Photography by Ryan Davis | CG&S Design-Build
Example of a mid-sized beach style master medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom design in Austin with blue walls

The challenge: take a run-of-the mill colonial-style house and turn it into a vibrant, Cape Cod beach home. The creative and resourceful crew at SV Design rose to the occasion and rethought the box. Given a coveted location and cherished ocean view on a challenging lot, SV’s architects looked for the best bang for the buck to expand where possible and open up the home inside and out. Windows were added to take advantage of views and outdoor spaces—also maximizing water-views were added in key locations. The result: a home that causes the neighbors to stop the new owners and express their appreciation for making such a stunning improvement. A home to accommodate everyone and many years of enjoyment to come.

This transitional home blends a modern aesthetic with a character home in a historic neighborhood of Metro Vancouver. Featuring custom architectural concrete, paving stones, horizontal cedar fencing and siding, backyard metal trellis and a very unique and modern landscape, this home is a perfect space for entertaining.

The family who owned this 1965 home chose a dramatic upgrade for their Coquitlam full home renovation. They wanted more room for gatherings, an open concept kitchen, and upgrades to bathrooms and the rec room. Their neighbour knew of our work, and we were glad to bring our skills to another project in the area. Choosing Dramatic Lines In the original house, the entryway was cramped, with a closet being the first thing everyone saw. We opened the entryway and moved the closet, all while maintaining separation between the entry and the living space. To draw the attention from the entry into the living room, we used a dramatic, flush, black herringbone ceiling detail across the ceiling. This detail goes all the way to the entertainment area on the main floor. The eye arrives at a stunning waterfall edge walnut mantle, modern fireplace. Open Concept Kitchen with Lots of Seating The dividing wall between the kitchen and living areas was removed to create a larger, integrated entertaining space. The kitchen also has easy access to a new outdoor social space. A new large skylight directly over the kitchen floods the space with natural light. The kitchen now has gloss white cabinetry, with matte black accents and the same herringbone detail as the living room, and is tied together with a low maintenance Caesarstone’s white Attica quartz for the island countertop. This over-sized island has barstool seating for five while leaving plenty of room for homework, snacking, socializing, and food prep in the same space. To maximize space and minimize clutter, we integrated the kitchen appliances into the kitchen island, including a food warming drawer, a hidden fridge, and the dishwasher. This takes the eyes to focus off appliances, and onto the design elements which feed throughout the home. We also installed a beverage center just beside the kitchen so family and guests can fix themselves a drink, without disrupting the flow of the kitchen. Updated Downstairs Space, Updated Guest Room, Updated Bathrooms It was a treat to update this entire house. Upstairs, we renovated the master bedroom with new blackout drapery, new decor, and a warm light grey paint colour. The tight bathroom was transformed with modern fixtures and gorgeous grey tile the homeowners loved. The two teen girls’ rooms were updated with new lighting and furniture that tied in with the whole home decor, but which also reflected their personal taste. In the basement, we updated the rec room with a bright modern look and updated fireplace. We added a needed door to the garage. We upgraded the bathrooms and created a legal second suite which the young adult daughter will use, for now. Laundry Its Own Room, Finally In a family with four women, you can imagine how much laundry gets done in this house. As part of the renovation, we built a proper laundry room with plenty of storage space, countertops, and a large sink.

We installed this arbor to shield the client from neighbors while enjoying their hot tub
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard stone patio remodel in Columbus with a pergola

Photograph by Alan Abramowitz
Kitchen - contemporary kitchen idea in Seattle

This industrial chic open floor plan home in Pasadena's coveted Historic Highlands was given a complete modern farmhouse makeover with shiplap siding, wide planked floors and barn doors. No detail was overlooked by the interior designer home owner. Welcome guests into the vaulted ceiling great room as you gather your friends and family at the 10' farmhouse table after some community cooking in this entertainer's dream kitchen. The 14' island peninsula, individual fridge and freezers, induction cooktop, double ovens, 3 sinks, 2 dishwashers, butler's pantry with yet another sink, and hands free trash receptacle make prep and cleanup a breeze. Stroll down 2 blocks to local shops like Millie's, Be Pilates, and Lark Cake Shop, grabbing a latte from Lavender & Honey. Then walk back to enjoy some apple pie and lemonade from your own fruit trees on your charming 40' porch as you unwind on the porch swing smelling the lavender and rosemary in your newly landscaped yards and waving to the friendly neighbors in this last remaining Norman Rockwell neighborhood. End your day in the polished nickel master bath, relaxing in the wet room with a steam shower and soak in the Jason Microsilk tub. This is modern farmhouse living at its best. Welcome home!

