Columbia Cabinetry, Caesarstone countertops, Pendants by Hi-Light, Faucet by Rohl, Backsplash tile by Sonoma Tile makers, Hardware by Top Knobs, Miele Refrigerator and dishwasher. Chairs by Owner. Photography by Mitchell Shenker

One of the most challenging projects for a landscape team is an addition to an existing outdoor living space, but UNIQUE nailed this one. Can you tell what was added to this existing oasis?

The first challenge of this space was to design a custom wall unit to contain the existing firebox and AV equipment. A medium cherry wood set the stage for a warm palette of earth tones, complimented by global artifacts from around the world.

Always up for a challenge, we helped this family transform their stucco ski house inside and out! Inside, we opened up walls, and by re-configuring the spaces, created a mudroom, pantry, laundry and powder room. Outside, we are adding a craftsman-inspired covered entry and porch as well as replacing siding, trim and windows. Together these improvements will give new life to what was a tired 60's stucco chalet and elevate it to a higher plane of existence.

Mike and Anne of Barrington Hills desperately needed to update and renovate both their kid’s hall bath and guest bath, and in their 1980’s home each project presented a different set of unique challenges to overcome. When they set out to identify the right remodeling company to partner with, it was important to find a company that could help them to visualize design solutions for the bath renovations. When they came across Advance Design Studio’s website, they were immediately drawn to the solution-oriented remodeling process and the family friendly company. They say they chose Advance Design because of the integrated approach of “Common Sense Remodeling”, making the design, project management and construction all happen in one place. When they met with Project Designer Michelle Lecinski, they knew they chose the right company. “Michelle’s excellent work on the initial designs made it easy to proceed with Advance Design Studio,” Mike said. Like most homeowners anticipating a big renovation project, they had some healthy fears; with two bathrooms being remodeled at the same time they worried about timeframes and staying within budget. With the help of Michelle, and the “Common Sense” guidelines, they were confident that Advance Design would stay true, orchestrating all the moving parts to stay within both the estimated timeline and budget. The guest bath offered the biggest design challenge. A dormer obstruction made the already cramped shower awkward to access. Mike and Anne also wanted the shower size to be expanded, making it more accommodating. Working with Advance’s construction expert DJ Yurik, Michelle relocated the shower concealing the original dormer and creating a larger, more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing guest shower. The unsightly and not at all user-friendly closet was removed and replaced with elegant White Maple Dura Supreme cabinetry with much improved function featuring dual tall linen cabinets, a special makeup area and two sinks, providing a dual vanity which was extremely important for better guest use. The Fossil Brown quartz countertop is in pleasing contrast to the white cabinetry, and coordinates nicely with the mocha porcelain tile gracing the shower for an accent. The decorative glazed turquoise tile backsplash, tile border, and bottle niche adds a taste of marine green to the room, while marble-looking porcelain tile makes guests feel they are staying in a 5-star hotel. Polished nickel Kohler plumbing fixtures were chosen to add a touch of sophistication. This renovated guest bath is comfortable and elegant, and Anne and Mike’s house guests may never want to leave! “The end result was updated and restyled bathrooms that the client will enjoy and increase the value of their home,” Designer Michelle said. The children’s hall bath had its own set of challenges. The current placement of the sink was not conducive to the best use of the existing space, nor did it allow for any visual interest, something Advance’s designers always work to achieve even within the tight confines of a small bath. Advance removed the linen closet and used the gain in wall space to create a dramatic focal point on the vanity wall. They also took additional space that wasn’t being used for new Storm Gray Dura Supreme tall built-in linen cabinets, creating functional storage space that the former bath lacked. A customized glass splash panel was created for the bath, and the high ceilings with skylights were accented with a custom-made track lighting fixture featuring industrial pipe and cage materials. Authentic cement encaustic tile was used wall to wall surrounding the vanity to create a dramatic and interesting back drop for the new elegant and stately furniture-like double sink wall. Hand-made encaustic tile originated in Western Europe beginning in the 1850’s and reminded Mike and Anne of tile they had seen and loved from their travels overseas. Today, encaustic tile has made a re-appearance in today’s modern bath design with its wide array of appealing patterns and artistic use of color. Oil rubbed bronze Kohler fixtures echo the black accents in the beautiful tile pattern and reflect the matte black of the unique lighting detail. Easy to maintain Blanca Arabescato Quartz countertops add practicality and natural beauty and compliments the warm wood porcelain tile floors. This handsome bath has generated praise from friends and family even before it’s complete unveiling as photos of the space leaked out on social media! It’s not only completely functional to use, but especially pretty to look at. “Advance Design Studio did a terrific job for us. We really appreciated how easy it was to work with them on a complex project of the complete remodeling of two bathrooms. They very capably handled all the details from design, to project management, to construction. It is a great group of people to work with and we would welcome the opportunity to work with them again anytime,” Mike said.

This kitchen designed by Andersonville Kitchen and Bath includes Merillat Classic Cabinetry in Portrait Cotton, as well as Silestone Eternal Statuario, This gut rehab knocked down the wall to the pre-existing kitchen in the left corner and expanded the space to an open concept letting tons of natural light into the space.

This stunning home's entryway was centered around an existing live oak tree surrounded by the custom ipe wood and pre-cast concrete entryway patio and stairs. On the right a japanese maple compliments the lower stairs.

