While the Palladian window softens the stone wall and gable, a prominent dormer towers above the entrance of this home plan. The common rooms, along with the master bedroom, take advantage of views through numerous windows and French doors. A cathedral ceiling and fireplace highlight the great room, while a closet and pantry create storage in this home plan.

This major renovation and addition in Edina solved numerous problems of functionality and lifestyle for our client. By rearranging the main level plan, adding some space to the back of the home, as well as a large double sliding door, we were able to create a modern, light-filled common space that showcases the client’s beautiful backyard and extensive art collection. The second level included removing the half-story and adding a full second floor and new roof. A spa-like retreat is nestled in the Owner’s suite with custom millwork and tile mosaic throughout.

The characteristic popular ceramics of Granada have been continuously made for at least six centuries just outside the medieval Muslim city walls next to a gate called la Puerta de Fajalauza, giving rise to the name by which the entire Granadine tradition is now commonly known. The Fajalauza ceramics factory is actually just about the oldest family run business in Granada. It dates back to the Nasrid Dynasty and is still in business today. While the rulers of Spain have changed numerous times, this ceramics factory remains a functioning successful business.

Mike and Michelle of Lake Barrington knew they needed extra space. Their home was becoming too crowded for their family with blossoming teenagers, so a basement renovation offered the perfect solution for more space for the kids and more room to entertain for the adults. “Our project consisted of expanding our laundry room, putting in a first floor wet bar so we had adult space upstairs, while also renovating our basement for a family-friendly and teen-functional area as well,” Michelle says. They found Advance Design Studio through a neighbor who gave a glowing recommendation, giving Michelle and Mike the confidence they needed to move forward with a major home renovation. They felt like they knew Advance Design before they even worked together. When they met with the owner Todd Jurs and designer Nicole Ryan, Mike and Michelle knew they were getting a trustworthy, dependable team that could create the project they had been dreaming about for 7 years. Having virtually no natural light to work with, one of the biggest design challenges was creating a basement that did not feel dark and depressing. The Advance team got to work creating architectural archways and custom detailed dry-stack stone columns artfully designed into the space, adding a dramatic element that made the space feel less like a basement or more like a relaxing family room. Color 3D renderings were created to portray what the space would look like so Mike and Michelle could visualize the space in advance. Detailed trim and crown moldings grace the built in buffet and wet bar making for an amazingly functional space that lacks nothing in style and visual interest. Cherry wood cabinetry by Dura Supreme is featured in the space with a “Cocoa Brown” finish and includes beautiful mirrored glass doors embellished with unique elliptical mullion details. A built-in microwave, dishwasher and mini fridge add practicality to the ample entertainment mecca. An under mounted sink finishes the space joined with a intricate mosaic tile backsplash and “Ventisca Polished” quartz countertops. The basement is absolutely perfect for hosting friends and family with expertly designed key areas such as a game space for the kids, a movie area for the family, an ample workout room with luxurious full bath, and even built in wine storage. The family absolutely loves the new basement living space, and has already enjoyed numerous family movie nights and sleep-overs with friends. While custom cabinets made by Dura Supreme were used to create unique spaces that lived up to Mike and Michelle’s expectations., heated flooring under the 16”x16” “Mongolian Spring” tile was installed giving all tiled areas of the basement a much cozier feel, eliminating that cold hard surface most of us hate in our basements! The new basement must-have requirement list included a new bath space, which was incorporated adjacent to the work out room. The sleek shower door and cabinets in the new bathroom make guests and family feel like they are in an elegant hotel. The new guest bath features 4”x36” “Silver Screen” honed marble tile in a brick pattern on the shower walls and 2”x2” “Chenille” limestone tile in a hexagon mosaic pattern on the shower floor. “I came in with very specific requirements for our three project areas,” Michelle says. “There was not one time that I felt like I was asking for something that was not going to turn out how I anticipated.” Tying in multiple rooms during a renovation if you have can do it makes a lot of sense and saves money in the long run. A fully functional laundry room as well was a must on this family’s wish list. Michelle wanted to add space to the existing cramped and awkward laundry room, and Mike wanted to make sure they could still park a car in the garage. Reconfiguring interior walls required borrowing unused space cleverly from the garage in order to enlarge the laundry room space. Drawers under the stairs added beautiful hidden storage created almost magically out of dead space. White painted Dura Supreme cabinets bring additional light into the small space; while the 16”x16” cleft slate tile flooring provides excellent contrast and the naturally earthy feel Michelle wanted. Quartz countertops with a 3”x12” “Debut Dew” subway tile backsplash add elegance to the now upliftingly bright laundry room. The extra space makes doing laundry much more pleasurable and the added storage is a great for all those little things like winter hats and gloves, umbrellas and the like. “The Advance Design project team was phenomenal to work with,” Michelle says. “They came in, shared the plans with us and walked us through the expectations. We always knew what was coming next.” Converting an existing closet space, the wet bar upstairs was challenging because they wanted a functional area that didn’t look or feel like cabinets just sticking out of a closet. So the Advance team transformed this ordinary closet space into a stunning wet bar that architecturally appears as if it’s always been there. Traditional, elegant hand carved custom molding matching the adjacent fireplace ties the new entertainment bar area in nicely with the existing family room and kitchen area. Featuring a built in wine refrigerator, Dura Supreme cabinetry in deep cherry wood elegantly displays wine bottles and etched glass mullion doors that fill with soft light in the evening hours. Cambria “Windermere” quartz countertops with a sophisticated hammered copper sink and a glimmering backsplash round out the stunning wet bar. Hosting parties and family functions has become much more enjoyable now that they have a dedicated beverage serving area large enough to include hors devours. All three projects were designed and constructed together at the same time, making for a cohesive project that was administered smoothly and easily both for the design team and for the family. Disruption to the home was minimal as each phase was completed in each project conclusively, and design and meeting time for the homeowner was efficient and organized making for an enjoyable process. “Advance Design was great to work with,” Michelle says. “I would highly recommend them to anyone considering a home improvement project. They took the time at the beginning to understand our needs, our budget, and our vision for our home. The field team was great, attentive, on time, cleaned up each day and made the overall experience very positive. We couldn't be happier with the finished product.” With the help of our talented, award winning design team you can create the basement, laundry room, or any other home renovation that you have been dreaming of. With our “Common Sense Remodeling” approach, the process of renovating you home has never been easier. Contact us today at 847-836-2600 or schedule an appointment to talk with us about that kitchen remodeling project. Photography: Joe Nowak

