Contractor: Kevin F. Russo Interiors: Anne McDonald Design Photo: Scott Amundson
Example of a beach style brown wood house exterior design in Portland with a black roof

Relocating from their home in Brisbane, Australia with ocean views to the Pacific, our clients envisioned a refresh for their new lakefront cottage on Pine Lake in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Completed in July 2024, we created new spaces, reimagined old ones, and even swapped places for a primary bedroom and its en suite bath. Our goal was to create a serene and soothing spa- like experience for the bathroom, all while maintaining gorgeous lake views. But this reconfiguration presented some challenges. The primary bedroom was oversized, while its adjacent bath was tiny and crowded. We completely flipped the locations of the bedroom and bathroom, even rerouting plumbing over the bar in the lower level to accommodate the freestanding tub. To maximize space, we designed large, walk-in dressing pantries that are as functional as they are beautiful, and lead to the large dual custom vanity. The vanity itself is freestanding to provide access for hand towel bath hardware on its sides. The his-and-hers unit contains built-in dividers, laundry hampers and trash pullouts to maximize its function. An enclosed water closet allows for privacy in the open concept bathroom, and is placed beyond the cabinetry. The star of this space is the large enclosed wet room. As the focal point of the bathroom, its oversized tiled walls and deep built-in bench allow for a steam or soaking in the tub while enjoying stunning lake views. The wet room is spacious and serene, and perfect for an end to a Michigan winter day.

Inspired by the surrounding landscape, the Craftsman/Prairie style is one of the few truly American architectural styles. It was developed around the turn of the century by a group of Midwestern architects and continues to be among the most comfortable of all American-designed architecture more than a century later, one of the main reasons it continues to attract architects and homeowners today. Oxbridge builds on that solid reputation, drawing from Craftsman/Prairie and classic Farmhouse styles. Its handsome Shingle-clad exterior includes interesting pitched rooflines, alternating rows of cedar shake siding, stone accents in the foundation and chimney and distinctive decorative brackets. Repeating triple windows add interest to the exterior while keeping interior spaces open and bright. Inside, the floor plan is equally impressive. Columns on the porch and a custom entry door with sidelights and decorative glass leads into a spacious 2,900-square-foot main floor, including a 19 by 24-foot living room with a period-inspired built-ins and a natural fireplace. While inspired by the past, the home lives for the present, with open rooms and plenty of storage throughout. Also included is a 27-foot-wide family-style kitchen with a large island and eat-in dining and a nearby dining room with a beadboard ceiling that leads out onto a relaxing 240-square-foot screen porch that takes full advantage of the nearby outdoors and a private 16 by 20-foot master suite with a sloped ceiling and relaxing personal sitting area. The first floor also includes a large walk-in closet, a home management area and pantry to help you stay organized and a first-floor laundry area. Upstairs, another 1,500 square feet awaits, with a built-ins and a window seat at the top of the stairs that nod to the home’s historic inspiration. Opt for three family bedrooms or use one of the three as a yoga room; the upper level also includes attic access, which offers another 500 square feet, perfect for crafts or a playroom. More space awaits in the lower level, where another 1,500 square feet (and an additional 1,000) include a recreation/family room with nine-foot ceilings, a wine cellar and home office. Photographer: Jeff Garland

Casey Dunn
This is an example of a mid-sized cottage porch design in Austin with decking.

The exterior of this home is a modern composition of intersecting masses and planes, all cleanly proportioned. The natural wood overhang and front door stand out from the monochromatic taupe/bronze color scheme. http://www.kipnisarch.com Cable Photo/Wayne Cable http://selfmadephoto.com

The new floor plan design made more effective use of the space, accommodating multiple renovation needs into the kitchen. The new layout created an open galley kitchen with a 13 1/2′ Island with seating at each end, a cool-grey custom banquette with 2 tables.

Low-profile landscape plantings under the arching redbud create focus on the front entry while walking through the garden. Rectilinear containers amplify the mid-century modern lines of the home.

The True Ofuro Mini came about as the direct result of your requests. It too is inspired by the ancient traditions of Japanese bathing that led to the development of our incredibly popular True Ofuro. It too draws on the best ergonomic principles to sculpt a bath with internal seating and built-in headrest, made available in a very compact footprint to fit into even the smallest bathrooms. In fact, Aquatica’s clever designers have managed to create this ‘small and tall’ tub, deep enough for full body soaking in a footprint of just 43”. Now we have made one more important innovation to the Ofuro Mini - the addition of a stunning graphite black option, using our award-winning and ground-breaking AquateX™ solid surface composite. Just think how that might look in your bathroom! It is taller and deeper and features a slightly elevated rim for improved neck and head support, as well as a convenient ergonomic built-in seat, allowing the body to comfortably emerge to maximum water capacity. The height of the True Ofuro Mini Japanese style soaking bathtub is substantially taller than the original True Ofuro bathtub, and therefore we recommend people who are shorter than 170cm also purchase our stylish teak wood step. Aquatica’s international industrial design team, used advanced CAD tools, modeling and repeated testing with real size prototype units so that we could reach the optimal balance between ergonomic comfort and visual appeal. Our AquateX™ material is the star in this Japanese soaking tub as it retains heat much longer and also has a silky and velvety surface. This bathtub is currently one of our most space conscious bathtubs at a size of 43" x 43" (1090x1090mm), making the freestanding and petite construction of this Japanese style bathtub easy to be installed in any sized bathroom.