We remodeled this 5,400-square foot, 3-story home on ’s Second Street to give it a more current feel, with cleaner lines and textures. The result is more and less Old World Europe, which is exactly what we were going for. We worked with much of the client’s existing furniture, which has a southern flavor, compliments of its former South Carolina home. This was an additional challenge, because we had to integrate a variety of influences in an intentional and cohesive way. We painted nearly every surface white in the 5-bed, 6-bath home, and added light-colored window treatments, which brightened and opened the space. Additionally, we replaced all the light fixtures for a more integrated aesthetic. Well-selected accessories help pull the space together, infusing a consistent sense of peace and comfort.

A small bungalow in old town Roseville posed some challenges for the homeowner. Their vision was rustic and working with the existing brick on the fireplace that wrapped into the kitchen. If you can't beat it join it... we added brick veneer to the backsplash and island to make it feel as if it was always there. The brick was contrasted with he white cabinets and the smooth concrete look countertops.

Overview Extension and complete refurbishment. The Brief The existing house had very shallow rooms with a need for more depth throughout the property by extending into the rear garden which is large and south facing. We were to look at extending to the rear and to the end of the property, where we had redundant garden space, to maximise the footprint and yield a series of WOW factor spaces maximising the value of the house. The brief requested 4 bedrooms plus a luxurious guest space with separate access; large, open plan living spaces with large kitchen/entertaining area, utility and larder; family bathroom space and a high specification ensuite to two bedrooms. In addition, we were to create balconies overlooking a beautiful garden and design a ‘kerb appeal’ frontage facing the sought-after street location. Buildings of this age lend themselves to use of natural materials like handmade tiles, good quality bricks and external insulation/render systems with timber windows. We specified high quality materials to achieve a highly desirable look which has become a hit on Houzz. Our Solution One of our specialisms is the refurbishment and extension of detached 1930’s properties. Taking the existing small rooms and lack of relationship to a large garden we added a double height rear extension to both ends of the plan and a new garage annex with guest suite. We wanted to create a view of, and route to the garden from the front door and a series of living spaces to meet our client’s needs. The front of the building needed a fresh approach to the ordinary palette of materials and we re-glazed throughout working closely with a great build team.

Featuring two Port Royal Club Chairs from Northcape International, seated next to a Hammered Copper Oriflamme Fire Table
Mid-sized minimalist backyard stone patio photo in Denver with no cover and a fire pit

The challenge presented by the existing footprint was to open up the shower as much as possible without making the walkway too cramped. Ceiling-mounted shower doors by Cardinal Glass give the impression of greater space.

This Jersey City, NJ space was the first permanent ‘home’ for the yoga studio, so it was essential for us to listen well and design a space to serve their needs for years to come. Through our design process, we helped to guide the owners through the fit-out of their new studio location that required minimal demolition and disruption to the existing space. Together, we converted a space originally used as a preschool into a welcoming, spacious yoga studio for local yogis. We created one main yoga studio by combining four small classrooms into a single larger space with new walls, while all the other program spaces (including designated areas for holistic treatments, massage, and bodywork) were accommodated into pre-existing rooms. Our team completed all demo, sheetrock, electrical, and painting aspects of the project. (The studio owners did some of the work themselves, and a different company installed the flooring and carpets.) The results speak for themselves: a peaceful, restorative space to facilitate health and healing for the studio’s community. Looking to renovate your place of business? Contact the Houseplay team; we’ll help make it happen! Photo Credit: Anne Ruthmann Photography

client wanted entire wall built in with book cases. the design allows for sections that balance the pre existing fireplace with symetry. additionally a traditional fireplace was needed around the fireplace. originally transitionally simple but evolved to tradtional with visible hinges, swags on the firplace, and panals on all the doors, with a complex crown moulding.

In order to accommodate a family with three growing boys, we took an existing bathroom and an existing office and made two separate, back to back bathrooms. The spaces were almost the same (size wise) and it made sense to use the same materials. One bathroom has a shower/tub combo (for the younger boys) while the other has a walk in shower only (for the pre-teen). This project was designed and contracted by Galeana Younger. Photo by Mark Menjivar.

Location: Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA, USA A lovely small one story bungalow in the arts and craft style was the original house. An addition of an entire second story and a portion to the back of the house to accommodate a growing family, for a 4 bedroom 3 bath new house family room and music room. The owners a young couple from central and South America, are movie producers The addition was a challenging one since we had to preserve the existing kitchen from a previous remodel and the old and beautiful original 1901 living room. The stair case was inserted in one of the former bedrooms to access the new second floor. The beam structure shown in the stair case and the master bedroom are indeed the structure of the roof exposed for more drama and higher ceilings. The interiors where a collaboration with the owner who had a good idea of what she wanted. Juan Felipe Goldstein Design Co. Photographed by: Claudio Santini Photography 12915 Greene Avenue Los Angeles CA 90066 Mobile 310 210 7919 Office 310 578 7919 info@claudiosantini.com www.claudiosantini.com

PHOTOGRAPHY Scott Espie DESIGNER Jules Moore Opposing angles from an existing retaining wall and steps with an angular entrance might have challenged many ‘reno’ experts but landscape designers, Matt McIssac and Jules Moore, took this renovation to a different level.

Large mountain style backyard concrete paver and rectangular patio photo in Richmond

This kitchen designed by Andersonville Kitchen and Bath includes Merillat Classic Cabinetry in Portrait Cotton, as well as Silestone Eternal Statuario, This gut rehab knocked down the wall to the pre-existing kitchen in the left corner and expanded the space to an open concept letting tons of natural light into the space.