The layout of this colonial-style house lacked the open, coastal feel the homeowners wanted for their summer retreat. Siemasko + Verbridge worked with the homeowners to understand their goals and priorities: gourmet kitchen; open first floor with casual, connected lounging and entertaining spaces; an out-of-the-way area for laundry and a powder room; a home office; and overall, give the home a lighter and more “airy” feel. SV’s design team reprogrammed the first floor to successfully achieve these goals. SV relocated the kitchen to what had been an underutilized family room and moved the dining room to the location of the existing kitchen. This shift allowed for better alignment with the existing living spaces and improved flow through the rooms. The existing powder room and laundry closet, which opened directly into the dining room, were moved and are now tucked in a lower traffic area that connects the garage entrance to the kitchen. A new entry closet and home office were incorporated into the front of the house to define a well-proportioned entry space with a view of the new kitchen. By making use of the existing cathedral ceilings, adding windows in key locations, removing very few walls, and introducing a lighter color palette with contemporary materials, this summer cottage now exudes the light and airiness this home was meant to have. © Dan Cutrona Photography

You know by now we love designing in Bend, and Caldera Springs just feels like home! This project, (a collaboration with Olsen Bros. Construction and Heidi Byrnes Design) is the “forever home” for a couple relocating from Lake Oswego. Soaring wood ceilings, open living spaces and ample bedroom suites informed the client’s classic/modern finish choices. The furnishings aesthetic began with fabric to inspire pattern and color, and the story for each room unfolded from there. The great room is dressed in deep green, rust and cream, reflecting the natural palette outside every door and window. A pair of plush sofas large enough to nap on, swivel chairs to take in the view, and unique leather ottomans to tuck in where needed, invite lounging and conversation. The primary and back guest suites offer the most incredible window seats for cozying up with your favorite book. Layered with custom cushions and a pile of pillows, they’re the best seat in the house. Exciting wallpaper selections for each bathroom provided playful focal walls, from the deep green vinyl grass cloth in the primary bath, to a forest of sparkling tree lines in the powder bath. Amazing how wallpaper can define the personality of a space! This home is full of color, yet minimal in the “extras” and easy to maintain. It’s always refreshing for us to return to a home we dressed months ago and have it look just like we left it! We know it will provide a warm welcome for the owners and their guests for years to come! Photography by Chris Murray Productions

Nick Springett Photography
Open concept kitchen - large contemporary l-shaped porcelain tile and beige floor open concept kitchen idea in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, stainless steel appliances, an island, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash and marble backsplash

Our goal on this project was to create a live-able and open feeling space in a 690 square foot modern farmhouse. We planned for an open feeling space by installing tall windows and doors, utilizing pocket doors and building a vaulted ceiling. An efficient layout with hidden kitchen appliances and a concealed laundry space, built in tv and work desk, carefully selected furniture pieces and a bright and white colour palette combine to make this tiny house feel like a home. We achieved our goal of building a functionally beautiful space where we comfortably host a few friends and spend time together as a family. John McManus

Today’s Vintage Farmhouse by KCS Estates is the perfect pairing of the elegance of simpler times with the sophistication of today’s design sensibility. Nestled in Homestead Valley this home, located at 411 Montford Ave Mill Valley CA, is 3,383 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. And features a great room with vaulted, open truss ceilings, chef’s kitchen, private master suite, office, spacious family room, and lawn area. All designed with a timeless grace that instantly feels like home. A natural oak Dutch door leads to the warm and inviting great room featuring vaulted open truss ceilings flanked by a white-washed grey brick fireplace and chef’s kitchen with an over sized island. The Farmhouse’s sliding doors lead out to the generously sized upper porch with a steel fire pit ideal for casual outdoor living. And it provides expansive views of the natural beauty surrounding the house. An elegant master suite and private home office complete the main living level. 411 Montford Ave Mill Valley CA Presented by Melissa Crawford

