The lifestyle of living on Lake Washington is naturally inclined towards entertaining and outdoor living. However, the homeowners of this Kirkland residence found that occupying the exterior space was difficult in part because there were few spaces that were protected from the harsh western exposure. They longed for a covered patio and more. The team was comprised of a Seattle-based architect, general contractor, landscape designer, and owner who worked successfully as a team at all stages of the process. Conversations and designs focused on creating a four-season space that addressed the high-exposure demands of the site while also providing a comfortable space to relax and entertain. The concept of extending the existing second floor level deck as a way to provide protection emerged as an early solution in the process. With the use of natural stone pavers and treads, the existing lower level patio was nearly doubled in usable area with different zones for intimate or large gatherings. The stone treads transition gracefully into the landscaped portion of the site. The deck above was expanded upon and resurfaced with a low maintenance porcelain pedestal paver system. A glass panel railing is constructed without a top rail, which allows for views of the water to remain unobstructed while sitting or standing. A custom outdoor fireplace was designed to act as a central focal point and to provide definition for the gathering spaces. The concrete mass is punctured through with a two-way fireplace, providing visual and bodily warmth for year-round comfort and use of the space. An updated, modernized outdoor kitchen was a necessity for larger gatherings. Durable yet elegant surfaces were required for this high use area. Cabinetry incorporates Parklex wood panels that are sustainably sourced and finished for long-term durability. Countertops and backsplash were comprised of an exterior-grade porcelain slab. Stainless steel appliances complete a low maintenance workspace. Energy efficient products were mindful components of this project. New and dimmable LED recessed and indirect lighting provides illumination for entertaining late into the night. Tread lighting provides a beacon of light for returning boaters coming in from the lake. The homeowner shared their pleasure with their new spaces commenting that the design seamlessly integrates with the existing house. They find themselves enjoying and using their outdoor spaces more thoroughly and on a daily basis. The surprise for them was the unintended additional space resulting from the expanded deck above.

Nick McCullough
Inspiration for a traditional landscaping in Columbus.

Example of a mid-sized trendy 3/4 black and white tile corner shower design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, a one-piece toilet, multicolored walls and an undermount sink

