The second facet of this project was the patio cover we added to the client's existing patio. The gable roof above it all is handsomely appointed with vaulted tongue and groove pine with a light walnut oil-based finish and houses four can lights, an overhead fan and two geometrically accented circular skylights.

This room was completely transformed when we stripped the existing shiny, orange finish off of the red oak floors and applied a custom blended, commercial grade penetrating oil to enhance the caramel tones of the wood and provide a beautiful foundation for this home's design.

The exposed wooden beams add a warm, rustic vibe while the clean white cabinetry creates a bright and airy space.
Example of a large classic l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen design with a farmhouse sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

John Reed Forsman
Beach style home office photo in Minneapolis

We added a landing space next to the range and storage under the peninsula. The homeowner wanted to keep the soffits, so we trimmed them off with a small dentil molding. We also added crown moldings and stained the existing wood wainscoting to match the cabinets.

Together with our client, the project goal was to creatively transform an under-utilized rear garden using architectural cues and personal detailing to develop a cohesive material enriched design with multiple focal points and uniquely placed vegetation. Taking advantage of the mature vegetation, bamboo fencing and existing hot tub, we had the opportunity to design and create integrated lounging and seating. We enhanced the garden's multiple focal points by importing hand-selected rockery, specimen trees, cascading evergreens, and groups of perennials. Each rock was rotated numerous times to expose the best face and right pitch to ensure the stones' sun, shade, and patterns were all highlighted. With the addition of an open-sided pergola and raised deck along with side projections, we were able to integrate the limbs of an existing majestic Japanese Maple creating the perfect location to lounge, drink a morning coffee or entertain while gazing back at unique architecture and at-grade hot tub. The hot tub buried in the ground is surrounded by dark oiled cedar decking and edged by a concrete patio, large stepping slabs and raised planter. The mixture of wood, concrete and greenery was a great contrast of natural finishes seamlessly blended by elongated trim boards and intentional lines. Staining the fence framing black and oiling the bamboo added the final fresh touches this garden needed connecting these new spaces from the entrance gate to the BBQ and dining patio.

PHOTO CREDIT ... INTERIOR DESIGN BY: Pierre Jean-Baptiste Interiors, Ltd. © We built this bedroom design off of the clients existing bed to create a comfortable sophisticated space. The primary color tones we used are; grey, white, black, and gold, which helps define the room. We added new wall paint, static window curtains and oil rubbed bronze hardware with the same finish on the ceiling fan.

Pennington, NJ. This beautiful two-story entry was updated with a wrought iron and oak stairway. Existing hall flooring was refinished and new oak hardwoods were installed in bedrooms for a consistent look throughout. White painted risers & trim complete this fresh, clean look!

We added a landing space next to the range and storage under the peninsula. The homeowner wanted to keep the soffits, so we trimmed them off with a small dentil molding. We also added crown moldings and stained the existing wood wainscoting to match the cabinets.