The Tice Residences replace a run-down and aging duplex with two separate, modern, Santa Barbara homes. Although the unique creek-side site (which the client’s original home looked toward across a small ravine) proposed significant challenges, the clients were certain they wanted to live on the lush “Riviera” hillside. The challenges presented were ultimately overcome through a thorough and careful study of site conditions. With an extremely efficient use of space and strategic placement of windows and decks, privacy is maintained while affording expansive views from each home to the creek, downtown Santa Barbara and Pacific Ocean beyond. Both homes appear to have far more openness than their compact lots afford. The solution strikes a balance between enclosure and openness. Walls and landscape elements divide and protect two private domains, and are in turn, carefully penetrated to reveal views. Both homes are variations on one consistent theme: elegant composition of contemporary, “warm” materials; strong roof planes punctuated by vertical masses; and floating decks. The project forms an intimate connection with its setting by using site-excavated stone, terracing landscape planters with native plantings, and utilizing the shade provided by its ancient Riviera Oak trees. 2012 AIA Santa Barbara Chapter Merit Award Jim Bartsch Photography

Living Room in Figure 8 Island Home. Designed by Amy Tyndall Design, Photos courtesy of Wrightsville Beach Magazine
Living room - coastal living room idea in Wilmington

Creating spaces that make connections between the indoors and out, while making the most of the panoramic lake views and lush landscape that surround were two key goals of this seasonal home’s design. Central entrance into the residence brings you to an open dining and lounge space, with natural light flooding in through rooftop skylights. Soaring ceilings and subdued color palettes give the adjacent kitchen and living room an airy and expansive feeling, while the large, sliding glass doors and picture windows bring the warmth of the outdoors in. The family room, located in one of the two zinc-clad connector spaces, offers a more intimate lounge area and leads into the master suite wing, complete with vaulted ceilings and sleek lines. Three additional guest suites can be found in the opposite wing of the home, providing ideally separate living spaces for a multi-generational family. Photographer: Steve Hall © Hedrich Blessing Architect: Booth Hansen

The living area has an open floor plan with kitchen, living area, and entertainment corner. The ceilings are vertical grain Douglas Fir. French Oak is found in the walls and the TV entertainment system shelves. Flooring in this main area of the home is Jerusalem Gold tile. The built in desk nook allows for every day practicals and the built in nooks and shelves allow for art and knick-knacks to be tastefully displayed. The fireplace is a linear fireplace with custom concrete facade and a walnut mantle. There is a live-edge walnut cantilever indoor/outdoor table with sliding glass barn doors on either side that allows access to the outdoor living-cooking area. The tall frosted-glass pivot doors lead to a separate office and a play room, both off the main living area. The kitchen boasts a custom Spekva counter with waterfall edge. The cabinetry is custom made walnut. There is a breakfast bar with pendant lighting above as well as a kitchen-breakfast nook. (Photo by: Bernard Andre)

Modern farmohouse interior with T&G cedar cladding; exposed steel; custom motorized slider; cement floor; vaulted ceiling and an open floor plan creates a unified look

A young couple with three small children purchased this full floor loft in Tribeca in need of a gut renovation. The existing apartment was plagued with awkward spaces, limited natural light and an outdated décor. It was also lacking the required third child’s bedroom desperately needed for their newly expanded family. StudioLAB aimed for a fluid open-plan layout in the larger public spaces while creating smaller, tighter quarters in the rear private spaces to satisfy the family’s programmatic wishes. 3 small children’s bedrooms were carved out of the rear lower level connected by a communal playroom and a shared kid’s bathroom. Upstairs, the master bedroom and master bathroom float above the kid’s rooms on a mezzanine accessed by a newly built staircase. Ample new storage was built underneath the staircase as an extension of the open kitchen and dining areas. A custom pull out drawer containing the food and water bowls was installed for the family’s two dogs to be hidden away out of site when not in use. All wall surfaces, existing and new, were limited to a bright but warm white finish to create a seamless integration in the ceiling and wall structures allowing the spatial progression of the space and sculptural quality of the midcentury modern furniture pieces and colorful original artwork, painted by the wife’s brother, to enhance the space. The existing tin ceiling was left in the living room to maximize ceiling heights and remain a reminder of the historical details of the original construction. A new central AC system was added with an exposed cylindrical duct running along the long living room wall. A small office nook was built next to the elevator tucked away to be out of site.

