Harbor View is a modern-day interpretation of the shingled vacation houses of its seaside community. The gambrel roof, horizontal, ground-hugging emphasis, and feeling of simplicity, are all part of the character of the place. While fitting in with local traditions, Harbor View is meant for modern living. The kitchen is a central gathering spot, open to the main combined living/dining room and to the waterside porch. One easily moves between indoors and outdoors. The house is designed for an active family, a couple with three grown children and a growing number of grandchildren. It is zoned so that the whole family can be there together but retain privacy. Living, dining, kitchen, library, and porch occupy the center of the main floor. One-story wings on each side house two bedrooms and bathrooms apiece, and two more bedrooms and bathrooms and a study occupy the second floor of the central block. The house is mostly one room deep, allowing cross breezes and light from both sides. The porch, a third of which is screened, is a main dining and living space, with a stone fireplace offering a cozy place to gather on summer evenings. A barn with a loft provides storage for a car or boat off-season and serves as a big space for projects or parties in summer.

Example of a mountain style galley dark wood floor eat-in kitchen design in Minneapolis with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, black cabinets and stainless steel appliances

Example of a transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room design in Miami with white walls and a ribbon fireplace

The homeowner of this traditional home requested a traditional pool and spa with a resort-like style and finishes. AquaTerra was able to create this wonderful outdoor environment with all they could have asked for. While the pool and spa may be simple on the surface, extensive planning went into this environment to incorporate the intricate deck pattern. During site layout and during construction, extreme attention to detail was required to make sure nothing compromised the precise deck layout. The pool is 42'x19' and includes a custom water feature wall, glass waterline tile and a fully tiled lounge with bubblers. The separate spa is fully glass tiled and is designed to be a water feature with custom spillways when not in use. LED lighting is used in both the pool and spa to create dramatic lighting that can be enjoyed at night. The pool/spa deck is made of 2'x2' travertine stones, four to a square, creating a 4'x4' grid that is rotated 45 degrees in relation to the pool. In between all of the stones is synthetic turf that ties into the synthetic turf putting green that is adjacent to the deck. Underneath all of this decking and turf is a concrete sub-deck to support and drain the entire system. Finishes and details that increase the aesthetic appeal for project include: -All glass tile spa and spa basin -Travertine deck -Tiled sun lounge with bubblers -Custom water feature wall -LED lighting -Synthetic turf This traditional pool and all the intricate details make it a perfect environment for the homeowners to live, relax and play! Photography: Daniel Driensky

Small northwest garden with evergreen plants and steel planter. Acorus brightens up the ground plane and the steel planter gives direction and separation for the walkways.

Nick Smith
Bathroom - transitional bathroom idea in London

Benjamin Benschneider
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern formal and open concept medium tone wood floor living room remodel in Seattle with white walls and a media wall

This bright urban oasis is perfectly appointed with O'Brien Harris Cabinetry in Chicago's bespoke Chatham White Oak cabinetry. The scope of the project included a kitchen that is open to the great room and a bar. The open-concept design is perfect for entertaining. Countertops are Carrara marble, and the backsplash is a white subway tile, which keeps the palette light and bright. The kitchen is accented with polished nickel hardware. Niches were created for open shelving on the oven wall. A custom hood fabricated by O’Brien Harris with stainless banding creates a focal point in the space. Windows take up the entire back wall, which posed a storage challenge. The solution? Our kitchen designers extended the kitchen cabinetry into the great room to accommodate the family’s storage requirements. obrienharris.com

Designed By: Richard Bustos Photos By: Jeri Koegel Ron and Kathy Chaisson have lived in many homes throughout Orange County, including three homes on the Balboa Peninsula and one at Pelican Crest. But when the “kind of retired” couple, as they describe their current status, decided to finally build their ultimate dream house in the flower streets of Corona del Mar, they opted not to skimp on the amenities. “We wanted this house to have the features of a resort,” says Ron. “So we designed it to have a pool on the roof, five patios, a spa, a gym, water walls in the courtyard, fire-pits and steam showers.” To bring that five-star level of luxury to their newly constructed home, the couple enlisted Orange County’s top talent, including our very own rock star design consultant Richard Bustos, who worked alongside interior designer Trish Steel and Patterson Custom Homes as well as Brandon Architects. Together the team created a 4,500 square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom contemporary house where R&R get top billing in almost every room. Two stories tall and with lots of open spaces, it manages to feel spacious despite its narrow location. And from its third floor patio, it boasts panoramic ocean views. “Overall we wanted this to be contemporary, but we also wanted it to feel warm,” says Ron. Key to creating that look was Richard, who selected the primary pieces from our extensive portfolio of top-quality furnishings. Richard also focused on clean lines and neutral colors to achieve the couple’s modern aesthetic, while allowing both the home’s gorgeous views and Kathy’s art to take center stage. As for that mahogany-lined elevator? “It’s a requirement,” states Ron. “With three levels, and lots of entertaining, we need that elevator for keeping the bar stocked up at the cabana, and for our big barbecue parties.” He adds, “my wife wears high heels a lot of the time, so riding the elevator instead of taking the stairs makes life that much better for her.”

Classic subway tile up around the window. French Bistro Look. Matte black hardware. We removed the wall between the dining room and the kitchen. They did a flat ceiling in the kitchen but did not want to go through the expense or “mess” to scrape the rest of the ceilings on the main floor so we put in the false/decorative beam to split the areas. The false beam and floating shelves were custom made by Leroy. The false beam was not required but it separated the ceiling textures.

The kitchen required inventive strategies. Knowing that new cabinets were not part of the budget and new appliances were a must, we resurfaced the cabinets in glossy gray, added contrasting hardware, and installed cabinet lighting. A new lush black slate floor and handmade Moroccan tile back splash add contrast. The industrial chic pendant is the crowning touch. | Interior Design by Laurie Blumenfeld-Russo | Tim Williams Photography

Elegant beige tile mosaic tile floor bathroom photo with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, an undermount tub and beige walls

This is an example of a mid-sized modern partial sun front yard concrete paver formal garden in Orange County.

Tall wall of storage and built in appliances adore the main passageway between sun room and great room.
Example of a huge trendy galley dark wood floor kitchen pantry design in Boston with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, soapstone countertops, white backsplash, stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and no island

Joshua McHugh
Mid-sized trendy backyard concrete paver partial sun patio container garden photo for summer in New York with no cover

Photo of a mediterranean landscaping in Phoenix.

Imagine walking outside your home and pulling fresh fruit off the stem. Espalier fruit trees are like having an orchard in your own yard. Plus, in addition to producing delicious fruit, the ornamental shapes have a high wow-factor and require a small footprint. Fruiting espalier trees are available from River Road Farms in a variety of designs. Please call 800-297-1435 or email RIVERRD@USIT.NET for availability.

Mixing farmhouse, glam, and industrial elements is just so clever and cool! Fill a windowbox to overflow with cut boughs of various evergreens (this is a mix of cedar, pine, and fir), slip in a few stems of berries, and then glam it up with a metal hoop (from a wine barrel planter, but you could use metal bed edging bent into a loop) around which sparkle lights are twined. Genius hack!

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2016 Houzz
Deck - eclectic deck idea in San Francisco