This active, forward-thinking couple bought a new house in order to “right-size” for the next chapter in their lives. They found a ranch home in a neighborhood they liked, but the floor plan needed a remodel in order to fit their lifestyle. Two small bedrooms were combined in order to make one large master. The existing living room and garage were combined to make one large living space. The floor of the garage was raised to be on an equal plane to the existing living room. Hardwood was added to match the existing flooring and then all was refinished for a fresh look. A large ViWinco Bay Window was added where the garage door once was, and a Velux Solar Skylight was installed to add to the natural sunlight coming from the bay. Custom built-ins lined the furthest wall for storage and closet space. Sliding doors were installed as an entrance and exit to the back of the existing house. A new extended length garage was added for the owner’s vehicles with spare room for the homeowners brewing experiments. Azek window and door trim surrounded the newly installed ViWinco windows along with Cedar Siding mimicking the house. Liftmaster Garage Doors were installed with dual controls for the car and a spare for safety and easy entry. Hangout for Grandchildren These two people are much too busy with their jobs and their many hobbies, from beer brewing, to gardening, and everything in between. But they needed a place where grandchildren could hang out and watch a movie when they came to visit. A part of their basement was finished into a perfect space with a lot of storage for games, books, movies and any other toys or crafts that may need to be stored for frequent visits. Custom bookshelves lined two walls and one was designed for the television and all its components. The area was carpeted and a hall was created with tile to another storage cabinet for linens. A nice basement bathroom was created opposite to the laundry area. Basement Bathroom Remodel A Sterling Accord, 60” Seated Shower was installed in the bathroom with a Moen 4-functioning massaging hand shower with slide bar for the shower feature. A Wellborn select vanity was selected with upgraded solid wood, dovetail drawers. Moen’s hardware on the cabinets compliments the brushed nickel plumbing fixtures in Moen’s Voss Series. The Highline Kohler comfort height toilet, along with the Grip-tight Cachet seat added to the practicality, along with the beauty of this basement bath. A Verdera Kohler mirrored cabinet was installed, giving this homeowner more storage for all those bathroom essentials. Kohler was also installed in this remodel, as the Caxton sink is a bathroom favorite among many of our clients. The Caesar stone countertop in Urban Safari, along with the 12” X 12” Castelbianco Nasino Ivory tile flooring, softens the look and brings it all together. This wonderful couple can now concentrate on their gardening and savoring the long days of summer.

Outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware really made this Houston outdoor living space design project shine. “It really went well,” says Wayne Franks, owner of Outdoor Homescapes of Houston. “It's not a huge space, but moving the existing two columns about four feet and bringing the roof out only three feet made all the difference in the world.” “This particular client wanted a larger space to entertain,” says senior designer Lisha Maxey, who served as an outdoor furniture consultant while managing construction for the project. The original space, Lisha explains, had two oddly placed columns blocking a clear view of the beautiful pool area from inside the home. “We removed those columns and gave her three more feet of roof, which extended her living area while also giving her the view she wanted.” Since the client - a woman in her mid-50s with grown children who visit frequently - only wanted a small outdoor kitchen island with a 30-inch RCS grill Outdoor Homescapes closed up a French door that led from the master bedroom (which she never used) and created a new stucco wall for the kitchen. “I would definitely call the style of this space ‘transitional,” says Lisha. The client is a very eclectic world traveler and a collector of art, yet wanted her outdoor living space to feel like a warm, homey living room once we placed the furniture and décor. In the end, her finishes centered around rustic stone, detailed columns and furniture leaning towards the contemporary.” Much of the warmth in the space, she says, comes from the colors of the dry-stacked Sunset Canyon ledgestone. “It looks just like it sounds – like the sun setting in a deep canyon!” “The columns are unique – decorative and fluted,” adds Wayne. The client, who’d received five free hours of outdoor furniture consultation as part of an ongoing promotion, also wanted Lisha to help her select, buy and help place furnishings. “I believe that now - more than ever - consumers are looking for turn-key operations in any type of service industry - a ‘one-stop-shop,’ so to speak,” says Lisha. “It gives us a more personal touch with the client, as well as an edge in the industry in terms of selling our designs, as the client is reassured that we’ll work with them in every aspect to give them the outdoor living space of their dreams.” The client ended up choosing the Biscayne collection – including a chair that rocks and swivels - from Restoration Hardware. They also went with a lower, unique teak coffee table from the Belvedere collection. “We mixed wicker with teak for an equally soft and hard look and added pops of color to bring out the beautiful art collection inside,” says Lisha. “The neutral gray wicker, by the way, was the perfect match for the distressed teak coffee table and credenza. The grays of the Key West granite countertop also echoed this color palette.” For the fabric, Lisha helped keep it neutral with a Mocha linen and popped the color with royal blue throw pillows matching the area rug: “To make the space truly her own, we added some unique copper pots from her collection and a few items she's collected abroad.”

