Some rooms never quite find their purpose. That was the case with this space, which had gradually become a combination home office, pantry overflow area, pet zone, and general catch-all for daily life. While it offered plenty of square footage, it wasn’t helping the homeowners stay organized, and valuable storage was scattered between an overcrowded pantry closet and various pieces of furniture throughout the room. Having previously partnered with Drury Design on a kitchen remodel, these homeowners once again turned to Senior Designer Samantha Schoell to help them rethink how their home could better support the way they actually live. What began as a conversation about adding some cabinetry quickly evolved into a comprehensive storage solution — one designed to accommodate everything from groceries and sports equipment to pet supplies and everyday household essentials. Design Objectives: Create Organization: Consolidate pantry overflow, household supplies, and everyday essentials into a single, highly functional space. Support Family Life: Provide dedicated storage for coats, bags, sports equipment, and the routines of an active household. Accommodate Pets: Incorporate thoughtful features for the family’s dogs while maintaining a clean, organized appearance. Maximize Existing Space: Transform an underutilized room without expanding the home’s footprint. Maintain Flexibility: Preserve the room’s long-term versatility and appeal for future homeowners. Design Challenges: Multiple Functions: The room was being used simultaneously as a home office, pantry, storage area, and pet space without a cohesive organizational strategy. Insufficient Pantry Storage: The nearby pantry closet had become overcrowded and difficult to navigate. Visual Clutter: Everyday items, pet supplies, and household necessities lacked dedicated storage locations. Unused Potential: Despite its generous size, the room was not contributing meaningfully to the home’s overall functionality. Balancing Practicality and Style: The homeowners wanted substantial storage without creating a space that felt overly utilitarian. Design Solutions: Purpose-Built Storage Plan: Custom cabinetry was designed to support multiple functions within a unified storage system, allowing the room to serve as a mudroom, pantry extension, household hub, and pet station. Expanded Pantry Capacity: Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, a secondary refrigerator, and extensive drawer storage dramatically increased food storage and organization capabilities. Hidden Organization: Closed cabinetry conceals household items, sports gear, pet supplies, and everyday clutter, creating a calm and orderly appearance. Full-Room Transformation: Rather than simply adding cabinets to one wall, the design reimagined the entire room, utilizing its footprint to create a true family command center. Furniture-Inspired Cabinetry: Warm wood finishes, decorative hardware, open display shelving, and thoughtful detailing elevate the room beyond pure utility, helping it feel like a natural extension of the home’s design. The most successful remodeling projects often solve problems homeowners have simply learned to live with. In this case, a room that once served several purposes — but excelled at none — was transformed into one of the hardest-working spaces in the home. Today, groceries, pet supplies, seasonal gear, household essentials, and daily routines all have a designated place. Even the family’s dogs were thoughtfully considered, with a built-in resting area integrated into the cabinetry. The result is a room that feels remarkably organized despite supporting countless everyday activities — a reflection of how thoughtful design can bring clarity, efficiency, and calm to the busiest parts of family life.

No wall space? No problem. The BlumSafe Concealment Cabinet is a bedroom or dressing room piece first and a security solution second — and that's entirely by design. It looks like a well-crafted dresser or media cabinet. It functions like one too, with three spacious drawers (or a shelved door) for watch boxes, accessories, and everyday items. But hidden inside, on a whisper-quiet motorized lift, is a fully configured BlumSafe. Raise it with a remote control, a tap in the app, or a voice command to Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri. Lower it just as easily. The safe disappears. The furniture stays. The cabinet is built by expert furniture makers in North Carolina — hardwood, veneered plywood, and MDF — in virtually unlimited stains, paints, or custom Formica finishes. It arrives fully assembled. Setup takes under ten minutes: anchor to the wall, plug in, and configure your biometric fingerprint access. For renters or clients who move frequently, there's no wall to patch and nothing permanent to leave behind. For designers integrating into a custom interior, we also sell the lift mechanism and safe separately, with installation plans.