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours The second-largest and most developed of Georgia's barrier islands, St. Simons is approximately twelve miles long and nearly three miles wide at its widest stretch (roughly the size of Manhattan Island in New York). The island is located in Glynn County on Georgia's coast and lies east of Brunswick (the seat of Glynn County), south of Little St. Simons Island and the Hampton River, and north of Jekyll Island. The resort community of Sea Island is separated from St. Simons on the east by the Black Banks River. Known for its oak tree canopies and historic landmarks, St. Simons is both a tourist destination and, according to the 2010 U.S. census, home to 12,743 residents. Early History The earliest St. Simons Island Village record of human habitation on the island dates to the Late Archaic Period, about 5,000 to 3,000 years ago. Remnants of shell rings left behind by Native Americans from this era survive on many of the barrier islands, including St. Simons. Centuries later, during the period known by historians as the chiefdom era, the Guale Indians established a chiefdom centered on St. Catherines Island and used St. Simons as their hunting and fishing grounds. By 1500 the Guale had established a permanent village of about 200 people on St. Simons, which they called Guadalquini. Beginning in 1568, the Spanish attempted to create missions along the Georgia coast. Catholic missions were the primary means by which Georgia's indigenous Native American chiefdoms were assimilated into the Spanish colonial system along the northern frontier of greater Spanish Florida. In the 1600s St. Simons became home to two Spanish missions: San Buenaventura de Guadalquini, on the southern tip of the island, and Santo Domingo de Asao (or Asajo), on the northern tip. Located on the inland side of the island were the pagan refugee villages of San Simón, the island's namesake, and Ocotonico. In 1684 pirate raids left the missions and villages largely abandoned. Colonial History As Fort Frederica early as 1670, with Great Britain's establishment of the colony of Carolina and its expansion into Georgia territory, Spanish rule was threatened by the English. The Georgia coast was considered "debatable land" by England and Spain, even though Spain had fully retreated from St. Simons by 1702. Thirty-one years later General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the English settlement of Savannah. In 1736 he established Fort Frederica, named after the heir to the British throne, Frederick Louis, prince of Wales, on the west side of St. Simons Island to protect Savannah and the Carolinas from the Spanish threat. Between 1736 and 1749 Fort Frederica was the hub of British military operations along the Georgia frontier. A town of the same name grew up around the fort and was of great importance to the new colony. By 1740 Frederica's population was 1,000. In 1736 the congregation of what would become Christ Church was organized within Fort Frederica as a mission of the Church of England. Charles Wesley led the first services. In 1742 Britain's decisive victory over Spain in the Battle of Bloody Marsh, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, ended the Spanish threat to the Georgia coast. When the British regimen disbanded in 1749, most of the townspeople relocated to the mainland. Fort Frederica went into decline and, except for a short time of prosperity during the 1760s and 1770s under the leadership of merchant James Spalding, never fully recovered. Today the historic citadel's tabby ruins are maintained by the National Park Service. Plantation Era By the start of the American Revolution (1775-83), Fort Frederica was obsolete, and St. Simons was left largely uninhabited as most of its residents joined the patriot army. Besides hosting a small Georgia naval victory on the Fort Frederica River, providing guns from its famous fort for use at Fort Morris in Sunbury, and serving as an arena for pillaging by privateers and British soldiers, the island played almost no role in the war. Following the war, many of the townspeople, their businesses destroyed, turned to agriculture. The island was transformed into fourteen cotton plantations after acres of live oak trees were cleared for farm land and used for building American warships, including the famous USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides." Although rice was the predominant crop along the neighboring Altamaha River, St. Simons was known for its production of long-staple cotton, which soon came to be known as Sea Island cotton. Between Ebos Landing the 1780s and the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65), St. Simons's plantation culture flourished. The saline atmosphere and the availability of cheap slave labor proved an ideal combination for the cultivation of Sea Island cotton. In 1803 a group of Ebo slaves who survived the Middle Passage and arrived on the west side of St. Simons staged a rebellion and drowned themselves. The sacred site is known today as Ebos Landing. One of the largest owners of land and slaves on St. Simons was Pierce Butler, master of Hampton Point Plantation, located on the northern end of the island. By 1793 Butler owned more than 500 slaves, who cultivated 800 acres of cotton on St. Simons and 300 acres of rice on Butler's Island in the Altamaha River delta. Butler's grandson, Pierce Mease Butler, who at the age of sixteen inherited a share of his grandfather's estate in 1826, was responsible for the largest sale of human beings in the history of the United States: in 1859, to restore his squandered fortune, he sold 429 slaves in Savannah for more than $300,000. The British actress and writer Fanny Kemble, whose tumultuous marriage to Pierce ended in divorce in 1849, published an eyewitness account of the evils of slavery on St. Simons in her book Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 (1863). Another Retreat Plantation large owner of land and slaves on St. Simons was Major William Page, a friend and employee of Pierce Butler Sr. Before purchasing Retreat Plantation on the southwestern tip of the island in 1804, Page managed the Hampton plantation and Butler's Island. Upon Page's death in 1827, Thomas Butler King inherited the land together with his wife, Page's daughter, Anna Matilda Page King. King expanded his father-in-law's planting empire on St. Simons as well as on the mainland, and by 1835 Retreat Plantation alone was home to as many as 355 slaves. The center of life during the island's plantation era was Christ Church, Frederica. Organized in 1807 by a group of island planters, the Episcopal church is the second oldest in the Diocese of Georgia. Embargoes imposed by the War of 1812 (1812-15) prevented the parishioners from building a church structure, so they worshiped in the home of John Beck, which stood on the site of Oglethorpe's only St. Simons residence, Orange Hall. The first Christ Church building, finished on the present site in 1820, was ruined by occupying Union troops during the Civil War. In 1884 the Reverend Anson Dodge Jr. rebuilt the church as a memorial to his first wife, Ellen. The cruciform building with a trussed gothic roof and stained-glass windows remains active today as Christ Church. Civil War and Beyond The St. Simons Island Lighthouse outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 put a sudden end to St. Simons's lucrative plantation era. In January of that year, Confederate troops were stationed at the south end of the island to guard the entrance to Brunswick Harbor. Slaves from Retreat Plantation, owned by Thomas Butler King, built earthworks and batteries. Plantation residents were scattered—the men joined the Confederate army and their families moved to the mainland. Cannon fire was heard on the island in December 1861, and Confederate troops retreated in February 1862, after dynamiting the lighthouse to keep its beacon from aiding Union troops. Soon thereafter, Union troops occupied the island, which was used as a camp for freed slaves. By August 1862 more than 500 former slaves lived on St. Simons, including Susie King Taylor, who organized a school for freed slave children. But in November the ex-slaves were taken to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fernandina, Florida, leaving the island abandoned. After the Civil War the island never returned to its status as an agricultural community. The plantations lay dormant because there were no slaves to work the fields. After Union general William T. Sherman's January 1865 Special Field Order No. 15 —a demand that former plantations be divided and distributed to former slaves—was overturned by U.S. president Andrew Johnson less than a year later, freedmen and women were forced to work as sharecroppers on the small farms that dotted the land previously occupied by the sprawling plantations. By St. Simons Lumber Mills 1870 real economic recovery began with the reestablishment of the timber industry. Norman Dodge and Titus G. Meigs of New York set up lumber mill operations at Gascoigne Bluff, formerly Hamilton Plantation. The lumber mills provided welcome employment for both blacks and whites and also provided mail and passenger boats to the mainland. Such water traffic, together with the construction of a new lighthouse in 1872, designed by architect Charles B. Cluskey, marked the beginning of St. Simons's tourism industry. The keeper of the lighthouse created a small amusement park, which drew many visitors, as did the seemingly miraculous light that traveled from the top of the lighthouse tower to the bottom. The island became a summer retreat for families from the mainland, particularly from Baxley, Brunswick, and Waycross. The island's resort industry was thriving by the 1880s. Beachfront structures, such as a new pier and grand hotel, were built on the southeastern end of the island and could be accessed by ferry. Around this time wealthy northerners began vacationing on the island. Twentieth Century The St. Simons Island Pier and Village opening in 1924 of the Brunswick–St. Simons Highway, today known as the Torras Causeway, was a milestone in the development of resorts in the area. St. Simons's beaches were now easily accessible to locals and tourists alike. More than 5,000 automobiles took the short drive from Brunswick to St. Simons via the causeway on its opening day, paving the way for convenient residential and resort development. In 1926 automotive pioneer Howard Coffin of Detroit, Michigan, bought large tracts of land on St. Simons, including the former Retreat Plantation, and constructed a golf course, yacht club, paved roads, and a residential subdivision. Although the causeway had brought large numbers of summer people to the island, St. Simons remained a small community with only a few hundred permanent residents until the 1940s. The St. Simons Island outbreak of World War II (1941-45) brought more visitors and residents to St. Simons. Troops stationed at Jacksonville, Florida; Savannah; and nearby Camp Stewart took weekend vacations on the island, and a new naval air base and radar school became home to even more officers and soldiers. The increased wartime population brought the island its first public school. With a major shipyard for the production of Liberty ships in nearby Brunswick, the waters of St. Simons became active with German U-boats. In April 1942, just off the coast, the Texas Company oil tanker S. S. Oklahoma and the S. S. Esso Baton Rouge were torpedoed by the Germans, bringing the war very close to home for island residents. Due in large part to the military's improvement of the island's infrastructure during the war, development on the island boomed in the 1950s and 1960s. More permanent homes and subdivisions were built, and the island was no longer just a summer resort but also a thriving community. In 1950 the Methodist conference and retreat center Epworth by the Sea opened on Gascoigne Bluff. In 1961 novelist Eugenia Price visited St. Simons and began work on her first works of fiction, known as the St. Simons Trilogy. Inspired by real events on the island, Price's trilogy renewed interest in the history of Georgia's coast, and the novelist herself relocated to the island in 1965 and lived there for thirty-one years. St. Simons is also home to contemporary Georgia writer Tina McElroy Ansa. Since Epworth by the Sea 1980 St. Simons's population has doubled. The island's continued status as a vacation destination and its ongoing development boom have put historic landmarks and natural areas at risk. While such landmarks as the Fort Frederica ruins and the Battle of Bloody Marsh site are preserved and maintained by the National Park Service, and while the historic lighthouse is maintained by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, historic Ebos Landing has been taken over by a sewage treatment plant. Several coastal organizations have formed in recent years to save natural areas on the island. The St. Simons Land Trust, for example, has received donations of large tracts of land and plans to protect property in the island's three traditional African American neighborhoods. Despite its rapid growth and development, St. Simons remains one of the most beautiful and important islands on the Georgia coast.

