onto the garden and fruit trees below. The attached barn, which creates a courtyard for gardens, houses a yoga studio and woodworking shop. With an ample array of solar panels and airtight construction to keep the heat in, the house is predicted to be net zero with no energy bills even in the coldest of Vermont winters. A Tesla Powerwall stores backup electricity for this all-electric home. Photos (c) Irvin Serrano

10 Ideas for Turning Your Garage into a Modern Industrial Neighborhood Bar By Elizabeth Aldrich Host happy hours and cocktail parties worthy of a full page spread – in your own garage. Leave the brick exposed, the concrete floors as is, and the wood unfinished and it costs more? The sophisticated older brother of the shabby-chic trend, urban industrial style, is taking over. Real estate agents are able to tack on a few extra grand to a flat if they can include “exposed brick” in their advertisements, and designer chefs and master mixologists are moving into warehouses and industrial districts in urban areas across the nation. A friend recently invited me to dinner at Portland, Oregon’s newest, hippest charcuterie spot, and when we pulled up to the building it was in a warehouse where I used to go to underground raves in high school. These industrial style spaces that were once seen as unfinished or lacking in coziness are now seriously coveted. Their rawness is considered authentic, their grit a mark of character. But if you’re a homeowner, there’s a good chance you already have one of them built right into your house: your garage. I like to preach about how much people underutilize their garage spaces, piling them full of storage bins they never touch. Whether you turn it into a workspace or a playroom, there’s a lot of value in a creatively-used garage space. For the overly ambitious, the design lover, or the hostess with the mostess, here’s one idea that blows the rest out of the water. Turn your garage into a multi-purpose, urban industrial wonderland for work and play. Originally outfitted for factories and warehouses, the industrial style facilitates productivity. Now that it’s also being appreciated as a great aesthetic for bars and restaurants, these rooms can serve both form and function, doubling as work and entertaining spaces. This is great for people who have always dreamed of having that extra basement space for hosting friends, complete with a wet bar and a billiards table, but lack the square footage. Just keep in mind that your friends might love it so much, they’ll start ditching their favorite happy hour spot and showing up at your doorstep instead. Here are ten ideas forbuilding the perfect workshop by day and cocktail bar by night in your garage. 1. Clean out the space. Get rid of everything you don’t need. Part of the beauty of industrial style designs is their simplicity and abundance of open space. Excessive clutter can make people feel boxed in, and that’s not conducive to productivity or to social activity. Out of sight, out of mind. Build shelving up high for storing must-keep belongings, much like a warehouse. For bonus points, store your belongings in wooden crates for aesthetic consistency. Or consider stacking them on a pallet, wrapping them in excessive amounts of plastic wrap, and loading them onto the next cross-country freighter. You won’t miss them. 2. Install storage for frequently used objects. The brilliant thing about the urban industrial look is that your tools, tool boxes, and tool storage cabinets already fit right in. Metal storage cabinets and file cabinets are perfect additions to the space. While grey is certainly the color pallet for this style, 50 shades might be a few too many. Mix it up by spray painting one of your cabinetsto add a pop of color. Make a small pegboard to hold up your tools and hang larger items such as bicycles and recreational equipment by pegs. If you have a lot of storage bins that you have to keep, look upward instead of storing them on the floor. Insert a tracking system onto your garage ceiling and slide the bins into place. For extra credit, get an old locker to use as a coat closet when guests come over. 3. Heat the space.Since you’re not turning the garage into a full-time living space, such as a spare bedroom, you really don’t need to go through the work and additional cost of installing full-blown heating and insulation systems. If you don’t need to use the