This Little Girls Bedroom was awarded 1st Place in the ASID DESIGN OVATION DALLAS 2015 AWARDS & 3rd Place in the ASID LEGACY OF DESIGN TEXAS 2015 for Small Child's Room. Photos by Michael Hunter.

White painted cabinets totally updated the dated wood-stained cabinets. The hexagon tile floor creates a charming farmhouse feel. The school house lights create complimentary lighting with the recessed cans. Michael Hunter Photography

Michael Baxley
Example of a large transitional l-shaped open concept kitchen design in Little Rock with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, gray backsplash, stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Featured in the Winter 2019 issue of Modern Luxury Interiors Boston! Photo credit: Michael J. Lee
Bedroom - transitional guest bedroom idea in Boston with blue walls

Inspiration for a mid-sized country carpeted and brown floor entryway remodel in New York with gray walls and a blue front door

Photography by Michael J. Lee
Bedroom - mid-sized transitional guest carpeted and gray floor bedroom idea in Boston with gray walls and no fireplace

Jim Bartsch
Mid-sized transitional light wood floor entryway photo in Santa Barbara with white walls and a black front door

Photographer - Ken Vaughn; Architect - Michael Lyons
Inspiration for a timeless galley travertine floor kitchen remodel in Dallas with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, yellow backsplash, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and subway tile backsplash

ASID Design Excellence First Place Residential – Kitchen and Bathroom: Michael Merrill Design Studio was approached three years ago by the homeowner to redesign her kitchen. Although she was dissatisfied with some aspects of her home, she still loved it dearly. As we discovered her passion for design, we began to rework her entire home--room by room, top to bottom.

Michael Hunter
Trendy dark wood floor dining room photo in Austin with white walls

The owners of a charming home in the hills west of Paso Robles recently decided to remodel their not-so-charming kitchen. Referred to San Luis Kitchen by several of their friends, the homeowners visited our showroom and soon decided we were the best people to design a kitchen fitting the style of their home. We were delighted to get to work on the project right away. When we arrived at the house, we found a small, cramped and out-dated kitchen. The ceiling was low, the cabinets old fashioned and painted a stark dead white, and the best view in the house was neglected in a seldom-used breakfast nook (sequestered behind the kitchen peninsula). This kitchen was also handicapped by white tile counters with dark grout, odd-sized and cluttered cabinets, and small ‘desk’ tacked on to the side of the oven cabinet. Due to a marked lack of counter space & inadequate storage the homeowner had resorted to keeping her small appliances on a little cart parked in the corner and the garbage was just sitting by the wall in full view of everything! On the plus side, the kitchen opened into a nice dining room and had beautiful saltillo tile floors. Mrs. Homeowner loves to entertain and often hosts dinner parties for her friends. She enjoys visiting with her guests in the kitchen while putting the finishing touches on the evening’s meal. Sadly, her small kitchen really limited her interactions with her guests – she often felt left out of the mix at her own parties! This savvy homeowner dreamed big – a new kitchen that would accommodate multiple workstations, have space for guests to gather but not be in the way, and maybe a prettier transition from the kitchen to the dining (wine service area or hutch?) – while managing the remodel budget by reusing some of her major appliances and keeping (patching as needed) her existing floors. Responding to the homeowner’s stated wish list and the opportunities presented by the home's setting and existing architecture, the designers at San Luis Kitchen decided to expand the kitchen into the breakfast nook. This change allowed the work area to be reoriented to take advantage of the great view – we replaced the existing window and added another while moving the door to gain space. A second sink and set of refrigerator drawers (housing fresh fruits & veggies) were included for the convenience of this mainly vegetarian cook – her prep station. The clean-up area now boasts a farmhouse style single bowl sink – adding to the ‘cottage’ charm. We located a new gas cook-top between the two workstations for easy access from each. Also tucked in here is a pullout trash/recycle cabinet for convenience and additional drawers for storage. Running parallel to the work counter we added a long butcher-block island with easy-to-access open shelves for the avid cook and seating for friendly guests placed just right to take in the view. A counter-top garage is used to hide excess small appliances. Glass door cabinets and open shelves are now available to display the owners beautiful dishware. The microwave was placed inconspicuously on the end of the island facing the refrigerator – easy access for guests (and extraneous family members) to help themselves to drinks and snacks while staying out of the cook’s way. We also moved the pantry storage away from the dining room (putting it on the far wall and closer to the work triangle) and added a furniture-like hutch in its place allowing the more formal dining area to flow seamlessly into the up-beat work area of the kitchen. This space is now also home (opposite wall) to an under counter wine refrigerator, a liquor cabinet and pretty glass door wall cabinet for stemware storage – meeting Mr. Homeowner’s desire for a bar service area. And then the aesthetic: an old-world style country cottage theme. The homeowners wanted the kitchen to have a warm feel while still loving the look of white cabinetry. San Luis Kitchen melded country-casual knotty pine base cabinets with vintage hand-brushed creamy white wall cabinets to create the desired cottage look. We also added bead board and mullioned glass doors for charm, used an inset doorstyle on the cabinets for authenticity, and mixed stone and wood counters to create an eclectic nuance in the space. All in all, the happy homeowners now boast a charming county cottage kitchen with plenty of space for entertaining their guests while creating gourmet meals to feed them. Credits: Custom cabinetry by Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry Contracting by Michael Pezzato of Lost Coast Construction Stone counters by Pyramid M.T.M.

After purchasing this home my clients wanted to update the house to their lifestyle and taste. We remodeled the home to enhance the master suite, all bathrooms, paint, lighting, and furniture. Photography: Michael Wiltbank

Incredible house with Crema Marfil tiles and slabs from Levantina's own Coto Quarry. Install by Century Granite & Marble. Natural Stone from Levantina Dallas. Photography by Michael Hunter.

Mid-sized contemporary one-story exterior home idea in Austin

Example of a beach style living room design in Miami

Fresh take on a Mediterranean kitchen design with Moroccan influences in a creamy whites, natural glazed and unglazed terra cotta and gilded gold color palette.

Elegant home design photo in Atlanta

Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in Atlanta

A lot of homes built in the early 1900s in Portland have been remodeled beyond recognition. The trim has been painted, the floors replaced and the built-ins just didn't make it through years of wear and tear. That's not the case with this home in the Ladd's Addition neighborhood of Portland. Built in 1911, the dark trim remained unpainted, the fir floors still intact and the built-ins in the dining room were in almost perfect condition but the home was dark, empty and didn't function for the owners. Contrary to all my other thoughts in design to lighten a home, we embraced the dark. The trim and floors were sanded and refinished to their original state. In the entry, the walls were painted black. After multiple meetings and conversations with the client where nothing out there seemed quite right, I developed along with artist, Michael Paulus, a custom flower that fit the owner's personality and style down to the scale and exact color palette. This became the inspiration and guiding color scheme to create a glamorous but livable home that was neutral and rich in texture. Interior Design: Casework Photography: George Barberis General Contractor: Hammer & Hand Hand Painted Walls: Michael Paulus Custom Mantel and Bathroom Cabinet: Brian Pietrowski Press: Gray Magazine