Example of a 1950s home design design in Dallas

Outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware really made this Houston outdoor living space design project shine. “It really went well,” says Wayne Franks, owner of Outdoor Homescapes of Houston. “It's not a huge space, but moving the existing two columns about four feet and bringing the roof out only three feet made all the difference in the world.” “This particular client wanted a larger space to entertain,” says senior designer Lisha Maxey, who served as an outdoor furniture consultant while managing construction for the project. The original space, Lisha explains, had two oddly placed columns blocking a clear view of the beautiful pool area from inside the home. “We removed those columns and gave her three more feet of roof, which extended her living area while also giving her the view she wanted.” Since the client - a woman in her mid-50s with grown children who visit frequently - only wanted a small outdoor kitchen island with a 30-inch RCS grill Outdoor Homescapes closed up a French door that led from the master bedroom (which she never used) and created a new stucco wall for the kitchen. “I would definitely call the style of this space ‘transitional,” says Lisha. The client is a very eclectic world traveler and a collector of art, yet wanted her outdoor living space to feel like a warm, homey living room once we placed the furniture and décor. In the end, her finishes centered around rustic stone, detailed columns and furniture leaning towards the contemporary.” Much of the warmth in the space, she says, comes from the colors of the dry-stacked Sunset Canyon ledgestone. “It looks just like it sounds – like the sun setting in a deep canyon!” “The columns are unique – decorative and fluted,” adds Wayne. The client, who’d received five free hours of outdoor furniture consultation as part of an ongoing promotion, also wanted Lisha to help her select, buy and help place furnishings. “I believe that now - more than ever - consumers are looking for turn-key operations in any type of service industry - a ‘one-stop-shop,’ so to speak,” says Lisha. “It gives us a more personal touch with the client, as well as an edge in the industry in terms of selling our designs, as the client is reassured that we’ll work with them in every aspect to give them the outdoor living space of their dreams.” The client ended up choosing the Biscayne collection – including a chair that rocks and swivels - from Restoration Hardware. They also went with a lower, unique teak coffee table from the Belvedere collection. “We mixed wicker with teak for an equally soft and hard look and added pops of color to bring out the beautiful art collection inside,” says Lisha. “The neutral gray wicker, by the way, was the perfect match for the distressed teak coffee table and credenza. The grays of the Key West granite countertop also echoed this color palette.” For the fabric, Lisha helped keep it neutral with a Mocha linen and popped the color with royal blue throw pillows matching the area rug: “To make the space truly her own, we added some unique copper pots from her collection and a few items she's collected abroad.” Ready to let outdoor furniture transform your living space? Contact us, and we'll get your outdoor design project started!

Outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware really made this Houston outdoor living space design project shine. “It really went well,” says Wayne Franks, owner of Outdoor Homescapes of Houston. “It's not a huge space, but moving the existing two columns about four feet and bringing the roof out only three feet made all the difference in the world.” “This particular client wanted a larger space to entertain,” says senior designer Lisha Maxey, who served as an outdoor furniture consultant while managing construction for the project. The original space, Lisha explains, had two oddly placed columns blocking a clear view of the beautiful pool area from inside the home. “We removed those columns and gave her three more feet of roof, which extended her living area while also giving her the view she wanted.” Since the client - a woman in her mid-50s with grown children who visit frequently - only wanted a small outdoor kitchen island with a 30-inch RCS grill Outdoor Homescapes closed up a French door that led from the master bedroom (which she never used) and created a new stucco wall for the kitchen. “I would definitely call the style of this space ‘transitional,” says Lisha. The client is a very eclectic world traveler and a collector of art, yet wanted her outdoor living space to feel like a warm, homey living room once we placed the furniture and décor. In the end, her finishes centered around rustic stone, detailed columns and furniture leaning towards the contemporary.” Much of the warmth in the space, she says, comes from the colors of the dry-stacked Sunset Canyon ledgestone. “It looks just like it sounds – like the sun setting in a deep canyon!” “The columns are unique – decorative and fluted,” adds Wayne. The client, who’d received five free hours of outdoor furniture consultation as part of an ongoing promotion, also wanted Lisha to help her select, buy and help place furnishings. “I believe that now - more than ever - consumers are looking for turn-key operations in any type of service industry - a ‘one-stop-shop,’ so to speak,” says Lisha. “It gives us a more personal touch with the client, as well as an edge in the industry in terms of selling our designs, as the client is reassured that we’ll work with them in every aspect to give them the outdoor living space of their dreams.” The client ended up choosing the Biscayne collection – including a chair that rocks and swivels - from Restoration Hardware. They also went with a lower, unique teak coffee table from the Belvedere collection. “We mixed wicker with teak for an equally soft and hard look and added pops of color to bring out the beautiful art collection inside,” says Lisha. “The neutral gray wicker, by the way, was the perfect match for the distressed teak coffee table and credenza. The grays of the Key West granite countertop also echoed this color palette.” For the fabric, Lisha helped keep it neutral with a Mocha linen and popped the color with royal blue throw pillows matching the area rug: “To make the space truly her own, we added some unique copper pots from her collection and a few items she's collected abroad.”

This active, forward-thinking couple bought a new house in order to “right-size” for the next chapter in their lives. They found a ranch home in a neighborhood they liked, but the floor plan needed a remodel in order to fit their lifestyle. Two small bedrooms were combined in order to make one large master. The existing living room and garage were combined to make one large living space. The floor of the garage was raised to be on an equal plane to the existing living room. Hardwood was added to match the existing flooring and then all was refinished for a fresh look. A large ViWinco Bay Window was added where the garage door once was, and a Velux Solar Skylight was installed to add to the natural sunlight coming from the bay. Custom built-ins lined the furthest wall for storage and closet space. Sliding doors were installed as an entrance and exit to the back of the existing house. A new extended length garage was added for the owner’s vehicles with spare room for the homeowners brewing experiments. Azek window and door trim surrounded the newly installed ViWinco windows along with Cedar Siding mimicking the house. Liftmaster Garage Doors were installed with dual controls for the car and a spare for safety and easy entry. Hangout for Grandchildren These two people are much too busy with their jobs and their many hobbies, from beer brewing, to gardening, and everything in between. But they needed a place where grandchildren could hang out and watch a movie when they came to visit. A part of their basement was finished into a perfect space with a lot of storage for games, books, movies and any other toys or crafts that may need to be stored for frequent visits. Custom bookshelves lined two walls and one was designed for the television and all its components. The area was carpeted and a hall was created with tile to another storage cabinet for linens. A nice basement bathroom was created opposite to the laundry area. Basement Bathroom Remodel A Sterling Accord, 60” Seated Shower was installed in the bathroom with a Moen 4-functioning massaging hand shower with slide bar for the shower feature. A Wellborn select vanity was selected with upgraded solid wood, dovetail drawers. Moen’s hardware on the cabinets compliments the brushed nickel plumbing fixtures in Moen’s Voss Series. The Highline Kohler comfort height toilet, along with the Grip-tight Cachet seat added to the practicality, along with the beauty of this basement bath. A Verdera Kohler mirrored cabinet was installed, giving this homeowner more storage for all those bathroom essentials. Kohler was also installed in this remodel, as the Caxton sink is a bathroom favorite among many of our clients. The Caesar stone countertop in Urban Safari, along with the 12” X 12” Castelbianco Nasino Ivory tile flooring, softens the look and brings it all together. This wonderful couple can now concentrate on their gardening and savoring the long days of summer.

