Two levels of South-facing (and lake-facing) outdoor spaces wrap the home and provide ample excuses to spend leisure time outside. Acting as an added room to the home, this area connects the interior to the gorgeous neighboring countryside, even featuring an outdoor grill and barbecue area. A massive two-story rock-faced wood burning fireplace with subtle copper accents define both the interior and exterior living spaces. Providing warmth, comfort, and a stunning focal point, this fireplace serves as a central gathering place in any season. A chef’s kitchen is equipped with a 48” professional range which allows for gourmet cooking with a phenomenal view. With an expansive bunk room for guests, the home has been designed with a grand master suite that exudes luxury and takes in views from the North, West, and South sides of the panoramic beauty.

This Opulant master bath retreat is "fit for a King and Queen", with his and hers sections of the bath suite , joined with a central bath foyer complete with a chandalier featuring rock crystal and onyx detailing. This foyer features a beautiful groin valted ceiling, and is centered on his and hers shower suites also. This is the view when walking through the sitting room from master bedroom.... Photography by Bob Narod

Bret Franks
Garage workshop - traditional two-car garage workshop idea in Little Rock

A dry creekbed directs water drainage away from the driveway and house.
Inspiration for a large transitional full sun side yard stone landscaping in Austin.

Keystone Ranch Prineville Oregon Ranch style home designed by Western Design International of Prineville Oregon Built by Cascade Builders & Associates Inc. Photo by: Chandler Photography

Inspiration for a large craftsman limestone floor and gray floor entryway remodel in Other with multicolored walls and a glass front door

This one of a kind and authentic bathroom features eye catching details such as the pebble tile that dances across the shower wall. The linear brown tile almost looks like wood planks giving a rustic feel to the bathroom. There is a bench for the shower and a generous bathtub surround. Kelly Knipper, Floorology

Located in the beautiful historic district on a quaint New England island, the existing home was a 1940s house with a 1970s addition. The home was meaningful to the fabric of the community and extensive approvals were sought and granted from the local Historic District Commission. The result is a beautiful four-story home, neatly tucked into the rock of the surrounding landscape. The jewel of the home is an extraordinary central staircase, fashioned with low-rise, long-run stairs, and multiple landings to serve as resting spots. With over 200 linear feet of bookshelves, there is plenty of space to house distinguished artifacts and a book collection gathered from travels around the world. Amenities of the home include a garden room, a deck off the spacious living room, a high-end kitchen, a library, four bedrooms (including a bunk room for the grandchildren), a home office, an elevator, and a perch overlooking the Piscataqua River. Photos:John Benford

Images courtesy of Providence Design
Patio - large traditional front yard stone patio idea in Little Rock with a fire pit and a roof extension

Ross Chandler
Enclosed kitchen - large rustic u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Other with recessed-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, paneled appliances, an island and an undermount sink

Summer Street House Remodel in Ojai is a small, three bedroom house tucked away in a quiet corner near downtown Ojai. Two unassuming, white farmhouse cottages are centered around a courtyard with two small cabins in the back. The first cottage contains the living room, dining room, kitchen and a powder room. Connected by a gravel courtyard and stone walkway, the second cottage contains the bedrooms, bathrooms and laundry room. All four structures on the property have recently undergone a full renovation completed in early 2021. The central courtyard has a custom made dining table under a canopy of mature olives and flanked by a stone fire pit.

A custom designed koi pond is the central feature in the japanese inspired landscape. The waterfall is not only essential to the health of the fish and the aquatic plants, but it adds soothing, relaxing background noise to throughout the backyard. Espalier apple trees grow on custom built supports along the back fence.

Country exterior home idea in Austin

A custom designed koi pond is the central feature in the japanese inspired landscape. The design provided for year round color and textural interest through varied and interesting planting and hardscape materials.

A complete and eclectic rear garden renovation with a creative blend of formal and natural elements. Formal lawn panel and rose garden, craftsman style wood deck and trellis, homages to Goldsworthy and Stonehenge with large boulders and a large stone cairn, several water features, a Japanese Torii gate, rock walls and steps, vegetables and herbs in containers and a new parking area paved with permeable pavers that feed an underground storage area that in turns irrigates the garden. All this blends into a diverse but cohesive garden. Designed by Charles W Bowers, Built by Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc. © Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc./Charles W. Bowers

