You don't have to own a big celebrity mansion to have a beautifully appointed house finished with unique and special materials. When my clients bought an average condo kitted out with all the average builder-grade things that average builders stuff into spaces like that, they longed to make it theirs. Being collectors of colorful Fiesta tableware and lovers of extravagant stone, we set about infusing the space with a dose of their fun personality. There wasn’t a corner of the house that went untouched in this extensive renovation. The ground floor got a complete make-over with a new Calacatta Gold tile floor, and I designed a very special border of Lunada Bay glass mosaic tiles that outlines the edge of every room. We ripped out a solid walled staircase and replaced it with a visually lighter cable rail system, and a custom hanging chandelier now shines over the living room. The kitchen was redesigned to take advantage of a wall that was previously just shallow pantry storage. By opening it up and installing cabinetry, we doubled the counter space and made the kitchen much more spacious and usable. We also removed a low hanging set of upper cabinets that cut off the kitchen from the rest of the ground floor spaces. Acquarella Fantasy quartzite graces the counter surfaces and continues down in a waterfall feature in order to enjoy as much of this stone’s natural beauty as possible. One of my favorite spaces turned out to be the primary bathroom. The scheme for this room took shape when we were at a slab warehouse shopping for material. We stumbled across a packet of a stunning quartzite called Fusion Wow Dark and immediately fell in love. We snatched up a pair of slabs for the counter as well as the back wall of the shower. My clients were eager to be rid of a tub-shower alcove and create a spacious curbless shower, which meant a full piece of stone on the entire long wall would be stunning. To compliment it, I found a neutral, sandstone-like tile for the return walls of the shower and brought it around the remaining walls of the space, capped with a coordinating chair rail. But my client's love of gold and all things sparkly led us to a wonderful mosaic. Composed of shifting hues of honey and gold, I envisioned the mosaic on the vanity wall and as a backing for the niche in the shower. We chose a dark slate tile to ground the room, and designed a luxurious, glass French door shower enclosure. Little touches like a motion-detected toe kick night light at the vanity, oversized LED mirrors, and ultra-modern plumbing fixtures elevate this previously simple bathroom. And I designed a watery-themed guest bathroom with a deep blue vanity, a large LED mirror, toe kick lights, and customized handmade porcelain tiles illustrating marshland scenes and herons. All photos by Bernardo Grijalva

Eclectic home design photo in New York

The home was a very outdated Southwest style with Aztec architectural elements, and it was time for a transformation to the beautiful modern style you see now. We ripped out all the flooring throughout, squared off and removed a lot of the Aztec styled elements in the home, redesigned the fireplace and opened up the kitchen. In the kitchen, we opened up a wall that made the kitchen feel very closed in, allowing us room to make a more linear and open kitchen. Opening up the kitchen and its new layout allowed us to create a large accent island that is truly a statement piece. Our clients hand selected every finish you see, including the rare quartzite that has beautiful pops of purple and waterfall edges. To create some contrast, the island has a pretty neutral taupe acrylic cabinetry and the perimeter has textured laminate cabinets with a fun white geometric backsplash. Our clients use their TV in their kitchen, so we created a custom built in just for their TV on the backwall. For the fireplace to now match the homes new style, we reshaped it to have sleek lines and had custom metal pieces acid washed for the center with stacked stone on the sides for texture. Enjoy!

The home was a very outdated Southwest style with Aztec architectural elements, and it was time for a transformation to the beautiful modern style you see now. We ripped out all the flooring throughout, squared off and removed a lot of the Aztec styled elements in the home, redesigned the fireplace and opened up the kitchen. In the kitchen, we opened up a wall that made the kitchen feel very closed in, allowing us room to make a more linear and open kitchen. Opening up the kitchen and its new layout allowed us to create a large accent island that is truly a statement piece. Our clients hand selected every finish you see, including the rare quartzite that has beautiful pops of purple and waterfall edges. To create some contrast, the island has a pretty neutral taupe acrylic cabinetry and the perimeter has textured laminate cabinets with a fun white geometric backsplash. Our clients use their TV in their kitchen, so we created a custom built in just for their TV on the backwall. For the fireplace to now match the homes new style, we reshaped it to have sleek lines and had custom metal pieces acid washed for the center with stacked stone on the sides for texture. Enjoy!

