Example of a farmhouse kitchen design in New York with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, yellow cabinets, soapstone countertops, gray backsplash, stone slab backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Mike Kaskel
Large elegant wooden l-shaped wood railing staircase photo in Houston with painted risers

This property was transformed from an 1870s YMCA summer camp into an eclectic family home, built to last for generations. Space was made for a growing family by excavating the slope beneath and raising the ceilings above. Every new detail was made to look vintage, retaining the core essence of the site, while state of the art whole house systems ensure that it functions like 21st century home. This home was featured on the cover of ELLE Décor Magazine in April 2016. G.P. Schafer, Architect Rita Konig, Interior Designer Chambers & Chambers, Local Architect Frederika Moller, Landscape Architect Eric Piasecki, Photographer

Elegant kitchen photo in Other with recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, multicolored backsplash and white countertops

This home is built by Robert Thomas Homes located in Minnesota. Our showcase models are professionally staged. Please contact Ambiance at Home for information on furniture - 952.440.6757

When it came to outfitting the bathrooms, Edmonds created a luxurious oasis with Axor Uno and Axor Starck fittings. Hansgrohe’s oversized Raindance Royale showerhead adds a shot of drama to the spacious shower area and completes the high-design look of the bath. Photos: Bruce Damonte

photography by Rob Karosis
Entryway - large traditional slate floor entryway idea in Portland Maine with gray walls and a medium wood front door

Gibeon Photography. Troy Lighting Edison Pendants / Phillip Jeffries Faux Leather Wall covering
Alcove shower - rustic alcove shower idea in New York with flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, beige walls, an integrated sink, concrete countertops and a hinged shower door

Great Room
Inspiration for a huge industrial living room remodel in Chicago with white walls

Example of a large classic attached three-car garage design in Minneapolis

Mike Kaskel
Inspiration for a timeless formal and open concept dark wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Houston with white walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped laminate floor and gray floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Houston with gray cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, stone slab backsplash and gray countertops

photography by Rob Karosis
Inspiration for a large timeless slate floor entryway remodel in Portland Maine with gray walls and a medium wood front door

"Bamboo floors' popularity has increased over the past few years as people have become more aware of the fragile state of the environment. Because it is a grass rather than a wood, it grows far more quickly than a tree. The plant's extensive root system continually grows underground and it replenishes itself naturally, as grass does. New growth, which springs out of the ground and can mature up to 24"" in 24 hours and unlike trees, bamboo will regenerate quickly, making it a renewable resource."

Ten years ago, a Memorial-area couple by the names of John and Jennifer Randall contacted us. They had just bought a beautiful lot located off of Piney Point drive. Because Jennifer loved the French, and because John was Acadian from Louisiana, they had already decided to have their home built in the style of a modern French country house. The Randall’s wanted to landscape the property in accordance with a European theme, with a paver driveway and partier garden in the front, and a very large and uniquely styled pool in the back to host summer parties. However, the premier element to this landscaping project was to be a private morning garden they asked us to create in the far East corner of their yard. The Randall’s wanted this corner set apart as separate, personal space, consistent with French design elements, but with the consciousness of Zen. It was to be a place just for the two of them to relax, talk quietly, and read in the early morning and evening hours of the day. To establish the feeling of Zen, we first built a very special kind of fountain in the center of the morning garden known as a disappearing fountain. (Another term you may have heard to describe this feature is vanishing fountain.) The fountain itself was made from a cast iron container shaped like a Louisiana sugar cauldron. This not only supported the French elements of the landscape, but also directly referenced John’s Acadian origins. The concrete water tank was concealed underground beneath the cauldron, and hidden jets filled its center to overflowing, causing it to pour over the sides and onto the steel mesh deck that was concealed under dark moon stones. There, it circulated back into the tank, to be returned to the fountain again by a silent pump. This deceptively simple design created the illusion that there was no base to the fountain, and that the water itself was mysteriously vanishing back into the Earth. To establish geometry and symmetry in the center of the morning garden, we laid down a hardscape/softscape space in the grass that surrounded the fountain. We interspersed travertine blocks through the lawn in such a way as to form proportional, perfectly-shaped squares of green space that alternated like a checkerboard within the stonework. In a few of these places, we further ornamented the softscape with the same gravel that surrounded the vanishing fountain. This sharp contrast of light and darkness provided the ever so subtle suggestion of Yin and Yang that added the Zen element the Randall’s wanted to an otherwise European design theme. We then planted greenery all along the wooden walls that surrounded the property, deliberately integrating curved spaces into the linear planting areas to soften the sharp right angles of both the walls and the hardscape/softscape design. Palm and bottlebrush trees worked to give the morning garden a sense of private enclosure, while azaleas, seasonal flowers, and boxwoods created gentle ornamental touches and alternating shades of light and dark ground cover that maintained the French theme of the landscape. The project was completed with the construction of a private patio just large enough to seat two people. Here, the Randall’s could read the paper at sunrise from an elevated vantage point overlooking the fountain and greenery. While their family, friends, and neighbors instantly fell in love with the architecture of the house and the entertainment areas surrounding the pool, the Randall’s always told us that, out of all the many elements we designed in their landscape, they loved their morning garden the most.

An east-facing “Morning Room” energizes with its bracing contrast of blacks and whites. Sleek contemporary furnishings maintain lightness, while a traditional rug foreshadows global elements that lay beyond. A custom cabinet conceals a home office. Invoking the owners’ love for travel and storytelling, an Ingo Maurer fixture features 40 phrases in multiple languages scribbled upon squares of Japanese rice paper. Tony Soluri Photography

This lovely breakfast room, overlooking the garden, is an inviting place to start your day lingering over Sunday morning coffee. I had the walls painted in a soft coral, contrasting with various wood tones in the armoire, table and shades. It is all tied together by keeping the chair covers and rug light in color. The crystal chandelier is an unexpected element in a breakfast room, yet, your not compelled to pull out the china and silver.

photo credit: laura hull
Tuscan gray two-story stucco exterior home photo in Los Angeles

Cabinet design by: Collaborative Interiors | Kitchen design by: Beverly Bradshaw Interiors | Remodeler: McKinney Group | Photographer: Tom Marks Photo | ***Please visit the Houzz page of Beverly Bradshaw Interiors for any info regarding this project***