This project is a case study of a client living on Jeju Island in South Korea. The client's residence is a 95-square-meter home. The clients, a young couple born in the 1990s, had a long-held dream of having a place they could call their own. Both of them share a deep appreciation for Japanese culture and have always envisioned their future home to be adorned with distinctive Japanese elements. Therefore, they chose a Japanese-style wooden decor, primarily focusing on a fusion of white and wood tones. They designed their home with white walls, wooden flooring, and wooden furnishings, complemented by touches of other colors, as well as indoor plants, creating an atmosphere of warmth and freshness. Their main objective was to select a dining room pendant light that harmonized seamlessly with their chosen interior style. Upon our recommendation, they opted for the popular wooden pumpkin pendant light, which perfectly matched their design aspirations. Upon receiving the products, the clients expressed their satisfaction with how well the chosen pendant lights aligned with their vision. We are excited to share this case study with everyone, hoping it will provide inspiration and ideas for your own home decor projects.

This project is a case study of a client living on Jeju Island in South Korea. The client's residence is a 95-square-meter home. The clients, a young couple born in the 1990s, had a long-held dream of having a place they could call their own. Both of them share a deep appreciation for Japanese culture and have always envisioned their future home to be adorned with distinctive Japanese elements. Therefore, they chose a Japanese-style wooden decor, primarily focusing on a fusion of white and wood tones. They designed their home with white walls, wooden flooring, and wooden furnishings, complemented by touches of other colors, as well as indoor plants, creating an atmosphere of warmth and freshness. Their main objective was to select a dining room pendant light that harmonized seamlessly with their chosen interior style. Upon our recommendation, they opted for the popular wooden pumpkin pendant light, which perfectly matched their design aspirations. Upon receiving the products, the clients expressed their satisfaction with how well the chosen pendant lights aligned with their vision. We are excited to share this case study with everyone, hoping it will provide inspiration and ideas for your own home decor projects.

Picture Perfect House
Inspiration for a farmhouse porch remodel in Chicago

A kitchen remodel for a Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery client in Rockville, MD. Cabinet design provided by Jan Zhuge, Cabinet Designer for Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Rikki Snyder © 2015 Houzz

Jacob Snavely Photography
Small transitional formal and enclosed dark wood floor and brown floor living room photo in New York with beige walls, a wall-mounted tv, a standard fireplace and a metal fireplace

David Murray
Front door - mid-sized craftsman two-story gray and brown floor front door idea in Boston with blue walls and a medium wood front door

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional front yard stone garden path in Seattle.

Inspiration for a large transitional white two-story brick gable roof remodel in DC Metro with a shingle roof

A fall tablescape for a holiday dinner.
Inspiration for a small eclectic kitchen/dining room combo remodel in Toronto

Bernard Andre Photography
Example of a classic backyard stone patio design in San Francisco with no cover

Tommy Daspit
Mid-sized rustic white two-story brick exterior home idea in Birmingham

Ross VanPelt Photography
Inspiration for a country white two-story exterior home remodel in Cincinnati

Jim Mauchly Photographer
Example of a cottage medium tone wood floor bedroom design in Manchester with gray walls and no fireplace

Photo: Jason Snyder © 2013 Houzz
Trendy concrete floor entryway photo

Our clients came to us looking to remodel their condo. They wanted to use this second space as a studio for their parents and guests when they came to visit. Our client found the space to be extremely outdated and wanted to complete a remodel, including new plumbing and electrical. The condo is in an Art-Deco building and the owners wanted to stay with the same style. The cabinet doors in the kitchen were reclaimed wood from a salvage yard. In the bathroom we kept a classic, clean design.

Rikki Snyder © 2015 Houzz

Hear what our clients, Karen & Robert, have to say about their project by clicking on the Facebook link and then the Videos tab. Fall millet, mums, cabbage,pansies, plumbago, pumpkins, and gourds warm up the front entry and porch. Project Partners: ESL Design Group, Hannah Goering Photography