I had a blast working on this personal project. My partner, Alex, is working from home and I needed a space where I could be creative but also put in the hard work. We had 100sf, a budget of "as-cheap-as-possible," and tons of rental restrictions--but good design always starts with a little problem solving, right? I infused the space with lots of neutral colors and tons of texture to keep it warm. I threw in my favorite vintage pieces, a big oversized paper lantern, and a bookshelf bar for some soul. & just like that, it's our favorite spot in town.

Kitchen - traditional kitchen idea in Boston

DIMENSIONS: 72"L x 83"H x 19.5"D Complement your bar with a purpose built ‘bar back’ to both store and display your collection of wine and drinks. Our bar backs look great even without the bar in front if you are a little short on space. Make no mistake this piece of furniture will grace any room and with your display of cocktails on display the only problem you will have is keeping up with the visitors and keeping it stocked!! The picture with the chocolate version is simply for the color sample and to be able to see how it can look with a bar.

Your home’s roof is one of the most important parts of its entire structure. It’s responsible for protecting all of your home and maintaining its well-being. Your roof is the first piece of defense you have from moisture damage, which can easily make its way into the ground near your home and ruin your foundation. Your roof helps shed water away from your walls, which could otherwise become covered in mold, mildew, or rust. And it plays a huge role in your home’s level of energy efficiency. So if there are any problems with your roof, it’s important that you hire a Grand Rapids roof repair specialist you know you can trust to get the job done right. Whether there’s a shingle missing from your roof or you need an entire roof replacement, our Grand Rapids roof repair specialists will make sure that you’re getting the highest quality workmanship there is. Above Roofing & Exteriors has been working in the area since 1996 and professional quality roof repairs are our specialty. We’ve built our reputation on consistently providing our customers with thorough, accurate repairs and quality, professional service.

Our clients in Tower Lakes, IL, needed more storage and functionality from their kitchen. They were primarily focused on finding the right combination of cabinets, shelves, and drawers that fit all their cookware, flatware, and appliances. They wanted a brighter, bigger space with a natural cooking flow and plenty of storage. Soffits and crown molding needed to be removed to make the kitchen feel larger. Redesign elements included: relocating the fridge, adding a baking station and coffee bar, and placing the microwave in the kitchen island. Advance Design Studio’s Claudia Pop offered functional, creative, and unique solutions to the homeowners’ problems. Our clients wanted a unique kitchen that was not completely white, a balance of design and function. Claudia offered functional, creative, and unique solutions to Chad and Karen’s kitchen design challenges. The first thing to go was soffits. Today, most kitchens can benefit from the added height and space; removing soffits is nearly always step one. Steely gray-blue was the color of choice for a freshly unique look bringing a sophisticated-looking space to wrap around the fresh new kitchen. Cherry cabinetry in a true brown stain compliments the stormy accents with sharp contrasting white Cambria quartz top balancing out the space with a dramatic flair. “We wanted something unique and special in this space, something none of the neighbors would have,” said Claudia. The dramatic veined Cambria countertops continue upward into a backsplash behind three complimentary open shelves. These countertops provide visual texture and movement in the kitchen. The kitchen includes two larder cabinets for both the coffee bar and baking station. The kitchen is now functional and unique in design. “When we design a new kitchen space, as designers, we are always looking for ways to balance interesting design elements with practical functionality,” Claudia said. “This kitchen’s new design is not only way more functional but is stunning in a way a piece of art can catch one’s attention.” Decorative mullions with mirrored inserts sit atop dual sentinel pantries flanking the new refrigerator, while a 48″ dual fuel Wolf range replaced the island cooktop and double oven. The new microwave is cleverly hidden within the island, eliminating the cluttered counter and attention-grabbing wall of stainless steel from the previous space. The family room was completely renovated, including a beautifully functional entertainment bar with the same combination of woods and stone as the kitchen and coffee bar. Mesh inserts instead of plain glass add visual texture while revealing pristine glassware. Handcrafted built-ins surround the fireplace. The beautiful and efficient design created by designer Claudia transitioned directly to the installation team seamlessly, much like the basement project experience Chad and Karen enjoyed previously. “We definitely will and have recommended Advance Design Studio to friends who are looking to embark on a project small or large,” Karen said. “Everything that was designed and built exactly how we envisioned it, and we are really enjoying it to its full potential,” Karen said. Our award-winning design team would love to create a beautiful, functional, and spacious place for you and your family. With our “Common Sense Remodeling” approach, the process of renovating your home has never been easier. Contact us today at 847-665-1711 or schedule an appointment.

