This beautiful Birmingham, MI home had been renovated prior to our clients purchase, but the style and overall design was not a fit for their family. They really wanted to have a kitchen with a large “eat-in” island where their three growing children could gather, eat meals and enjoy time together. Additionally, they needed storage, lots of storage! We decided to create a completely new space. The original kitchen was a small “L” shaped workspace with the nook visible from the front entry. It was completely closed off to the large vaulted family room. Our team at MSDB re-designed and gutted the entire space. We removed the wall between the kitchen and family room and eliminated existing closet spaces and then added a small cantilevered addition toward the backyard. With the expanded open space, we were able to flip the kitchen into the old nook area and add an extra-large island. The new kitchen includes oversized built in Subzero refrigeration, a 48” Wolf dual fuel double oven range along with a large apron front sink overlooking the patio and a 2nd prep sink in the island. Additionally, we used hallway and closet storage to create a gorgeous walk-in pantry with beautiful frosted glass barn doors. As you slide the doors open the lights go on and you enter a completely new space with butcher block countertops for baking preparation and a coffee bar, subway tile backsplash and room for any kind of storage needed. The homeowners love the ability to display some of the wine they’ve purchased during their travels to Italy! We did not stop with the kitchen; a small bar was added in the new nook area with additional refrigeration. A brand-new mud room was created between the nook and garage with 12” x 24”, easy to clean, porcelain gray tile floor. The finishing touches were the new custom living room fireplace with marble mosaic tile surround and marble hearth and stunning extra wide plank hand scraped oak flooring throughout the entire first floor.

Photo by Allen Russ, Hoachlander Davis Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized traditional screened-in back porch design in DC Metro with a roof extension and decking.

Steve Keating Photography
Trendy bedroom photo in Seattle with a ribbon fireplace

The existing U-shaped kitchen was tucked away in a small corner while the dining table was swimming in a room much too large for its size. The client’s needs and the architecture of the home made it apparent that the perfect design solution for the home was to swap the spaces. The homeowners entertain frequently and wanted the new layout to accommodate a lot of counter seating, a bar/buffet for serving hors d’oeuvres, an island with prep sink, and all new appliances. They had a strong preference that the hood be a focal point and wanted to go beyond a typical white color scheme even though they wanted white cabinets. While moving the kitchen to the dining space gave us a generous amount of real estate to work with, two of the exterior walls are occupied with full-height glass creating a challenge how best to fulfill their wish list. We used one available wall for the needed tall appliances, taking advantage of its height to create the hood as a focal point. We opted for both a peninsula and island instead of one large island in order to maximize the seating requirements and create a barrier when entertaining so guests do not flow directly into the work area of the kitchen. This also made it possible to add a second sink as requested. Lastly, the peninsula sets up a well-defined path to the new dining room without feeling like you are walking through the kitchen. We used the remaining fourth wall for the bar/buffet. Black cabinetry adds strong contrast in several areas of the new kitchen. Wire mesh wall cabinet doors at the bar and gold accents on the hardware, light fixtures, faucets and furniture add further drama to the concept. The focal point is definitely the black hood, looking both dramatic and cohesive at the same time.

We used Fleetwood pocket doors and screens to give this Dining Room and indoor/outdoor feeling off the garden and pool.
Mid-sized 1960s medium tone wood floor and brown floor great room photo in Los Angeles with white walls and no fireplace

All new doors, trims and baseboards. New du chateau, heated flooring. A real makeover. Bruce Damonte Photography
Bedroom 1960s girl kids' bedroom photo in San Francisco with multicolored walls

Front door - traditional front door idea in Atlanta

This modern home, near Cedar Lake, built in 1900, was originally a corner store. A massive conversion transformed the home into a spacious, multi-level residence in the 1990’s. However, the home’s lot was unusually steep and overgrown with vegetation. In addition, there were concerns about soil erosion and water intrusion to the house. The homeowners wanted to resolve these issues and create a much more useable outdoor area for family and pets. Castle, in conjunction with Field Outdoor Spaces, designed and built a large deck area in the back yard of the home, which includes a detached screen porch and a bar & grill area under a cedar pergola. The previous, small deck was demolished and the sliding door replaced with a window. A new glass sliding door was inserted along a perpendicular wall to connect the home’s interior kitchen to the backyard oasis. The screen house doors are made from six custom screen panels, attached to a top mount, soft-close track. Inside the screen porch, a patio heater allows the family to enjoy this space much of the year. Concrete was the material chosen for the outdoor countertops, to ensure it lasts several years in Minnesota’s always-changing climate. Trex decking was used throughout, along with red cedar porch, pergola and privacy lattice detailing. The front entry of the home was also updated to include a large, open porch with access to the newly landscaped yard. Cable railings from Loftus Iron add to the contemporary style of the home, including a gate feature at the top of the front steps to contain the family pets when they’re let out into the yard. Tour this project in person, September 28 – 29, during the 2019 Castle Home Tour!

Retractable sun/solar screens can be installed over sliding glass doors or windows. It blocks the sun (up to 95%) and preserve your view. During the day, you can see out but people on the outside can't see in, providing with privacy. It's fully retractable with the press of a button.

http://www.pickellbuilders.com. Front entry is a contemporary mix of glass, stone, and stucco. Gravel entry court with decomposed granite chips. Front door is African mahogany with clear glass sidelights and horizontal aluminum inserts. Photo by Paul Schlismann.

This craftsman style home has a beautiful front entry. In order to keep the front doors beauty the homeowners added Phantom Screens to the doors to preserve the look of the door but allow for insect free ventilation when needed.

Eric Roth Photography
Example of a minimalist light wood floor front door design in Boston with white walls and a white front door

Anice Hoachlander, Hoachlander Davis Photography
Inspiration for a large mid-century modern slate floor and gray floor foyer remodel in DC Metro with gray walls and a red front door

Custom screened doors are our specialty!

Example of a mid-sized classic formal and open concept dark wood floor and brown floor living room design in New York with beige walls, no fireplace and no tv

Erika Bierman Photography www.erikabiermanphotography.com
Elegant entry hall photo in Los Angeles with white walls

Black double entry doors with decorative windows and transom.
Inspiration for a large transitional front door remodel in Louisville with a black front door

Speaking of the shed roof on this addition, look closely at the area over the screen door that leads out to the uncovered patio space. What do you see over that screen door? It’s a perfectly-screened open wedge that starts small at the outer door frame and gets bigger as it reaches the wall of the house. If you didn’t already know we custom make all of our screens, you could tell by looking at this wedge. And there’s a matching screened wedge at the opposite end of the porch, too. These two wedges of screening let in just a little more light and contribute to the airy, summery feel of this porch.