space when the temperature drops, or if you live in a consistently temperate climate, you might not need to do anything. But if you do want to be able to host people through the winter, a simple garage heater will suffice. Here are some good options for installing garage heating. Take it one step further, and get a couple patio heaters to help with the next step. 4. Turn your driveway into a patio space. Even the best restaurants and cocktail bars are nothing in the summertime without a solid patio space. Leave the garage door open on warmer nights and invite your guests to go outdoors. Place some stylish folding chairs and a patio table out for comfort. Place a few potted plants here and there to make the space feel more inviting. For a really lively patio scene, put a portable fire pit out on the driveway or front lawn and surround it with workbenches from your garage. 5. Build your bar. Pick a corner in your garage for the bar, and get started. You can build a bar pretty cheaply and easily with reclaimed pallets, and get some industrial-style barstools. Behind the bar, you’ll have both your tools and your liquor, and there’s no need to build expensive cabinetry. If you’re serving quality, why cover it up? Build shelving or open cubicles to house your liquor. Put out metal buckets filled with ice to chill beers.Be sure to serve up cocktails worthy of the space. The Hemingway Daiquiri served straight up is a unique way to dress down, or industrialize, a traditionally frou-frou cocktail. To go the extra mile, build a bar with laid brick.Install an extra fridge in the garage so you can avoid having to trek into the kitchen to refill chilled drinks, and you can store dips, vegetables, and other hors d'oeuvres right at your fingertips. 6. Bring on the games. To really turn your hosting space into a fun time, be sure to offer ample play options. For the low on space, a dart board will suffice, whereas if you’ve got a five-car garage and can’t manage to fill the space, put in a couple billiard tables. Ping pong tables are ideal for most because they’re great fun and can easily be folded up and stored. If you want to keep your guests playing until the wee hours of the morning, get an old pinball machine, a vintage arcade game, or a small Skee-Ball alley. 7. The heart of your space.Build along worktable that doubles as a table for your guests right in the center of your garage. It should be tall enough to be used while standing, although you can place a few barstools along with it. Having a table space for drinks but limited seating will encourage guests to walk around and mingle. Build it out of wood and make sure to maintain a natural finish. Don’t be afraid to rough up the work table by day. The dings and marks created while you build will only lend authenticity to the piece. 8. Install lighting. Remember, the urban industrial style is all about function and showcasing materials in their raw form. There’s no need to buy expensive floor lamps or install a fancy lighting system. The most popular lighting in these types of spaces is exposed bulb lighting. Just open up the wiring on your current lighting system and drop down some bulbs. For additional lighting, string up exposed bulb patio lights and place some vintage metal desk lamps on the tables and bar area. 9. Brand your space. Use the designs for the stuff you build by day as wall art. Blow up sketches, blueprints, schematics, and architectural drawings to hang up for decoration. Choose one wall that could use a splash of color, perhaps the wall behind your bar, and get a friend to paint a mural, or whip out the spray paint for a real urban feel. Splurge a little and get a custom neon sign made of your last name or the word “bar” to hang behind the bar. 10. The garage door. For the finishing touch, and to really wow your guests, get a brand new modern, industrial style garage door installed. Look for the window-paneled types that restaurants use, like this contemporary aluminum and glass beauty. You can leave it half open when you want to utilize your driveway-patio space. On nights when you have to close it all the way, the glass panels let your guests still look out onto the stars, making it feel like a patio space even when it’s too cold for one. Once your garage bar is up and running, put on your denim suit and get ready to call yourself the Joneses. No one will be able to keep up with you.

