In Old Town Alexandria, homeowners of a beautiful historic home built a colonial garden on an adjacent corner lot. They had vision and patience. The lot was home to a 1920’s stucco-covered storefront with eight garage bays, which included a delicatessen and drycleaners. The process of building the garden took three years from start to finish, including Old and Historic Alexandria Board of Architecture Review approval, re-routing utility lines, a grading plan, and an archaeological dig. A re-gilded slate sundial reads “Sic Vita” or “such is life” was originally found outside of London on the wall of a hospital founded by Queen Victoria’s daughter. Black wig apples and Heritage crabapples, cardoons, leeks, cherry tomatoes, chives, red peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and broccoli all grow in this plentiful garden. Photography by Greg Hadley

Photo: Rachel Loewen © 2018 Houzz
Example of a beach style bedroom design in Chicago

Our poster project for The Three P's, this small midcentury home south of campus has great bones but lacked vibrancy - a je ne sais quoi that the clients were searching to savoir once and for all. SYI worked with them to nail down a design direction and furniture plan, and they decided to invest in the big-impact items first: built-ins and lighting and a fresh paint job that included a beautiful deep blue-green line around the windows. The vintage rug was an Etsy score at an awesome price, but only after the client spent months scouring options and sources online that matched the vision and dimensions of the plan. A good year later, the West Elm sofa went on sale, so the client took advantage; some time after that, they painted the kitchen, created the drop zone / bench area, and rounded out the room with occasional tables and accessories. Their lesson: in patience, and details, there is beauty. Photography by Gina Rogers Photography

Our poster project for The Three P's, this small midcentury home south of campus has great bones but lacked vibrancy - a je ne sais quoi that the clients were searching to savoir once and for all. SYI worked with them to nail down a design direction and furniture plan, and they decided to invest in the big-impact items first: built-ins and lighting and a fresh paint job that included a beautiful deep blue-green line around the windows. The vintage rug was an Etsy score at an awesome price, but only after the client spent months scouring options and sources online that matched the vision and dimensions of the plan. A good year later, the West Elm sofa went on sale, so the client took advantage; some time after that, they painted the kitchen, created the drop zone / bench area, and rounded out the room with occasional tables and accessories. Their lesson: in patience, and details, there is beauty. Photography by Gina Rogers Photography

One of our latest kitchen remodels. Our client wanted a white kitchen with blue accents to blend in with her collection of Bavarian china accessories. The counter top we chose is Blue pearl granite with a white back splash that has various shades of blue stone accent. The soffit was removed to accommodate 42" tall wall cabinets. She was very pleased with the finished product: "Mary, you are the most amazing talented lady who made all the difference in the planning and execution of my kitchen remodeling with all your wonderful expertise. You were so patient and anticipated every possible problem that I didn't. When I was concerned, you came out immediately and showed me how it would work beautifully. I can’t imagine redoing a kitchen with anybody else. Thank you for all your help, patience, great ideas and kindness. "

Remodeling Consultant Joe Rocco Designer Alexandria Hubbard https://www.houzz.com/pro/ahubbard77/alexandria-hubbard-case-design-remodeling-inc Photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg

More than just color, paint helps to keep the pallet intact as its braving the elements in our yard. I decided to go with the aged look of the pallets when selecting the color palette. Painting old wood can be a challenge, especially old wood that we’re aren’t sure how it has been treated. It’s rough, it’s smooth, it’s not the same from pallet to pallet. Pallet wood takes paint differently. You may need more paint than you think, and you need more patience, too. (And of course, I used my handy Shur-Line brushes and paint can lid covers to make sure there’s less mess and less stress.) For any project and anything else in life, I like to embrace the imperfections and celebrate them. Run after the uniqueness of the wood, the shapes, the structure.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

Remarkable focal points in each area aim to capture the personality of the homeowners – An elegant vintage chandelier that draws the gaze when sitting in the parlor, baroque hand made paintings that add a French colonial charm to the dining room and a stunning marble fireplace with a pattern that just takes the viewer’s breath away and adds glamour to the living room. A lighter toned color brightens up the entire space while creating a rustic and comfortable decor overall. Comfy Shag rugs on the sofas ensure the family dog has a cozy spot to snuggle in. A vintage area rug with hand-selected accessories in the cabinets around the fireplace finish out a gorgeous and welcoming room. Dining area chairs with a pop of blue around a sturdy round oak table personify energy yet are classically elegant. A lot of time, effort and of course, patience went into this 4-year project. But the end result is a balanced, harmonious space that reflects the personality of the people who use it, which is what good Design is all about.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

This client wanted help with the HOA process, and we were happy to help. Making all of the decisions that were both aesthetically pleasing to the family and HOA compliant took a bit, but thanks to the client's patience, we finalized every little detail and started construction. After demolishing their pre-existing wrought iron, which was much smaller than the linear footage for the future fence, we constructed a light, beautiful horizontal-board fence with a solar panel powered automatic gate to boot. As one of the only horizontal fences in the neighborhood, we're proud of the appeal that it adds to the area.