Some rooms never quite find their purpose. That was the case with this space, which had gradually become a combination home office, pantry overflow area, pet zone, and general catch-all for daily life. While it offered plenty of square footage, it wasn’t helping the homeowners stay organized, and valuable storage was scattered between an overcrowded pantry closet and various pieces of furniture throughout the room. Having previously partnered with Drury Design on a kitchen remodel, these homeowners once again turned to Senior Designer Samantha Schoell to help them rethink how their home could better support the way they actually live. What began as a conversation about adding some cabinetry quickly evolved into a comprehensive storage solution — one designed to accommodate everything from groceries and sports equipment to pet supplies and everyday household essentials. Design Objectives: Create Organization: Consolidate pantry overflow, household supplies, and everyday essentials into a single, highly functional space. Support Family Life: Provide dedicated storage for coats, bags, sports equipment, and the routines of an active household. Accommodate Pets: Incorporate thoughtful features for the family’s dogs while maintaining a clean, organized appearance. Maximize Existing Space: Transform an underutilized room without expanding the home’s footprint. Maintain Flexibility: Preserve the room’s long-term versatility and appeal for future homeowners. Design Challenges: Multiple Functions: The room was being used simultaneously as a home office, pantry, storage area, and pet space without a cohesive organizational strategy. Insufficient Pantry Storage: The nearby pantry closet had become overcrowded and difficult to navigate. Visual Clutter: Everyday items, pet supplies, and household necessities lacked dedicated storage locations. Unused Potential: Despite its generous size, the room was not contributing meaningfully to the home’s overall functionality. Balancing Practicality and Style: The homeowners wanted substantial storage without creating a space that felt overly utilitarian. Design Solutions: Purpose-Built Storage Plan: Custom cabinetry was designed to support multiple functions within a unified storage system, allowing the room to serve as a mudroom, pantry extension, household hub, and pet station. Expanded Pantry Capacity: Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, a secondary refrigerator, and extensive drawer storage dramatically increased food storage and organization capabilities. Hidden Organization: Closed cabinetry conceals household items, sports gear, pet supplies, and everyday clutter, creating a calm and orderly appearance. Full-Room Transformation: Rather than simply adding cabinets to one wall, the design reimagined the entire room, utilizing its footprint to create a true family command center. Furniture-Inspired Cabinetry: Warm wood finishes, decorative hardware, open display shelving, and thoughtful detailing elevate the room beyond pure utility, helping it feel like a natural extension of the home’s design. The most successful remodeling projects often solve problems homeowners have simply learned to live with. In this case, a room that once served several purposes — but excelled at none — was transformed into one of the hardest-working spaces in the home. Today, groceries, pet supplies, seasonal gear, household essentials, and daily routines all have a designated place. Even the family’s dogs were thoughtfully considered, with a built-in resting area integrated into the cabinetry. The result is a room that feels remarkably organized despite supporting countless everyday activities — a reflection of how thoughtful design can bring clarity, efficiency, and calm to the busiest parts of family life.