Custom home Studio of LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD. | Fred Martin Photography
Inspiration for a timeless medium tone wood floor and brown floor sunroom remodel in Other with a standard ceiling and a stone fireplace

Juxtaposing a Southern Colorado setting with a Moorish feel, North Star Ranch explores a distinctive Mediterranean architectural style in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The owner raises cutting horses, but has spent much of her free time traveling the world. She has brought art and artifacts from those journeys into her home, and they work in combination to establish an uncommon mood. The stone floor, stucco and plaster walls, troweled stucco exterior, and heavy beam and trussed ceilings welcome guests as they enter the home. Open spaces for socializing, both outdoor and in, are what those guests experience but to ensure the owner's privacy, certain spaces such as the master suite and office can be essentially 'locked off' from the rest of the home. Even in the context of the region's extraordinary rock formations, North Star Ranch conveys a strong sense of personality.

Photographer: Tyler Chartier
Kitchen/dining room combo - mid-sized mid-century modern dark wood floor kitchen/dining room combo idea in San Francisco with white walls and a tile fireplace

Living room with painted paneled wall with concealed storage & television. Fireplace with black firebrick & custom hand-carved limestone mantel. Custom distressed arched, heavy timber trusses and tongue & groove ceiling. Walls are plaster. View to the kitchen beyond through the breakfast bar at the kitchen pass-through.

Today’s Vintage Farmhouse by KCS Estates is the perfect pairing of the elegance of simpler times with the sophistication of today’s design sensibility. Nestled in Homestead Valley this home, located at 411 Montford Ave Mill Valley CA, is 3,383 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. And features a great room with vaulted, open truss ceilings, chef’s kitchen, private master suite, office, spacious family room, and lawn area. All designed with a timeless grace that instantly feels like home. A natural oak Dutch door leads to the warm and inviting great room featuring vaulted open truss ceilings flanked by a white-washed grey brick fireplace and chef’s kitchen with an over sized island. The Farmhouse’s sliding doors lead out to the generously sized upper porch with a steel fire pit ideal for casual outdoor living. And it provides expansive views of the natural beauty surrounding the house. An elegant master suite and private home office complete the main living level. 411 Montford Ave Mill Valley CA Presented by Melissa Crawford

Bright four seasons room with fireplace, cathedral ceiling skylights, large windows and sliding doors that open to patio. Need help with your home transformation? Call Benvenuti and Stein design build for full service solutions. 847.866.6868. Norman Sizemore- photographer

Hand Hewn Timbers run in a cross-beam pattern across the ceiling of this open concept kitchen and dining room, filling the space with the kind of warmth and character that only comes from old growth hardwoods. Reclaimed wood ceiling paneling fills every bay between the beams, and a reclaimed vertical post frames the kitchen transition, creating a cohesive and immersive reclaimed wood interior from every angle. A custom reclaimed wood dining table and bench from Manomin anchor the dining space, crafted from the same old growth hardwoods that give our timbers their unmatched character and density. Whether you are a homebuilder, a home remodeling contractor, or a homeowner looking to bring reclaimed wood into a kitchen, dining room, or open concept living space, Manomin Resawn Timbers has been helping people discover the antique charm of reclaimed wood since 2002. We serve homebuilders, contractors, and designers across the country. Visit our showroom in Hugo, MN or reach out to us with a call or a message to get started.

Juxtaposing a Southern Colorado setting with a Moorish feel, North Star Ranch explores a distinctive Mediterranean architectural style in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The owner raises cutting horses, but has spent much of her free time traveling the world. She has brought art and artifacts from those journeys into her home, and they work in combination to establish an uncommon mood. The stone floor, stucco and plaster walls, troweled stucco exterior, and heavy beam and trussed ceilings welcome guests as they enter the home. Open spaces for socializing, both outdoor and in, are what those guests experience but to ensure the owner's privacy, certain spaces such as the master suite and office can be essentially 'locked off' from the rest of the home. Even in the context of the region's extraordinary rock formations, North Star Ranch conveys a strong sense of personality.