design by beth keim, photos by mekenzie france
Bedroom - transitional bedroom idea in Charlotte

Buying term papers from academic writing services and freelance writers is becoming a popular deal. Therefore, former and current professors are entering this industry to write papers for money more and more often. Such services as CourseworkService.com are becoming popular among students all over the world. An interesting fact is that they hire not only former graduates but also out-of-work academics. When professors find a compromise about cheating Jennifer Sunseri, a former assistant professor, lost her job in 2009. She has been looking for a job for almost three years. At long last, she had abandoned all hope of finding a new job and started working as an academic writing service creating papers for college students. Jenifer says, “I realize that it is legal, but highly unethical especially regarding the fact that I am a former professor. For me this is an equivalent of prostitution. But I have been living in a tight situation for years without an opportunity to visit a doctor or pay my bills. I am 53, and I have no kids to help me when I am out-of-work.” She has been a tutor in Texas Tech since 1998, where she established a Slavic folklore course. Jenifer didn’t have any publications during her working years at Texas Tech, so when the time has come to apply for a venture, she realized that she has no chances and left. She moved to her sister and her mom and now she is living in her studio apartment with her two cats. Sunseri was worried when she lost her job even though she has master’s degrees in Slavic linguistics and technical communications. “I thought that my educator’s and writer’s skills will be useful,” she said. “However, I was shocked at the quantity of applications for an instructor at the local college, as well as for the office manager, or an adjunct at the local institution. Even an effort to apply for a substitute teacher failed. I cannot believe that those who have academic background, experience and a degree are in less demand than those have not.” When Ph.D. and master’s degrees lose their magical power, people with academic background have no choice but to start their term paper writing career. Once professors become unemployed, one may say that they feel themselves like high school graduates looking for a part-time job. However, you will be surprised, but according to statistics sometimes those with high school or college diplomas are more welcome than people with higher education. The reason is that a lot of new job places in America were created at times of economic recovery and, therefore, they are low-paying and require specialists with lower skills. It turns to be that it is much easier to learn a less-educated worker and train him/her in a particular way suitable for a certain company or service than to teach a higher-educated worker all over again. In addition, higher educated job candidates are more selective about their choice. How to become a ghostwriter if you have been punishing others for paper cheating Jenifer was not fastidious. She was looking for a job that would correspond her skills and finally decided to try herself as an online editor. While searching for an editing job, she ran against term paper writing service. This company asked her to send examples of her works and complete a test task. She has been accepted as a ghostwriter. In fact, term paper writing services gladly accept people with higher education and offer them to write papers of all kinds for money. Jenifer says that her first assignments for sale included a 5-page paper on public debt, 10-page paper on linguistics, and an editing work of someone else’s 20-page paper. All these assignments brought her about $150. Jenifer reports that it is possible to turn a useful penny by writing academic papers. Jenifer realized that ghostwriting is a good source of income after she read an article about an anonymous academic writer who earned almost $70,000 a year writing papers for high school and college students. “Currently this business becomes more and more popular. During finals and midterms, we have a lot of work to do since there are a lot of students ready to pay for a custom paper and submit it as their own,” he says. “It is no wonder that students use writing services. I have seen a lot of their writings, and I realize why they are so desperate about writing their assignments. Some of them are unable to compose a grocery list without additional help. They really need it. We help them pass a course, that’s all.” Jenifer says that this work helped her be on form and develop her core skills like writing and researching all the time. She was unemployed for a long time and was afraid that her skills might become lower due to a lack of practice. However, at a writing company she never stops practicing. She claims that this is a hard work mostly because you have to be meet urgent deadlines. The other challenge was a paper that she couldn’t complete once. The problem was not in a lack of competency, but in ethics. She discovered that it was an order for a student from her former place of work, Tech University. She says that she felt weird about completing this work and refused to write it. “I became angry when I realized that I am going to serve a kid who is partying in Florida, while being a former faculty member of the university he is attending.” Currently, Jenifer is working as a Russian translator. However, she is not abandoning academic writing industry even though she feels a little awkward about helping students to cheat. It is not that bad that unemployable professors have an opportunity to earn for living being ghostwriters even though it is not very ethical. Ironically, a place of work like academic writing company that makes out-of-job educators feel that they are performing a crime assisting students in cheating seems to be the only place in the job market that values their experience in the sphere of education.

The backyard of this house was a no-man’s land when the owners moved in. With little more than a few established trees and a big, noisy air-conditioning unit, the yard was an almost open canvas bordering the Los Padres National Forest in a high-fire zone. We installed a large infiltration swale to capture as much rainfall as possible from the house rain gutters, so the water can be stored in the soil where plants can access it, reducing the amount of irrigation this landscape needs. Plantings obscure the air-conditioning unit, and a water feature was installed so the sound of trickling water would drown-out its sound. The plants we chose are drought tolerant and attractive to native birds and insects. We paid special attention to the plantings nearest to the house, keeping them fairly low growing as to not create a fire ladder beneath the eves. The plants also hold a good deal of moisture in their stems and leaves and are easily kept free of desiccated material, making them fire-wise plants that can actually reduce the chances of the property burning in the event of a nearby wildfire.