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware really made this Houston outdoor living space design project shine. “It really went well,” says Wayne Franks, owner of Outdoor Homescapes of Houston. “It's not a huge space, but moving the existing two columns about four feet and bringing the roof out only three feet made all the difference in the world.” “This particular client wanted a larger space to entertain,” says senior designer Lisha Maxey, who served as an outdoor furniture consultant while managing construction for the project. The original space, Lisha explains, had two oddly placed columns blocking a clear view of the beautiful pool area from inside the home. “We removed those columns and gave her three more feet of roof, which extended her living area while also giving her the view she wanted.” Since the client - a woman in her mid-50s with grown children who visit frequently - only wanted a small outdoor kitchen island with a 30-inch RCS grill Outdoor Homescapes closed up a French door that led from the master bedroom (which she never used) and created a new stucco wall for the kitchen. “I would definitely call the style of this space ‘transitional,” says Lisha. The client is a very eclectic world traveler and a collector of art, yet wanted her outdoor living space to feel like a warm, homey living room once we placed the furniture and décor. In the end, her finishes centered around rustic stone, detailed columns and furniture leaning towards the contemporary.” Much of the warmth in the space, she says, comes from the colors of the dry-stacked Sunset Canyon ledgestone. “It looks just like it sounds – like the sun setting in a deep canyon!” “The columns are unique – decorative and fluted,” adds Wayne. The client, who’d received five free hours of outdoor furniture consultation as part of an ongoing promotion, also wanted Lisha to help her select, buy and help place furnishings. “I believe that now - more than ever - consumers are looking for turn-key operations in any type of service industry - a ‘one-stop-shop,’ so to speak,” says Lisha. “It gives us a more personal touch with the client, as well as an edge in the industry in terms of selling our designs, as the client is reassured that we’ll work with them in every aspect to give them the outdoor living space of their dreams.” The client ended up choosing the Biscayne collection – including a chair that rocks and swivels - from Restoration Hardware. They also went with a lower, unique teak coffee table from the Belvedere collection. “We mixed wicker with teak for an equally soft and hard look and added pops of color to bring out the beautiful art collection inside,” says Lisha. “The neutral gray wicker, by the way, was the perfect match for the distressed teak coffee table and credenza. The grays of the Key West granite countertop also echoed this color palette.” For the fabric, Lisha helped keep it neutral with a Mocha linen and popped the color with royal blue throw pillows matching the area rug: “To make the space truly her own, we added some unique copper pots from her collection and a few items she's collected abroad.”

For our full gut renovation of this Manhattan loft penthouse, we partnered with architecture firm Todd Zwigard Architects. Many of our clients know us as experts in the full design-build approach, where we handle every aspect of the project. But in this case, architectural plans were already drawn, the full schedule was finished, and our clients needed a partner to execute on the architectural plans – enter Gallery. Construction management is as vital to a project as the design phase, so we’re happy to offer our expertise in this type of scenario. A DIFFERENT APPROACH Construction and design are often the face of most renovations, but the planning and follow-through are naturally just as necessary to make it all come together. The project itself was a fairly straightforward gut renovation of the loft. Everything was included: new floors, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new lighting. Our task was to manage every aspect of the construction, ensuring that the planning work of Todd Zwigard Architects was executed to the exact vision imagined for this Manhattan loft renovation. CONTEMPORARY GOES ECLECTIC Although we didn’t contribute to the aesthetic of the interior design in this project, we did carry out the plans that brought it life. The tone was very modern, with some eclectic touches. The kitchen, featuring an island with a baby blue lacquered finish, blends contemporary clean lines into an industrial-tinged, almost futuristic aesthetic. Reclaimed wooden doors and art pieces collected throughout the years are an ode to the client's travels, an artistic touch from Todd Zwigard Architects. LET’S TALK Quality of work is of course important, but there are several components of construction management that are equally vital: communication; processes that make sure you're able to adhere to schedules; protocols with both safety and communication. You might say this is the nerding out of the construction process. It’s not often the face of a project, but it’s absolutely massive in terms of carrying out a successful renovation, whether it’s a penthouse loft in Manhattan, a condo in Prospect Heights, or a kitchen in a Brooklyn brownstone. Quality construction management is probably one of the biggest ways to separate professional contractors from those who aren’t. ART FROM CHAOS This was such a large project, so our ability to procure and source all the finishes and fixtures was hugely important to our clients. The sheer number of floors, tiles, and plumbing fixtures alone that need to be ordered, in addition to everything else, plus figuring out lead times, shipments, deliveries, and inspections. It can quickly become chaotic, but there’s an art to the planning and organization, and we’ve mastered it. The larger a project is, the more likely that havoc will rear its head. The antidote is not only really proper planning and construction management, as we achieved in this Manhattan loft penthouse renovation, but also a great working relationship with everyone else involved in the project: contractors, architect, and clients alike. GET IN TOUCH Is a loft renovation in New York in your future? We’re experts in renovating New York homes, from apartment combinations in managed buildings to kitchens and bathrooms in co-ops and condos to gut renovations of historic spaces and landmark renovations. ‍ Contact us to learn more about our approach as a design-and-build firm, where all aspects of your project are handled under the same roof. In addition to construction management, you’ll get our in-house architect in-house and the added renovation benefits of experts in design, material selection, and paperwork.

Outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware really made this Houston outdoor living space design project shine. “It really went well,” says Wayne Franks, owner of Outdoor Homescapes of Houston. “It's not a huge space, but moving the existing two columns about four feet and bringing the roof out only three feet made all the difference in the world.” “This particular client wanted a larger space to entertain,” says senior designer Lisha Maxey, who served as an outdoor furniture consultant while managing construction for the project. The original space, Lisha explains, had two oddly placed columns blocking a clear view of the beautiful pool area from inside the home. “We removed those columns and gave her three more feet of roof, which extended her living area while also giving her the view she wanted.” Since the client - a woman in her mid-50s with grown children who visit frequently - only wanted a small outdoor kitchen island with a 30-inch RCS grill Outdoor Homescapes closed up a French door that led from the master bedroom (which she never used) and created a new stucco wall for the kitchen. “I would definitely call the style of this space ‘transitional,” says Lisha. The client is a very eclectic world traveler and a collector of art, yet wanted her outdoor living space to feel like a warm, homey living room once we placed the furniture and décor. In the end, her finishes centered around rustic stone, detailed columns and furniture leaning towards the contemporary.” Much of the warmth in the space, she says, comes from the colors of the dry-stacked Sunset Canyon ledgestone. “It looks just like it sounds – like the sun setting in a deep canyon!” “The columns are unique – decorative and fluted,” adds Wayne. The client, who’d received five free hours of outdoor furniture consultation as part of an ongoing promotion, also wanted Lisha to help her select, buy and help place furnishings. “I believe that now - more than ever - consumers are looking for turn-key operations in any type of service industry - a ‘one-stop-shop,’ so to speak,” says Lisha. “It gives us a more personal touch with the client, as well as an edge in the industry in terms of selling our designs, as the client is reassured that we’ll work with them in every aspect to give them the outdoor living space of their dreams.” The client ended up choosing the Biscayne collection – including a chair that rocks and swivels - from Restoration Hardware. They also went with a lower, unique teak coffee table from the Belvedere collection. “We mixed wicker with teak for an equally soft and hard look and added pops of color to bring out the beautiful art collection inside,” says Lisha. “The neutral gray wicker, by the way, was the perfect match for the distressed teak coffee table and credenza. The grays of the Key West granite countertop also echoed this color palette.” For the fabric, Lisha helped keep it neutral with a Mocha linen and popped the color with royal blue throw pillows matching the area rug: “To make the space truly her own, we added some unique copper pots from her collection and a few items she's collected abroad.” Ready to let outdoor furniture transform your living space? Contact us, and we'll get your outdoor design project started!

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Small bathroom remodel. Rainfall Shower Walls.
Mid-sized beach style 3/4 blue tile and glass tile porcelain tile corner shower photo in Los Angeles with a one-piece toilet, beige walls and a console sink

Outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware really made this Houston outdoor living space design project shine. “It really went well,” says Wayne Franks, owner of Outdoor Homescapes of Houston. “It's not a huge space, but moving the existing two columns about four feet and bringing the roof out only three feet made all the difference in the world.” “This particular client wanted a larger space to entertain,” says senior designer Lisha Maxey, who served as an outdoor furniture consultant while managing construction for the project. The original space, Lisha explains, had two oddly placed columns blocking a clear view of the beautiful pool area from inside the home. “We removed those columns and gave her three more feet of roof, which extended her living area while also giving her the view she wanted.” Since the client - a woman in her mid-50s with grown children who visit frequently - only wanted a small outdoor kitchen island with a 30-inch RCS grill Outdoor Homescapes closed up a French door that led from the master bedroom (which she never used) and created a new stucco wall for the kitchen. “I would definitely call the style of this space ‘transitional,” says Lisha. The client is a very eclectic world traveler and a collector of art, yet wanted her outdoor living space to feel like a warm, homey living room once we placed the furniture and décor. In the end, her finishes centered around rustic stone, detailed columns and furniture leaning towards the contemporary.” Much of the warmth in the space, she says, comes from the colors of the dry-stacked Sunset Canyon ledgestone. “It looks just like it sounds – like the sun setting in a deep canyon!” “The columns are unique – decorative and fluted,” adds Wayne. The client, who’d received five free hours of outdoor furniture consultation as part of an ongoing promotion, also wanted Lisha to help her select, buy and help place furnishings. “I believe that now - more than ever - consumers are looking for turn-key operations in any type of service industry - a ‘one-stop-shop,’ so to speak,” says Lisha. “It gives us a more personal touch with the client, as well as an edge in the industry in terms of selling our designs, as the client is reassured that we’ll work with them in every aspect to give them the outdoor living space of their dreams.” The client ended up choosing the Biscayne collection – including a chair that rocks and swivels - from Restoration Hardware. They also went with a lower, unique teak coffee table from the Belvedere collection. “We mixed wicker with teak for an equally soft and hard look and added pops of color to bring out the beautiful art collection inside,” says Lisha. “The neutral gray wicker, by the way, was the perfect match for the distressed teak coffee table and credenza. The grays of the Key West granite countertop also echoed this color palette.” For the fabric, Lisha helped keep it neutral with a Mocha linen and popped the color with royal blue throw pillows matching the area rug: “To make the space truly her own, we added some unique copper pots from her collection and a few items she's collected abroad.” Ready to let outdoor furniture transform your living space? Contact us, and we'll get your outdoor design project started!

For our full gut renovation of this Manhattan loft penthouse, we partnered with architecture firm Todd Zwigard Architects. Many of our clients know us as experts in the full design-build approach, where we handle every aspect of the project. But in this case, architectural plans were already drawn, the full schedule was finished, and our clients needed a partner to execute on the architectural plans – enter Gallery. Construction management is as vital to a project as the design phase, so we’re happy to offer our expertise in this type of scenario. A DIFFERENT APPROACH Construction and design are often the face of most renovations, but the planning and follow-through are naturally just as necessary to make it all come together. The project itself was a fairly straightforward gut renovation of the loft. Everything was included: new floors, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new lighting. Our task was to manage every aspect of the construction, ensuring that the planning work of Todd Zwigard Architects was executed to the exact vision imagined for this Manhattan loft renovation. CONTEMPORARY GOES ECLECTIC Although we didn’t contribute to the aesthetic of the interior design in this project, we did carry out the plans that brought it life. The tone was very modern, with some eclectic touches. The kitchen, featuring an island with a baby blue lacquered finish, blends contemporary clean lines into an industrial-tinged, almost futuristic aesthetic. Reclaimed wooden doors and art pieces collected throughout the years are an ode to the client's travels, an artistic touch from Todd Zwigard Architects. LET’S TALK Quality of work is of course important, but there are several components of construction management that are equally vital: communication; processes that make sure you're able to adhere to schedules; protocols with both safety and communication. You might say this is the nerding out of the construction process. It’s not often the face of a project, but it’s absolutely massive in terms of carrying out a successful renovation, whether it’s a penthouse loft in Manhattan, a condo in Prospect Heights, or a kitchen in a Brooklyn brownstone. Quality construction management is probably one of the biggest ways to separate professional contractors from those who aren’t. ART FROM CHAOS This was such a large project, so our ability to procure and source all the finishes and fixtures was hugely important to our clients. The sheer number of floors, tiles, and plumbing fixtures alone that need to be ordered, in addition to everything else, plus figuring out lead times, shipments, deliveries, and inspections. It can quickly become chaotic, but there’s an art to the planning and organization, and we’ve mastered it. The larger a project is, the more likely that havoc will rear its head. The antidote is not only really proper planning and construction management, as we achieved in this Manhattan loft penthouse renovation, but also a great working relationship with everyone else involved in the project: contractors, architect, and clients alike. GET IN TOUCH Is a loft renovation in New York in your future? We’re experts in renovating New York homes, from apartment combinations in managed buildings to kitchens and bathrooms in co-ops and condos to gut renovations of historic spaces and landmark renovations. ‍ Contact us to learn more about our approach as a design-and-build firm, where all aspects of your project are handled under the same roof. In addition to construction management, you’ll get our in-house architect in-house and the added renovation benefits of experts in design, material selection, and paperwork.

