Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

Photo credit: PDET Photography, Pawel Dmytrow Designed for a home in the Chicago suburbs, this kitchen was created around the client’s desire for clean, minimal lines, visual balance, and highly functional storage. A warm, high-end European textured TFL brings depth and natural character to the cabinetry, with careful grain matching from panel to panel reinforcing the seamless, tailored appearance. Floating shelves were introduced to break up the cabinetry and create a lighter composition, while integrated dimmable lighting adds warmth and ambiance—especially important given the kitchen’s connection to the surrounding great room. Function was considered at every level. A custom utensil storage solution was stained to coordinate with the cabinetry finish, while a concealed integrated outlet in the island keeps everyday power readily available without interrupting the clean exterior. Generous drawer and pantry storage maximize usability, including a reduced-depth pantry positioned near the window to provide additional capacity without unnecessarily projecting into the room or compromising natural light. Every element—from proportions and lighting to storage, material transitions, and grain direction—was considered to create a kitchen that feels calm, cohesive, and deliberately understated.

This bedroom with horizontally banded fabric covered acoustic wall finishing with the Anchorage Panel Fabric Vanilla. This three band layout is great for full wall or room applications where covering a large amount of space is key!

Chris Golden
Inspiration for a transitional carpeted living room remodel in Phoenix with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a tile fireplace

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

To reduce the visual mass of the almost 15 foot long island, we segmented it into three tiers and topped it with two contrasting quartz countertops, waterfalling the two bar-top ends. Photo by Ehlen Creative.

The custom design of this staircase houses the fridge, two bookshelves, two cabinets, a cubby, and a small closet for hanging clothes. Hawaiian mango wood stair treads lead up to a generously lofty sleeping area with a custom-built queen bed frame with six built-in storage drawers. Exposed stained ceiling beams add warmth and character to the kitchen. Two seven-foot-long counters extend the kitchen on either side- both with tiled backsplashes and giant awning windows. Because of the showers unique structure, it is paced in the center of the bathroom becoming a beautiful blue-tile focal point. This coastal, contemporary Tiny Home features a warm yet industrial style kitchen with stainless steel counters and husky tool drawers with black cabinets. the silver metal counters are complimented by grey subway tiling as a backsplash against the warmth of the locally sourced curly mango wood windowsill ledge. I mango wood windowsill also acts as a pass-through window to an outdoor bar and seating area on the deck. Entertaining guests right from the kitchen essentially makes this a wet-bar. LED track lighting adds the right amount of accent lighting and brightness to the area. The window is actually a french door that is mirrored on the opposite side of the kitchen. This kitchen has 7-foot long stainless steel counters on either end. There are stainless steel outlet covers to match the industrial look. There are stained exposed beams adding a cozy and stylish feeling to the room. To the back end of the kitchen is a frosted glass pocket door leading to the bathroom. All shelving is made of Hawaiian locally sourced curly mango wood. A stainless steel fridge matches the rest of the style and is built-in to the staircase of this tiny home. Dish drying racks are hung on the wall to conserve space and reduce clutter.

Kitchen Design by Ralph Katz Photos by Nettie Einhorn
Inspiration for a large transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in New York with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and two islands

For amazing audio reproduction, we installed Sonus Faber left-center-right speakers, REL sub bass systems, Totem surrounds, and Bel Canto monoblock amplification. To ensure that the sound reaches ears exactly as intended, we specified Cinematech acoustical treatment. This was also the perfect application for Audioquest cabling. Using the skills we learned at Sumiko, we meticulously set the soundstage—a process that took two 3-hour visits to reach perfection. For video, we chose an ultra-high performance 1080p Wolf projector that rivals most 4k projectors on the market, and a Wolf video processor. Special attention was given to the high-voltage system in an effort to reduce the noise floor. We had the Romex electrical lines removed, and replaced with direct-to-panel jacketed electrical lines with 4 x 20 amp circuits, protected with SurgeX, and terminated with Furutech electrical outlets from Japan. Between this and the equipment, we used IsoTec power conditioning. Photo by CinemaTech

Woodmode cabinetry Photo credit Terry Pommett
Large transitional l-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen photo in Boston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This bedroom and full bathroom are part of an adventuresome project my wife and I embarked upon to create a complete apartment in the basement of our townhouse. We designed a floor plan that creatively and efficiently used all of the 385-square-foot-space, without sacrificing beauty, comfort or function – and all without breaking the bank! To maximize our budget, we did the work ourselves and added everything from thrift store finds to DIY wall art to bring it all together. A partial double closet bar adds a little extra space while still leaving room for longer hanging clothes.