Talk about a merry-go-round – practically every room on the first floor of this Noe Valley home was moved to a new location, with the goal of making a lighter, brighter, more useful layout. Once the dining room, the kitchen is now primed for efficient cooking, entertaining, and cozy at-home meals. The dining room is now adjacent, made welcoming by a rustic fireplace, and the living room is now at the back of the home, taking advantage of the peaceful garden views. Together with our friends at McGriff Architects, we were able to re-envision and renew an aging home. We love the peacock blue cabinetry and patterned concrete tile backsplash. The rustic wood island, fireplace mantel, and dining table nicely complement the classic San Francisco narrow-plank oak floors. The powder room greets guests with a showstopping contrast of materials, mixing bold geometric floor tiles with feminine floral walls. We also selected new paints for the exterior, providing some much-needed curb appeal. Architecture: McGriff Architects Photography: Christopher Stark

This home had zero front landscape. The client requested low maintenance, succulents and rock elements. The area was not full sun, but had significant morning light and in fact had quite a bit of shade. This was a bit of a challenge to specify plants that could thrive in mixed light, but could handle direct sun for several hours a day. We incorporated some tough but lovely plants that require very little upkeep except to trim off spent/dying leaves to keep them looking clean. By using a rock edging and heavy mulching under the plants, we further reduced maintenance. We added landscape lighting to show off the garden at night and to provide subtle welcoming light to the entry.

The extension’s two glazed sides face directions where the sunlight usually comes from and better views are. The glazed panels slide back, leaving an open, column-free corner, reinforcing the idea of a seamless connection between the inside and outside. The overhang provides protection from the sun in the summer months, reducing solar gain.

Transform your kitchen into a gleaming oasis of cleanliness with our meticulous residential kitchen cleaning services. Our team of expert cleaners is dedicated to restoring your culinary space to its pristine state, ensuring a hygienic and inviting environment for you and your loved ones. Our Comprehensive Kitchen Cleaning Services: Meticulous Appliance Cleaning: We'll tackle your stovetop, oven, refrigerator, microwave, and dishwasher, eliminating grease, grime, and stubborn stains for spotless appliances that shine like new. Countertop Detailing: We'll meticulously clean and disinfect your countertops, removing spills, crumbs, and bacteria to leave them sparkling clean and ready for culinary creations. Cabinet Care: We'll gently wipe down your cabinets, both inside and out, removing dust, fingerprints, and smudges to restore their luster and enhance the overall appearance of your kitchen. Floor Cleaning: We'll sweep, mop, and sanitize your kitchen floors, eliminating dirt, debris, and sticky spills to leave them gleaming and spotless. Waste Disposal: We'll responsibly remove all trash and recycling from your kitchen, ensuring a clutter-free and hygienic environment. Additional Services: Deep Cleaning: We offer deep cleaning services for those particularly grimy areas, such as behind the stove and under the refrigerator. Range Hood Cleaning: We'll tackle the grease and grime buildup in your range hood, ensuring proper ventilation and reducing fire hazards. Oven Deodorization: We'll eliminate lingering cooking odors from your oven, leaving it smelling fresh and clean. Benefits of a Professionally Cleaned Kitchen: Enhanced Hygiene: A clean kitchen promotes a healthier environment, reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses and allergies. Reduced Stress: A tidy kitchen contributes to a more relaxing and enjoyable cooking experience. Improved Appearance: A sparkling clean kitchen enhances the overall aesthetic of your home. Increased Property Value: A well-maintained kitchen can boost the value of your property in case of a future sale. Choose ON Cleaning Services for: Unmatched Expertise: Our team of experienced cleaners is equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle even the toughest cleaning challenges. Eco-Friendly Products: We use safe and environmentally friendly cleaning products that are gentle on your surfaces and the environment. Flexible Scheduling: We offer flexible scheduling to accommodate your busy schedule. Satisfaction Guarantee: We are committed to your satisfaction and guarantee exceptional results. Contact us today 508 247 0045 to schedule your residential kitchen cleaning service and experience the joy of a sparkling clean kitchen!