You don't have to own a big celebrity mansion to have a beautifully appointed house finished with unique and special materials. When my clients bought an average condo kitted out with all the average builder-grade things that average builders stuff into spaces like that, they longed to make it theirs. Being collectors of colorful Fiesta tableware and lovers of extravagant stone, we set about infusing the space with a dose of their fun personality. There wasn’t a corner of the house that went untouched in this extensive renovation. The ground floor got a complete make-over with a new Calacatta Gold tile floor, and I designed a very special border of Lunada Bay glass mosaic tiles that outlines the edge of every room. We ripped out a solid walled staircase and replaced it with a visually lighter cable rail system, and a custom hanging chandelier now shines over the living room. The kitchen was redesigned to take advantage of a wall that was previously just shallow pantry storage. By opening it up and installing cabinetry, we doubled the counter space and made the kitchen much more spacious and usable. We also removed a low hanging set of upper cabinets that cut off the kitchen from the rest of the ground floor spaces. Acquarella Fantasy quartzite graces the counter surfaces and continues down in a waterfall feature in order to enjoy as much of this stone’s natural beauty as possible. One of my favorite spaces turned out to be the primary bathroom. The scheme for this room took shape when we were at a slab warehouse shopping for material. We stumbled across a packet of a stunning quartzite called Fusion Wow Dark and immediately fell in love. We snatched up a pair of slabs for the counter as well as the back wall of the shower. My clients were eager to be rid of a tub-shower alcove and create a spacious curbless shower, which meant a full piece of stone on the entire long wall would be stunning. To compliment it, I found a neutral, sandstone-like tile for the return walls of the shower and brought it around the remaining walls of the space, capped with a coordinating chair rail. But my client's love of gold and all things sparkly led us to a wonderful mosaic. Composed of shifting hues of honey and gold, I envisioned the mosaic on the vanity wall and as a backing for the niche in the shower. We chose a dark slate tile to ground the room, and designed a luxurious, glass French door shower enclosure. Little touches like a motion-detected toe kick night light at the vanity, oversized LED mirrors, and ultra-modern plumbing fixtures elevate this previously simple bathroom. And I designed a watery-themed guest bathroom with a deep blue vanity, a large LED mirror, toe kick lights, and customized handmade porcelain tiles illustrating marshland scenes and herons. All photos by Bernardo Grijalva

Two bath remodel, rip and replace with layout changes. Floor to ceiling white half offset subway tile inside curbed walk-in shower with are to dry off before stepping out. Floating vanity includes under cabinet lighting and recessed medicine cabinet flanked by socket sconces. Matte black fixtures by Kohler add contrast to the Scandinavian styled space.

This Longmont home had failing composite wood siding in the gables, which was a real eyesore. We ripped the old siding off and installed WoodTone Rustic Series James Hardie shake siding with the Mountain Cedar finish. We then painted the stucco with Sherwin-Williams Duration paint.

The home was a very outdated Southwest style with Aztec architectural elements, and it was time for a transformation to the beautiful modern style you see now. We ripped out all the flooring throughout, squared off and removed a lot of the Aztec styled elements in the home, redesigned the fireplace and opened up the kitchen. In the kitchen, we opened up a wall that made the kitchen feel very closed in, allowing us room to make a more linear and open kitchen. Opening up the kitchen and its new layout allowed us to create a large accent island that is truly a statement piece. Our clients hand selected every finish you see, including the rare quartzite that has beautiful pops of purple and waterfall edges. To create some contrast, the island has a pretty neutral taupe acrylic cabinetry and the perimeter has textured laminate cabinets with a fun white geometric backsplash. Our clients use their TV in their kitchen, so we created a custom built in just for their TV on the backwall. For the fireplace to now match the homes new style, we reshaped it to have sleek lines and had custom metal pieces acid washed for the center with stacked stone on the sides for texture. Enjoy!