This custom wine cellar inside of renowned Pamplemousse Grille Restaurant in Del Mar, San Diego, California is truly an eye catcher. Originally built for Pamplemousse's 5th anniversary, this wine cellar proves classic and timeless with distressed maple doors and traditional redwood racking behind them. Vintage Wine Cellars and Jeffrey Strauss, famed Chef and incredible philanthropist in San Diego, have a long history of working together.. In addition to this cellar and multiple others in the Pamplemousse Restaurant grounds, we also had the pleasure of designing and building Jeffrey's personal home cellar as well. A little more about the restaurant display cellar: Originally designed and built by Vintage Wine Cellars in 2001, this custom wine room boasts triple deep redwood wine racking, a three opening door system, and room for up to 800 bottles. With plenty of differentiated display, the team at Pamplemousse is able to regularly showcase their true love and understanding (as well as fantastic collection) for guests coming in looking to enjoy a world class bottle in this world class restaurant. Recently, Vintage Wine Cellars updated this cellar with LED lighting, really enhancing the showcasing ability of this small wine cellar. With many incredible wines such as top assortments of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Cult Napa Cabernets, and more vintages of First Growth Bordeaux wines that you could ever choose from, it's no wonder that Pamplemousse Grille in Solana Beach, Del Mar, San Diego is still going strong in its 23rd year. A bit about Pamplemousse and Chef Jeffrey Strauss: Specialties Chef Jeffrey Strauss makes a personal statement on the pleasurable dining experience - casual yet elegant, inspired yet straightforward, quality food that delights all the senses. History Established in 1996, Pamplemousse Grille offers San Diego's premier upscale dining experience in a warm, cozy, 'French Country Kitchen' atmosphere. Pamplemousse has also excelled as the preeminent caterer in San Diego as we enter our 23rd year serving the greater San Diego community. Chef Jeffrey Strauss, Executive Chef/Owner Chef and Owner Jeffrey Strauss has a flair for presentation and an unquestionable talent for taste that has delighted the palates of the world’s most powerful business brokers, socialites, United States presidents, and scores of American and foreign dignitaries. Strauss has prepared everything from intimate meals to huge banquets for the most prestigious corporate names in America and Europe (Tiffany and Co., Disney Studios, Paine Webber, UNOCAL, 20th Century Fox, Neiman Marcus, Hermes, Channel, Gucci, MCA, Amblin Entertainment); for such dignitaries as President George W. Bush, the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the wedding of Caroline Kennedy, and the 1984 inaugural luncheon for Ronald Reagan; and entertainment luminaries such as Aaron Spelling, Tom Hanks, Elton John, and Steven Spielberg. With the creation of Pamplemousse Grille, Chef Strauss has turned from the world of “Chef to the Stars” to creating food that he loves to eat and serve to “family and friends.” Since its debut, Pamplemousse Grille has received many local & national awards including “Best Restaurant, People’s Choice” San Diego Home & Gardens; “Best New Restaurant”, “Best Caterer”, & “San Diego’s Best Chef” San Diego Magazine, Zagat Rated #1 Restaurant in San Diego for three consecutive years, and 2008 San Diego Nice Guy of the Year. East Coast-bred, Chef was among nine out of eight hundred applicants to receive a Culinary Apprenticeship at the Greenbriar Hotel Culinary Educational Program in White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia, where he earned the Gold Medal for Culinary Showmanship. At age 23, Jeffrey became the executive chef of the Glorious Cafe in Washington D. C. His patience and dedication allowed Glorious Cafe to begin strongly and quickly gain respect throughout the Beltway. Shortly thereafter, he was persuaded to relocate to New York City to join Glorious Foods legendary catering operation. Throughout his nine years at Glorious Food (1985-1993), Jeffrey would take leaves of absence to concentrate on higher learning in some of Europe’s finest Michelin-rated restaurants. Upon his return from this culinary powerhouses in Europe, Jeffrey would transfer his learning into teaching. My ‘professional father,’ Chef Jean-Claude Nédélec at Glorious Food, taught me the power and art of food presentation,” Chef Strauss recalls. “And the renowned Chefs Roger Vergé at Le Moulin De Mougins and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in London taught me the beauty of food.” Jeffrey spent a year with Chef Albert, serving as saucier and chef tourant of his Michelin 3 Star restaurant. To enhance the young chef’s knowledge, Chef Albert arranged two-week observational stays for his protégé in such renowned restaurants as Marchesi in Italy, and France’s acclaimed Charcuterie Matu, Restaurant Guy Savoy, Vonnas-George Blanc, Restaurant Troisgros and Restaurant Bocuse. Chef Jeffrey Strauss makes a personal statement on the pleasurable dining experience—casual yet elegant, inspired yet straightforward, quality food that delights all the senses. His menu at Pamplemousse Grille melds his many creations from his tenure as Executive Sous Chef and Executive Chef at Glorious Food, and his many travels to Europe to experience, learn, and create the finest cuisine the world has to offer. __________ California’s Luxury Custom Wine Cellar Specialists I 8x Best of Houzz Since 1990, Vintage Cellars has designed and built over 2,750 custom wine cellars in a wide range of styles and applications. Vintage Cellars offers a complete turnkey service (if needed), providing initial wine cellar design options, proper room preparation with vapor barrier and insulation, proper wine cellar cooling unit sizing and installation, wine racking fabrication with custom stain and lacquer options done in house, and final professional installation onsite. We can also design and ship the wine racking without install. We regularly work with Interior Designers, Architects, and Home Builders as well and can help carry out visions already in movement too. Gene Walder, Jake Austad, and the team at Vintage Cellars specialize in Custom Wine Cellar Design and Consultation, Custom Wine Cellar Cooling Systems, Custom Wine Cellar Doors, Wine Cellar Racking, and everything else wine storage related. By working closely with clients, the team at Vintage Cellars is able to craft a wine storage space to match the collectors' vision and style. Services Provided Wine Cellar Design, Wine Cellar Installation, Custom Wine Cellar Construction, Custom Wine Cellar Consultation, Modern Wine Cellars, Contemporary Wine Cellars, Rustic Wine Cellars, Metal Wine Cellars, Wood Wine Cellars, Wine Closet, Wine Room, Wine Cellar Cooling Systems, Wine Cellar Vapor Barrier and Insulation, Custom Wine Cellars, Wine Racking, Custom Wine Racking Design, Wine Cellars Areas Served Bonsall, Cardiff By The Sea, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Escondido, Hidden Meadows, Hidden