We put MSI Calacatta Aidana quartz into a kitchen out in Hopkins, and it's the kind of stone that changes how a room feels the day it goes in. Aidana's got that bright white background with soft veining moving through it, the kind of pattern that reads clean and calm from across the room but still has movement when you get up close to it. For a kitchen that gets used every day, that's exactly what you want. It doesn't compete with cabinets or fight the light coming through the windows, it just sits there looking good year after year. Quartz like this is engineered, so the slabs come off the line consistent. That matters more than people think when you're templating a kitchen with a lot of linear footage, corners, and a sink cutout to deal with. We're not chasing a wild vein across a seam or hoping two slabs happen to match. The veining in Aidana is soft enough that seams disappear into the field instead of announcing themselves, and that's a craftsmanship thing as much as a material thing. Getting a seam tight and a pattern lined up right takes patience at the saw and patience setting it, not just a good slab to start with. The kitchen itself got the full treatment, counters and an eased edge, which is the right call for a stone with this kind of quiet pattern. An eased edge keeps the eye on the surface and the veining instead of on the edge detail, and it's a practical choice too, it holds up well and doesn't chip the way a sharper profile can over time. Day to day, this is a stone that just works. Quartz doesn't need sealing, it resists staining better than natural stone, and it shrugs off the usual kitchen abuse, knives set down too hard, hot pans set too close, kids leaning on the counter doing homework. It's a surface built for a family that actually cooks and lives in the space rather than one that's roped off for company. Hopkins has been getting more of these kitchen jobs lately, and it's easy to see why homeowners out that way keep landing on Calacatta Aidana. It's a stone that photographs well and lives even better, bright and clean without being cold, and it gives a kitchen that finished, put-together look the moment you walk in.

We put MSI Calacatta Aidana quartz into a kitchen out in Hopkins, and it's the kind of stone that changes how a room feels the day it goes in. Aidana's got that bright white background with soft veining moving through it, the kind of pattern that reads clean and calm from across the room but still has movement when you get up close to it. For a kitchen that gets used every day, that's exactly what you want. It doesn't compete with cabinets or fight the light coming through the windows, it just sits there looking good year after year. Quartz like this is engineered, so the slabs come off the line consistent. That matters more than people think when you're templating a kitchen with a lot of linear footage, corners, and a sink cutout to deal with. We're not chasing a wild vein across a seam or hoping two slabs happen to match. The veining in Aidana is soft enough that seams disappear into the field instead of announcing themselves, and that's a craftsmanship thing as much as a material thing. Getting a seam tight and a pattern lined up right takes patience at the saw and patience setting it, not just a good slab to start with. The kitchen itself got the full treatment, counters and an eased edge, which is the right call for a stone with this kind of quiet pattern. An eased edge keeps the eye on the surface and the veining instead of on the edge detail, and it's a practical choice too, it holds up well and doesn't chip the way a sharper profile can over time. Day to day, this is a stone that just works. Quartz doesn't need sealing, it resists staining better than natural stone, and it shrugs off the usual kitchen abuse, knives set down too hard, hot pans set too close, kids leaning on the counter doing homework. It's a surface built for a family that actually cooks and lives in the space rather than one that's roped off for company. Hopkins has been getting more of these kitchen jobs lately, and it's easy to see why homeowners out that way keep landing on Calacatta Aidana. It's a stone that photographs well and lives even better, bright and clean without being cold, and it gives a kitchen that finished, put-together look the moment you walk in.

"Aging-in-Place in Style" is the story of a senior couple nearing retirement and wanting to remodel their main bathroom for aesthetics, functionality, and safety. Like most homeowners who remodel, figuring out the budget is a big challenge that requires fully transparent collaboration among all parties. It also takes patience, thoughtfulness, and, well, as they put it "A pretty good sense of humor." This particular remodel came with an even bigger challenge—a large built-in Jacuzzi-type tub positioned in a square space, which is notoriously difficult to design around. We had one of our top designers on it, however, and he came through in style, creating a very efficient, bright universal design to accommodate these homeowners now and far into the future.

We put MSI Calacatta Aidana quartz into a kitchen out in Hopkins, and it's the kind of stone that changes how a room feels the day it goes in. Aidana's got that bright white background with soft veining moving through it, the kind of pattern that reads clean and calm from across the room but still has movement when you get up close to it. For a kitchen that gets used every day, that's exactly what you want. It doesn't compete with cabinets or fight the light coming through the windows, it just sits there looking good year after year. Quartz like this is engineered, so the slabs come off the line consistent. That matters more than people think when you're templating a kitchen with a lot of linear footage, corners, and a sink cutout to deal with. We're not chasing a wild vein across a seam or hoping two slabs happen to match. The veining in Aidana is soft enough that seams disappear into the field instead of announcing themselves, and that's a craftsmanship thing as much as a material thing. Getting a seam tight and a pattern lined up right takes patience at the saw and patience setting it, not just a good slab to start with. The kitchen itself got the full treatment, counters and an eased edge, which is the right call for a stone with this kind of quiet pattern. An eased edge keeps the eye on the surface and the veining instead of on the edge detail, and it's a practical choice too, it holds up well and doesn't chip the way a sharper profile can over time. Day to day, this is a stone that just works. Quartz doesn't need sealing, it resists staining better than natural stone, and it shrugs off the usual kitchen abuse, knives set down too hard, hot pans set too close, kids leaning on the counter doing homework. It's a surface built for a family that actually cooks and lives in the space rather than one that's roped off for company. Hopkins has been getting more of these kitchen jobs lately, and it's easy to see why homeowners out that way keep landing on Calacatta Aidana. It's a stone that photographs well and lives even better, bright and clean without being cold, and it gives a kitchen that finished, put-together look the moment you walk in.