Dennis and Joe have a large, light-filled house. New construction meant lofted space and open floor plans with traditional styling. Running a busy dental practice by day and engaged in a rich social life by night, this couple needed a professional to take the lead on making their house a home. That’s my cue! They wanted to take risks, and stay away from “matchy-matchy”. We gussied up a plain ol’ TV room and gave it a healthy dose of luxury. Our plan was initially inspired by an abstract painting hanging over their stone fireplace. We brought in their love of the outdoors to make things cozy and used family furniture whenever possible for nostalgia and comfort. I took their love for one-of-a-kind objects and started making a design plan, aiming to solve their biggest frustration: the family room. They had a tortured relationship with a “forgotten family room,” a great space that was spacious and bright, but not at all cozy or joyful, and certainly not “them.” I wanted to create a cozy space functional for everyday curling up with puppies and watching TV after dinner, yet chic enough for hosting the pre-dinner kitchen overflow and cocktails during parties. I went looking for contrasting textures and materials. I wanted to balance patterns and scale, and use non-traditional colors as neutrals to create an overall sense of “BAM!” Dennis and Joe loved the nod to the classics juxtaposed with new and different globally-inspired pieces. For this project our design aesthetic can be described as Middle Eastern/tribal meets mid-century modern. We played to their sensible side with proportion and balance, and stayed as far away from boring/bleh as we could. You could say this room was pretty successful...It was featured in DC Modern Luxury. (#nobigdeal, right?) From there we moved on to other spaces.. We added colorful pillows and sheer drapery to finish off their formal living room. We kept an inherited bedroom set from Dennis’ Mom and added color, draperies, and pillows to overhaul the guest bedroom. Their project was not a rip-and-replace, we weren’t starting from scratch with a blank piece of paper. Rather, our goal was to take what was already there and make it better, more like them. Using functionality first, we focused on giving the house a soothing, joyful aesthetic. We upped the chic factor by a gajillion and helped them find their ‘happy’ at home. See more Safferstone stuff at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, send us a love note at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

The home was a very outdated Southwest style with Aztec architectural elements, and it was time for a transformation to the beautiful modern style you see now. We ripped out all the flooring throughout, squared off and removed a lot of the Aztec styled elements in the home, redesigned the fireplace and opened up the kitchen. In the kitchen, we opened up a wall that made the kitchen feel very closed in, allowing us room to make a more linear and open kitchen. Opening up the kitchen and its new layout allowed us to create a large accent island that is truly a statement piece. Our clients hand selected every finish you see, including the rare quartzite that has beautiful pops of purple and waterfall edges. To create some contrast, the island has a pretty neutral taupe acrylic cabinetry and the perimeter has textured laminate cabinets with a fun white geometric backsplash. Our clients use their TV in their kitchen, so we created a custom built in just for their TV on the backwall. For the fireplace to now match the homes new style, we reshaped it to have sleek lines and had custom metal pieces acid washed for the center with stacked stone on the sides for texture. Enjoy!

Designed to match the existing cabinets in a 100+ y.o. home. Includes a tall cabinet for brooms, etc. The others have adjustable shelving, also made of pine. Pine came from the customer's old stock of pine T&G boards, which I used as-is but also ripped for face frame and door frame use. I sanded off the uneven patina so the pine was stain-able (even though the customer may have chosen to paint it). Customer did choose to stain, and did that themself.

