The Fincannon offers every luxurious amenity on a single level. A European styled exterior with stone and stucco is guaranteed to attract attention. A three car garage awaits the homeowner with multiple automobiles, recreational vehicles or a need for extra storage. The garage entrance has convenient access to the mudroom and adjacent utility room. Through the stone portico on the front porch, the foyer features two closets for convenience and a niche for displaying artwork. The great room is crowned with an elegant coffered ceiling over 14 feet high and opens into the spacious kitchen with a large island. A vegetable sink adds convenience for multiple tasks or cooks. The large, private e-space offers a place for looking up recipes, doing homework or charging personal gadgets like cell phones and MP3 players. A cozy hearth room with a unique, hipped cathedral ceiling is adjacent to the breakfast room and offers expanded living space for relaxation or entertaining. The secondary bedrooms are connected by a secluded Jack and Jill bathroom and each has a walk-in closet. The master suite is a luxurious retreat with a fireplace, porch access, his and hers walk-in closets and a huge bathroom. A bonus room over the garage provides space for expansion.

The Sarafine is a luxury home design on a hillside walkout foundation. Arches and a cupola highlight the exterior, along with a metal accent roof. The kitchen island, with cooktop, faces the great room and the dining room offers a serving bar and a nearby walk-in pantry. A sitting room accompanies the elegant master suite. The oversized utility room enjoys a laundry sink, built-in cabinetry and access to the side porch. Downstairs, find two bedrooms, a media/game room, and a workshop.

Step into this cozy 1-bedroom Barndominium, enveloped by the splendor of nature. Inside, an airy great room effortlessly connects to the kitchen and dining area, where a handy island beckons for meal prep or casual dining. Convenience reigns supreme with a side garage leading to a convenient mudroom. The master bedroom promises relaxation and ample space, featuring a generous walk-in closet. An attached bathroom ensures privacy, accessible from the hallway. Utility matters are neatly organized in a dedicated mechanical room, while a separate laundry area streamlines daily tasks. This Barndominium seamlessly blends charm with practicality, offering a delightful and functional living space.

An Architectural and Interior Design Masterpiece! This luxurious waterfront estate resides on 4 acres of a private peninsula, surrounded by 3 sides of an expanse of water with unparalleled, panoramic views. 1500 ft of private white sand beach, private pier and 2 boat slips on Ono Harbor. Spacious, exquisite formal living room, dining room, large study/office with mahogany, built in bookshelves. Family Room with additional breakfast area. Guest Rooms share an additional Family Room. Unsurpassed Master Suite with water views of Bellville Bay and Bay St. John featuring a marble tub, custom tile outdoor shower, and dressing area. Expansive outdoor living areas showcasing a saltwater pool with swim up bar and fire pit. The magnificent kitchen offers access to a butler pantry, balcony and an outdoor kitchen with sitting area. This home features Brazilian Wood Floors and French Limestone Tiles throughout. Custom Copper handrails leads you to the crow's nest that offers 360degree views. Photos: Shawn Seals, Fovea 360 LLC

Bilotta Senior Designer, Tom Vecchio and Lauren Stanley of Alive + Kicking Design were faced with a closed-in U-shaped kitchen that less inventive minds would have assumed offered few options, since the wall facing the “U” contained two below-counter-height windows that couldn’t be altered. They were undeterred by that obstacle. They removed the peninsula and instead placed an “island” against the wall between the windows, totally ignoring the fact that both sides of the countertop would slightly overlap the windows. The island is home to the sink and dishwasher, and even includes additional storage under the seating overhang. In this new configuration, the kitchen now offers direct access to the apartment’s entrance. Without the circuitous route around the peninsula, the improved flow immediately makes the space feel larger. Choosing Bilotta’s private label cabinetry in a sleek modern style in a whisper-soft shade of gray (Benjamin Moore’s Balboa Mist) also added to the voluminous feeling of the space. Both the backsplash and countertops are Silestone’s Eternal Calacatta Classic. Photography is by Kelsey Ann Rose.

The kitchen offers access to the outdoors via a pass-through bar window to an outdoor sitting area complete with bar stools and a leather finish granite countertop.

Bermuda Blue open floor concept plan enhances New Bermuda Style home design with light blue colors to create a relaxing, Island feel. This 3,800 SF home is intended to make you feel like you are getting away on vacation every day. The single story floor plan provides easy access throughout the home. The home has an open feel with great room, dinning, large kitchen, 4 bedrooms, study and 3 car garage. The back offers breathtaking views from inside and outside, with waterfall, spa and fire features. The unique landscape design complements the colors and design of the home to create a unique retreat for the owners.