Embrace a sleek and contemporary lifestyle. This modern haven boasts an open floor plan, perfect for entertaining or comfortable family living. The chef's kitchen features stainless steel appliances and custom cabinetry, creating a space that inspires culinary creations. Luxurious touches continue in the master bathroom with its floor-to-ceiling tiled shower. Convenience is key with this central Tampa location. Enjoy easy access to shops, restaurants, entertainment, and major highways for effortless commuting. You'll also love being close to the airport, ideal for frequent flyers or those who cherish easy travel access. Live a low-maintenance lifestyle with included internet, groundskeeping, and trash services, giving you more time to focus on what matters most. This modern oasis is perfect for professionals, couples, or small families who crave a vibrant Tampa Bay experience. Don't miss your chance to live in style!

The backyard of this house was a no-man’s land when the owners moved in. With little more than a few established trees and a big, noisy air-conditioning unit, the yard was an almost open canvas bordering the Los Padres National Forest in a high-fire zone. We installed a large infiltration swale to capture as much rainfall as possible from the house rain gutters, so the water can be stored in the soil where plants can access it, reducing the amount of irrigation this landscape needs. Plantings obscure the air-conditioning unit, and a water feature was installed so the sound of trickling water would drown-out its sound. The plants we chose are drought tolerant and attractive to native birds and insects. We paid special attention to the plantings nearest to the house, keeping them fairly low growing as to not create a fire ladder beneath the eves. The plants also hold a good deal of moisture in their stems and leaves and are easily kept free of desiccated material, making them fire-wise plants that can actually reduce the chances of the property burning in the event of a nearby wildfire.

Truly taking the indoors out, Cloud is the ultimate expression of the outdoor living trend. The classic seating collection allows a wide number of different size units to integrate together to create almost limitless design possibilities. If you can imagine it, chances are it can be created with Cloud. Photo Credits www.danishdesignco.com.sg

A homeowner in rural Waller County asked us to remove all of the old and breaking vinyl siding on his ranch style house and replace it will all new Hardie materials. And since we love a challenge, we gladly jumped at the chance. This house gave us the opportunity to show off the differences between vinyl and Hardie products, including siding, soffit, fascia, window and door trim, and their extra large ceilings on their large front porch. As you can see, the old vinyl siding was warping, cracking, and falling off of the walls; the vinyl soffits and ceilings were stretched and sagging. This old vinyl siding was the OLD style with only the flat blue foam sheathing underneath it, which is always a concern because that foam has a very low perm rating, which means it is like wrapping your studs in Saran Wrap so moisture inside your walls cannot get out. In this case, we had to tear off multiple layers of stuff, including the old siding, the blue foam sheathing, the layer of original siding that was still on the wall, and all of the underlayers behind the siding. Often houses that have had vinyl siding for long periods end up discovering that their structural wood has absorbed water and parts of it have begun to rot. So wherever we find rotting or damaged load-bearing wood, we fix it. When all the studs are repaired, only then do we begin to apply to Hardie materials.

Intentional. Elevated. Artisanal. With three children under the age of 5, our clients were starting to feel the confines of their Pacific Heights home when the expansive 1902 Italianate across the street went on the market. After learning the home had been recently remodeled, they jumped at the chance to purchase a move-in ready property. We worked with them to infuse the already refined, elegant living areas with subtle edginess and handcrafted details, and also helped them reimagine unused space to delight their little ones. Elevated furnishings on the main floor complement the home’s existing high ceilings, modern brass bannisters and extensive walnut cabinetry. In the living room, sumptuous emerald upholstery on a velvet side chair balances the deep wood tones of the existing baby grand. Minimally and intentionally accessorized, the room feels formal but still retains a sharp edge—on the walls moody portraiture gets irreverent with a bold paint stroke, and on the the etagere, jagged crystals and metallic sculpture feel rugged and unapologetic. Throughout the main floor handcrafted, textured notes are everywhere—a nubby jute rug underlies inviting sofas in the family room and a half-moon mirror in the living room mixes geometric lines with flax-colored fringe. On the home’s lower level, we repurposed an unused wine cellar into a well-stocked craft room, with a custom chalkboard, art-display area and thoughtful storage. In the adjoining space, we installed a custom climbing wall and filled the balance of the room with low sofas, plush area rugs, poufs and storage baskets, creating the perfect space for active play or a quiet reading session. The bold colors and playful attitudes apparent in these spaces are echoed upstairs in each of the children’s imaginative bedrooms. Architect + Developer: McMahon Architects + Studio, Photographer: Suzanna Scott Photography