We reduced the number of glass profiles in the uppers to hide the practical items that aren't as pretty. Swapping about huge base cabinets with useful drawers offered more options for this service area.

Our overall design concept for the renovation of this space was to optimize the functional space for a family of five and accentuate the existing window. In the renovation, we eliminated a huge centrally located kitchen island which acted as an obstacle to the feeling of the space and focused on creating an elegant and balanced plan promoting movement, simplicity and precisely executed details. We held strong to having the kitchen cabinets, wherever possible, float off the floor to give the subtle impression of lightness avoiding a bottom heavy look. The cabinets were painted a pale tinted green to reduce the empty effect of light flooding a white kitchen leaving a softness and complementing the gray tiles. To integrate the existing dining room with the kitchen, we simply added some classic dining chairs and a dynamic light fixture, juxtaposing the geometry of the boxy kitchen with organic curves and triangular lights to balance the clean design with an inviting warmth.

Common Mistakes in Exterior Door Refinishing Refinishing an exterior wood door is an excellent way to prolong it’s lifespan while improving its appearance. However, there are a few common mistakes that can render a refinishing ineffective, or even damage your door. Learn what to avoid while working on your exterior wood door to ensure a successful refinishing. 1. Poor Sanding Sanding against the grain or leaving power sander marks can leave unsightly marks on the surface that will appear in the finished product. Pay attention to how you’re sanding, and use finer grit sandpaper to eliminate any marks. 2. Scratching the Glass Leaving glass unprotected during the sanding process can result in accidentally scratching the surface. These marks are difficult to remove, and can be avoided by simply protecting the glass before you sand. 3. Bad Varnish A varnish could be bad for a variety of reasons; bad prep work, mixing incompatible products, etc. Make sure you know the product you are working with, and do not cut corners. 4. Sanding Through the Veneer Many exterior doors are constructed from a solid core with a decorative veneer applied on top. Sanding too far into the veneer can show unsightly layers and seriously reduce the lifespan of your door. Know how your door is made, and don’t sand too much.

Inspiration for a coastal bathroom remodel in San Francisco

Mark Compton
Example of a mid-sized 1960s u-shaped light wood floor and beige floor eat-in kitchen design in San Francisco with flat-panel cabinets, blue cabinets, quartzite countertops, paneled appliances, an island, white countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and an undermount sink

This project began as a design-build proposal to build an addition for an indoor swim spa and exercise room to a ranch style house. The Clients were seeking a functional and inviting space reminiscent of the luxury resorts and space they have visited during their international travels. One of the biggest challenges was to fit the program within the site and buildable area constraints. In order to maximize floor area, the exterior walls of the addition were located parallel to the property lines along the required setbacks, which resulted in a non-orthagonal geometry in plan. The volume of the addition began to take shape with large floor to ceiling openings strengthening the connection to the outdoors with roof line that rises northward to capture daylight. A series of operable skylights ventilate the room and allow more daylight to penetrate into the adjacent existing den. Inspired by modern additions made to historic structures in Europe, we made a conscious decision to not try to blend the addition into the language of the existing ranch house, choosing instead to juxtapose a structure that was layered and felt light next to the cement tile roof and framed picture windows. The interior walls were finished with a marine grade plywood to withstand a humid environment, and the exteriors were clad with a cedar rainscreen to give privacy where needed and gradually reduced to allow for more glass and visibility. The Clients are immersed in the technological environment of Silicon Valley and appreciated the simple geometries and aesthetics of modern design. david wakely

Amy Bartlam
Mid-sized trendy porcelain tile and brown floor front door photo in Los Angeles with white walls and a blue front door

This home had zero front landscape. The client requested low maintenance, succulents and rock elements. The area was not full sun, but had significant morning light and in fact had quite a bit of shade. This was a bit of a challenge to specify plants that could thrive in mixed light, but could handle direct sun for several hours a day. We incorporated some tough but lovely plants that require very little upkeep except to trim off spent/dying leaves to keep them looking clean. By using a rock edging and heavy mulching under the plants, we further reduced maintenance. We added landscape lighting to show off the garden at night and to provide subtle welcoming light to the entry.