The owners of this kitchen had spent the money to upgrade the finishes in their kitchen upon building the home 12 years ago, but after living in the space for several years they realized how nonfunctional the layout really was. The (then) two preschool aged children had grown into busy, hungry teenagers with many friends who also liked to hang out at the house. So the family needed a more functional kitchen with better traffic flow, space for daily activities revolving around the kitchen at different times of day, and a kitchen that could accommodate cooking for and serving large groups. Furthermore, the dark, traditional finishes no longer reflected the homeowners’ style. They requested a brighter, more relaxed, coastal style that reflected their love of the seaside cities they like to visit. Originally, the kitchen was U-shaped with a narrow island in the middle. The island created narrow aisles that bottle-necked at the dishwasher, refrigerator, and cooktop areas. There was a pass-through from the foyer into the kitchen, but the owners never liked that the pass-through was also located so close to the powder room. The awkward proximity was unappealing and made guests feel uncomfortable. The kitchen’s storage was made up of lots of narrow cabinets, apothecary drawers, clipped corner units, and very few drawers. It lacked useful storage for the larger items the family used on a daily basis. And the kitchen’s only pantry was small closet that had only builder-grade, narrow shelving with no illumination to be able to see the contents inside. Overall, the kitchen’s lighting plan was poorly executed. Only six recessed cans illuminated the entire kitchen and nook areas. The under cabinet lighting was not evenly distributed either. In fact, the builder had mis-placed the under cabinet lighting around the decorative pilasters which made for choppy, dark cubbies. Further, the builder didn’t include any lighting over the sink or the bar area, which meant whoever was doing the dishes was always in their own shadow. That, coupled with the steep overhang of the game room above made the bar area feel like a dim, cavernous space that wasn’t inviting or task oriented. The kitchen looked out into the main living space, but the raised bar and a narrow wall (which held the only large cabinet in the kitchen) created more of a barrier than a relationship to the living room or breakfast nook. In fact, one couldn’t even see the breakfast nook from the cooktop or sink areas due to its orientation. The raised bar top was too narrow to comfortably sit to either dine at or chat from due to the lack of knee space. The the homeowners confided that the kitchen felt more like a dark, dirty prison than place where the family, or their guests, wanted to gather and commune. The clients' needs and desires were: ➢ to create a kitchen that would be a space the family loved to be in; to relate to the adjacent spaces all around, and to have better flow for entertaining large groups ➢ to remove the walls between the breakfast nook and living area and to be able to utilize the natural light from the windows in both those areas ➢ to incorporate a functional chopping block for prepping fresh food for home cooked meals, an island with a large sink and drain board, 2 pull out trash cans, and seating for at least the 2 teens to eat or do homework ➢ to design a kitchen and breakfast nook with an airy, coastal, relaxed vibe that blended with the rest of the house's coastal theme ➢ to integrate a layered lighting plan which would include ample general illumination, specific task lighting, decorative lighting, and lots of illuminated storage ➢ to design a kitchen with not only more storage for all the husband’s kitchen gadgets and collection of oils and spices, but smart storage, including a coffee/breakfast bar and a place to store and conceal the toaster oven and microwave ➢ to find a way to utilize the large open space between the kitchen, pantry area, and breakfast nook Twelve Stones Designs achieved the owner's goals by: ➢ removing the walls between the kitchen and living room to allow the natural light to filter in from the adjacent rooms and to create a connection between the kitchen, nook, and living spaces for a sense of unity and communion ➢ removing the existing pantry and designing 3 large pantry style cabinets with LED tape lights and rollout drawers to house lots of kitchen appliances, gadgets, and tons of groceries. We also took the cabinets all the way up to the 9’ ceiling for additional storage for seasonal items and bulk storage. ➢ designing 2 islands - 1 with a gorgeous black walnut chopping block that houses a drawer for chopping and carving knives and a custom double pull out trash unit for point of use utilization - and 1 that houses the dishwasher, a large Blanco Gourmet sink with integrated drain board, woven baskets for fresh root vegetables and kitchen towels, plenty of drawer storage for kitchen items, and bar seating for up to 4 diners. ➢ closing off the space between the kitchen and the powder room to create a beautiful new private alcove for the powder room as well as adding some decorative storage. This also gave us space to include more tall storage near the new range for precision placement of the husband’s extensive oil and spice collection as well as a location for a combo-steam oven the wife wanted for baking and cooking healthy meals. The project is enhanced functionally by: ➢ incorporated USB and standard receptacles for the kids’ laptops and phone charging in the large island ➢ designing the small island to include additional open shelving for items used on a daily basis such as a variety of bowls, plates, and colanders. This set up also works well for the husband who prefers to “plate” his dinners in restaurant-style fashion before presenting them to the table. ➢ the integration of specific storage units, such as double stacked cutlery drawers, a custom spice pull-out, a Kuerig coffee and tea pod drawer, and custom double stacked utensil drawers ➢ moving the refrigerator to the old oven location - this eliminated the bottle neck as well as created a better relationship to the eating table. It also utilizes the floor space between the pantry, nook, and kitchen ➢ creating a banquet style breakfast nook - this banquette seating not only doubles the amount of seating for large gatherings but it better utilizes the odd space between the kitchen and the previous nook area. It also helps to create a distinct pathway from the mudroom room through the pantry area, kitchen, nook, and living room. ➢ the coffee/breakfast bar area which includes the perfect location for the concealed microwave and toaster oven, convenient storage for the coffee pods and tea accoutrements. Roll-out drawers below also house the smoothie maker, hot water kettle, and a plethora of smoothie-making ingredients such as protein powders, smoothie additives, etc. Furthermore, the drawers below the Keurig house measuring utensil, cutlery, baking supplies and tupperware storage. ➢ incorporating lots of wide drawers and pullouts to accommodate large cookware. ➢ utilizing as much vertical space as possible by building storage to the ceiling which accommodates the family’s abundant amount of serving platters, baking sheets, bakeware, casserole dishes, and additional cutting boards. The project is enhanced aesthetically by: ➢ new 5-piece Versailles pattern porcelain tile that now seamlessly joins the entire down stairs area together creating a bright, cohesiveness feeling instead of choppy separated spaces - it also adds a coastal feeling ➢ designing a cabinet to conceal the microwave and toaster oven ➢ the coastal influenced light fixtures over the nook table and island ➢ the sandy colors of the Langdon Cambria countertops. The swirling pattern and sparkling quartz pieces remind the homeowner of black-and-tan sandy beaches ➢ the striped banquet seating whose creamy white background and blue-green stripes were the inspiration for the cabinet and wall colors. ➢ All the interior doors were painted black to coordinate with the blacks and grays in the backsplash tile and countertop. This also adds a hint of tailored formality to an otherwise casual space. ➢ the use of WAC's Oculux small aperture LED units for the overhead lighting complimented with Diode LED strips for task lighting under the cabinets and inside the pantry and glass wall cabinets. All of the lighting applications are on separate dimmer switches. Innovative uses of materials or construction methods by Realty Restoration LLC: ➢ Each 1-1/2” x 3” block of reclaimed end-grain black walnut that makes up the center island chopping block was hand milled and built in the shop. It was designed to look substantial and proportional to the surrounding elements, executed by creating the 4 inch tall top with a solid wood chamfered edge band. ➢ The metal doors on either side of the vent hood were also custom designed for this project and built in the Realty Restoration LLC shop. They are made 1x2, 11-gauge mild steel with ribbed glass. Weighing 60 lbs a piece, heavy duty cabinet hinges were added to support the weight of the door and keep them from sagging. ➢ Under-cabinet receptacles were added along the range wall in order to have a clean, uninterrupted backsplash. Design obstacles to overcome: ➢ Because we were removing the demising walls between the kitchen and living room, we had to find a way to plumb and vent the new island. We did this by tunneling through the slab (the slab had post tension cables which prevented us from just trenching) to run a new wet vent through a nearby structural wall. We pulled the existing hot and cold lines between upper floor joists and ran them down the structural wall as well and up through a conduit in the tunnel. ➢ Since we were converting from wall overs to a gas range it allowed us to utilize the 220 feed for the wall ovens to provide a new sub panel for all the new kitchen circuits ➢ Due to framing deficiencies inherited from the original build there was a 1-1/2” differential in the floor-to-ceiling height over a 20 foot span; by utilizing the process of cutting and furring coupled with the crown moulding details on the cabinet elevations we were able to mask the problem and provide seamless transitions between the cabinet components. Evidence of superior craftsmanship: ➢ uniquely designed, one-of-a-kind metal “X” end panels on the large island. The end panels were custom made in the Realty Restoration LLC shop and fitted to the exact dimensions of the island. The welding seams are completely indistinguishable - the posts look like they are cut from a single sheet of metal ➢ square metal posts on the small island were also custom made and designed to compliment and carry through the metal element s throughout the kitchen ➢ the beautiful, oversized end panels on the pantry cabinets which give the breakfast nook a tailored look ➢ integrating a large format 5 piece Versailles tile pattern to seamlessly flow from the existing spaces into the new kitchen space ➢ By constructing a custom cabinet that jogged around a corner we could not remodel (housing the entry way coat closet) we were able to camouflage the adjacent wall offset within the upper and lower cabinets. By designing around the existing jog in the structural walls we accomplished a few things: we were able to find the space to house, and hide, the microwave and toaster oven yet still have a clean cohesive appearance from the kitchen side. Additionally, the owners were able to keep their much needed coat closet and we didn’t have to increase the budget with unnecessary structural work.