The lauhala palm leaves have been popular in tropical regions for many years because of their versatility when it comes to roofing materials, floor coverings, wall coverings, and bedding mats. Often found in the South Pacific and the Philippines, lauhala woven mats have become a common fixture in many commercial environments, homes, and backyards today. The coloring in lauhala matting often ranges from tan to darker browns once it has been finished. This natural fiber decorative matting is as versatile as it is durable. Use to underlay a solid roofed Palapa or as a wall covering, privacy screen, cabana matting, to accent Tiki Bars or even line tables for a party. When cutting and installing lauhala matting, you can use glue, adhesive or Gaffer tape be sure to do some research into where you’ll be installing it as well as to the conditions of your surroundings. As a quick tip, you can use the remnants or fallen pieces of matting as tools for covering up any potential problem areas or simply weave them back into the matting. Select Lauhala, Bac Bac, Abaca, or Lampac matting to help spruce up your tropical paradise! Lauhala ceiling mat.

Catch-all Storage Closet Transforms into Elegant Wine Cellar It was a typical unused space with bare studs and exposed insulation located at the base of the lower level stairs, next to the mechanical room. The entire lower level floor is covered with multi-color slate which contained in-floor heat. This posed a problem for the new wine cellar. The challenge was overcome by placing a layer of foam insulation with a vapor barrier over the slate floor, walls, and ceiling. Then, a plywood subfloor was glued in. A wall space vented into the adjacent laundry room was created to house a cooling unit, which maintains a perfect temperature within the wine cellar. The location of this wine cellar was a wonderful opportunity to create a showpiece that could be viewed from the upper level. An old fashioned store front, complete with two large windows and a faux painted shingle roof, was designed and built to draw attention and allow the viewer to see inside. Tami found a wall mural of an authentic wine cave and had it sized to fit the side wall of the new wine cellar, providing an illusion of continuing space and setting the tone of what was about to come. A rustic wood floor and a tongue and groove barrel ceiling, faux painted to resemble brick, were installed - all coinciding with the wall mural. Custom cabinetry filled the interior, holding wine bottles and boxes of such. A copper sink was inlayed into a wood counter top. Faux painted bricks highlight an oiled rubbed bronze faucet and a leaded seedy glass cabinet above is designed to hold various types of scotch whiskey. Ambient lighting enhances the cabinetry while a rustic mini chandelier hangs from the center of the barrel ceiling. This once “catch-all” storage closet is no more. A small, old world wine cellar has emerged and now, is quite a show piece.

Designed by Akram Aljahmi of Reico Kitchen & Bath in King of Prussia, PA in collaboration with Property Remodeling Group, this transitional inspired kitchen design features white and grey finishes complemented by a bold splash of blue tile. The kitchen design features Merillat Classic kitchen cabinets in Portrait door style with 5 piece drawer head in 2 finishes. The wall cabinets features a painted white Cotton finish and the base cabinets feature a painted grey Graphite finish. Kitchen countertops are engineered quartz in the color Carrera Marmi from Q by MSI. The kitchen also features a stunning blue herringbone tile back splash with 3x10 tiles. According to the client, "Akram solved a fundamental function problem that I could not see a solution for. His re-imagining of how the main floor of our home could function was a dramatic shift that I can't wait to experience as part of day-to-day life. Really appreciate his space plan and layout, as well as his support selecting finishes. Akram and team were great to work with!". Photos courtesy of BTW Images LLC.

Example of a mid-sized transitional galley dark wood floor enclosed kitchen design in San Francisco with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, gray backsplash, stone tile backsplash and no island