Trails, La Costa, Oceanside, Ranch Santa Fe, Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, San Marcos, Valley Center, Vista, Orange County, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Newport Beach, Dana Point, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Napa, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newport Coast, Corona Del Mar, La Jolla, Huntington Beach, Pacific Palisades, Bel Air, Coronado, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes, Ladera Heights, Westwood, Hancock Park, Laguna Beach, Crystal Cove, Laguna Niguel, Torrey Pines, Thousand Oaks, Coto De Caza, Danville Awards Featured Articles in Wine Spectator Magazine Featured in Articles in The Wall Street Journal Featured in LUXE Magazine Featured on Bob Vila's "This Old House" Wine & Spirits Education Trust Certified Level 1, 2 & 3. California Wine Appellation Specialists ____ Vintage Cellars has built gorgeous custom wine cellars and wine storage rooms across the United States and World for over 25 years. We are your go-to business for anything wine cellar and wine storage related! Whether you're interested in a wine closet, wine racking, custom wine racks, a custom wine cellar door, or a cooling system for your existing space, Vintage Cellars has you covered! We carry all kinds of wine cellar cooling and refrigeration systems, incuding: Breezaire, CellarCool, WhisperKool, Wine Guardian, CellarPro and Commercial systems. We also carry many types of Wine Refrigerators, Wine Cabinets, and wine racking types, including La Cache, Marvel, N'Finity, Transtherm, Vinotheque, Vintage Series, Credenza, Walk in wine rooms, Climadiff, Riedel, Fontenay, and VintageView. Vintage Cellars also does work in many styles, including Contemporary and Modern, Rustic, Farmhouse, Traditional, Craftsman, Industrial, Mediterranean, Mid-Century, Industrial and Eclectic. Some locations we cover often include: Agora Hills, Alameda, Albany, Alhambra, Aliso Viejo, Altadena, Anaheim, Angwin, Arcadia, Aromas, Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Atherton, Avila Beach, Balboa Terrace, Bel Air, Belmont, Belvedere, Benton, Berkeley, Bermuda Dunes, Beverly Hills, Big Sur, Bolinas, Boyle Heights, Bradbury, Bradley, Brea, Brentwood, Bridgeport, Brisbane, Buellton, Buena Park, Burbank, Burlingame, Calabasas, Calistoga, Cambria, Canoga Park, Cardiff, Carlsbad, Carmel, Carmel By The Sea, Carmel Valley, Carnelian Bay, Carpinteria, Casmalia, Castroville, Cathedral City, Cayucos, Chatsworth, Chualar, City of LA, City of SF, Coachella, Coleville, Colma, Corona Del Mar, Coronado, Coronado Island, Corte Madera, Costa Mesa, Coto De Caza, Creston, Crystal Cove, Cupertino, Cypress, Danville, Deer Park, Del Mar, Diablo, Duarte, Eagle Rock, East Palo Alto, East Pasadena, Echo Park, El Granada, El Monte, Emeryville, Encinitas, Encino, Fairfax, Foster City, Fountain Valley, Fremont, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Glendale, Golden Gate Park, Goleta, Gonzales, Granada Hills, Granite Bay, Greenbrae, Greenfield, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Half Moon Bay, Hancock Park, Harmony, Hidden Hills, Hillsborough, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Huntington Beach, Indian Wells, Indio, Industry, Inner Richmond, Inverness, Irvine, Jolon, June Lake, Kentfield, King City, La Canada Flintridge, La Habra, La Honda, La Jolla, La Palma, La Quinta, Ladera Heights, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Balboa, Lake Forest, Lake Tahoe, Lake View Terrace, Larkspur, Laurel Canyon, Lee Vining, Lockwood, Lompoc, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Los Alamos, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Angeles, Los Gatos, Los Olivos, Los Osos, Malibu, Mammoth Lakes, Manhattan Beach, Marin, Marina, Marshall, Mayflower Village, Menlo Park, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Mission Hills, Mission Viejo, Mono, Monrovia, Montara, Montebello, Monterey, Monterey Park, Morro Bay, Moss Beach, Moss Landing, Mountain View, Napa, New Cuyama, Newark, Newport Beach, Newport Coast, Nicasio, Nipomo, North Hills, Northridge, Novato, Oakland, Oakville, Ocean Beach, Oceano, Orange, Orange County, Pacific Grove, Pacific Palisades, Pacoima, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Palo Alto, Palos Verdes, Panorama City, Pasadena, Paso Robles, Pebble Beach, Pescadero, Piedmont, Pismo Beach, Placentia, Point Reyes Station, Pope Valley, Portola Valley, Presidio, Presidio Heights, Rancho Mirage, Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Santa Margarita, Redondo Beach, Redwood City, Reseda, Rosemead, Russian Cliff, Rutherford, Saint Helena, Salinas, San Anselmo, San Ardo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Clemente, San Diego, San Fernando, San Francisco, San Gabriel, San Gregorio, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Lucas, San Luis Obispo, San Marino, San Mateo, San Miguel, San Rafael, San Simeon, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Clarita, Santa Margarita, Santa Maria, Santa Monica, Santa Ynez, Saratoga, Sausalito, Sea Cliff, Seal Beach, Seaside, Shadow Hills, Shandon, Sherman Oaks, Sierra Madre, Silver Lake, Solana Beach, Soledad, Solvang, Sonoma, South El Monte, South Pasadena, South San Gabriel, Spreckels, Squaw Valley, St Helena, Stanford, Stanton, Stinson Beach, Stough Park, Studio City, Summerland, Sun Valley, Sunland, Sunnyvale, Sylmar, Tahoe City, Tahoe Vista, Tarzana, Temple City, Templeton, Thousand Oaks, Thousand Palms, Tiburon, Toluca Lake, Topanga, Topaz, Torrey Pines, Tujanga, Tustin, Union City, Valencia, Verdugo Mountains, Vernon, Villa Park, Walnut, Walnut Creek, West Puente Valley, Westminster, Westwood, Whittier, Woodside, Yorba Linda, Yountville San Diego Wine Cellars, Rancho Santa Fe Wine Cellars, Beverly Hills Wine Cellars, Bel Air Wine Cellars, Orange County Wine Cellars, Newport Beach Wine Cellars, San Francisco Wine Cellars, Napa Wine Cellars, Sonoma Wine Cellars, Los Angeles Wine Cellars, Santa Barbara Wine Cellars, Palm Desert Wine Cellars, La Jolla Wine Cellars, Del Mar Wine Cellars, Coronado Wine Cellars, Pacific Palisades Wine Cellars, Malibu Wine Cellars, Santa Monica Wine Cellars, Brentwood Wine Cellars, Laguna Wine Cellars, Crystal Cove Wine Cellars, Hollywood Wine Cellars, Bay Area Wine Cellars, South Bay Wine Cellars, LA Wine Cellars, SD Wine Cellars, OC Wine Cellars, SF Wine Cellars, Huntington Beach Wine Cellars, Carlsbad Wine Cellars, Palos Verdes Wine Cellars, Paso Robles Wine Cellars, Encinitas Wine Cellars, Manhattan Beach Wine Cellars, Marin Wine Cellars, Tiburon Wine Cellars, Coto De Caza Wine Cellars, Thousand Oaks Wine Cellars, Cardiff Wine Cellars, RSF Wine Cellars, San Marino Wine Cellars, Ladera Heights Wine Cellars, Westwood Wine Cellars, Hillsborough Wine Cellars, Luxury Wine Cellars, Custom Wine Cellars, High End Wine Cellars, Estate Wine Cellars, Modern Wine Cellars, Contemporary Wine Cellars, Rustic Wine Cellars, Traditional Wine Cellars Contact Vintage Cellars today with any of your Wine Cellar needs! (800) 876-8789 Vintage Cellars 904 Rancheros Drive San Marcos, California 92069 (800) 876-8789

