Our client is lucky to have extended family visiting often, so we had to design two full guest master suites. Bringing in color was one of the items on the clients wish list, which we were happy to accommodate. The end results are two beautiful master suites full of color, air, and light. Every guest now wishes they could stay longer.

Photos by: Rickie Agapito Built by: S&W Kitchens, Inc. This home was just begging for an open floor plan! The owners were interested in a transitional kitchen with natural elements to help bring the out door in. Being big cooks functionality was also on the top of the list. The result is a jam packed kitchen with nice amenities.

When this investor purchased the land that is now Turtle Creek, it was surrounded by multi-family house-like dwellings with great curb appeal. A large city park was adjacent as well. Simplicity was able to maximize the use of the land by building the single family dwellings in our signature “cottage community” style, creating a cozy space for renters that also made best use of the land available for the investor. The result was a 20-home subdivision with tiny homes ranging from 400-880sf that rented at 100% occupancy with a waiting list.

The subtle changes begin as soon as you walk out the back door of the house. The existing decking had a lot of what we call "tweeners"; areas that are overly generous walkways, yet not large enough to house furniture. The awkwardly small bluestone patio was expanded to accommodate a generous seating area. This was done by pushing the step-down closer to the pool. Our talented stone mason carefully married the new bluestone into the existing portion of the patio, resulting in an imperceptible difference between the two. As you descend the new bluestone steps to the pool level, your bare feet will be thankful for the new smooth-finished, limestone-colored concrete, with a hand cut pattern carefully etched into it's surface. The old red brick decking was so hot that the owners could not walk around the pool with their bare feet. The brick coping was also replaced with an eased edge, Pennsylvania Premier Stone which matches the new step treads throughout the project. Between the house and the pool, a large raised planter was reconfigured, giving additional space to the pool deck for a shaded lounge chair area. Across the pool, a bank of rather tall painted brick retaining walls were cut down, shortened and moved. This lessened the visual impact of the walls (which were overwhelming in the space) and also opened up a new seating area, nestled under the arms of the massive Pecan tree at the back of the property. Rather than continuing solid decking around the entire pool, the area near these walls has been transformed to large stone stepper pads set in a sea of beautiful St. Augustine lawn. This creates a visually softened area that is still suited to setting tables and chairs when the guest list calls for additional seating. The spa area is possibly the most dramatic change on this project. Yet more raised planter walls divided this area into awkward spaces, unsuited for proper furniture placement. The planters were removed, new stone decks added, and once again expertly married into the existing decks, opening the area to house a large dining table and a newly built-in BBQ area. The spa itself was re-imagined with the bluestone coping and painted brick veneer. The most impressive addition though is the new handmade glazed tiles that surround the existing cast stone water feature. This water feature was almost unnoticeable against the painted brick wall, but now the dramatic arch and pop of color draw the eye to this quaint little corner of the property. Originally designed by one of the most notable landscape architects in town, this once impressive project had faltered in recent years. The pool and spa still functioned well, and the client wanted to keep it intact. In addition, they wanted to keep as much of the existing landscape as possible. But, the surrounding decks, walls and steps were fair game. At first glance, one might think that our changes were simple material changes. However, upon closer inspection, one can see the subtle-yet-transformative changes that came together to update this classic pool in a tasteful, timeless manner, as well as to improve the flow and usability of the deck areas, while softening the feel of this massive hardscape.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Having a space for their teenage kids to hang out after school, study and interact with Mom & Dad was at the top of the list for this remodel. The 1928 home, sits in a lovely Glen Ellyn neighborhood, near downtown and near all the action of the local high school and lake. It’s was a great house with great bones but the kitchen was in need of some TLC. The remodel project had been a long time coming, and since both the homeowners work from home, they had been nervous about disrupting their bustling daily schedules to get the project in motion. Once we had a plan in place, we dug in and got to work. The first step was to remove a non-load bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room. We then reworked the space a bit, eliminating a redundant passage way to the hall, and reworking a closet to allow for a large galley style kitchen and small bar area open to the dining room. The new kitchen has a small peninsula for the family to have casual meals and for the kids to hang out after school. A window was eliminated to give more space for cabinetry and storage, and another window was made larger to allow for a grander view into the backyard. We decided upon a layered approach to this space to provide character appropriate to the older home. White painted cabinetry provides a backdrop for interesting touches such as gray herringbone tile, a reeded farmhouse sink and bronze hardware and lighting. The bar has its own unique look featuring gray cabinetry with a patterned cement tile backsplash and walnut top. A bar fridge, glass cabinets and baskets for tucking away homework give this little multi-functional area loads of character. A miniature mudroom area was also added to the dining room so that the new space can be kept neat and tidy. The stylish result looks both appropriate to the 1928 home and provides loads of functionality for this active family that can now take advantage of every square inch their home. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

When this investor purchased the land that is now Turtle Creek, it was surrounded by multi-family house-like dwellings with great curb appeal. A large city park was adjacent as well. Simplicity was able to maximize the use of the land by building the single family dwellings in our signature “cottage community” style, creating a cozy space for renters that also made best use of the land available for the investor. The result was a 20-home subdivision with tiny homes ranging from 400-880sf that rented at 100% occupancy with a waiting list.