Open and spacious best defines this Traditional style house plan. The family room, kitchen and breakfast area provide bountiful and flowing open spaces. A covered porch accented with a fireplace is accessed from the grand room and family room. A spacious master suite features a sitting area, luxurious master bath and over sized walk in closet. A princess suite, three secondary bedrooms and a media room / bonus room round out the second floor of this home. We offer floor plan modifications on all of our Traditional style house plan designs. The Hill Valley House Plan 07113 by Garrell Associates, Inc. Design by Michael William Garrell

This beautiful North Vancouver home belongs to a nature-loving and health-conscious couple, Emma and Vince (names changed), their two young children, and their dog, Jasper. When they contacted us about renovating and furnishing their kitchen and family room, we walked in and saw a world of potential waiting to be uncovered. Before: Larkhall Crescent Home: Like many original North Vancouver homes, the interior was definitely dated. We encountered late ‘80s finishes in powder pink and teal green, old carpet, and a kitchen that wasn’t maximized to suit this family’s modern-day lifestyle. However, the size of the rooms offered us a ton of space with which to get creative. Knowing our clients’ love of cooking, need for work spaces (Emma and Vince both work remotely), and growing family, we developed a design concept that would increase usable space, optimize storage, and create intimacy in this large area. As for the style, we were inspired by their European roots, inventing a new and modern take on “Belgian Farmhouse” style. Now, the home is truly one-of-a-kind. After: Warm & Cozy Family Room: Fresh, bright, and comfortable, this living area has been transformed! We started with the fireplace as a focal point, selecting aged brick tiles for added texture and a crisp wood mantle. The taupe-coloured sectional infuses the room with visual warmth and serves the added purpose of separating the family room from the kitchen. Emma and Vince were also keen on using non-toxic materials in their home, and we were happy to oblige. To meet their needs, we sourced natural wood elements and sought out Canadian-made products - that adhere to high health standards - whenever possible. Look closer at the elements of this space, and you will find this stunning, honeycomb-patterned rug in earthy gold, beige, and charcoal tones. It’s plush to the touch and full of visual texture that brings this room’s colour palette together. We sourced these two-tone chairs with caning, petrified wood side table, black sconces, and botanical prints in greyscale from local artist, Heather Johnston. We topped off the space with this dark wood and rattan console that offers storage facing the kitchen and presents an opportunity to display cherished items. The result is a cozy lounging space brimming with comfort and functionality. It’s perfect for enjoying quality family time, or Emma can simply slide the coffee table away to make room for her morning yoga practice. Now, let’s turn around and give some attention to the kitchen. Do you remember what the original kitchen looked like? If not, scroll back up, because the transformation is shocking… Moody & Welcoming Kitchen for Healthy Living: This kitchen looks very different from how it started, right? Though we didn’t touch any walls, the kitchen has almost doubled in usable space! We created a long, extended island with storage, an outlet for small appliances, and seating for comfortable prep, after-school snacking, or mingling among friends. On the other side of the island, the family has even more storage and an integrated dishwasher within easy reach of the sink, perfect for quick clean-up. From this angle, you can also see the expansive custom Shaker cabinetry in white and the integrated double ovens. These facilitate their cooking experience and gave us the opportunity to add an additional surprise… A coffee garage station and more hidden storage! Keeping these items located along the perimeter allows them to be accessed by the family or their guests without someone getting under the cook’s feet. These are the little details that make everyday life easier and more enjoyable. Moving deeper into the kitchen, the seamless induction cooktop topped with a freestanding concealed hood fan commands attention in a soft yet prominent way. The natural wood accent mirrors the fireplace mantle, and the choice of off-black wood-grain cabinets not only continues our black-and-white colour palette but adds a sense of depth and contrast. The corner sink is located to the right and perfectly positioned with a view of their thriving backyard. To invite more of this family’s character into the space, we mixed metals for interest — matte black, dark pewter, and warm brass — and created open shelves in white oak for their plants and decor. You can also glimpse the tumbled edge of the backsplash tile, which echoes the rustic brick of the fireplace. It adds that farmhouse charm while still feeling timeless and sophisticated. Last but not least, we designed this dining banquette in the bay window (with integrated bench storage, of course), where the family can share a meal together, the kids can do homework, or Emma and Vince can work and enjoy a change of scenery from their offices. Like the other spaces in the home, it was designed to be beautiful, multi-functional, and long-lasting. Praise from Our Clients: It is clear that we love this home, but what did our clients have to say? “Lori is a visionary and masters execution to the finest detail all at the same time. When she first met us to know more about who we are and how we live, she could right away envision how we could use the space in our kitchen and living room…The results exceeded our expectations. Lori and her team were also a delight to work with — coordination with all the trades, fast problem-solving, regular updates, professional and friendly attitude of her entire team — made it the dream team. Thank you SHD for making our space so beautiful!” In turn, we are so grateful for this family’s trust, their open communication, and for being wonderful people with whom to work. (So, thank you!)

