Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Our clients had been in their home since the early 1980’s and decided it was time for some updates. We took on the kitchen, two bathrooms and a powder room. The layout in the kitchen was functional for them, so we kept that pretty much as is. Our client wanted a contemporary-leaning transitional look — nice clean lines with a gray and white palette. Light gray cabinets with a slightly darker gray subway tile keep the northern exposure light and airy. They also purchased some new furniture for their breakfast room and adjoining family room, so the whole space looks completely styled and new. The light fixtures are staggered and give a nice rhythm to the otherwise serene feel. The homeowners were not 100% sold on the flooring choice for little powder room off the kitchen when I first showed it, but now they think it is one of the most interesting features of the design. I always try to “push” my clients a little bit because that’s when things can get really fun and this is what you are paying for after all, ideas that you may not come up with on your own. We also worked on the two upstairs bathrooms. We started first on the hall bath which was basically just in need of a face lift. The floor is porcelain tile made to look like carrera marble. The vanity is white Shaker doors fitted with a white quartz top. We re-glazed the cast iron tub. The master bath was a tub to shower conversion. We used a wood look porcelain plank on the main floor along with a Kohler Tailored vanity. The custom shower has a barn door shower door, and vinyl wallpaper in the sink area gives a rich textured look to the space. Overall, it’s a pretty sophisticated look for its smaller fooprint. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Powder Room remodeled in gray and white tile. Silver gray grasscloth wallpaper gives it texture. Floating cabinet with white marble countertop keeps it light and bright. Gray and white stone tile backsplash gives it drama. Vessel sink keeps in contemporary as does the long polished nickel towels bars. Tom Marks Photography

Amy Bartlam
Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in Los Angeles with multicolored walls and beaded inset cabinets

Beach style gray tile white floor walk-in shower photo with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink, a hinged shower door, white countertops and a built-in vanity

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional gender-neutral carpeted home design remodel with open cabinets and white cabinets

Elegant brown floor and dark wood floor family room photo in Los Angeles with white walls

This Chicago North Shore transitional style kitchen incorporates mixed woods which delineate various kitchen functions. The dark stained wood barn doors provide easy unencumbered access to the walk-in pantry. Norman Sizemore - photographer

Master bath
Inspiration for a large cottage bathroom remodel in Los Angeles

Claw-foot bathtub - mid-sized rustic master gray tile and white tile medium tone wood floor and brown floor claw-foot bathtub idea in New Orleans with dark wood cabinets, flat-panel cabinets, a one-piece toilet, beige walls, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door and white countertops

Eric Roth Photography
Inspiration for a coastal master light wood floor bedroom remodel in Boston with white walls

Karen Swanson of New England Design Works Designed this Pennville Kitchen for her own home, and it won not only the regional Sub-Zero award, but also the National Kitchen & Bath Association's medium kitchen of the year. Karen is located in Manchester, MA and can be reached at nedesignworks@gmail.com or 978.500.1096.

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

Designer: Susanna Samaniego 4 CORNERS: International Design Concepts Interior Architect + Design Specialist susanna@design4corners.com www.design4corners.com ©Linova Photography All Rights Reserved

Inspiration for a small contemporary white tile and subway tile mosaic tile floor powder room remodel in Raleigh with a pedestal sink, a two-piece toilet and white walls

Linda Oyama Bryan
Example of a mid-sized trendy backyard gravel outdoor patio shower design in Seattle with a roof extension

The master suite features a colorful bedroom with playful graphic designs on the bedspread and wall paper. Next to the bedroom is the master on-suite bathroom. Scavolini suspended bath cabinetry is a organic medium brown textured melamin (copied in the two jack & jill bathrooms also pictured). The room is centered around a stand alone white porcelain tub with chrome faucet. Jack & Jill bathrooms are almost identical, using the same 'warm' textured melamine in the cabinets from Scavolini. Each bathroom has its own identity in the small upper medicine cabinet, one in sage green and the other in turquoise blue matte lacquer. Martin Vecchio

Upstairs bathroom. Photo: Juintow Lin
Bathroom - mid-sized modern 3/4 black tile and subway tile ceramic tile and beige floor bathroom idea in San Diego with a vessel sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, gray walls, solid surface countertops and white countertops

The desk area was also done in the same grey stained oak, with a clean floating design to maximize seating space and create an open feel. The wallpaper takes a more prominent role here behind the woodwork. Cords were eliminated largely by going wireless wherever possible. The remaining cords are run through the wall. © emily gilbert

French country master double-sink drop-in bathtub photo in San Francisco with open cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, a vessel sink, marble countertops and white countertops