We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

"Kerry Taylor was professional and courteous from our first meeting forwards. We took a long time to decide on our final design but Kerry and his design team were patient and respectful and waited until we were ready to move forward. There was never a sense of being pushed into anything we didn’t like. They listened, carefully considered our requests and delivered an awesome plan for our new bathroom. Kerry also broke down everything so that we could consider several alternatives for features and finishes and was mindful to stay within our budget. He accommodated some on-the-fly changes, after construction was underway and suggested effective solutions for any unforeseen problems that arose. Having construction done in close proximity to our master bedroom was a challenge but the excellent crew TaylorPro had on our job made it relatively painless: courteous and polite, arrived on time daily, worked hard, pretty much nonstop and cleaned up every day before leaving. If there were any delays, Kerry made sure to communicate with us quickly and was always available to talk when we had concerns or questions." This Carlsbad couple yearned for a generous master bath that included a big soaking tub, double vanity, water closet, large walk-in shower, and walk in closet. Unfortunately, their current master bathroom was only 6'x12'. Our design team went to work and came up with a solution to push the back wall into an unused 2nd floor vaulted space in the garage, and further expand the new master bath footprint into two existing closet areas. These inventive expansions made it possible for their luxurious master bath dreams to come true. Just goes to show that, with TaylorPro Design & Remodeling, fitting a square peg in a round hole could be possible! Photos by: Jon Upson

Tropical Pool Landscape
Inspiration for a large tropical partial sun courtyard gravel water fountain landscape in Tampa.

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

Designed by Jens Bunte of Reico Kitchen & Bath, this transitional style kitchen design features Merillat Classic cabinets in the Spring Valley door style in Mist with a Desert Glaze finish except for the kitchen island cabinets, which hand finished by the clients’ contractor. The kitchen also features a Cambria Montgomery countertop on the perimeter of the kitchen and a Caesarstone London Grey Honed countertop on the kitchen island. For Jens working with the clients was a pleasure. “Their attention to detail was such a breath of fresh air and it really was all of the little things that brought this design together and turned it into such a special space. My favorite aspects of this project really came down to the details: a custom-designed bar area that doubles as functional storage space; the use of additional doors and trim to match their recessed pantry to the rest of the kitchen and really bring the space together; the use of Honey Bronze hardware and French Wire on some of the doors to add details that impacted the overall look. They were so gracious and patient during the COVID-19 pandemic and truly embodied what it means to work as a team when it comes to the client-designer-contractor relationship.” Added the client, “Jens was a joy to work with. We discussed budget for the project, and she guided us to the cabinet options that would work best for us. When it came to countertops, Reico’s selection was incredible. Jens kept us fully informed at every step. We love everything that she helped us with.” Photos courtesy of Frank Biganski, AgentsChoice360.

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

Writer: Chris White Photographer: Richard Hilgendorff Laura Urban deserves much of the credit for the degree of comfort that the family has come to enjoy inside their renovated dwelling. To return to the eagles’ nest analogy, she’s most responsible for creating the “egg bowl,” the soft and cozy areas that make a house feel most like a home. Says the owner, “It took me a couple of tries to find someone who could help me achieve the right look. Laura really worked with us. She is so patient; she just keeps bringing things until they work.” Urban came into the project after construction was complete, so she wasn’t directly involved with the building team. As a result, the goals for her part would manifest as an evolution of the initial desire to let in more light and bring in the outdoors. Urban says, “We really wanted to give the house a coastal feel, but upscale coastal, and we continued with the theme of lightening the space up.” She and the owners introduced a number of natural textures, too, incorporating sisal rugs and grasscloth wallpaper.