We remodeled this once plain powder bathroom into a show piece bathroom experience. The Rain Forest marble countertop with integrated sink sits on top floating Cherry cabinets in a Natural Matte finish. The marble continues up the wall to the ceiling where the large curved back lit mirror is mounted proud of marble. The wall mounted faucet allows for a stream line countertop which reduces in depth to make space for in front of the bidet toilet. Whether the bathroom is lit by the pendant lights or by the back lit mirror this bathroom will leave an impression on your guest who use it.

This home had zero front landscape. The client requested low maintenance, succulents and rock elements. The area was not full sun, but had significant morning light and in fact had quite a bit of shade. This was a bit of a challenge to specify plants that could thrive in mixed light, but could handle direct sun for several hours a day. We incorporated some tough but lovely plants that require very little upkeep except to trim off spent/dying leaves to keep them looking clean. By using a rock edging and heavy mulching under the plants, we further reduced maintenance. We added landscape lighting to show off the garden at night and to provide subtle welcoming light to the entry.

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Denver

Our overall design concept for the renovation of this space was to optimize the functional space for a family of five and accentuate the existing window. In the renovation, we eliminated a huge centrally located kitchen island which acted as an obstacle to the feeling of the space and focused on creating an elegant and balanced plan promoting movement, simplicity and precisely executed details. We held strong to having the kitchen cabinets, wherever possible, float off the floor to give the subtle impression of lightness avoiding a bottom heavy look. The cabinets were painted a pale tinted green to reduce the empty effect of light flooding a white kitchen leaving a softness and complementing the gray tiles. To integrate the existing dining room with the kitchen, we simply added some classic dining chairs and a dynamic light fixture, juxtaposing the geometry of the boxy kitchen with organic curves and triangular lights to balance the clean design with an inviting warmth.

We remodeled this once plain powder bathroom into a show piece bathroom experience. The Rain Forest marble countertop with integrated sink sits on top floating Cherry cabinets in a Natural Matte finish. The marble continues up the wall to the ceiling where the large curved back lit mirror is mounted proud of marble. The wall mounted faucet allows for a stream line countertop which reduces in depth to make space for in front of the bidet toilet. Whether the bathroom is lit by the pendant lights or by the back lit mirror this bathroom will leave an impression on your guest who use it.

The backyard of this house was a no-man’s land when the owners moved in. With little more than a few established trees and a big, noisy air-conditioning unit, the yard was an almost open canvas bordering the Los Padres National Forest in a high-fire zone. We installed a large infiltration swale to capture as much rainfall as possible from the house rain gutters, so the water can be stored in the soil where plants can access it, reducing the amount of irrigation this landscape needs. Plantings obscure the air-conditioning unit, and a water feature was installed so the sound of trickling water would drown-out its sound. The plants we chose are drought tolerant and attractive to native birds and insects. We paid special attention to the plantings nearest to the house, keeping them fairly low growing as to not create a fire ladder beneath the eves. The plants also hold a good deal of moisture in their stems and leaves and are easily kept free of desiccated material, making them fire-wise plants that can actually reduce the chances of the property burning in the event of a nearby wildfire.

The Opulence, an ever trending rectangle pool with a custom sundeck in the shallow end provides ample space for children and adults to cool off while still catching sun rays. (The steps and sundeck span the width of the pool). This pool also encompasses a custom bench in the deep end of the pool. This pool also boasts an auto cover, which provides safety for children and pets and encloses heat for late night swims. The auto cover also prevents leaves and other debris from falling into the pool, which reduces the upkeep of the pool significantly. The perimeter of this pool is the highly sought after Norwegian Buff perfectly complimented by Bluestone Coping. This yard also has a custom pool house, conversational lounge area, and lounge chaises proving the perfect outdoor entertaining space. The luscious greenery, vibrant plants, and patio stepping stones, create a secret garden like feel in Essex County.