Beach style master ceramic tile and black tile ceramic tile and white floor corner shower photo in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, white walls, an undermount sink, solid surface countertops, a hinged shower door and beige countertops

Trendy master light wood floor bedroom photo in Orange County with beige walls and no fireplace

Finding a home is not easy in a seller’s market, but when my clients discovered one—even though it needed a bit of work—in a beautiful area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, they decided to jump in. Surrounded by old-growth redwood trees and a sense of old-time history, the house’s location informed the design brief for their desired remodel work. Yet I needed to balance this with my client’s preference for clean-lined, modern style. Suffering from a previous remodel, the galley-like bathroom in the master suite was long and dank. My clients were willing to completely redesign the layout of the suite, so the bathroom became the walk-in closet. We borrowed space from the bedroom to create a new, larger master bathroom which now includes a separate tub and shower. The look of the room nods to nature with organic elements like a pebbled shower floor and vertical accent tiles of honed green slate. A custom vanity of blue weathered wood and a ceiling that recalls the look of pressed tin evoke a time long ago when people settled this mountain region. At the same time, the hardware in the room looks to the future with sleek, modular shapes in a chic matte black finish. Harmonious, serene, with personality: just what my clients wanted. Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Example of a beach style master bedroom design in Minneapolis with multicolored walls

Living room - eclectic dark wood floor and brown floor living room idea in New York with gray walls and a standard fireplace

This gem of a house was built in the 1950s, when its neighborhood undoubtedly felt remote. The university footprint has expanded in the 70 years since, however, and today this home sits on prime real estate—easy biking and reasonable walking distance to campus. When it went up for sale in 2017, it was largely unaltered. Our clients purchased it to renovate and resell, and while we all knew we'd need to add square footage to make it profitable, we also wanted to respect the neighborhood and the house’s own history. Swedes have a word that means “just the right amount”: lagom. It is a guiding philosophy for us at SYH, and especially applied in this renovation. Part of the soul of this house was about living in just the right amount of space. Super sizing wasn’t a thing in 1950s America. So, the solution emerged: keep the original rectangle, but add an L off the back. With no owner to design with and for, SYH created a layout to appeal to the masses. All public spaces are the back of the home--the new addition that extends into the property’s expansive backyard. A den and four smallish bedrooms are atypically located in the front of the house, in the original 1500 square feet. Lagom is behind that choice: conserve space in the rooms where you spend most of your time with your eyes shut. Put money and square footage toward the spaces in which you mostly have your eyes open. In the studio, we started calling this project the Mullet Ranch—business up front, party in the back. The front has a sleek but quiet effect, mimicking its original low-profile architecture street-side. It’s very Hoosier of us to keep appearances modest, we think. But get around to the back, and surprise! lofted ceilings and walls of windows. Gorgeous.

Tom Zikas Photography
Large mountain style master ceramic tile and brown tile slate floor alcove shower photo in Sacramento with a vessel sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and white walls

Photography by Luke Potter
Inspiration for a huge contemporary master medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom remodel in Vancouver with white walls and no fireplace

Large trendy master brown tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile and beige floor corner shower photo in Other with flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, brown walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and a hinged shower door

Salisbury, CT This 4,000 square foot vacation house in northwest Connecticut sits on a small promontory with views across a lake to hills beyond. While the site was extraordinary, the owner’s existing house had no redeeming value. It was demolished, and its foundations provided the base for this house. The new house rises from a stone base set into the hillside. A guest bedroom, recreation room and wine cellar are located in this half cellar with views toward the lake. Above the house steps back creating a terrace across the entire length of the house with a covered dining porch at one end and steps down to the lawn at the other end. This main portion of the house is sided with wood clapboard and detailed simply to recall the 19th century farmhouses in the area. Large windows and ‘french’ doors open the living room and family room to the terrace and view. A large kitchen is open to the family room and also serves a formal dining room on the entrance side of the house. On the second floor a there is a spacious master suite and three additional bedrooms. A new ‘carriage house’ garage thirty feet from the main house was built and the driveway and topography altered to create a new sense of approach and entry.

Elizabeth Neal
Inspiration for a rustic master medium tone wood floor bedroom remodel in Other with no fireplace

Example of a beach style master light wood floor and beige floor freestanding bathtub design in Other

Walter Elliott Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized coastal guest medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom remodel in Charleston with white walls

We preserved and restored the front brick facade on this Worker Cottage renovation. A new roof slope was created with the existing dormers and new windows were added to the dormers to filter more natural light into the house. The existing rear exterior had zero connection to the backyard, so we removed the back porch, brought the first level down to grade, and designed an easy walkout connection to the yard. The new master suite now has a private balcony with roof overhangs to provide protection from sun and rain.

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in Philadelphia

Faith Allen
Freestanding bathtub - mid-sized traditional master stone slab marble floor freestanding bathtub idea in Atlanta with white cabinets, an undermount sink, marble countertops, beige walls and recessed-panel cabinets

Photo by Joe Fletcher Artwork on Wall by Christopher Winter ("Songs of Innocence I")
Inspiration for a contemporary formal gray floor and concrete floor living room remodel in San Francisco with white walls, a two-sided fireplace and no tv

Freestanding bathtub - large modern master white tile limestone floor freestanding bathtub idea in San Francisco with an integrated sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, a wall-mount toilet and brown walls

This cozy lake cottage skillfully incorporates a number of features that would normally be restricted to a larger home design. A glance of the exterior reveals a simple story and a half gable running the length of the home, enveloping the majority of the interior spaces. To the rear, a pair of gables with copper roofing flanks a covered dining area and screened porch. Inside, a linear foyer reveals a generous staircase with cascading landing. Further back, a centrally placed kitchen is connected to all of the other main level entertaining spaces through expansive cased openings. A private study serves as the perfect buffer between the homes master suite and living room. Despite its small footprint, the master suite manages to incorporate several closets, built-ins, and adjacent master bath complete with a soaker tub flanked by separate enclosures for a shower and water closet. Upstairs, a generous double vanity bathroom is shared by a bunkroom, exercise space, and private bedroom. The bunkroom is configured to provide sleeping accommodations for up to 4 people. The rear-facing exercise has great views of the lake through a set of windows that overlook the copper roof of the screened porch below.