This Houston outdoor kitchen and entertaining area offers a modern take on Mediterranean style. Designed and built by Outdoor Homescapes of Houston, this fully loaded family and entertaining space echoes the stucco, travertine tile patio and Mediterranean style of the existing home while exuding a more modern, transitional style. “This was a high-profile client – both VPs of different oil and gas companies who entertain affluent guests on a regular basis – so they wanted to make sure they had high-end appliances and all the latest amenities they could order,” says Lisha Maxey, senior designer for Outdoor Homescapes and owner of LGH Design Services in Houston. “They also have two kids, ages 7 and 10, and wanted a family gathering space that better accompanied their new, luxurious pool.” What really sets apart this outside kitchen design idea, however, is the way the elements are used throughout the space. “Usually, outdoor kitchen designs for a backyard are grouped into one island or cabinet,” explains Outdoor Homescapes of Houston owner Wayne Franks. “But here, the patio, roof and fireplace were all in place, separated by stucco columns, and the outdoor kitchen elements had to work around them.” A 14-foot-long cooking island houses a built-in Fire Magic grill with a Magic View Window (allows the chef to check on food without lifting the lid and losing valuable heat). The island, the countertop of which is "Carnaval" granite from Lackstone, also features a Fire Magic power burner, warming drawer and trash drawer. On one side of the fireplace, forming an “L” with the cooking island, sits a built-in Primo ceramic grill. On the other side of the fireplace is a 3-foot-long cabinet housing a bar with a wine cooler, ice maker and upper cabinet. And finally, just outside the patio door is a 7-foot-long cabinet with a modern Kohler sink with a high-arc Moen faucet (sink and faucet from Faucets Direct), a trash drawer and another upper cabinet. Outdoor Homescapes of Houston, by the way, outfitted both cabinets with glass inserts, custom pulls and three-way sensor lighting. “At the beginning, this was basically a blank space with a fireplace in the middle,” says Maxey. So Outdoor Homescapes upgraded the fireplace with Austin Stack Stone in white (No. 401) from Colorstonescreenshot vickers mosaic tile rectangle. "The stone added that pop,” notes Maxey. The fireplace’s espresso-colored, distressed wood mantel (from Mantels.com) and upper wood cabinets were both stained with the Minwax color Jacobean. The ceiling fans were also updated with ones featuring similarly espresso-colored, wooden fan blades, to match. The table in the middle - a cast-iron, Mediterranean style gem with hand-forged scrollwork designs from Patio 1 in Houston – seats 10. “We wanted this kind of Mediterranean feel,” says Maxey. “We wanted rustic, but the appliance package was so new, with all its stainless steel, so we kept a the cabinets and the columns stucco instead of stone for a more clean, modern look and then did the custom tile backsplash and mosaic in more of a rustic, Mediterranean look." The backsplash is a 1-inch travertine tile background with 4-inch square metallic insets, both from Floor & Decor. The tile for the 18-by-24-inch rectangle mosaic came from Great Britain Tile Co. and included a Dianno Reale tumbled border and background. The bronze, diamond-shaped insets are tumbled Dark Emperdor tile and the scrolls are tumbled Noce tile. The client, who admits they have high standards, was more than pleased with the project – especially browsing through Outdoor Homescapes’ vast library of patio kitchen design ideas, the 3D virtual video tour that let them preview the project from every angle before construction. They also liked the personalized design consultation. "OH provides a very neat service where one of their designers will either shop/buy for you or shop with you for the more detailed pieces that will finish your home," reads the client's review on Houzz. "This was a very positive, personalized feature ... Lisha helped narrow down an enormous marketplace of materials and finishes to a few we could choose from."