Rhododendron canescens / Piedomont Azalea Photo: John S. Quarterman, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-2.0 Generic

Rosa californica / California wild rose Photo: Paula Kate Marmor, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-GNU Free Documentation License

Constructed in 1999, Big Trout Lodge is a 297-unit garden style apartment community located in beautiful Liberty Lake, Washington – just a 20-minute drive from both downtown Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Thanks to its bright, spacious floor plans, mature landscaping, outstanding location, and numerous community amenities including a resident clubhouse and fitness center, outdoor pool and spa, outdoor BBQ stations, firepits, and a community garden, Big Trout Lodge presents an exceptional opportunity to implement TMR’s tried and true value-add strategy. The property has been meticulously maintained throughout the years, and about half of the property’s units underwent a light renovation during previous ownership. With a $5.4 million budget, TMR built on this momentum, renovating all units to a market-leading finish and transforming the common areas into best-in-class resident amenity spaces.

Inspiration for a timeless hallway remodel in Minneapolis

The goal of this project was to provide a lush and vast garden for the new owners of this recently remodeled brick Georgian. Located in Wheaton this acre plus property is surrounded by beautiful Oaks. Preserving the Oaks became a particular challenge with the ample front walk and generous entertaining spaces the client desired. Under most of the Oaks the turf was in very poor condition, and most of the property was covered with undesirable overgrown underbrush such as Garlic Mustard weed and Buckthorn. With a recently completed addition, the garages were pushed farther from the front door leaving a large distance between the drive and entry to the home. This prompted the addition of a secondary door off the kitchen. A meandering walk curves past the secondary entry and leads guests through the front garden to the main entry. Off the secondary door a “kitchen patio” complete with a custom gate and Green Mountain Boxwood hedge give the clients a quaint space to enjoy a morning cup of joe. Stepping stone pathways lead around the home and weave through multiple pocket gardens within the vast backyard. The paths extend deep into the property leading to individual and unique gardens with a variety of plantings that are tied together with rustic stonewalls and sinuous turf areas. Closer to the home a large paver patio opens up to the backyard gardens. New stoops were constructed and existing stoops were covered in bluestone and mortared stonewalls were added, complimenting the classic Georgian architecture. The completed project accomplished all the goals of creating a lush and vast garden that fit the remodeled home and lifestyle of its new owners. Through careful planning, all mature Oaks were preserved, undesirables removed and numerous new plantings along with detailed stonework helped to define the new landscape.

Devil’s darning needles / Clematis virginiana

Hardwood floor experts in Newhall is totally committed in bringing out the elegance of your home by installing, repairing or refinishing an existing hardwood floor. Your home will surely benefit from the hardwood flooring installed in your house. For your hardwood floors, we have the best experts to work on them using the right tools and methods. Our floor installers offer a wide range of floor fitting services that will fit your needs. We provide wide array of floor solutions that can help you increase your house value. How do we achieve this? We cater numerous top notch flooring installation, finish and repair services. All set to refinish your hardwood flooring? We provide professional refinishing services that can make dreary surfaces appears to be new. Is your hardwood floors damaged? It is common in wood floors to be damaged by scratches, dings and dents on a period of time. No one wants a damaged wood flooring, we can easily fix it for you. Custom Floor Installations Hardwood Floor Refinishing Color-Matching and Staining Water Damage Restoration Stairs, Steps and Staircase Reclaimed Hardwood Floors Commercial Flooring Services Certified Flooring Contractors Call Us: (661) 381-9430 Visit Us: http://newhallhardwoodfloors.com/water-damage-restoration

Cephalanthus occidentalis / Buttonbush Photo: Fritz Flohr Reynolds, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 generic

Photo by Jay Sifford.