The kitchen boasts a tall appliance garage. When open, it has easy access to their small appliances. When closed, it is a sophisticated contemporized accent to the kitchen. The built-in coffee maker and wine unit offers ease in entertaining. The large island, which sits four people, provides an inviting space to interact with family and friends. I added a “grab- and- go” cabinet with LED lights inside where each member of the family has their own pull out shelf for their personal items.

This master bathroom is located on the basement slab level of their home, offering a sidewalk and patio for accessibility so creating a space that will be functional, as well as accessible in considering the future was necessary. Must have's: Ease of cleaning, accessibility, walk in bathroom, jetted tub, led partial moon mirror design, moody- contemporary feel. We created a walk in shower with large format tile for less grout along the full back wall with a subway tile feature to break up space between the vanity and the shower. This same subway theme, mixed from 3 tiles, was matched on the opposing tub wall with a mirrored niche and large format tile for continuity, and flow. The door was changed to a barndoor with a recessed mirror, this allows both function and provides a wide opening. The client can access the bathroom through either the hall or their master bathroom with a zero threshold entry into the bathroom and into the shower. The rounded niche mimics the rounded mirror. Custom dark stained and black wood set off this moody modern bathroom down to the exposed vanity bottle trap and plumb lines, with varying dimmers and lighting to set off this moody vibe. The homeowners were involved every step of the way, down to the custom quartzite countertop. Layout, space planning, design, rendering and plumbing provided by Angie Finton Designs. The amazing and wonderful styling decorations were completed by the homeowner.

Two tone staircase with custom railings with LED light and glass wall for more lighting. Grand Project Contracting
Example of a mid-sized trendy painted straight glass railing staircase design in Toronto with wooden risers

This patio was looking tired with lots of weeds. We cleaned it and installed polymeric sand to help prevent weeds. It fills the joints with a binder, so the weeds do not come back for a long time. Landforms Inc.

The hood was custom designed and built for this homeowner. The kitchen features a functional 5- zone design. The drawers offer easy access to pots/pans as well as prep items. The pantry was custom designed with metal slots on the bottom to allow the homeowner great storage for potatoes, onions, squash etc.

Our Steen dining cabinet is as much a functional solution as it is a show-stopping work of art. Each cabinet features grain patterns as unique as the domestic sugarberry tree from which it came. Built-in door pulls add to Steen's clean look and are easy to grip, while two sliding front panels give easy to access to glass or tableware and more. Paired with a hand-welded stainless steel or natural steel base, this dining storage solution offers a beautiful mix of materials that are truly one-of-a-kind.

The Sarafine is a luxury home design on a hillside walkout foundation. Arches and a cupola highlight the exterior, along with a metal accent roof. The kitchen island, with cooktop, faces the great room and the dining room offers a serving bar and a nearby walk-in pantry. A sitting room accompanies the elegant master suite. The oversized utility room enjoys a laundry sink, built-in cabinetry and access to the side porch. Downstairs, find two bedrooms, a media/game room, and a workshop.

Eye-Land: Named for the expansive white oak savanna views, this beautiful 5,200-square foot family home offers seamless indoor/outdoor living with five bedrooms and three baths, and space for two more bedrooms and a bathroom. The site posed unique design challenges. The home was ultimately nestled into the hillside, instead of placed on top of the hill, so that it didn’t dominate the dramatic landscape. The openness of the savanna exposes all sides of the house to the public, which required creative use of form and materials. The home’s one-and-a-half story form pays tribute to the site’s farming history. The simplicity of the gable roof puts a modern edge on a traditional form, and the exterior color palette is limited to black tones to strike a stunning contrast to the golden savanna. The main public spaces have oversized south-facing windows and easy access to an outdoor terrace with views overlooking a protected wetland. The connection to the land is further strengthened by strategically placed windows that allow for views from the kitchen to the driveway and auto court to see visitors approach and children play. There is a formal living room adjacent to the front entry for entertaining and a separate family room that opens to the kitchen for immediate family to gather before and after mealtime.

Shelter 2.0 is a digitally fabricated transitional shelter built by Pre Black Inc. and designed by Bill Young and Robert Bridges. It is our hope that by offering our designs and cut files to anyone who needs them or has the desire to help those in need that we can help change the way the homeless and displaced are provided for in the future. Shelter 2.0 is about sharing designs and ideas, so that as a design community bound by no borders we can begin to change the way the world thinks about design, production and accessibility.

Shelter 2.0 is a digitally fabricated transitional shelter that Pure Black Inc. built that was designed by Bill Young and Robert Bridges. It is our hope that by offering our designs and cut files to anyone who needs them or has the desire to help those in need that we can help change the way the homeless and displaced are provided for in the future. Shelter 2.0 is about sharing designs and ideas, so that as a design community bound by no borders we can begin to change the way the world thinks about design, production and accessibility.