In the Tuscany region of central Italy, a region made famous around the world for its history, landscapes, traditions, artistic legacy and fine wine, perhaps nothing is more universally recognized than the old world villa’s that are nestled into the rolling countryside. Standing at approximately 10,500 square feet, this custom residence has all of the elegance, style and craftsmanship of those old world homes, but with all of the modern amenities of a new modern luxury home. This stunning residence was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the best custom built home in the country in 2010, a testament to the skillful designers and craftsmen who brought the homeowners vision into reality. When Chad Haas, Founder of VAULT (www.vaultgarage.com), a company that prides itself in furnishing some of the most beautiful garages in the world, was brought into the project, the home and garage had already been built. The accolades of the gorgeous villa already awarded. But the homeowner felt that the exterior and interior of the garage lacked architectural harmony with the rest of the home and so he flew Mr. Haas out to visit the space directly so that he could assist hands-on with re-designing a new look and to add furnishings to accessories the space. “When I first approached the villa from the street, I knew that I’d have my work cut out for me. Everything looked so perfect exactly the way it was designed and built. I questioned myself ‘how was I going to improve upon perfection?’, since remarkable attention was paid to even the smallest of details in the home” asked Haas. The client’s goal was to engage Haas to design and furnish a garage where he could relax, separate from the home, enjoy his growing car collection and entertain family and friends. After spending a short weekend together with the home owner to gather his ideas, Haas returned back to his Beaverton, Oregon-based company with a clearer vision: create the ultimate gentlemen’s retreat through the look of a turn-of-a-century Tuscan ‘car barn’. Absolutely nothing in the garage was overlooked – and it shows. Every design element in the garage for color, texture and material was meticulously thought out to elicit just the right feeling and emotion in everyone that enters what may be one of the most beautifully elegant garages in America, a space commonly overlooked in the construction of homes today. A main focal point of the exterior of garage is the beautiful view from the courtyard, where all three carriage doors can be seen. While the existing wood doors looked acceptable, it was agreed that something more befitting of the quality and beauty of the home were appropriate. Haas designed luxurious castle-style doors handcrafted from solid Mahogany and bathed in a rich dark brown stain that was complemented by hand-wrought iron grills, clavos and door pull hardware. The double-wide door, in particular, is truly remarkable in both its elegance, as well as its one-of-a-kind operation. “The client was concerned in this area of having mounting hardware and a motor on the ceiling. Because the cars in this area do not get brought out on a regular (daily) basis, the doors open manually by hand and operate accordion style on a track”. The homes main overhead garage doors feature jack-shaft operation which removes the clutter of a motor on the garage ceiling, but offers the convenience of powered operation. These extraordinary, custom-made castle doors look just as beautiful on the inside as the out and their unparalleled design and craftsmanship take the exterior of the home to even greater heights than before. On to the interior, a black and white epoxy coating was stripped and replaced with porcelain tiles that resembled Italian travertine stone. To give the car barn a rustic feeling and a presence that it was older, not modern, Haas worked on the development and concept directly with the home owner to collaborate with a local millwork company that designed and hand-finished substantial wood beams from distressed Doug Fir. All of the walls were hand-plastered by a local artist using straw that was harvested from the immediate area surrounding the home and incorporated into the plaster to give it a rustic antique quality. Haas conceived and designed a bar area and cabinetry for a work area that pulled inspiration from old ice boxes of the 1920’s that utilized heavy nickel-plated hardware, again to give storage spaces a rustic appearance. The warm glow from several custom porcelain neon signs, each one meticulously built entirely by hand by VAULT, are dispersed throughout the space and transform the entire room and bring it to life. The client had never previously owned a neon sign before and along with the carriage doors felt that these items have transformed the space more than any other feature. Several antique gas pumps, restored in the client’s favorite petro bran, and a few additional porcelain signs will eventually furnish the rest of the space to complement the clients amazing car collection. In addition to the countless details that set this showcase garage apart, its ability to seamlessly blend with the rest of the home and the natural, rustic setting of the Colorado Rockies, yet house modern automobiles in a manner in which they feel well placed and belong, is also noteworthy. GARAGE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS To learn more about VAULT visit them at: http://www.vaultgarage.com/ And on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VaultGarage PHOTOGRAPHY All photographs were used with the permission of photographer John Vanderpool (john.vanderpool5@gmail.com) You can visit John Vanderpool on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JVanderpoolPhotography ARCHITECTURE Jerry Gloss, Principal, KGA Architects: http://www.kgarch.com/ HOMEBUILDER Thomas Sattler Home: http://thomassattlerhomes.com/ VEHICLES Here is an overview of the cars that were photographed in this article: 1. 2014 Ferrari 458 Italia 2. 2013 Maserati GranTurismo Sport 3. 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 4. 2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS 5. 2008 Porsche GT3 RS 6. 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo S (997) 7. 2014 Porsche Panamera GTS 8. 2013 Ford SVT Raptor (6.2L CrewCab)’ Overview of project reprinted with permission of DuPont Registry.

A natural cenote-style plunge pool with a chase water feature surrounded by plants overlooks Lake Austin.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional backyard stone and round lap pool fountain remodel in Austin

A collection of native and adapted plants dress up an area along a pathway.
Photo of a large transitional drought-tolerant and partial sun side yard stone landscaping in Austin.

Rustic House built in Central Texas.
Patio kitchen - rustic patio kitchen idea in Austin