Dennis and Joe have a large, light-filled house. New construction meant lofted space and open floor plans with traditional styling. Running a busy dental practice by day and engaged in a rich social life by night, this couple needed a professional to take the lead on making their house a home. That’s my cue! They wanted to take risks, and stay away from “matchy-matchy”. We gussied up a plain ol’ TV room and gave it a healthy dose of luxury. Our plan was initially inspired by an abstract painting hanging over their stone fireplace. We brought in their love of the outdoors to make things cozy and used family furniture whenever possible for nostalgia and comfort. I took their love for one-of-a-kind objects and started making a design plan, aiming to solve their biggest frustration: the family room. They had a tortured relationship with a “forgotten family room,” a great space that was spacious and bright, but not at all cozy or joyful, and certainly not “them.” I wanted to create a cozy space functional for everyday curling up with puppies and watching TV after dinner, yet chic enough for hosting the pre-dinner kitchen overflow and cocktails during parties. I went looking for contrasting textures and materials. I wanted to balance patterns and scale, and use non-traditional colors as neutrals to create an overall sense of “BAM!” Dennis and Joe loved the nod to the classics juxtaposed with new and different globally-inspired pieces. For this project our design aesthetic can be described as Middle Eastern/tribal meets mid-century modern. We played to their sensible side with proportion and balance, and stayed as far away from boring/bleh as we could. You could say this room was pretty successful...It was featured in DC Modern Luxury. (#nobigdeal, right?) From there we moved on to other spaces.. We added colorful pillows and sheer drapery to finish off their formal living room. We kept an inherited bedroom set from Dennis’ Mom and added color, draperies, and pillows to overhaul the guest bedroom. Their project was not a rip-and-replace, we weren’t starting from scratch with a blank piece of paper. Rather, our goal was to take what was already there and make it better, more like them. Using functionality first, we focused on giving the house a soothing, joyful aesthetic. We upped the chic factor by a gajillion and helped them find their ‘happy’ at home. See more Safferstone stuff at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, send us a love note at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Dennis and Joe have a large, light-filled house. New construction meant lofted space and open floor plans with traditional styling. Running a busy dental practice by day and engaged in a rich social life by night, this couple needed a professional to take the lead on making their house a home. That’s my cue! They wanted to take risks, and stay away from “matchy-matchy”. We gussied up a plain ol’ TV room and gave it a healthy dose of luxury. Our plan was initially inspired by an abstract painting hanging over their stone fireplace. We brought in their love of the outdoors to make things cozy and used family furniture whenever possible for nostalgia and comfort. I took their love for one-of-a-kind objects and started making a design plan, aiming to solve their biggest frustration: the family room. They had a tortured relationship with a “forgotten family room,” a great space that was spacious and bright, but not at all cozy or joyful, and certainly not “them.” I wanted to create a cozy space functional for everyday curling up with puppies and watching TV after dinner, yet chic enough for hosting the pre-dinner kitchen overflow and cocktails during parties. I went looking for contrasting textures and materials. I wanted to balance patterns and scale, and use non-traditional colors as neutrals to create an overall sense of “BAM!” Dennis and Joe loved the nod to the classics juxtaposed with new and different globally-inspired pieces. For this project our design aesthetic can be described as Middle Eastern/tribal meets mid-century modern. We played to their sensible side with proportion and balance, and stayed as far away from boring/bleh as we could. You could say this room was pretty successful...It was featured in DC Modern Luxury. (#nobigdeal, right?) From there we moved on to other spaces.. We added colorful pillows and sheer drapery to finish off their formal living room. We kept an inherited bedroom set from Dennis’ Mom and added color, draperies, and pillows to overhaul the guest bedroom. Their project was not a rip-and-replace, we weren’t starting from scratch with a blank piece of paper. Rather, our goal was to take what was already there and make it better, more like them. Using functionality first, we focused on giving the house a soothing, joyful aesthetic. We upped the chic factor by a gajillion and helped them find their ‘happy’ at home. See more Safferstone stuff at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, send us a love note at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Hi Friends! I’m sooooooooo excited to share our first ever kitchen makeover with you!! Do you like Fixer Upper? If so, you’ll probably enjoy this kitchen makeover. It started back in June with the Interior Design phase. Ann hired me to be the interior designer for her dining room and entry way. The week we finished the entry way, she stopped by our store and said, “what room would you like to design next?”. I felt weird about telling her a room needed a makeover but she promised not to have hurt feelings! So I jumped at the idea of redoing her kitchen! She has a small kitchen but I knew we could breathe new life into it and make it a fun place to have friends over. Ann had other people give her quotes to redo the kitchen but they wanted to rip walls down and make it a major renovation project. Ann didn’t go for it and loved that I wanted to keep the original shape and size, but give it new life again. To share the pictures of the kitchen after the remodel wouldn’t be the same without showing the before pictures. Let’s start with the fridge wall, shall we? I didn’t like the placement of the fridge or that the island was all wood. You’ll see in the next few pictures that there is very little kitchen cabinet space so I wanted to make the island look like the rest of the cabinets and add exposed shelving above it. I sent Ann three different design ideas for the kitchen but my favorite design was one that included all retro style appliances from Big Chill. With such a small room, a retro design could incorporate fun appliances. I was elated to find out that she wanted to go with the retro appliances plan!!! We also added white shiplap to the bottom half of the wall to add even more texture to the space. I wanted to make the fridge the focal point of the room so I moved it to the middle, then put the island on the left and built exposed shelving to go above it. We also added LED lights under each shelf to brighten up that corner. Let’s move on to the wall with the stove. The stove needed to be replaced, but I felt like this space also needed more storage. Here it is before: Storage was tricky because behind the butcher block was a heater that couldn’t be covered. We decided to build a cabinet that looked like a counter but with metal on the bottom to let the heat out but still give her work space and built a custom cabinet to also provide more storage. Scroll back up and take a look at the door to the left of the stove. The rest of Ann’s house has beautiful mahogany doors and I wanted these to match so we stripped off all the paint, sanded them down and stained them to match. I love the timeless look that gives this kitchen. Refinishing the doors was probably Johns least favorite part of this renovation. Now check out the difference! Moving on to the sink section. The dark color of the cabinets made this space feel small.The doors and drawers were really basic so John added decorative trim to make it seem more modern and high end. Here’s a close up on those: John also build the counter top from scratch using solid maple. That was probably the hardest part of the remodel. Not the install, but the build itself. It was definitely worth it though! We went with a GE retro dishwasher because we wanted white. The hardware is all from Restoration Hardware. What would a kitchen makeover be without a farmhouse sink anyway?? The rug added another deign element that made the kitchen fun and fresh. The tile is from Lowes and we went with a dark gray grout. Since the windows look out to her back yard, I wanted to skip on curtains and leave it open and sunshiney. Ann already had this antique coffee grinder and I definitely wanted to incorporate it into the kitchen design. Isn’t it awesome?!?

