Elements from nature were added to create an inviting entry. Petrified wood, tree branch, rocks and flowers adorn a classic hall chest. Above the chest a contemporary starburst mirror in gold brings out the painted detail of the chest. This chest is not only handsome, it is functional and stores hats, gloves and offers a place to hold the daily mail. Photo Credit: Tracey Brown-Paper Camera Additional photos at www.trishalbanointeriors.com

Hillcrest is very proud to present this custom country estate. Our journey to provide this home for our customer started with our Realty division searching for land for them. After we found the gorgeous countryside site with an old pond, wetland and pastures we managed complex re-zoning and permitting. Because every direction offers distinct views, we spent a lot of time with our customers to place the home and create a layout that maximizes views from every living space. Our design department created a two story main dwelling with an open concept, modern country style custom kitchen, dining area with two sided fireplace, and abutting three season porch. With the kitchen being the hub, it accesses the office, front hall foyer, stairs to the second floor, and the breezeway to the auxiliary part of the home. The living room is semi-open of the dinette, and has chauffeured ceilings. The second floor contains the master suite with a very luxurious bathroom and stunning views. The other two bedrooms also provide great, far flung views. The auxiliary part of the home is perhaps the most unique part of this estate. It offers a long hallway with glass to the south overlooking a large patio with a hot tub. The other side of the hallway has a large laundry with a dumbwaiter to return the laundry upstairs, a shower and powder room for direct access from the hot tub and swimming pond, and a large mudroom. It terminates in the rear foyer with access to the garage and the crown jewel, the sports bar. The customer wanted a brew pub to make and serve his home made beer. The brew pub contains heated, stained concrete floors, concrete counters, and very tall vaulted ceilings. The walls and ceilings are clad with wire brushed grey stained pine and lots of windows overlook the hot tub patio and 270 degree views. The customer also wanted a barn, as both he and she grew up on a farm and shared the love of barns with Hillcrest’s owner. We designed the “perfect gentleman’s barn”, of course red with white trim and with a covered porch which extends on one side into a small greenhouse. Hillcrest also designed and built extensive landscaping features including a winding plank walk to a large swimming pond in the woods. Because of the ample ground water, we created a second swimming pond next to the house which is stays crystal clear and ended up functioning as an outdoor pool.

Hillcrest is very proud to present this custom country estate. Our journey to provide this home for our customer started with our Realty division searching for land for them. After we found the gorgeous countryside site with an old pond, wetland and pastures we managed complex re-zoning and permitting. Because every direction offers distinct views, we spent a lot of time with our customers to place the home and create a layout that maximizes views from every living space. Our design department created a two story main dwelling with an open concept, modern country style custom kitchen, dining area with two sided fireplace, and abutting three season porch. With the kitchen being the hub, it accesses the office, front hall foyer, stairs to the second floor, and the breezeway to the auxiliary part of the home. The living room is semi-open of the dinette, and has chauffeured ceilings. The second floor contains the master suite with a very luxurious bathroom and stunning views. The other two bedrooms also provide great, far flung views. The auxiliary part of the home is perhaps the most unique part of this estate. It offers a long hallway with glass to the south overlooking a large patio with a hot tub. The other side of the hallway has a large laundry with a dumbwaiter to return the laundry upstairs, a shower and powder room for direct access from the hot tub and swimming pond, and a large mudroom. It terminates in the rear foyer with access to the garage and the crown jewel, the sports bar. The customer wanted a brew pub to make and serve his home made beer. The brew pub contains heated, stained concrete floors, concrete counters, and very tall vaulted ceilings. The walls and ceilings are clad with wire brushed grey stained pine and lots of windows overlook the hot tub patio and 270 degree views. The customer also wanted a barn, as both he and she grew up on a farm and shared the love of barns with Hillcrest’s owner. We designed the “perfect gentleman’s barn”, of course red with white trim and with a covered porch which extends on one side into a small greenhouse. Hillcrest also designed and built extensive landscaping features including a winding plank walk to a large swimming pond in the woods. Because of the ample ground water, we created a second swimming pond next to the house which is stays crystal clear and ended up functioning as an outdoor pool.

The rainwater catchment system was an exciting design challenge. In search of both form and function, we found the perfect combination in a Japanese design of rain chains and stone, which are traditionally used as decorative downspouts for temples and homes. Two copper rain chains hang from the front corners of the portico, guiding the cascading water from the roof into stone basins, which catch and channel the water into an underground drainage system.

Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen with a Modern Twist by Sawhill Custom Kitchens & Design in Minneapolis. To learn more details about this showroom display remodel project and all of the amazing functionality hidden throughout, visit https://sawhillkitchens.com/kitchen-showroom-modern-farmhouse-with-a-rustic-twist/ to read our blog featuring this project.