James Latta of Rancho Images - MOVIE COLONY When we met these wonderful Palm Springs clients, they were overwhelmed with the task of downsizing their vast collection of fine art, antiques, and sculptures. The problem was it was an amazing collection so the task was not easy. What do we keep? What do we let go? Design Vision Studio to the rescue! We realized that to really showcase these beautiful pieces, we needed to pick and choose the right ones and ensure they were showcased properly. Lighting was improved throughout the home. We installed and updated recessed lights and cabinet lighting. Outdated ceiling fans and chandeliers were replaced. The walls were painted with a warm, soft ivory color and the moldings, door and windows also were given a complimentary fresh coat of paint. The overall impact was a clean bright room. We replaced the outdated oak front doors with modern glass doors. The fireplace received a facelift with new tile, a custom mantle and crushed glass to replace the old fake logs. Custom draperies frame the views. The dining room was brought to life with recycled magazine grass cloth wallpaper on the ceiling, new red leather upholstery on the chairs, and a custom red paint treatment on the new chandelier to tie it all together. (The chandelier was actually powder-coated at an auto paint shop!) Once crammed with too much, too little and no style, the Asian Modern Bedroom Suite is now a DREAM COME TRUE. We even incorporated their much loved (yet horribly out-of-date) small sofa by recovering it with teal velvet to give it new life. Underutilized hall coat closets were removed and transformed with custom cabinetry to create art niches. We also designed a custom built-in media cabinet with "breathing room" to display more of their treasures. The new furniture was intentionally selected with modern lines to give the rooms layers and texture. When we suggested a crystal ship chandelier to our clients, they wanted US to walk the plank. Luckily, after months of consideration, the tides turned and they gained the confidence to follow our suggestion. Now their powder room is one of their favorite spaces in their home. Our clients (and all of their friends) are amazed at the total transformation of this home and with how well it "fits" them. We love the results too. This home now tells a story through their beautiful life-long collections. The design may have a gallery look but the feeling is all comfort and style.

This new build kitchen is a blank slate for any style and is sure to stand the test of time. The perimeter cabinets are finished in Arctic White and the uniquely shaped island was ordered as a custom color: SW Web Grey. Doors are the TW-10 style with a flat panel and square framing bead. The 2 piece crown is a combination of slab fillers and Crown 24, taking the cabinets all the way up to the 9 foot ceiling. Storage will not be a problem in this space!

See what our client say about Paul Lopa Designs: We hired Paul Lopa to remodel our master bathroom. During the project, we increased the work to include upgrading all moldings and replaced all interior doors including our front door. We are very pleased with his work. There were no hidden costs, he followed through on every last detail and did so in a timely manner. He guided us toward materials that were of a higher quality to prevent problems down the road. His team was respectful of our home and did their best to protect our belongings from the renovation destruction. We will definitely hire Paul Lopa again for future renovations. Haw, Ron

From builder standard to designer upgrade. A recent project of ours in Harrison NY had us taking an adequate builder designed kitchen to something much more special. The original layout led to traffic jams while entertaining and valuable storage was lost due to the fact that the cabinets did not go to the ceiling. The new design moves the refrigerator out of the traffic pattern that often lead to gridlock in previous years as well as providing ample storage for trays and baking sheets in the slim pantry. Grillwork doors allow for airflow from the air-conditioning vents, while still allowing for cabinets to the ceiling. A professional grade range replaces the old smaller model, with a heavy-duty hood to assure complete ventilation no matter what the cook creates. The microwave moves farther down the work triangle to assure that the heating of a cup of coffee or bag of popcorn need never interfere with the chef again. Equally of value is the island mini-frig not just to chill the occasional bottle of wine, but to keep the kids sodas out the main refrigerator. And then there is the desk/ command central area. The formerly blank wall where no piece of furniture seemed to fit, because of the radiator, has become an efficient home office. With room for two people to work, grown-ups can search Food Network for recipes while the kids do their homework – problem area solved!