For our full gut renovation of this Manhattan loft penthouse, we partnered with architecture firm Todd Zwigard Architects. Many of our clients know us as experts in the full design-build approach, where we handle every aspect of the project. But in this case, architectural plans were already drawn, the full schedule was finished, and our clients needed a partner to execute on the architectural plans – enter Gallery. Construction management is as vital to a project as the design phase, so we’re happy to offer our expertise in this type of scenario. A DIFFERENT APPROACH Construction and design are often the face of most renovations, but the planning and follow-through are naturally just as necessary to make it all come together. The project itself was a fairly straightforward gut renovation of the loft. Everything was included: new floors, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new lighting. Our task was to manage every aspect of the construction, ensuring that the planning work of Todd Zwigard Architects was executed to the exact vision imagined for this Manhattan loft renovation. CONTEMPORARY GOES ECLECTIC Although we didn’t contribute to the aesthetic of the interior design in this project, we did carry out the plans that brought it life. The tone was very modern, with some eclectic touches. The kitchen, featuring an island with a baby blue lacquered finish, blends contemporary clean lines into an industrial-tinged, almost futuristic aesthetic. Reclaimed wooden doors and art pieces collected throughout the years are an ode to the client's travels, an artistic touch from Todd Zwigard Architects. LET’S TALK Quality of work is of course important, but there are several components of construction management that are equally vital: communication; processes that make sure you're able to adhere to schedules; protocols with both safety and communication. You might say this is the nerding out of the construction process. It’s not often the face of a project, but it’s absolutely massive in terms of carrying out a successful renovation, whether it’s a penthouse loft in Manhattan, a condo in Prospect Heights, or a kitchen in a Brooklyn brownstone. Quality construction management is probably one of the biggest ways to separate professional contractors from those who aren’t. ART FROM CHAOS This was such a large project, so our ability to procure and source all the finishes and fixtures was hugely important to our clients. The sheer number of floors, tiles, and plumbing fixtures alone that need to be ordered, in addition to everything else, plus figuring out lead times, shipments, deliveries, and inspections. It can quickly become chaotic, but there’s an art to the planning and organization, and we’ve mastered it. The larger a project is, the more likely that havoc will rear its head. The antidote is not only really proper planning and construction management, as we achieved in this Manhattan loft penthouse renovation, but also a great working relationship with everyone else involved in the project: contractors, architect, and clients alike. GET IN TOUCH Is a loft renovation in New York in your future? We’re experts in renovating New York homes, from apartment combinations in managed buildings to kitchens and bathrooms in co-ops and condos to gut renovations of historic spaces and landmark renovations. ‍ Contact us to learn more about our approach as a design-and-build firm, where all aspects of your project are handled under the same roof. In addition to construction management, you’ll get our in-house architect in-house and the added renovation benefits of experts in design, material selection, and paperwork.

