We wanted to give our client a masculine living room that emphasized the modern, clean lines of the architecture and also maximized space for entertaining. With a custom built-in, we were able to define with living and dining areas, provide ample storage, and set the stage for entertaining with wine + glass storage. Comfort was also key, so we selected cozy textures and warm woods all balanced with the large scale art pieces. Photos by Matthew Williams

Example of a southwest freestanding desk home studio design in Seattle with yellow walls

A 6,000 square foot 2-story new home complex in Milpitas was designed to facilitate the owners’ large business parties and gatherings, to have rooms for the kids to come back to upstairs, and a ground floor master suite with a huge walk-in closet. Several separate structures make up the dwelling: The main house, 3-car garage with carport for overflow parking, and a separate entertainment and recreation building separated by a courtyard from the main house. The business activities include gatherings in the hundreds of people, so parking was maximized and guests can flow in through a separate gate to party in the courtyard and recreation building. Inside this structure is a wet bar, billiard room, workout gym and home theater. The main house ground floor has formal and informal living rooms, open kitchen and master suite with views and expansive windows in every direction. The house is sited on the crestline of a hill with views of the San Francisco Bay and private golf course below. The indoor-outdoor aspect of the house is further accentuated with outside living and dining areas. High ceilings and expansive glass walls dissolve the sense of enclosure taking advantage of the site’s openness and privacy. The owner’s suite is downstairs in anticipation of aging-in-place, and upstairs there are three bedrooms and four bathrooms plus a sitting area lounge and casual TV loft area. The house sits on one acre at the top of a low hill range overlooking Milpitas. The city was very cognizant of the importance of keeping a low profile at this crestline and required extensive story poles and photo evidence of the proper height and siting so as not to be seen from certain selected vantage points. GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JCD Builders Inc. LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Morf Chang Landscape Architecture / ODS Architecture PHOTOGRAPHS: Paul Dyer Photography

Located in Newport Beach’s coveted Port Streets, this family home was taken down to the studs and completely reimagined to create a layered, detail-rich forever home. We expanded key living spaces — including the kitchen and primary bathroom — to enhance both functionality and everyday luxury. Throughout the home, thoughtfully curated moments bring personality and warmth. From the beautifully wallpapered dining room to the checkerboard marble laundry room, each space was designed to feel timeless yet distinctive. Living spaces and bathrooms were individually styled using a cohesive palette of blues, greens, and warm browns — creating a sense of flow while allowing each room its own identity. The result is a thoughtfully tailored home that blends classic design with family-centered living in one of Newport Beach’s most beloved neighborhoods. This home was featured in the 2026 Corona del Mar Home Tour.

Andrea Rugg Photography
Elegant kids' room photo in Minneapolis

Fireclay's handmade tiles are perfect for visually maximizing smaller spaces. For these condo dwellers, mustard yellow kitchen tiles along the backsplash infuse the space with warmth and charm. Tile Shown: 2x8 Tile in Mustard Seed DESIGN Taylor + Taylor Co PHOTOS Tiffany J. Photography

Girl's room
Kids' room - contemporary kids' room idea in Los Angeles

Designing a completely round home is challenging! Add to that, the two tubes are merely 8' wide. This requires EVERY piece of furniture to be custom built to fit the continuous rounding walls, floors and ceiling. We used every possible inch to provide storage for our clients personal belongings and household needs... sustainable for 3 years! Solid walnut wood paneling and custom built shelving was used throughout as well as tons of hidden storage... in, under and atop every possible inch of this project was locate and utilized! Backsplash above the Kitchen sink is super thinly cut mosaic tile made out of MIRROR! It's reflective, creates an illusion of space and light, It sparkles and looks AMAZING! MMM Photography

The goal of the project was to update the kitchen and butler's pantry of this over 100 year old house. The kitchen and butler's pantry cabinetry were from different eras and the counter top was disjointed around the existing sink, with an old radiator in the way. The clients were inspired by the cabinetry color in one of our projects posted earlier on Houzz and we successfully blended that with personalized elements to create a kitchen in a style of their own. The butler's pantry behind the range wall with it's lit glass door cabinets matches the kitchen's style and acts as a backdrop for the custom range hood and uniquely tiled wall. We maximized the counter space around the custom Galley sink by replacing the old radiator that was in the way with a toe space heater, and by extending the integral drain board above the dishwasher.

Transitional living room photo in Los Angeles

Bathroom - coastal bathroom idea in San Francisco

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary drought-tolerant and partial sun front yard concrete paver and wood fence garden path in Orange County.

Our pioneer project, Casita de Tierra in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, showcases the natural building techniques of a rubble trench foundation, earthbag construction, natural plasters, earthen floors, and a composting toilet. Our earthbag wall system consists of locally available, cost-efficient, polypropylene bags that are filled with a formula of clay and aggregate unearthed from our building site. The bags are stacked like bricks in running bonds, which are strengthened by courses of barbed wire laid between each row, and tamped into place. The walls are then plastered with a mix composed of clay, sand, soil and straw, and are followed by gypsum and lime renders to create attractive walls. The casita exhibits a load-bearing wall system demonstrating that thick earthen walls, with no rebar or cement, can support a roofing structure. We, also, installed earthen floors, created an indoor dry-composting toilet system, utilized local woods for the furniture, routed all grey water to the outdoor garden, and maximized air flow by including cross-ventilating screened windows below the natural palm frond and cane roof. Casita de Tierra exemplifies an economically efficient, structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, environmentally kind, and socially responsible home.

Photography by Petr Myska
Inspiration for a tropical bathroom remodel in Hawaii

The master bathroom was designed for clients who have a true appreciation for clean lines, symmetry, and simple beauty. They desired a space that checked the box on each of these aesthetic details while maximizing function and storage within each area of this space. This was achieved by providing separate his and hers vanities, a designated makeup station, ample tall storage, and a feature wall to backdrop the bathtub. If standing in the center of this bathroom, one would find that both sides of this bathroom are a mirror image of one another. The makeup vanity is centered on the front wall and is captured by identical floor to ceiling linen storage cabinets with a combination of drawer and door storage. Tall narrow columns were set on the sides of these linen cabinets, which each have a hidden frameless flush inset touch latch door concealing medicine cabinet storage. These columns are finished in a dark textured laminate with vertical grain to emphasize the ceiling height and give a clean contrast to the light linen cabinet finish throughout the rest of the space. Back-to-back are the his and hers vanities that provide quite a bit more storage. Bringing in the element of aged brass cabinet hardware and decorative light fixtures added the perfect amount of soft glam to complete this elegant bathroom.

The apartment: 2,300 square feet on the 14th floor of a prewar building across from the Museum of Natural History designed for a family with two school-age children. A loft-like living room, dining room and kitchen share spectacular north facing views over the museum and Central Park. Freestanding storage cabinets with clear glass above subdivide the space and enhance the feeling of openness. The owner requested a neutral palette of colors set against white walls and rich mahogany cabinetry. Crisp details and multiple textures result in a warm and sophisticated family home. photography: Bjorg Magnea

Mike Kaskel
Example of a classic galley dedicated laundry room design in Houston with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, a side-by-side washer/dryer, white countertops and gray walls

Transitional bathroom photo in Chicago with recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets and gray walls

Example of a beach style exterior home design in Los Angeles