Houston Interior Designer Lisha Maxey took this Museum District condo from the dated, mirrored walls of the 1980s to Mid Century Modern with a gallery look featuring the client’s art collection. The place was covered with glued-down, floor-to-ceiling mirrors,” says Lisha Maxey, senior designer for Homescapes of Houston and principal at LGH Design Services in Houston. “When we took them off the walls, the walls came apart. We ended up taking them down to the studs." The makeover took six months to complete, primarily because of strict condo association rules that only gave the Houston interior designers very limited access to the elevator – through which all materials and team members had to go. “Monday through Friday, we could only be noisy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and if we had to do something extra loud, like sawing or drilling, we had to schedule it with the management and they had to communicate that to the condo owners. So it was just a lot of coordination. But a lot of Inner City Loopers live in these kinds of buildings, so we’re used to handling that kind of thing.” The client, a child psychiatrist in her 60s, recently moved to Houston from northeast Texas to be with friends. After being widowed three years ago, she decided it was time to let go of the traditionally styled estate that wasn’t really her style anyway. An avid diver who has traveled around the world to pursue her passion, she has amassed a large collection of art from her travels. Downsizing to 1,600 feet and wanting to go more contemporary, she wanted the display – and the look – more streamlined. “She wanted clean lines and muted colors, with the main focus being her artwork,” says Maxey. “So we made the space a palette for that.” Enter the white, gallery-grade paint she chose for the walls: “It’s halfway between satin and flat,” explains Maxey. “It’s not glossy and it’s not chalky – just very smooth and clean." Adding to the gallery theme is the satin nickel track lighting with lamps aimed to highlight pieces of art. “This lighting has no wires,” notes Maxey. “It’s powered by a positive and negative conduit.” The new flooring throughout is a blended-grey porcelain tile that looks like wood planks. “It’s gorgeous, natural-looking and combines all the beauty of wood with the durability of tile,” says Maxey. “We used it throughout the condo to unify the space.” After Maxey started looking at the client’s bright, vibrant, colorful artwork, she felt the palette couldn’t stay as muted anymore. Hence the Mid Century Modern orange leather sofas from West Elm and bright green chairs from Joybird, plus the throw pillows in different textures, patterns and shades of gold, orange and green. The concave lines of the Danish-inspired chairs, she notes, help them look beautiful from all the way around – a key to designing spaces for loft living. “The table in the living room is very interesting,” notes Maxey. “It was handmade for the client in 1974 and has a signature on it from the artist. She was adamant about including the piece, which has all these hand-painted black-and-white art tiles on the top. I took one look at it and said ‘It’s not really going to go.’” However, after cutting 6 inches off the bottom and making it look a little distressed, the table ended up being the perfect complement to the sofas. The dining room table – from Design Within Reach – is a solid piece of mahogany, the chair upholstery a mix of grey velvet and leather and the legs a shiny brass. “The side chairs are leather and the end ones are velvet,” says Maxey. “It’s a nice textural mix that lends depth and texture.”The galley kitchen, meanwhile, has been lightened and brightened, with new, white contemporary cabinetry, quartz countertops mimicking the look of Carrara marble, stainless steel appliances and a velvet green bench seat for a punch of color.The two bathrooms have been updated with contemporary white vanities and vessel sinks and the master bath now features a walk-in shower tiled in Dolomite white marble (the floor is Bianco Carrara marble mosaic, done in a herringbone pattern).In the master bedroom, Homescapes of Houston knocked down a wall between two smaller closets with swing doors to make one large walk-in closet with pocket doors. The closet in the guest bedroom also came out 13 more inches.The client’s artwork throughout personalizes the space and tells the story of a life. There’s a huge bowl of shells from the client’s diving adventures, framed art from her child psychiatry patients and a 16th century wood carving from a monastery that’s been in her family forever. “Her collection is quite impressive,” says Maxey. “There’s even a framed piece of autographed songs written by John Lennon.” (You can see this black-framed piece of art on the wall in the photo above of two green chairs). “We’re extremely happy with how the project turned out, and so is the client,” says Maxey. “No expense was spared for her. It was a labor of love and we were excited to do it.”

View from entry alcove, highlighting the matte granite tile flooring and expressed sapele ceiling beams, looking to the curved mahogany ribbon art wall.