Styled by Patti Borrelli. Photographed by Diana Parrish Design & Photography for Young America {+ DIY Sunprints via BeSoStyle blog}. Paint is Benjamin Moore Sea Mist Green.

This well-proportioned two-story design offers simplistic beauty and functionality. Living, kitchen, and porch spaces flow into each other, offering an easily livable main floor. The master suite is also located on this level. Two additional bedroom suites and a bunk room can be found on the upper level. A guest suite is situated separately, above the garage, providing a bit more privacy.

We recently took on an exciting whole-home renovation for this lovely historic Trinity in Center City Philadelphia. Originally built in the mid-1800s, the house footprint is just over 17’ x 13’. As is typical of this type of 3-story house, the kitchen is located in the basement, making this house four floors of occupied space with overall square footage totaling just under 900 square feet. The homeowner felt the former kitchen was cramped, dimly lit, and inefficiently designed, and she was in search of help in bringing her artistic vision for the space to life, blending both old and new elements through an exciting mix of textures and character. High on her priority list was integrating her wonderful collection of objects gathered from her travels around the world. We brought our design skills and construction experience to the team, working with the homeowner and the designer to develop a host of creative solutions, including the installation of an Indonesian screen as a sliding door covering a newly reconfigured utility area, which includes a new on-demand hot water heater, mounted next to a new electrical panel with ample room for service and access. Other Noteworthy Features and Solutions: New crisp drywall blended with original masonry wall textures and original exposed beams Custom-glazed adler wood cabinets, beautiful fusion Quartzite and custom cherry counters, and a copper sink were selected for a wonderful interplay of colors, textures, and Old World feel Small-space efficiencies designed for real-size humans, including built-ins wherever possible, limited free-standing furniture, and no upper cabinets Built-in storage and appliances under the counter (refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer, and microwave drawer) Additional multi-function storage under stairs Extensive lighting plan with multiple sources and types of light to make this partially below-grade space feel bright and cheery Enlarged window well to bring much more light into the space Insulation added to create sound buffer from the floor above All Photos by Linda McManus Photography

The gourmet kitchen pulls out all stops – luxury functions of pull-out tray storage, magic corners, hidden touch-latches, and high-end appliances; steam-oven, wall-oven, warming drawer, espresso/coffee, wine fridge, ice-machine, trash-compactor, and convertible-freezers – to create a home chef’s dream. Cook and prep space is extended thru windows from the kitchen to an outdoor work space and built in barbecue. photography: Paul Grdina

The Aerius - Modern Craftsman in Ridgefield Washington by Cascade West Development Inc. Upon opening the 8ft tall door and entering the foyer an immediate display of light, color and energy is presented to us in the form of 13ft coffered ceilings, abundant natural lighting and an ornate glass chandelier. Beckoning across the hall an entrance to the Great Room is beset by the Master Suite, the Den, a central stairway to the Upper Level and a passageway to the 4-bay Garage and Guest Bedroom with attached bath. Advancement to the Great Room reveals massive, built-in vertical storage, a vast area for all manner of social interactions and a bountiful showcase of the forest scenery that allows the natural splendor of the outside in. The sleek corner-kitchen is composed with elevated countertops. These additional 4in create the perfect fit for our larger-than-life homeowner and make stooping and drooping a distant memory. The comfortable kitchen creates no spatial divide and easily transitions to the sun-drenched dining nook, complete with overhead coffered-beam ceiling. This trifecta of function, form and flow accommodates all shapes and sizes and allows any number of events to be hosted here. On the rare occasion more room is needed, the sliding glass doors can be opened allowing an out-pour of activity. Almost doubling the square-footage and extending the Great Room into the arboreous locale is sure to guarantee long nights out under the stars. Cascade West Facebook: https://goo.gl/MCD2U1 Cascade West Website: https://goo.gl/XHm7Un These photos, like many of ours, were taken by the good people of ExposioHDR - Portland, Or Exposio Facebook: https://goo.gl/SpSvyo Exposio Website: https://goo.gl/Cbm8Ya

The dutch door adds charm to this highly function laundry room with french doors and wood beamed ceiling
Inspiration for a small country dark wood floor dedicated laundry room remodel in Los Angeles with a single-bowl sink, wood countertops, white walls and beige countertops

Custom Quonset Huts become artist live/work spaces, aesthetically and functionally bridging a border between industrial and residential zoning in a historic neighborhood. The two-story buildings were custom-engineered to achieve the height required for the second floor. End wall utilized a combination of traditional stick framing with autoclaved aerated concrete with a stucco finish. Steel doors were custom-built in-house.