Art Deco style has become increasingly popular lately. Why is this French style of the 20s returning? You may or may not ask… but we can try to answer anyway! Art Deco symbolizes stability, structure, wealth, cleanliness, and, of course, the Gatsby era! Without a doubt – important things nowadays! It's like the mainstream modern style, but different – more colorful. Besides, it should be noted that both styles mainly use clean lines. Cleanliness and clean lines – that's Hotsy-Totsy, as you would say in the twenties.

Jesse L Young Photography
Inspiration for a transitional gray tile and pebble tile porcelain tile bathroom remodel in Seattle with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, gray walls and quartz countertops

Photo: Dick Mansfield, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-2.0 Generic

Our client had not done anything with their landscaping for many years. Tin the front of their house they had a few tired berberris (barberry) shrubs in the front, creeping blue junipers, some large evergreens, and lots of empty spaces. They liked reds, greens, yellows, and blues (the junipers). We removed the berberris and other shrubs that had to go, but kept the larger evergreens and blue junipers. We installed plants approved by our client: Nandina domestica, red twig dogwoods (a Native plant), and Acorus Oborozuki. All plants are evergreen which they wanted. In the process, we re-shaped the beds a little and seeded an area that we returned to lawn. In the back of the house, the client had a beautiful deck with a lovely view. However, the area around the deck was totally bare. They wanted colorful perennials that were low maintenance. Since they do not spend time on the deck in the winter, we concentrated on plants in their color palette that flower in late spring, summer, and early fall. The plants will grow together to minimize weeds and maintenance. The shade perennials we planted are: Tricyrtis Samurai (Toad Lily), Ghost Fern, Male Fern (Native), Japanese Holly Fern, Autumn Fern, Astilbe Peach Blossom Dicentra, Ivory Hearts, Geranium Rozanne, Anemone Honorine Jobert