The new drapery is shown closed. It was not lined to keep a lighter feel. It is The traditional chandelier was changed out to this large single pendant covered in shells. The antique mirror tiles were added behind the existing console the traditional chairs were reupolstered in updated prints and the black bamboo chairs were added to tie to other black chinois items in the general living area. Photo by Applied Photography

Together with our client, the project goal was to creatively transform an under-utilized rear garden using architectural cues and personal detailing to develop a cohesive material enriched design with multiple focal points and uniquely placed vegetation. Taking advantage of the mature vegetation, bamboo fencing and existing hot tub, we had the opportunity to design and create integrated lounging and seating. We enhanced the garden's multiple focal points by importing hand-selected rockery, specimen trees, cascading evergreens, and groups of perennials. Each rock was rotated numerous times to expose the best face and right pitch to ensure the stones' sun, shade, and patterns were all highlighted. With the addition of an open-sided pergola and raised deck along with side projections, we were able to integrate the limbs of an existing majestic Japanese Maple creating the perfect location to lounge, drink a morning coffee or entertain while gazing back at unique architecture and at-grade hot tub. The hot tub buried in the ground is surrounded by dark oiled cedar decking and edged by a concrete patio, large stepping slabs and raised planter. The mixture of wood, concrete and greenery was a great contrast of natural finishes seamlessly blended by elongated trim boards and intentional lines. Staining the fence framing black and oiling the bamboo added the final fresh touches this garden needed connecting these new spaces from the entrance gate to the BBQ and dining patio.

Jackie Friberg
Example of a mid-sized classic l-shaped eat-in kitchen design in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, ceramic backsplash and stainless steel appliances

There's no need to feel blue when your bathroom remodel looks glamorous, preppy, and cozy. The cool colors and fixtures will instantly have you feeling calm and collected.

PHOTO CREDIT ... INTERIOR DESIGN BY: Pierre Jean-Baptiste Interiors, Ltd. © We built this bedroom design off of the clients existing bed to create a comfortable sophisticated space. The primary color tones we used are; grey, white, black, and gold, which helps define the room. We added new wall paint, static window curtains and oil rubbed bronze hardware with the same finish on the ceiling fan.

This bronze railing provides style and safety to your new Sunroom or the existing exterior of your home, cottage or business. Check out the many flexible designs with a variety of colors in our Sunspace Aluminum Railing Systems and fences.

The clients in this charming ranch home had a wish for an updated kitchen that felt a part of the home by blending into the existing space. Their existing eat-in kitchen, while spacious, lacked the character of the rest of the home. Rich woods and earth tones filled the cozy rooms leaving the outdated kitchen uninspired. Supple cherry tones of the new cabinetry and alluring cashmere hues in the one-o-a-kind granite countertops wrap you in warmth and invite you to take a seat at the grand island. Turned posts and arched trim details throughout draw your eyes around this timeless kitchen. Zachary Seib Photography

Large transitional u-shaped light wood floor and beige floor enclosed kitchen photo in DC Metro with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, concrete countertops, blue backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island