This adorable beach cottage is in the heart of the village of La Jolla in San Diego. The goals were to brighten up the space and be the perfect beach get-away for the client whose permanent residence is in Arizona. Some of the ways we achieved the goals was to place an extra high custom board and batten in the great room and by refinishing the kitchen cabinets (which were in excellent shape) white. We created interest through extreme proportions and contrast. Though there are a lot of white elements, they are all offset by a smaller portion of very dark elements. We also played with texture and pattern through wallpaper, natural reclaimed wood elements and rugs. This was all kept in balance by using a simplified color palate minimal layering. I am so grateful for this client as they were extremely trusting and open to ideas. To see what the space looked like before the remodel you can go to the gallery page of the website www.cmnaturaldesigns.com Photography by: Chipper Hatter

This large kitchen was desperately needing a refresh. It was far to traditional for the homeowners taste. Additionally, there was no direct path to the dining room as you needed to enter through a butlers pantry. I opened up two doorways into the kitchen from the dining room, which allowed natural light to flow in. The former butlers pantry was then sealed up and became part of the formerly to small pantry. The homeowners now have a 13' long walk through pantry, accessible from both the new bar area and the kitchen.

Inspiration for a mid-sized country brown floor and medium tone wood floor powder room remodel in Charleston with furniture-like cabinets, white cabinets, blue walls, an integrated sink, quartz countertops and white countertops

Photo Credit: Jason Hartog Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary multicolored one-story mixed siding house exterior remodel in Toronto with a hip roof and a shingle roof

While renovating the master bedroom last year, the Mohrmans replaced the fireplace surround with white ceramic tile. Placed in a herringbone pattern, the tile and dark grout work together to lend a period feel to the room. As with many renovations, there were some surprises along the way. "From what we could tell the mantle had never been removed", Chelsea explains. "We removed the mantle and found bits and pieces of photos, ticket stubs, coins, etc that had fallen back there over the years. Some of the items were dated back to the 1930’s." Being the eighth owners of the home, it was hard to tell whether there was something there from every previous owner, "... but we gathered it all, placed it in a tin, added our own piece, and placed it back inside the mantle as a time capsule for future owners to find in decades to come."

Joyelle West Photography Cummings Architects
Elegant white two-story house exterior photo in Boston with a shingle roof

Inspiration for a huge rustic u-shaped light wood floor kitchen/dining room combo remodel in New York with two islands, distressed cabinets, wood countertops, multicolored backsplash, an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, stone tile backsplash and paneled appliances

Curved openings, crown molding and soft colors create a welcoming entry into this custom home built by Meadowlark Design+ Build in Ann Arbor, MIchigan. Architecture: Woodbury Design Group. Photography: Jeff Garland

Example of a transitional home bar design in Chicago

All wood finishes, kids bedroom. This project was a Guest House for a long time Battle Associates Client. Smaller, smaller, smaller the owners kept saying about the guest cottage right on the water's edge. The result was an intimate, almost diminutive, two bedroom cottage for extended family visitors. White beadboard interiors and natural wood structure keep the house light and airy. The fold-away door to the screen porch allows the space to flow beautifully. Photographer: Nancy Belluscio

Example of a mid-sized classic master medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom design in Atlanta with gray walls

Elliott Kaufman Photography
Example of a minimalist black two-story exterior home design in New York

Michal Utterback
Patio - 1950s one-story white patio idea in Los Angeles

Memories TTL
Elegant medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in New York with beaded inset cabinets, beige cabinets, white backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

solatube
Inspiration for a contemporary closet remodel in Portland

Example of a mid-sized transitional gray two-story stucco exterior home design in Minneapolis with a hip roof

Photo- Lisa Romerein
Inspiration for a mediterranean dark wood floor and brown floor enclosed dining room remodel in San Francisco with white walls

Casey Dunn
Patio - large modern backyard stone drought-tolerant patio idea in Austin with a roof extension