A unique pattern of Thassos and Mother of Pearl in a brilliant shade of icy blue!
Example of a minimalist kitchen design in New York with blue backsplash and mosaic tile backsplash

Alex Strazzanti
Wet room - small modern master blue tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile wet room idea in Seattle with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink and quartzite countertops

Photos by Tina Witherspoon.
Example of a small 1960s ceramic tile black floor bathroom design in Seattle

Exterior forms are emphasized with glass and fiber-cement panels at the top level, soaring over and sheltering containers clad in tougher, leathery Corten Steel at the ground level. Exposed concrete walls and rock-filled gabion retaining was selected to anchor the partially day-lighted basement level and garages to the land. Materials were chosen to be low-maintenance, relatively inexpensive, and to contrast the volumes that express the interior spaces.

matching concrete steps with stamped concrete with a decorative concrete overlay process
Classic porch idea in Kansas City

This Atlantic holiday cottage is located in the unique landscape of the creek at Towd Point, in Southampton, one of only 28 Federal Ecological Preserves in the US. Caterina and Bob, a design couple who owns the architecture firm TRA studio in the city, chose the property because of their historic ties to the area and the extraordinary setting and its precise location within it: it is the only house whose site is at the bend of the Towd Point peninsula, right where the views of the protected creek are at the widest and where a little beach naturally occurred. Although the views are open and vast, the property is minimal, way too small to even consider a small pool or spa: the pristine creek is the house water feature, the recreation expansion of the diminutive back yard. We often joke that at TRA we can make small spaces feel big, which is, exactly what we did. As often happened with TRA’s renovation projects, as well as with the most recent art pieces by Robert Traboscia, one of the Studio’s founders, the house is an “object trouve’’, originally a modest fishing outpost, that went through many alterations, to finally find a refreshed life as a modern cottage for a New York family. A vintage busted kayak, repurposed as a planter, completes the process. The cottage is actually a collection of objects: the original Bayman’s cottage now houses two bedrooms, the adjoining deck soon afterwards was enclosed to make space for the kitchen/dining volume and a newer living room addition was later built to complete the compound.’ The compactness of the volumes contributes to the environmental quality of the house, whose simple natural materials have been carefully restored and insulated, while the simplicity of the volumes, which has been respectfully retained, talks about a nostalgia for the past Long Island seaside retreats. The single level recognizable gabled roof silhouette sits comfortably on the private beach, the greyed cedar deck acting as a platform to connect with the landscape. The informal weathered materials and the reductive color palette weave effortlessly from the exterior to the interior, creating a serene environment, echoing the coastal landscape, which emphasizes the line where the water meets the sky, the natural beach, tall breezy grasses and the multitude of happy birds who call the creek home. The restoration process started with the modest goal of cleaning up the walls and replace the worn uneven floor, it soon turned into a forensic research for the original elements, uncovering the historic foam-green siding gabled façade that is now the backdrop of the dining pavilion. The renovation respected the history of the place: everything changed and everything stayed the same. In an area known for vast, affluent, estates, the house is often the place where friends and family gather: the size of the house, the largeness of the creek, the wild life coexisting in harmony with the visitors, the availability of a swim in the bay or kayak adventure, are all interesting and inviting. We often observed that people do not want to leave our interiors, we love the little house because is a place that you never need to leave, this is definitely a house where there is always something to do. In the Hamptons, the question is often “what you are looking at”, usually the pool or landscaped nature, here it is easy to respond: our private beach and protected nature. The landscaping simply aims at enhancing the existing: three sculptural and weathered trees were given new life, the natural arch of the Creek, further outlined by the bulkhead, is amplified and repeated, similarly to rock stratifications, to connect to the house and define the different modes of the landscape: native grasses, private beach, gravel lawn, fence and finally Towd Point Road. Towd Point Little Beach is a habitat meant to be shared with birds and animals.

Reclaimed fir T&G with faded grey finish. Photo: Sterling Lorence
Example of a beach style deck design in Vancouver

Rope detail on cabinets that are really antique white
Example of a small classic galley light wood floor eat-in kitchen design in Birmingham with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, beige backsplash, stone tile backsplash, colored appliances, beige walls and a peninsula

Family room - contemporary family room idea

Example of a mid-sized trendy wooden straight open and metal railing staircase design in San Francisco

KatiLyn VanNosdall
Example of a large trendy wooden l-shaped staircase design in Denver with wooden risers

US Floors

This feature wall is a 100% natural German made product called Ja Decor. This plaster product is made of cotton fiber mixed with cellulose, an organic polymer made from the inside lining or walls of plants, as a binder. The cotton is dyed custom colors and additives such as mica chips, glitter, metallic string, and plastic shavings are added to enhance the material finish.

Brian Korte AIA
Example of a large minimalist home bar design in Austin

Stained concrete floor hand painted
Inspiration for a modern family room remodel in Orange County

DESIGN: Eric Richmond, Flat Rock Productions; BUILDER: Gemkow Construction; PHOTO: Stadler Studio
Example of an eclectic home design design in Seattle

Example of a cottage chic living room design in Essex

TRUADDITIONS Chris Doering
Staircase - mid-sized contemporary wooden l-shaped dark wood floor staircase idea in Los Angeles with beige walls and wooden risers