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

For our full gut renovation of this Manhattan loft penthouse, we partnered with architecture firm Todd Zwigard Architects. Many of our clients know us as experts in the full design-build approach, where we handle every aspect of the project. But in this case, architectural plans were already drawn, the full schedule was finished, and our clients needed a partner to execute on the architectural plans – enter Gallery. Construction management is as vital to a project as the design phase, so we’re happy to offer our expertise in this type of scenario. A DIFFERENT APPROACH Construction and design are often the face of most renovations, but the planning and follow-through are naturally just as necessary to make it all come together. The project itself was a fairly straightforward gut renovation of the loft. Everything was included: new floors, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new lighting. Our task was to manage every aspect of the construction, ensuring that the planning work of Todd Zwigard Architects was executed to the exact vision imagined for this Manhattan loft renovation. CONTEMPORARY GOES ECLECTIC Although we didn’t contribute to the aesthetic of the interior design in this project, we did carry out the plans that brought it life. The tone was very modern, with some eclectic touches. The kitchen, featuring an island with a baby blue lacquered finish, blends contemporary clean lines into an industrial-tinged, almost futuristic aesthetic. Reclaimed wooden doors and art pieces collected throughout the years are an ode to the client's travels, an artistic touch from Todd Zwigard Architects. LET’S TALK Quality of work is of course important, but there are several components of construction management that are equally vital: communication; processes that make sure you're able to adhere to schedules; protocols with both safety and communication. You might say this is the nerding out of the construction process. It’s not often the face of a project, but it’s absolutely massive in terms of carrying out a successful renovation, whether it’s a penthouse loft in Manhattan, a condo in Prospect Heights, or a kitchen in a Brooklyn brownstone. Quality construction management is probably one of the biggest ways to separate professional contractors from those who aren’t. ART FROM CHAOS This was such a large project, so our ability to procure and source all the finishes and fixtures was hugely important to our clients. The sheer number of floors, tiles, and plumbing fixtures alone that need to be ordered, in addition to everything else, plus figuring out lead times, shipments, deliveries, and inspections. It can quickly become chaotic, but there’s an art to the planning and organization, and we’ve mastered it. The larger a project is, the more likely that havoc will rear its head. The antidote is not only really proper planning and construction management, as we achieved in this Manhattan loft penthouse renovation, but also a great working relationship with everyone else involved in the project: contractors, architect, and clients alike. GET IN TOUCH Is a loft renovation in New York in your future? We’re experts in renovating New York homes, from apartment combinations in managed buildings to kitchens and bathrooms in co-ops and condos to gut renovations of historic spaces and landmark renovations. ‍ Contact us to learn more about our approach as a design-and-build firm, where all aspects of your project are handled under the same roof. In addition to construction management, you’ll get our in-house architect in-house and the added renovation benefits of experts in design, material selection, and paperwork.

For our full gut renovation of this Manhattan loft penthouse, we partnered with architecture firm Todd Zwigard Architects. Many of our clients know us as experts in the full design-build approach, where we handle every aspect of the project. But in this case, architectural plans were already drawn, the full schedule was finished, and our clients needed a partner to execute on the architectural plans – enter Gallery. Construction management is as vital to a project as the design phase, so we’re happy to offer our expertise in this type of scenario. A DIFFERENT APPROACH Construction and design are often the face of most renovations, but the planning and follow-through are naturally just as necessary to make it all come together. The project itself was a fairly straightforward gut renovation of the loft. Everything was included: new floors, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, new lighting. Our task was to manage every aspect of the construction, ensuring that the planning work of Todd Zwigard Architects was executed to the exact vision imagined for this Manhattan loft renovation. CONTEMPORARY GOES ECLECTIC Although we didn’t contribute to the aesthetic of the interior design in this project, we did carry out the plans that brought it life. The tone was very modern, with some eclectic touches. The kitchen, featuring an island with a baby blue lacquered finish, blends contemporary clean lines into an industrial-tinged, almost futuristic aesthetic. Reclaimed wooden doors and art pieces collected throughout the years are an ode to the client's travels, an artistic touch from Todd Zwigard Architects. LET’S TALK Quality of work is of course important, but there are several components of construction management that are equally vital: communication; processes that make sure you're able to adhere to schedules; protocols with both safety and communication. You might say this is the nerding out of the construction process. It’s not often the face of a project, but it’s absolutely massive in terms of carrying out a successful renovation, whether it’s a penthouse loft in Manhattan, a condo in Prospect Heights, or a kitchen in a Brooklyn brownstone. Quality construction management is probably one of the biggest ways to separate professional contractors from those who aren’t. ART FROM CHAOS This was such a large project, so our ability to procure and source all the finishes and fixtures was hugely important to our clients. The sheer number of floors, tiles, and plumbing fixtures alone that need to be ordered, in addition to everything else, plus figuring out lead times, shipments, deliveries, and inspections. It can quickly become chaotic, but there’s an art to the planning and organization, and we’ve mastered it. The larger a project is, the more likely that havoc will rear its head. The antidote is not only really proper planning and construction management, as we achieved in this Manhattan loft penthouse renovation, but also a great working relationship with everyone else involved in the project: contractors, architect, and clients alike. GET IN TOUCH Is a loft renovation in New York in your future? We’re experts in renovating New York homes, from apartment combinations in managed buildings to kitchens and bathrooms in co-ops and condos to gut renovations of historic spaces and landmark renovations. ‍ Contact us to learn more about our approach as a design-and-build firm, where all aspects of your project are handled under the same roof. In addition to construction management, you’ll get our in-house architect in-house and the added renovation benefits of experts in design, material selection, and paperwork.