Alan D Holt ASLA Landscape Architect This screen room replaced an existing shed that was buried under an Eleagnus Hedge. Rather than ripping it out and hauling it off, the concrete slab from the shed became the floor for the screen room.

The home was a very outdated Southwest style with Aztec architectural elements, and it was time for a transformation to the beautiful modern style you see now. We ripped out all the flooring throughout, squared off and removed a lot of the Aztec styled elements in the home, redesigned the fireplace and opened up the kitchen. In the kitchen, we opened up a wall that made the kitchen feel very closed in, allowing us room to make a more linear and open kitchen. Opening up the kitchen and its new layout allowed us to create a large accent island that is truly a statement piece. Our clients hand selected every finish you see, including the rare quartzite that has beautiful pops of purple and waterfall edges. To create some contrast, the island has a pretty neutral taupe acrylic cabinetry and the perimeter has textured laminate cabinets with a fun white geometric backsplash. Our clients use their TV in their kitchen, so we created a custom built in just for their TV on the backwall. For the fireplace to now match the homes new style, we reshaped it to have sleek lines and had custom metal pieces acid washed for the center with stacked stone on the sides for texture. Enjoy!

The master bath of this home had a huge transformation. It originally had a small, single vanity, a tub, and linen closet. All of that made for a choppy closed off space. We ripped everything out and opened it up. The accent tile on the shower head wall was a result of running short of marble, so I created an accent wall to stay within our project timeframe.

This young couple and their gorgeous daughter bought a fabulous home that needed some updating. The existing kitchen had good bones but they wanted additional cabinetry and built-in seating. Plus an update on the existing kitchen. New peaked subway tile backsplash, granite countertop, double sink & faucet were installed in the existing part of the kitchen along with soft close hinges, pull-outs in the pantry and lazy susans in the corners. We added a coffee bar area on the other side of the kitchen with glass front cabinets and glass shelves to show off their contents. We also added a table height granite table attached to another cabinet and wine rack. The result was a lot of new functional storage and a lovely look! Also in need of some change was the bathroom. The overwhelming green tile was dated and dark. We ripped it all out and started from scratch. The bathtub was removed and a large shower installed. The heated floor tile is wonderful and good for our cold winters! A new window, the tiled walls of the shower, granite threshold and shelf cut-out in the shower, gorgeous new shower faucet, floating vanity, comfort height toilet, updated lighting, matching sink faucet and towel bar accessories completed this upgrade! From a dark green cave to an updated, relaxing and luxurious bathroom.

Designed to match the existing cabinets in a 100+ y.o. home. Includes a tall cabinet for brooms, etc. The others have adjustable shelving, also made of pine. Pine came from the customer's old stock of pine T&G boards, which I used as-is but also ripped for face frame and door frame use. I sanded off the uneven patina so the pine was stain-able (even though the customer may have chosen to paint it). Customer did choose to stain, and did that themself.