Ginny Stibolt

PAEIZ 6 project is located in Tehran, at the intersection of 3 streets. There is a small green space in the northern part of the project. For this reason, the entrance of the complex was defined in this section to ensure easier access, and to be able to enjoy the desired view of the greenery from the lobby. The facade shell with its positive and negative horizontal levels is inspired from NAHAZ O NAKHIR (a kind of bricklaying method in Iranian historical architecture) so that the viewer can see different lights and shadows at each hour of the day. Among these shapes, Using plants also helps to avoid routine. choosing the combination of brick and stone, while having harmony with each other, has been done in order to respect the city and in order to accompany the surrounding buildings as much as possible. By designing windows like puzzles with different and various dimensions, in addition to being different from the common forms, has formed an integrated shape. Vertical access is placed in the middle of the eastern side so that the units can use as much natural light as possible, so that the division and common spaces are reduced to minimum. Stairs, elevators and corridors which are dividing the units with its transparent material led to maintaining the visual connection of the spaces and as a result, it appears larger. As our design mainstream, use of plants in the facade, lobby, basements, the lobby between units and interior design can be seen. The yard did not have enough space for landscaping as a result of having two ramps. In order to solve this challenge, The roof of the ramp is prepared to grow plants. The ground floor consists of two parts, the southern part is parking and the northern part is lobby. The lobby, while having seating and waiting areas, includes a guard post and security equipment, which is decorated with Fountain and plants. -1 and -2 levels are consisted of parking and storages, a gathering hall and a caretaker. The residential project with 5 floors, totally includes 15 three-bedroom residential units with 125 to 150 square meters. - The roof has various facilities such as bathroom, kitchen, barbeque, Jacuzzi, sunbathing area and seating and walking areas. Numerous seating spaces are located at scattered points due to the number of units and the possibility of simultaneous use. Walking paths through the gardens have defined a suitable space for walking. Due to the desirable view to the north (mountains in north of Tehran) and south (QEITARIEH Park), the walls of these two sides have been shortened with gaps, while the western wall overlooking the neighbor is surrounded by higher walls.

PAEIZ 6 project is located in Tehran, at the intersection of 3 streets. There is a small green space in the northern part of the project. For this reason, the entrance of the complex was defined in this section to ensure easier access, and to be able to enjoy the desired view of the greenery from the lobby. The facade shell with its positive and negative horizontal levels is inspired from NAHAZ O NAKHIR (a kind of bricklaying method in Iranian historical architecture) so that the viewer can see different lights and shadows at each hour of the day. Among these shapes, Using plants also helps to avoid routine. choosing the combination of brick and stone, while having harmony with each other, has been done in order to respect the city and in order to accompany the surrounding buildings as much as possible. By designing windows like puzzles with different and various dimensions, in addition to being different from the common forms, has formed an integrated shape. Vertical access is placed in the middle of the eastern side so that the units can use as much natural light as possible, so that the division and common spaces are reduced to minimum. Stairs, elevators and corridors which are dividing the units with its transparent material led to maintaining the visual connection of the spaces and as a result, it appears larger. As our design mainstream, use of plants in the facade, lobby, basements, the lobby between units and interior design can be seen. The yard did not have enough space for landscaping as a result of having two ramps. In order to solve this challenge, The roof of the ramp is prepared to grow plants. The ground floor consists of two parts, the southern part is parking and the northern part is lobby. The lobby, while having seating and waiting areas, includes a guard post and security equipment, which is decorated with Fountain and plants. -1 and -2 levels are consisted of parking and storages, a gathering hall and a caretaker. The residential project with 5 floors, totally includes 15 three-bedroom residential units with 125 to 150 square meters. - The roof has various facilities such as bathroom, kitchen, barbeque, Jacuzzi, sunbathing area and seating and walking areas. Numerous seating spaces are located at scattered points due to the number of units and the possibility of simultaneous use. Walking paths through the gardens have defined a suitable space for walking. Due to the desirable view to the north (mountains in north of Tehran) and south (QEITARIEH Park), the walls of these two sides have been shortened with gaps, while the western wall overlooking the neighbor is surrounded by higher walls.

Inspiration for a southwestern landscaping in Phoenix.

This is an organic Lime Wash done with a true lime wash product as opposed to a brick mortar or concrete that is often seen on new houses. This product can be applied as a solid coating making the surface completely white, or can be applied and "washed off" in many artistic ways, as seen here. If you hate your brick or just want something unique this is a great option! Photo credit: Jeff Murrey

Columnar Swedish aspen Le jardinet