Bespoke Blue Library for a lovely cottage near Bristol. The problem: The room was going to be their office, it didn’t have much storage and it wasn’t very big. It had a difficult wall nib sticking out behind the door running the length of the wall and the room and had very high ceilings 3.2 metres high. This is precisely why they decided to go bespoke. The brief: The clients wanted lots of cabinets and shelves to make a library / bookcase for an awkward wall in a small room. The clients initially wanted ‘L’ shaped cabinets. Lots of bookshelves, and I mean lots, like a bookcase wall and somewhere to hide office equipment like the printer and phone chargers. Book shelves needed to be strong so they wouldn’t sag under the weight of the books – this was of utmost importance to the brief, these clients love books and reading. Adjustable book shelves so they could fit their books exactly and change it up when needed. The bespoke library was to go right up to the very high ceiling and finish in a cornice. The cornice needed a particular profile to match their existing furniture. “It’s better than we imagined it could be” was the first thing they said when they saw it complete! When we first visited and discussed the design for this bespoke library in Bristol with them, it became obvious that an ‘L’ shape wouldn’t work in the room, so the first draft was to have the shelves and cabinets along one wall. There were around 5 revisions in the end, until the design was approved. The design was intricate and had to be spot on taking the wall nib and the opening door and latch into account. The whole bookcase cabinetry was made from solid tulip wood, this is a strong and stable material to take the weight of the books. The cornice was specially commissioned to match the profile of their existing furniture. For the adjustable shelves we used brass bookcase strips. The bookshelves are all solid English oak from our favourite local supplier a family run business called Interesting Timbers these were all finished in our rollered Osmo oil finish. Jo hand painted the whole piece, inside and out, it in their choice of colour (Woad’ by Little Greene). Jim installed it to our meticulous standards and the clients were very happy with the results. We are also delighted with the finished result! Do let us know what you think or get in touch if you would like to discuss your own project.

Dimension: 55" L X 23.5" D X 74.5" H Ideal for adding storage to any room, our Turin Distress Blue Reclaimed Wood Large Armoire Wardrobe With Drawers is certain to help cut down clutter with style and class. When it comes to your bedroom, or even den or guest bedroom, space to neatly store your essentials seems to always be at a premium. With this large wardrobe armoire, a lack of closet space doesn't have to be a problem. This rustic farmhouse inspired distressed blue finish wardrobe armoire allows you to introduce instant storage space to your bedroom. The armoire unit's unique lattice doors allow you a peek at the interior contents without the upkeep of glass. Double doors on one side of the armoire assure lots of storage, with two shelves topped by a single hanging rod. The single cabinet door reveals a similar layout, but with more cozy dimensions. Tucked beneath it all are three drawers that make a perfect complement to the cabinet storage, providing a room for socks or delicates, among other possibilities. In addition to the metal ring pulls, the rustic wood armoire feature classic wooden latches along the top and rests on a sturdy platform base. This smart storage system is handmade with solid reclaimed wood, made from the old world style of woodworking. The stunning finish makes it stand out as an example of fine storage and impeccable craftsmanship. Special Features: • 100% Handcrafted • Made from solid reclaimed wood • Iron latticework on the doors • 3 door wardrobe armoire • 2 door cabinet with large wardrobe compartment and shelves • Single door cabinet with hanging rod and shelves • Plenty of interior shelving • Can be custom-made to have removable/adjustable shelves upon request • Hanging rod • 3 drawers at the bottom • Metal ring pulls and wooden latches • Premium heirloom quality • Anti-tip kit included Note: Custom Options such as Size, Shape, Shade & Design are not applicable to this item. Reclaimed Wood Furniture is subjected to have Slight Variations. Real wood is a product of nature, and as such, no two pieces are alike. Variations in solid wood grain patterns are to be expected and make each furniture uniquely beautiful, just like us humans.

See what our client say about Paul Lopa Designs: We hired Paul Lopa to remodel our master bathroom. During the project, we increased the work to include upgrading all moldings and replaced all interior doors including our front door. We are very pleased with his work. There were no hidden costs, he followed through on every last detail and did so in a timely manner. He guided us toward materials that were of a higher quality to prevent problems down the road. His team was respectful of our home and did their best to protect our belongings from the renovation destruction. We will definitely hire Paul Lopa again for future renovations. Haw, Ron