**Spatial Composition & Architectural Volume** This is a room conceived as a stage for a single object, and the architecture obligingly recedes into the role of proscenium. The plan reads as a generous, laterally-oriented salon — likely a piano room carved from the corner of a metropolitan penthouse — organized around an L-shaped glazing sequence that turns the corner and dissolves two of the four enclosing planes. A dropped soffit tray, articulated as a crisply mitred perimeter reveal with an integrated cove, floats above the seating and instrument zone, its shadow-gap detailing lowering the apparent datum and conferring intimacy on an otherwise expansive volume. The plaster ceiling reads as a single continuous membrane, its recessed channels doubling as concealed curtain tracks and linear light slots, thereby suppressing any surface-mounted apparatus. On the left, a full-height run of hand-carved, ripple-textured oak millwork operates as both threshold and tectonic bookend — a vertical mass that anchors the composition against the weightlessness of the fenestration opposite. The pier between the two window bays is clad in pale ribbed limestone or fluted plaster, functioning as a quiet pilaster that structures the sightlines rather than interrupting them. Circulation is centrifugal: the herringbone-laid oak parquet establishes a diagonal grain that pulls the eye toward the terrace, while the rug's rectilinear footprint carves out a defined *piano nobile* island within the open field. The grand piano, positioned obliquely with its raised lid oriented back into the room, becomes the volume's sculptural fulcrum — its cabriole-derived silhouette and blade-thin tapered legs (a distinctly contemporary reinterpretation, likely a designer-authored instrument) providing curvilinear counterpoint to the room's orthogonal discipline. **Materiality, Color & Texture** The palette is a study in monochromatic warmth punctuated by a single decisive act of contrast. Nearly every surface resides within a narrow chromatic band of oatmeal, bone, greige and pale honey — undertones consistently warm-neutral, veering toward the sandy rather than the grey, which prevents the minimalism from reading as clinical. The floor's white-oak herringbone is finished with a matte, lightly limed patina that keeps the grain legible without gloss; the field rug in silk-and-viscose introduces a lustrous, cloud-like abraded pattern, its mineral-grey striations reading almost as sumi-e wash or weathered concrete, and providing the room's only tonal modulation at floor level. The drapery — a densely woven linen or linen-blend in a slubbed sand tone, hung with tightly gathered, full-height pinch pleats — carries a subtle vertical stripe or ribbed jacquard that catches raking light and animates the perimeter. Against this, the carved oak volume at left is the tactile protagonist: a low-relief, chiselled facetting that reads as adze-worked or gouged, generating a shifting moiré of micro-shadow and elevating a utilitarian storage wall into applied art. The piano's satin-black lacquer is the compositional anchor — deep, absorbent, and deliberately non-reflective on its exterior case while its interior lid reveals a mottled, patinated bronze-brown, a warm secret held within the black. Brass appears with real restraint: the lid hinges, the harp and action, the sabot-like disc on the bench flank. Nature supplies the only saturated chroma — the emerald ivy hedge framed in the left window and the topiary beyond the right — treated as living tapestry, effectively a curated *borrowed landscape*. **Lighting, Atmosphere & Style Profile** The lighting strategy is almost entirely subtractive: daylight is admitted in broad, low-glare sheets through minimal-sightline steel or slim-profile aluminium glazing, then softened and diffused by the sheer-adjacent linen and the pale, light-returning plaster envelope. The result is a high-key, shadowless luminosity with a distinctly diffuse northern quality, in which form is described by gradient rather than by hard contrast — note how the piano's black mass reads as silhouette against the terrace glare, while its curved bentwood rim catches a single soft specular highlight. Artificial illumination is entirely concealed within the ceiling reveals and coves, ensuring that after dark the room will be washed rather than punctured; the deliberate absence of decorative pendants or table lamps in this frame reinforces the reading of the instrument as the sole permitted ornament. Atmospherically the room is contemplative, acoustically soft, and tuned to a single activity — a *musica da camera* interior in the truest sense. Stylistically it synthesizes into what might best be termed **Soft Minimalism with a couture-craft inflection**: the rigour and reductive detailing of late-modernist practice, warmed by the tactile, hand-worked surfaces and neutral tonalities of Japandi and Belgian-inflected quiet luxury. The governing thesis is one of *sublimated luxury* — value expressed through millwork tolerance, drapery yardage, plaster craft and the confident emptiness of the plan, rather than through pattern, colour or accumulation.

Scott Buley, HTT&T, High Tech Turf & Trees, Rain Garden Nursery. We planted this landscape this past winter, when it was impractical to install an irrigation system. We are returning now to finally install sprinklers. In the meantime these unique traveling sprinklers we also sell, do a great job. In many instances these systems are all an owner needs in the Pacific Northwest. With our short dry-season, and nearly year-round rain, these travelers do a fantastic job. As a matter of fact, this is all they use at the Frank Lloyd Wright Gordon House in Silverton. We replanted their turf, and installed the new Turf Patio Frank Lloyd Wright envisioned. This sprinkler does it all. Amazing for such a small investment. It does require someone available to set it up in a few minutes, a few times week, June thru mid -September.

