Giant Hyssop and lilies surround this copper mailbox. Alan & Linda Detrick Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional full sun front yard driveway in New York for summer.

Example of a transitional kitchen pantry design

Reading nook in the main bedroom. Custom wood work made from wood salvaged from the site and milled. A design-build project by Sustainable Builders llc of Taos NM. Photo by Thomas Soule of Sustainable Builders llc. Visit sustainablebuilders.net to explore virtual tours of this and other projects.

Example of a transitional kitchen pantry design in Chicago with gray cabinets

Kitchen - traditional u-shaped dark wood floor kitchen idea in San Francisco with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash and subway tile backsplash

A colorful makeover for a little girl’s bathroom. The goal was to make bathtime more fun and enjoyable, so we opted for striking teal accents on the vanity and built-in. Balanced out by soft whites, grays, and woods, the space is bright and cheery yet still feels clean, spacious, and calming. Unique cabinets wrap around the room to maximize storage and save space for the tub and shower. Cabinet color is Hemlock by Benjamin Moore. Designed by Joy Street Design serving Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco, and the whole of the East Bay. For more about Joy Street Design, click here: https://www.joystreetdesign.com/

Example of a minimalist home design design in San Francisco

The linear design includes generous drawers fitted with customized storage for grooming accessories. Kara Lashuay

Inspiration for a contemporary brown floor single front door remodel in San Diego with beige walls and a dark wood front door

Marcel Page Photography
Dining room - small contemporary dining room idea in Chicago

image: Travis Rhoads Photography
Inspiration for a small contemporary shade side yard stone formal garden in San Francisco.

This 400 s.f. studio apartment in NYC’s Greenwich Village serves as a pied-a-terre for clients whose primary residence is on the West Coast. Although the clients do not reside here full-time, this tiny space accommodates all the creature comforts of home. Bleached hardwood floors, crisp white walls, and high ceilings are the backdrop to a custom blackened steel and glass partition, layered with raw silk sheer draperies, to create a private sleeping area, replete with custom built-in closets. Simple headboard and crisp linens are balanced with a lightly-metallic glazed duvet and a vintage textile pillow. The living space boasts a custom Belgian linen sectional sofa that pulls out into a full-size bed for the couple’s young children who sometimes accompany them. Efficient and inexpensive dining furniture sits comfortably in the main living space and lends clean, Scandinavian functionality for sharing meals. The sculptural handrafted metal ceiling mobile offsets the architecture’s clean lines, defining the space while accentuating the tall ceilings. The kitchenette combines custom cool grey lacquered cabinets with brass fittings, white beveled subway tile, and a warm brushed brass backsplash; an antique Boucherouite runner and textural woven stools that pull up to the kitchen’s coffee counter punctuate the clean palette with warmth and the human scale. The under-counter freezer and refrigerator, along with the 18” dishwasher, are all panelled to match the cabinets, and open shelving to the ceiling maximizes the feeling of the space’s volume. The entry closet doubles as home for a combination washer/dryer unit. The custom bathroom vanity, with open brass legs sitting against floor-to-ceiling marble subway tile, boasts a honed gray marble countertop, with an undermount sink offset to maximize precious counter space and highlight a pendant light. A tall narrow cabinet combines closed and open storage, and a recessed mirrored medicine cabinet conceals additional necessaries. The stand-up shower is kept minimal, with simple white beveled subway tile and frameless glass doors, and is large enough to host a teak and stainless bench for comfort; black sink and bath fittings ground the otherwise light palette. What had been a generic studio apartment became a rich landscape for living.

C.L. Fry Photo
Utility room - mid-sized transitional galley ceramic tile and gray floor utility room idea in Austin with shaker cabinets, brown cabinets, quartz countertops, a stacked washer/dryer and gray walls

Organized Living Activity Organizers attached to slot wall. Design also includes a freedomRail GOBox with drawers. This activity organizer design was created by The Amandas. Find a dealer near you at http://organizedliving.com/home/where-to-buy.

Jonathan Reece
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional gender-neutral light wood floor and brown floor kids' room remodel in Portland Maine with beige walls

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

David Wakely
Example of a small trendy single-wall medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen design in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets and white cabinets

3 BU No 122 Small Truck with 2 inch stem casters Photo Credit: Amy Gerber/Brown Eyes Plus Blue (www.browneyesplusblue.com)
Inspiration for a timeless u-shaped dedicated laundry room remodel in Boston with a drop-in sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white walls, a stacked washer/dryer and beige countertops

the "family" entrance has bench to take off shoes and store them, storage for sports equipment and school bags, a blackboard for chore assignment, mail sorting station, and a drop zone for electronics.