Deck - contemporary deck idea in Other with a roof extension

The Atherton House is a family compound for a professional couple in the tech industry, and their two teenage children. After living in Singapore, then Hong Kong, and building homes there, they looked forward to continuing their search for a new place to start a life and set down roots. The site is located on Atherton Avenue on a flat, 1 acre lot. The neighboring lots are of a similar size, and are filled with mature planting and gardens. The brief on this site was to create a house that would comfortably accommodate the busy lives of each of the family members, as well as provide opportunities for wonder and awe. Views on the site are internal. Our goal was to create an indoor- outdoor home that embraced the benign California climate. The building was conceived as a classic “H” plan with two wings attached by a double height entertaining space. The “H” shape allows for alcoves of the yard to be embraced by the mass of the building, creating different types of exterior space. The two wings of the home provide some sense of enclosure and privacy along the side property lines. The south wing contains three bedroom suites at the second level, as well as laundry. At the first level there is a guest suite facing east, powder room and a Library facing west. The north wing is entirely given over to the Primary suite at the top level, including the main bedroom, dressing and bathroom. The bedroom opens out to a roof terrace to the west, overlooking a pool and courtyard below. At the ground floor, the north wing contains the family room, kitchen and dining room. The family room and dining room each have pocketing sliding glass doors that dissolve the boundary between inside and outside. Connecting the wings is a double high living space meant to be comfortable, delightful and awe-inspiring. A custom fabricated two story circular stair of steel and glass connects the upper level to the main level, and down to the basement “lounge” below. An acrylic and steel bridge begins near one end of the stair landing and flies 40 feet to the children’s bedroom wing. People going about their day moving through the stair and bridge become both observed and observer. The front (EAST) wall is the all important receiving place for guests and family alike. There the interplay between yin and yang, weathering steel and the mature olive tree, empower the entrance. Most other materials are white and pure. The mechanical systems are efficiently combined hydronic heating and cooling, with no forced air required.

Inspiration for a country living room remodel in Minneapolis

Located in a historical district, this new home fits right in with its 120+ year old neighbors. The front walkway is made up of reclaimed bricks while bluestone pavers line the walkway from the house to the garage adjacent to the driveway. A gas lantern lamp decorates the yard along the walkway. The front porch is constructed of classic tongue and groove mahogany complete with traditional soft blue hue ceiling. The garage doors resemble authentic carriage house doors.

In the heart of Philadelphia, a single family townhouse sports three luxury rooftop gardens, each with it's own take on outdoor living. 2nd story: Off of the main living room and kitchen, is an outdoor living room with a shade canopy supported by a pergola, which creates the "room" feel. Potted evergreen trees screen the tall wall of the adjacent building, adding softness to the space. An Ivy panel screens the neighboring views of adjacent decks. 4th Story: To create an inviting and comfortable space on this small porch, ceder boxes were built to hold plant material and second as seating. The soft tub spa is easy to access from all sides with the wrap around deck. Cedar is such a warm colored wood, and provides a more natural look on top of the original concrete deck. 5th Story: The largest of the three rooftops is on the very top floor, full of lush plantings and a variety of seating. Here you find an outdoor kitchen, a louvered privacy screen, corten-steel planters, and a greenhouse built of cedar. The plantings are lush, providing seasonal interest as well as separation between neighboring deck.

Trendy home design photo in Los Angeles

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Collaborations with builders on new construction is a favorite part of my job. I love seeing a house go up from the blueprints to the end of the build. It is always a journey filled with a thousand decisions, some creative on-the-spot thinking and yes, usually a few stressful moments. This Naperville project was a collaboration with a local builder and architect. The Kitchen Studio collaborated by completing the cabinetry design and final layout for the entire home. The kitchen is spacious and opens into the neighboring family room. A 48” Thermador range is centered between two windows, and the sink has a view through a window into the mudroom which is a unique feature. A large island with seating and waterfall countertops creates a beautiful focal point for the room. A bank of refrigeration, including a full-size wine refrigerator completes the picture. The area between the kitchen and dining room houses a second sink and a large walk in pantry. The kitchen features many unique storage elements important to the new homeowners including in-drawer charging stations, a cutlery divider, knife block, microwave drawer, pull out trash, multiple appliance garages, spice pull outs and tray dividers. There’s not much you can’t store in this room! Cabinetry is white shaker inset styling with a gray stain on the island. The back of the island features lap style siding that coordinates with the fireplace in the neighboring family room. Mid-century inspired lighting gives the room a modern vibe. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKBD Builder: Hampton Homes Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Front exterior of neighboring home.
Inspiration for a timeless green two-story wood exterior home remodel in Seattle with a shingle roof

This thoughtfully designed new construction home is situated on an historic plot of land that features unique stone and masonry from the 1940s.
Coastal two-story wood and board and batten house exterior idea in San Francisco with a mixed material roof

© 2018 Jacob Hand Photography + Motion
Inspiration for a contemporary rooftop rooftop deck remodel in Chicago with a pergola

We were approached by a San Francisco firefighter to design a place for him and his girlfriend to live while also creating additional units he could sell to finance the project. He grew up in the house that was built on this site in approximately 1886. It had been remodeled repeatedly since it was first built so that there was only one window remaining that showed any sign of its Victorian heritage. The house had become so dilapidated over the years that it was a legitimate candidate for demolition. Furthermore, the house straddled two legal parcels, so there was an opportunity to build several new units in its place. At our client’s suggestion, we developed the left building as a duplex of which they could occupy the larger, upper unit and the right building as a large single-family residence. In addition to design, we handled permitting, including gathering support by reaching out to the surrounding neighbors and shepherding the project through the Planning Commission Discretionary Review process. The Planning Department insisted that we develop the two buildings so they had different characters and could not be mistaken for an apartment complex. The duplex design was inspired by Albert Frey’s Palm Springs modernism but clad in fibre cement panels and the house design was to be clad in wood. Because the site was steeply upsloping, the design required tall, thick retaining walls that we incorporated into the design creating sunken patios in the rear yards. All floors feature generous 10 foot ceilings and large windows with the upper, bedroom floors featuring 11 and 12 foot ceilings. Open plans are complemented by sleek, modern finishes throughout.