Our client had not done anything with their landscaping for many years. Tin the front of their house they had a few tired berberris (barberry) shrubs in the front, creeping blue junipers, some large evergreens, and lots of empty spaces. They liked reds, greens, yellows, and blues (the junipers). We removed the berberris and other shrubs that had to go, but kept the larger evergreens and blue junipers. We installed plants approved by our client: Nandina domestica, red twig dogwoods (a Native plant), and Acorus Oborozuki. All plants are evergreen which they wanted. In the process, we re-shaped the beds a little and seeded an area that we returned to lawn. In the back of the house, the client had a beautiful deck with a lovely view. However, the area around the deck was totally bare. They wanted colorful perennials that were low maintenance. Since they do not spend time on the deck in the winter, we concentrated on plants in their color palette that flower in late spring, summer, and early fall. The plants will grow together to minimize weeds and maintenance. The shade perennials we planted are: Tricyrtis Samurai (Toad Lily), Ghost Fern, Male Fern (Native), Japanese Holly Fern, Autumn Fern, Astilbe Peach Blossom Dicentra, Ivory Hearts, Geranium Rozanne, Anemone Honorine Jobert

Our client had not done anything with their landscaping for many years. Tin the front of their house they had a few tired berberris (barberry) shrubs in the front, creeping blue junipers, some large evergreens, and lots of empty spaces. They liked reds, greens, yellows, and blues (the junipers). We removed the berberris and other shrubs that had to go, but kept the larger evergreens and blue junipers. We installed plants approved by our client: Nandina domestica, red twig dogwoods (a Native plant), and Acorus Oborozuki. All plants are evergreen which they wanted. In the process, we re-shaped the beds a little and seeded an area that we returned to lawn. In the back of the house, the client had a beautiful deck with a lovely view. However, the area around the deck was totally bare. They wanted colorful perennials that were low maintenance. Since they do not spend time on the deck in the winter, we concentrated on plants in their color palette that flower in late spring, summer, and early fall. The plants will grow together to minimize weeds and maintenance. The shade perennials we planted are: Tricyrtis Samurai (Toad Lily), Ghost Fern, Male Fern (Native), Japanese Holly Fern, Autumn Fern, Astilbe Peach Blossom Dicentra, Ivory Hearts, Geranium Rozanne, Anemone Honorine Jobert

I love this grey wall paint from Clark and Kensington! It is Late Night Serenade and its fantastic. I also made a new cold air return from an old picture frame above the door.

Our client had not done anything with their landscaping for many years. Tin the front of their house they had a few tired berberris (barberry) shrubs in the front, creeping blue junipers, some large evergreens, and lots of empty spaces. They liked reds, greens, yellows, and blues (the junipers). We removed the berberris and other shrubs that had to go, but kept the larger evergreens and blue junipers. We installed plants approved by our client: Nandina domestica, red twig dogwoods (a Native plant), and Acorus Oborozuki. All plants are evergreen which they wanted. In the process, we re-shaped the beds a little and seeded an area that we returned to lawn. In the back of the house, the client had a beautiful deck with a lovely view. However, the area around the deck was totally bare. They wanted colorful perennials that were low maintenance. Since they do not spend time on the deck in the winter, we concentrated on plants in their color palette that flower in late spring, summer, and early fall. The plants will grow together to minimize weeds and maintenance. The shade perennials we planted are: Tricyrtis Samurai (Toad Lily), Ghost Fern, Male Fern (Native), Japanese Holly Fern, Autumn Fern, Astilbe Peach Blossom Dicentra, Ivory Hearts, Geranium Rozanne, Anemone Honorine Jobert

Our client had not done anything with their landscaping for many years. Tin the front of their house they had a few tired berberris (barberry) shrubs in the front, creeping blue junipers, some large evergreens, and lots of empty spaces. They liked reds, greens, yellows, and blues (the junipers). We removed the berberris and other shrubs that had to go, but kept the larger evergreens and blue junipers. We installed plants approved by our client: Nandina domestica, red twig dogwoods (a Native plant), and Acorus Oborozuki. All plants are evergreen which they wanted. In the process, we re-shaped the beds a little and seeded an area that we returned to lawn. In the back of the house, the client had a beautiful deck with a lovely view. However, the area around the deck was totally bare. They wanted colorful perennials that were low maintenance. Since they do not spend time on the deck in the winter, we concentrated on plants in their color palette that flower in late spring, summer, and early fall. The plants will grow together to minimize weeds and maintenance. The shade perennials we planted are: Tricyrtis Samurai (Toad Lily), Ghost Fern, Male Fern (Native), Japanese Holly Fern, Autumn Fern, Astilbe Peach Blossom Dicentra, Ivory Hearts, Geranium Rozanne, Anemone Honorine Jobert

For this job, I paid a visit to the bustling town of Windermere in South Cumbria. My client asked me to refinish a black and white Terrazzo tiled entrance and hallway floor. Terrazzo if you’re not familiar is a very interesting and beautiful stone of Italian origin, which has been used for flooring in houses for centuries. We had previously quoted to do the work on this floor however the customer has also received a quote from another firm in Glasgow and had chosen to go with them solely because they were more expensive. However, it stands to reason that the most expensive companies are not always the best quality and Tile Doctor prides itself on the amount of customer feedback we display on our websites which we believe is a far better indicator. On the arranged day no one from the Glasgow firm showed up and after following up with the firm a young man in his early 20s arrived five hours late and began work on the floor. According to the customer he spent three days attempting to complete the job, but ran out of time and asked the client to apply the sealer themselves. The client applied the sealer, but as she had never done it before the floor turned out blotchy in appearance and she was far from happy. To cut a long story short, my client complained to the Glaswegian company, after all she had paid for a full service and not received it. Unable to get a satisfactory conclusion from them she decided to call in Tile Doctor to put the matter right. I must point out that although I have included before and after photos one this post it’s really difficult to appreciate the extent of the problem without seeing the floor in real life. To resolve the sealer, and to provide my client with the polished finish she had originally wanted, I burnished the floor using a set of four Tile Doctor Diamond encrusted burnishing pads. Each of the four pads has a different grit: I first applied the coarse pad and worked my way through medium, fine and eventually very fine using a little water to lubricate and rinsing the floor between each pad to remove any residue; after the burnishing process was complete I gave the entire floor a final, thorough wash. I then used a wet-vac machine to extract the water and get the floor as dry as possible before leaving for the day and allowing it to fully dry completely overnight, it’s very important that the floor is as moisture free as possible before being sealed as it can affect the final result. The next day I returned to the house and sealed the floor with two coats of Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating, colour-enhancing sealer that really accentuates the look of the black and white tiles. Now that the problem has been resolved, my client is very happy with the condition of her Terrazzo tiled entrance and hallway floor. Heidi Taylor South Cumbria Tile Doctor