Finished photos of this screened porch conversion to a four seasons room.
Inspiration for a mid-sized craftsman vinyl floor sunroom remodel in St Louis with a standard ceiling

Lake house entry. Stone facade, craftsman door. Metal roof. Trent Bell Photography. Richardson & Associates Landscape Architect
Example of a large arts and crafts two-story mixed siding house exterior design in Portland Maine with a mixed material roof

Project Developer Jim Wrenn http://www.houzz.com/pro/jwrenn1/jim-wrenn-case-design-remodeling-inc Designer Stephanie Dickens http://www.houzz.com/pro/sdickens1/stephanie-dickens-case-design-remodeling-inc Project Manager Rich Gettys Photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg

Function meets fashion in this relaxing retreat inspired by turn-of-the-century cottages. Perfect for a lot with limited space or a water view, this delightful design packs ample living into an open floor plan spread out on three levels. Elements of classic farmhouses and Craftsman-style bungalows can be seen in the updated exterior, which boasts shingles, porch columns, and decorative venting and windows. Inside, a covered front porch leads into an entry with a charming window seat and to the centrally located 17 by 12-foot kitchen. Nearby is an 11 by 15-foot dining and a picturesque outdoor patio. On the right side of the more than 1,500-square-foot main level is the 14 by 18-foot living room with a gas fireplace and access to the adjacent covered patio where you can enjoy the changing seasons. Also featured is a convenient mud room and laundry near the 700-square-foot garage, a large master suite and a handy home management center off the dining and living room. Upstairs, another approximately 1,400 square feet include two family bedrooms and baths, a 15 by 14-foot loft dedicated to music, and another area designed for crafts and sewing. Other hobbies and entertaining aren’t excluded in the lower level, where you can enjoy the billiards or games area, a large family room for relaxing, a guest bedroom, exercise area and bath. Photographers: Ashley Avila Photography Pat Chambers Builder: Bouwkamp Builders, Inc.

Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina jessamine). Tulinda's Garden, LLC

This laundry room offers so much more then just cleaning. Thermador fridges and a substantial amount of storage makes it easy to store items. The gray cabinets with the slate herringbone floors makes this laundry room a one of kind. Space planning and cabinetry: Jennifer Howard, JWH Construction: JWH Construction Management Photography: Tim Lenz.

1. Safety Light is an amazing thing. It illuminates everything around us and allows us to see. Unfortunately, every night the sun removes itself along with its full spectrum of light. Now those things that we would normally see like steps, trees, or pools become difficult to see. Climbing stairs without lighting is a great way to fall. Even worse is if you miss the stairs and run face first into a tree. Worse than that is if you fall into the pool. You can see where this is going. Lighting up a landscape is important for safety. Any family or friends who aren’t familiar with the property could be endangered without a properly lit environment. 2. Security I promise these aren’t scare tactics, but security is a valid concern. Thieves prospecting a property will look in from the street. A well-lit building will have a better chance of scaring off a potential burglar compared to a non-lit darker front-yard. It is much easier to sneak around in the dark than in a well-lit beautiful landscape. 3. Beauty and Value LED Directional Landscape Flood Lights are experiences with several tactics to create a beautiful, safe, and secure landscape. Through up lights, down lights, accents, and path lights there are several great ways to improve a yard. Lights can provide, shadows, highlights, silhouettes, wall-washes, and a moonlight effect. Those are plenty of options for a great designer to make something beautiful. Beyond that, crafted fixtures with specific textures can change the environment substantially. Alcon Lighting provides the widest expanse of great products to set the mood for your landscape. Not only does great lighting make a great experience, it also adds value to the property. A beautiful property with a well-lit architecture and landscape can completely change the outer appearance of a property. This kind of value can provide a great return on your investment. 4. You’ve been doing it for years You’ve probably been managing lighting design and landscape lighting for years. If you celebrate Christmas, you can appreciate the hard work and the resulting beauty of a well-lit or elegantly glowing property. Every year, it becomes a competition to light the most extravagant lights and get the biggest luminous trees. Landscape lighting is like a tasteful and all year Christmas experience. If you’ve already been lighting up your house once a year, why not make it a full-time experience?

Example of a classic kitchen design in Detroit

Large arts and crafts master ceramic tile and beige floor bedroom photo in DC Metro with beige walls and no fireplace

Inspiration for a transitional living room remodel in Minneapolis

The master bath in this Valley View custom estate (built by Noble Classic Homes) was designed to feel like a boutique hotel spa. The challenge here was blending different natural textures—polished stone, handmade tile, and river rock—into a cohesive, waterproof environment. This level of complexity requires a single "One-Stop" team to manage the waterproofing, stone fabrication, and plumbing rough-ins simultaneously. The Tub Deck: We fabricated the tub surround using a massive slab of Carrara Marble (or White Quartzite). Unlike a tiled deck, the solid slab offers a seamless look with fewer grout lines to clean. Our team at Stonemeyer Granite mitered the edges to give the stone a thick, substantial appearance that anchors the room. The Walls: We wrapped the entire wet area in White Zellige-Style Ceramic Tile. Zellige tiles are intentionally imperfect and uneven, making them notoriously difficult to install level. Our expert tile setters meticulously spaced them to create that shimmering, handmade texture without sacrificing waterproof integrity. The Shower Floor: Visible on the right, we installed a River Rock Pebble Mosaic floor. This provides a natural foot massage and superior slip resistance, grounded by a perfect slope to the drain. Materials Highlights: Tub Surround: Carrara Marble Slab (Polished) Wall Tile: 4x4 White Zellige Ceramic (Gloss) Shower Floor: Natural River Rock Pebble Tub: Drop-In Soaking Tub If you want a luxury master bath in North Texas that masters the mix of organic textures and high-end stone, contact The Design House.