This is an example of a contemporary landscaping in Toronto.

Dark tile and wooden accents perfectly complement the modern amenities of this master bath.
Example of a small minimalist master black tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile walk-in shower design in Chicago with a wall-mount toilet and black walls

Jeri Koegel
Mid-sized transitional l-shaped light wood floor and beige floor kitchen photo in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Inspiration for a large transitional blue two-story wood exterior home remodel in New York with a shingle roof

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary light wood floor and brown floor entryway remodel in Salt Lake City with white walls and a glass front door

Alex Hayden Photography
Inspiration for a modern entryway remodel in Seattle

The former entry to this home was dark and lacked character. We spruced up the space with a new Alder front door and two new sidelite windows to let in a significant amount of daylight. After relocating a nearby door to a bedroom, extra space was available for a mail center nook just off the entry – complete with a secure mail slot and a small countertop with pencil drawer for the mail to land on when delivered.

The Staging Studio
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern master light wood floor bedroom remodel in New York with blue walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in Toronto.

We custom designed and built this charging/mail station. Being behind doors keeps the area clean and hides the view of papers, cables, and gadgets. Inside you have outlets for charging devices, pullout drawers for organization, and different sized 'cubbies' with adjustable shelves for easy and efficient storage.

Sean Litchfield
Country entryway photo in Boston

A perpendicular Charging Station with mail/paperwork slots, plenty of room for cell phones, I-Pods, I-Pads plus the children’s electronic gadgets, bins for paraphernalia and related attachments is a sure sign of this Century. Ivory glazed melamine. Donna Siben/Designer for Closet Organizing Systems

Is your closet busting at the seams? Or do you perhaps have no closet at all? Time to consider adding a mudroom to your house. Mudrooms are a popular interior design trend these days, and for good reason - they can house far more than a simple coat closet can. They can serve as a family command center for kids' school flyers and menus, for backpacks and shoes, for art supplies and sports equipment. Some mudrooms contain a laundry area, and some contain a mail station. Some mudrooms serve as a home base for a dog or a cat, with easy to clean, low maintenance building materials. A mudroom may consist of custom built-ins, or may simply be a corner of an existing room with pulled some clever, freestanding furniture, hooks, or shelves to house your most essential mudroom items. Whatever your storage needs, extensive or streamlined, carving out a mudroom area can keep the whole family more organized. And, being more organized saves you stress and countless hours that would otherwise be spent searching for misplaced items. While we love to design mudroom niches, a full mudroom interior design allows us to do what we do best here at Down2Earth Interior Design: elevate a space that is primarily driven by pragmatic requirements into a space that is also beautiful to look at and comfortable to occupy. I find myself voluntarily taking phone calls while sitting on the bench of my mudroom, simply because it's a comfortable place to be. My kids do their homework in the mudroom sometimes. My cat loves to curl up on sweatshirts temporarily left on the bench, or cuddle up in boxes on their way out to the recycling bins, just outside the door. Designing a custom mudroom for our family has elevated our lifestyle in so many ways, and I look forward to the opportunity to help make your mudroom design dreams a reality as well. Photos by Ryan Macchione

Purchased by Piperbear in 2012 from the original owners, this 1950s Cape Cod needed a complete stylistic makeover. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was mostly removed, and the kitchen was redone with a new layout, granite countertops and new appliances; the downstairs bathroom was updated with new fixtures and period appropriate black and white hexagon tile. Upstairs, 220 feet of square footage was added by raising the roof and pushing into the dormers, creating a new full bathroom and laundry area.

Inspiration for a small farmhouse light wood floor and beige floor hallway remodel in Portland with white walls

Photo: Heather Banks © 2015 Houzz Design: Brandi Hines
Home office - modern home office idea in Austin

Mid-sized danish formal and enclosed carpeted and beige floor living room photo in Detroit with beige walls, no fireplace and no tv

Photo: Sarah Greenman © 2014 Houzz
Kitchen - eclectic kitchen idea in Dallas

Design Consultant Jeff Doubét is the author of Creating Spanish Style Homes: Before & After – Techniques – Designs – Insights. The 240 page “Design Consultation in a Book” is now available. Please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com for more info. Jeff Doubét specializes in Santa Barbara style home and landscape designs. To learn more info about the variety of custom design services I offer, please visit SantaBarbaraHomeDesigner.com Jeff Doubét is the Founder of Santa Barbara Home Design - a design studio based in Santa Barbara, California USA.