This home addition was intended to expand the home to provide the space needed for the growing new family. The existing kitchen was gutted, expanded and opened up to a family room and nook area. Custom inset cabinets were our preference; however cost was a significant concern. The owner researched multiple companies and standard product lines to save on her budget. After careful analysis, we discovered that it was just as cost effective to use the local custom cabinet maker we preferred. This allowed for more precise detailing and unique features. The goal of a classical farm house kitchen character updated with modern features was able to be obtained much to the home owner's delight. A family room was added to this home, opening up to a screen porch that takes advantage of a previously unused side yard. The much needed new rear entry provides the family a space for their laundry room and is now the primary entry point from the detached garage. Great care was taken to ensure that the home’s new detailing could have been built this way originally. The space however needed to have a modern function for a modern family. The homes existing exterior had aluminum siding and trim which concealed original millwork and shingles. When the nondescript materials were removed, it was discovered that the original was in poor condition. Careful attention was taken to replace and/or repair original materials wherever possible around the entire home, in order to create a seamless exterior character.

Is your closet busting at the seams? Or do you perhaps have no closet at all? Time to consider adding a mudroom to your house. Mudrooms are a popular interior design trend these days, and for good reason - they can house far more than a simple coat closet can. They can serve as a family command center for kids' school flyers and menus, for backpacks and shoes, for art supplies and sports equipment. Some mudrooms contain a laundry area, and some contain a mail station. Some mudrooms serve as a home base for a dog or a cat, with easy to clean, low maintenance building materials. A mudroom may consist of custom built-ins, or may simply be a corner of an existing room with pulled some clever, freestanding furniture, hooks, or shelves to house your most essential mudroom items. Whatever your storage needs, extensive or streamlined, carving out a mudroom area can keep the whole family more organized. And, being more organized saves you stress and countless hours that would otherwise be spent searching for misplaced items. While we love to design mudroom niches, a full mudroom interior design allows us to do what we do best here at Down2Earth Interior Design: elevate a space that is primarily driven by pragmatic requirements into a space that is also beautiful to look at and comfortable to occupy. I find myself voluntarily taking phone calls while sitting on the bench of my mudroom, simply because it's a comfortable place to be. My kids do their homework in the mudroom sometimes. My cat loves to curl up on sweatshirts temporarily left on the bench, or cuddle up in boxes on their way out to the recycling bins, just outside the door. Designing a custom mudroom for our family has elevated our lifestyle in so many ways, and I look forward to the opportunity to help make your mudroom design dreams a reality as well. Photos by Ryan Macchione

In this kitchen, we achieved an atmosphere of traditional character with custom cabinetry and a slate-blue color scheme including a blue CornueFe range. Coffered ceilings, custom wood-paneled fridge, and rustic hardware exude warm French country elegance. Function meets feeling in the large center island -- the perfect gathering place for a warm meal with guests and family. Photos by: Keith Andrews Project by: Maine Coast Kitchen Design

Majestic Rustic Cottage home design # 3827 by Drummond House Plans Blueprints & PDF available starting at only $1049. You are searching for a large cottage which can be built on a relatively narrow lot? This model easily fits the bill with its 45 foot width. Let’s examine it more closely. On the exterior, the different masses and peaks, coupled with a three-sided wraparound veranda, create a look which will certainly not go unnoticed. In the interior, we first appreciate a 9 foot ceiling throughout the main level, a spacious entrance and two staircases leading to the second level, one of which leads us to a beautiful bonus space and a generous family room with windows over three façades and centered fireplace. Let’s not forget the beautiful dining room at the rear, adjacent to a kitchen equipped with a lunch counter and a large pantry. Directly adjoining, we see a very functional laundry room and independent guest bahtroom. On the second level and in a very well organized fashion, we savour the presence of four bedrooms. The master suite includes a private bathroom and walk=in closet. The three secondary bedrooms share a hall bathroom. If you are looking for other options, take pleasure in comparing the two models similar to this one!

Our client came to us with the vision of sprucing up her outdated builder grade kitchen. The uninteresting space had no resemblance to the rest of the home or the homeowners personality. We had the challenge of blending each to make a functional but lavish kitchen for her and her family to enjoy. Tucked away in the suburbs of New York City, we developed a metropolitan chic concept to present to the homeowner. She feel in love with the theme and off we went. Our design revamped and revitalized the kitchen with a 360 degree turn. The once dull kitchen was brought to life. We added instant style by incorporating jeweled hardware and a decorative glass backsplash to create the perfect space.

Elegant kitchen photo in Minneapolis

This beautiful Craftsman style Passive House has a carbon footprint 20% that of a typically built home in Oregon. Its 12-in. thick walls with cork insulation, ultra-high efficiency windows and doors, solar panels, heat pump hot water, Energy Star appliances, fresh air intake unit, and natural daylighting keep its utility bills exceptionally low. Jen G. Pywell