Grout haze or grout smears as it is often called can be a huge problem when laying tiles. Grout haze is basically grout that has been left to dry on the surface of the tile after installation. It’s a common problem which is exacerbated by the use of quick drying products. Take for example this interesting Wood Effect Ceramic Tile installation at a house in Guildford following installation by a builder. I was a bit slow in following up on the initial enquiry as we had been very busy so by the time, I got in touch I was told they had employed someone else to carry out the work. I apologised for my late response and said to call me if he needed help in the future. Three days later I got a call so we arranged a visit so that I could carry out a test and quote a price. As it turns out the builder had returned and failed to remove the grout haze and so had a rival firm that seemed more interested in selling unnecessary sealer than fixing the problem. I was astonished to see what a state the builder had left his floor. Grout was all over the floor with footprints walked across thresholds and more. I could understand it if there was some grout was missed after installation but not to this level! I carried out a successful test and confirmed to the customer that there was absolutely no need to rip and replace his £2k floor. We agreed a date to resolve the problem and to say he was relieved was an understatement! The builders had used Mapei grout which contains polymers. Polymers offer better flexibility and adhesion, however in order to remove the grout haze we would first need to break down the polymers in the grout first and this is why the rival firm failed. With that in mind, my first action was to apply Tile Doctor Remove and Go to the floor and leave it to dwell for five to ten minutes. I then worked it into the tile using a scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine. After washing the soil away with warm water and extracting with a wet vacuum I applied Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to treat the grout. Grout Clean-up is an acid-based product that breaks down the grout so it can be rinsed away and extracted as before. Afterwards I rinsed the floor with warm water and extracted again to remove any trace of product and neutralise the floor. After removing as much moisture as possible with the wet vacuum I speed dried the tiles with a blower. Ceramic tiles won’t accept a sealer so once the floor had dried the job was finished and it took less than a day. The customer was over the moon with the difference. While his floor was in such a state, he has been unable to bring in new furniture as the serious possibility of removing the tiles was hanging over him. Relieved that the problem was now resolved he kindly left the following review: “I had a floor that had just been laid with very heavy grout haze. I had already had advice from two other professional floor cleaners who had advised me that the floor was irreparable and would need to be pulled up. As soon as I spoke with Rupert, it was clear he was extremely knowledgeable. He asked questions none of the other companies had. By understanding the specific nature of the problem, he was able to solve it by first removing the grout polymers and then applying an acid wash. The floor came up brilliantly. Rupert was the only person I spoke to that could fix this, everyone else told me I needed to replace my floor! Superbly knowledgeable, professional and did an excellent job. Don’t bother speaking to anyone else, just call Rupert! “ Rupert Mcleod West Surrey Tile Doctor

The tiles shown in the photographs below are classic distressed Black and White Italian Marble installed in the kitchen of a property in Bamber Bridge which is South of Preston. Some of the tiles had an issue with loose grout which I suspect was due to the suspended wooden floor and a small amount of movement had resulted in the grout cracking. Ideally more support would be needed under the floor to prevent this, in the meantime however I recommended removing the grout and replacing with a flexible grout product that could cope with the movement. The tiles also needed a clean, polish and reseal so it made sense to address the issue with the grout as part of the work. Working as a two-man team we started by cleaning the floor with a set of diamond burnishing pads starting with a coarse 400-grit, followed by 800 and 1500 grit. Water was used to lubricate the process and the floor was rinsed with water between pads with the fine slurry generated by the process extracted using a wet vacuum. These pads remove ingrained dirt and then slowly refine the appearance of the Marble building up its polished appearance in the process. The next step was to rake out all the grout which as discussed was compromised and needed replacing. We had to be very careful when removing the grout due to the electric heating mat under the floor, any damage to that would require ripping the floor up. With the old grout removed and the floor cleaned the floor was then grouted using Mapei Ultra-colour which is a flexible and fully waterproof grout more than suitable for this situation. Between us we managed to pack a lot into day one which was tough, however with the hardest tasks out of the way day two should be a lot easier. Day two started with an initial clean making sure to remove any excess grout smeared on the surface that can affect the look of the tile if not removed. This was followed by the application of the last of the set of burnishing pads which is a 3,000-grit pad that really brings up the polish on the marble. You only need a small amount of water sprayed onto the floor when applying this last pad so by late morning the floor was dry and ready for sealing. The customer wanted a better sheen appearance than they previously had, fortunately we find the Diamond burnishing pads do this well, they also tighten up the pores of the stone as well which means less sealer is needed. The floor was then sealed with Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is an impregnating sealer that improves colour and soaks into the stone occupying the pores and thereby preventing dirt from becoming ingrained. Once complete the floor looked great and the client was very happy. Sealers and Polish do wear down with use over time so before leaving I discussed our annual maintenance plan option which will ensure the appearance of the Marble floor always looks good. The plan involves returning once a year to further polish the floor with a high-grade burnishing pad and to add more sealer if required. We also discussed the use of Tile Doctor Stone Soap for regular cleaning, it is a pH neutral cleaner which is ideal for stone floors like Marble which are acid sensitive. Russell Taylor Lancashire Tile Doctor