Designed by Jens Bunte of Reico Kitchen & Bath, this transitional style kitchen design features Merillat Classic cabinets in the Spring Valley door style in Mist with a Desert Glaze finish except for the kitchen island cabinets, which hand finished by the clients’ contractor. The kitchen also features a Cambria Montgomery countertop on the perimeter of the kitchen and a Caesarstone London Grey Honed countertop on the kitchen island. For Jens working with the clients was a pleasure. “Their attention to detail was such a breath of fresh air and it really was all of the little things that brought this design together and turned it into such a special space. My favorite aspects of this project really came down to the details: a custom-designed bar area that doubles as functional storage space; the use of additional doors and trim to match their recessed pantry to the rest of the kitchen and really bring the space together; the use of Honey Bronze hardware and French Wire on some of the doors to add details that impacted the overall look. They were so gracious and patient during the COVID-19 pandemic and truly embodied what it means to work as a team when it comes to the client-designer-contractor relationship.” Added the client, “Jens was a joy to work with. We discussed budget for the project, and she guided us to the cabinet options that would work best for us. When it came to countertops, Reico’s selection was incredible. Jens kept us fully informed at every step. We love everything that she helped us with.” Photos courtesy of Frank Biganski, AgentsChoice360.

Designed by Jens Bunte of Reico Kitchen & Bath, this transitional style kitchen design features Merillat Classic cabinets in the Spring Valley door style in Mist with a Desert Glaze finish except for the kitchen island cabinets, which hand finished by the clients’ contractor. The kitchen also features a Cambria Montgomery countertop on the perimeter of the kitchen and a Caesarstone London Grey Honed countertop on the kitchen island. For Jens working with the clients was a pleasure. “Their attention to detail was such a breath of fresh air and it really was all of the little things that brought this design together and turned it into such a special space. My favorite aspects of this project really came down to the details: a custom-designed bar area that doubles as functional storage space; the use of additional doors and trim to match their recessed pantry to the rest of the kitchen and really bring the space together; the use of Honey Bronze hardware and French Wire on some of the doors to add details that impacted the overall look. They were so gracious and patient during the COVID-19 pandemic and truly embodied what it means to work as a team when it comes to the client-designer-contractor relationship.” Added the client, “Jens was a joy to work with. We discussed budget for the project, and she guided us to the cabinet options that would work best for us. When it came to countertops, Reico’s selection was incredible. Jens kept us fully informed at every step. We love everything that she helped us with.” Photos courtesy of Frank Biganski, AgentsChoice360.

We were approached by a Karen, a renowned sculptor, and her husband Tim, a retired MD, to collaborate on a whole-home renovation and furnishings overhaul of their newly purchased and very dated “forever home” with sweeping mountain views in Tigard. Karen and I very quickly found that we shared a genuine love of color, and from day one, this project was artistic and thoughtful, playful, and spirited. We updated tired surfaces and reworked odd angles, designing functional yet beautiful spaces that will serve this family for years to come. Warm, inviting colors surround you in these rooms, and classic lines play with unique pattern and bold scale. Personal touches, including mini versions of Karen’s work, appear throughout, and pages from a vintage book of Audubon paintings that she’d treasured for “ages” absolutely shine displayed framed in the living room. Partnering with a proficient and dedicated general contractor (LHL Custom Homes & Remodeling) makes all the difference on a project like this. Our clients were patient and understanding, and despite the frustrating delays and extreme challenges of navigating the 2020/2021 pandemic, they couldn’t be happier with the results. Photography by Christopher Dibble

Designed by Jens Bunte of Reico Kitchen & Bath, this transitional style kitchen design features Merillat Classic cabinets in the Spring Valley door style in Mist with a Desert Glaze finish except for the kitchen island cabinets, which hand finished by the clients’ contractor. The kitchen also features a Cambria Montgomery countertop on the perimeter of the kitchen and a Caesarstone London Grey Honed countertop on the kitchen island. For Jens working with the clients was a pleasure. “Their attention to detail was such a breath of fresh air and it really was all of the little things that brought this design together and turned it into such a special space. My favorite aspects of this project really came down to the details: a custom-designed bar area that doubles as functional storage space; the use of additional doors and trim to match their recessed pantry to the rest of the kitchen and really bring the space together; the use of Honey Bronze hardware and French Wire on some of the doors to add details that impacted the overall look. They were so gracious and patient during the COVID-19 pandemic and truly embodied what it means to work as a team when it comes to the client-designer-contractor relationship.” Added the client, “Jens was a joy to work with. We discussed budget for the project, and she guided us to the cabinet options that would work best for us. When it came to countertops, Reico’s selection was incredible. Jens kept us fully informed at every step. We love everything that she helped us with.” Photos courtesy of Frank Biganski, AgentsChoice360.