When this investor purchased the land that is now Turtle Creek, it was surrounded by multi-family house-like dwellings with great curb appeal. A large city park was adjacent as well. Simplicity was able to maximize the use of the land by building the single family dwellings in our signature “cottage community” style, creating a cozy space for renters that also made best use of the land available for the investor. The result was a 20-home subdivision with tiny homes ranging from 400-880sf that rented at 100% occupancy with a waiting list.

Photos by: Rickie Agapito Built by: S&W Kitchens, Inc. This home was just begging for an open floor plan! The owners were interested in a transitional kitchen with natural elements to help bring the out door in. Being big cooks functionality was also on the top of the list. The result is a jam packed kitchen with nice amenities.

Photos by: Rickie Agapito Built by: S&W Kitchens, Inc. This home was just begging for an open floor plan! The owners were interested in a transitional kitchen with natural elements to help bring the out door in. Being big cooks functionality was also on the top of the list. The result is a jam packed kitchen with nice amenities.

This is a rare, contemporary, newly built home that features white water ocean views. Our staging design team wanted to highlight the casual elegance in each space of this unique custom home. We loved the way it turned out. The results were immediate as the home went into escrow within the first week on the market. Listed at $5.5M.

Photos by: Rickie Agapito Built by: S&W Kitchens, Inc. This home was just begging for an open floor plan! The owners were interested in a transitional kitchen with natural elements to help bring the out door in. Being big cooks functionality was also on the top of the list. The result is a jam packed kitchen with nice amenities.

Our Issaquah client hired us because project management and budget were on the list of priorities along with a well thought out design. With opening the wall between the dining room and kitchen, we were able to give our client a better use of her space for entertaining with family and friends. The end result was a very happy client where her needs were met on design, budget and Nip Tucks management of the project.

When this investor purchased the land that is now Turtle Creek, it was surrounded by multi-family house-like dwellings with great curb appeal. A large city park was adjacent as well. Simplicity was able to maximize the use of the land by building the single family dwellings in our signature “cottage community” style, creating a cozy space for renters that also made best use of the land available for the investor. The result was a 20-home subdivision with tiny homes ranging from 400-880sf that rented at 100% occupancy with a waiting list.

This is a rare, contemporary, newly built home that features white water ocean views. Our staging design team wanted to highlight the casual elegance in each space of this unique custom home. We loved the way it turned out. The results were immediate as the home went into escrow within the first week on the market. Listed at $5.5M.

Our Issaquah client hired us because project management and budget were on the list of priorities along with a well thought out design. With opening the wall between the dining room and kitchen, we were able to give our client a better use of her space for entertaining with family and friends. The end result was a very happy client where her needs were met on design, budget and Nip Tucks management of the project.

Photos by: Rickie Agapito Built by: S&W Kitchens, Inc. This home was just begging for an open floor plan! The owners were interested in a transitional kitchen with natural elements to help bring the out door in. Being big cooks functionality was also on the top of the list. The result is a jam packed kitchen with nice amenities.

When this investor purchased the land that is now Turtle Creek, it was surrounded by multi-family house-like dwellings with great curb appeal. A large city park was adjacent as well. Simplicity was able to maximize the use of the land by building the single family dwellings in our signature “cottage community” style, creating a cozy space for renters that also made best use of the land available for the investor. The result was a 20-home subdivision with tiny homes ranging from 400-880sf that rented at 100% occupancy with a waiting list.

Photos by: Rickie Agapito Built by: S&W Kitchens, Inc. This home was just begging for an open floor plan! The owners were interested in a transitional kitchen with natural elements to help bring the out door in. Being big cooks functionality was also on the top of the list. The result is a jam packed kitchen with nice amenities.

This is a rare, contemporary, newly built home that features white water ocean views. Our staging design team wanted to highlight the casual elegance in each space of this unique custom home. We loved the way it turned out. The results were immediate as the home went into escrow within the first week on the market. Listed at $5.5M.