This lovely Mountain Modern Home in Littleton, Colorado is perched at the top of a hill, allowing for beautiful views of Chatfield Reservoir and the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The pink and orange sunsets viewed from the front of this home are breathtaking. Our team custom designed the large pivoting front door and sized it at an impressive 5' x 9' to fit properly with the scale of this expansive home. We thoughtfully selected the streamlined rustic exterior materials and the sleek black framed windows to complement the home's modern exterior architecture. Wild grasses and native plantings, selected by the landscape architect, complete the exterior. Our team worked closely with the builder and the landscape architect to create a cohesive mix of stunning native materials and finishes. Stone retaining walls allow for a charming walk-out basement patio on the side of the home. The lower-level patio area connects to the upper backyard pool area with a custom iron spiral staircase. The lower-level patio features an inviting seating area that looks as if it was plucked directly from the Italian countryside. A round stone firepit in the middle of this seating area provides warmth and ambiance on chilly nights.

2014 ASID Legacy of Design 2nd Place award Contemporary Space. This study was built with a tall ceiling, so we had molding placed around the walls two thirds of the way up and selected a textural grasscloth for the lower portion in order to draw the eye down from the ceiling. Warm shades of taupe for the remaining part of the walls and ceiling make the room cozy and intimate. Another layer of texture was added with the geometric hand crafted hair on hide rug, and we selected contemporary but inviting furniture with custom fabrics, and a soft throw pillow. Perhaps the highlight of the room, we chose to use bookcases upholstered in a gray velvet and enhanced with nickel nail head trim. Custom artwork was sourced especially for the room to enhance the color palette and draw out the golden yellow in the desk chair fabric. Window treatments were not needed, since the doors wash the space with beautiful natural light. Michael Hunter Photography

Living room photo in Detroit with blue walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

Nestled in the heart of the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, this charming home has been completed updated. Our clients desired a design that is fresh, understated and family friendly. The original kitchen was crowded and disconnected from other parts of the home. Our focus was to open up the spaces while maintaining the home’s integratory. The kitchen is now the center of the home with a large island for gathering. We selected classic finishes with modern touches throughout each space, thus providing a fresh look. Simple and smart furnishings were selected. We layered texture, color and scale with textiles and art to offer clean, uncluttered design lines that our clients wanted.

Greg Premru
Example of a large beach style open concept light wood floor living room design in Providence with white walls, a two-sided fireplace, a stone fireplace and a concealed tv

Kids' room - transitional kids' room idea in San Francisco

Photography by Van Sarki
Transitional powder room photo in New York

An Arts & Crafts Bungalow is one of my favorite styles of homes. We have quite a few of them in our Stockton Mid-Town area. And when C&L called us to help them remodel their 1923 American Bungalow, I was beyond thrilled. As per usual, when we get a new inquiry, we quickly Google the project location while we are talking to you on the phone. My excitement escalated when I saw the Google Earth Image of the sweet Sage Green bungalow in Mid-Town Stockton. "Yes, we would be interested in working with you," I said trying to keep my cool. But what made it even better was meeting C&L and touring their home, because they are the nicest young couple, eager to make their home period perfect. Unfortunately, it had been slightly molested by some bad house-flippers, and we needed to bring the bathroom back to it "roots." We knew we had to banish the hideous brown tile and cheap vanity quickly. But C&L complained about the condensation problems and the constant fight with mold. This immediately told me that improper remodeling had occurred and we needed to remedy that right away. The Before: Frustrations with a Botched Remodel The bathroom needed to be brought back to period appropriate design with all the functionality of a modern bathroom. We thought of things like marble countertop, white mosaic floor tiles, white subway tile, board and batten molding, and of course a fabulous wallpaper. This small (and only) bathroom on a tight budget required a little bit of design sleuthing to figure out how we could get the proper look and feel. Our goal was to determine where to splurge and where to economize and how to complete the remodel as quickly as possible because C&L would have to move out while construction was going on. The Process: Hard Work to Remedy Design and Function During our initial design study, (which included 2 hours in the owners’ home), we noticed framed images of William Morris Arts and Crafts textile patterns and knew this would be our design inspiration. We presented C&L with three options and they quickly selected the Pimpernel Design Concept. We had originally selected the Black and Olive colors with a black vanity, mirror, and black and white floor tile. C&L liked it but weren’t quite sure about the black, We went back to the drawing board and decided the William & Co Pimpernel Wallpaper in Bayleaf and Manilla color with a softer gray painted vanity and mirror and white floor tile was more to their liking. After the Design Concept was approved, we went to work securing the building permit, procuring all the elements, and scheduling our trusted tradesmen to perform the work. We did uncover some shoddy work by the flippers such as live electrical wires hidden behind the wall, plumbing venting cut-off and buried in the walls (hence the constant dampness), the tub barely balancing on two fence boards across the floor joist, and no insulation on the exterior wall. All of the previous blunders were fixed and the bathroom put back to its previous glory. We could feel the house thanking us for making it pretty again. The After Reveal: Cohesive Design Decisions We selected a simple white subway tile for the tub/shower. This is always classic and in keeping with the style of the house. We selected a pre-fab vanity and mirror, but they look rich with the quartz countertop. There is much more storage in this small vanity than you would think. The Transformation: A Period Perfect Refresh We began the remodel just as the pandemic reared and stay-in-place orders went into effect. As C&L were already moved out and living with relatives, we got the go-ahead from city officials to get the work done (after all, how can you shelter in place without a bathroom?). All our tradesmen were scheduled to work so that only one crew was on the job site at a time. We stayed on the original schedule with only a one week delay. The end result is the sweetest little bathroom I've ever seen (and I can't wait to start work on C&L's kitchen next). Thank you for joining me in this project transformation. I hope this inspired you to think about being creative with your design projects, determining what works best in keeping with the architecture of your space, and carefully assessing how you can have the best life in your home.

Bathroom - coastal bathroom idea in Los Angeles

Example of a transitional kitchen design in Salt Lake City

Angle Eye Photography
Inspiration for a large transitional light wood floor and beige floor great room remodel in Philadelphia with beige walls

When we imagine the homes of our favorite actors, we often think of picturesque kitchens, artwork hanging on the walls, luxurious furniture, and pristine conditions 24/7. But for celebrities with children, sometimes that last one isn’t always accurate! Kids will be kids – which means there may be messy bedrooms, toys strewn across their play area, and maybe even some crayon marks or finger-paints on walls or floors. Lucy Liu recently partnered with One Kings Lane and Paintzen to redesign her son Rockwell’s playroom in their Manhattan apartment for that reason. Previously, Lucy had decided not to focus too much on the layout or color of the space – it was simply a room to hold all of Rockwell’s toys. There wasn’t much of a design element to it and very little storage. Lucy was ready to change that – and transform the room into something more sophisticated and tranquil for both Rockwell and for guests (especially those with kids!). And to really bring that transformation to life, one of the things that needed to change was the lack of color and texture on the walls. When selecting the color palette, Lucy and One Kings Lane designer Nicole Fisher decided on a more neutral, contemporary style. They chose to avoid the primary colors, which are too often utilized in children’s rooms and playrooms. Instead, they chose to have Paintzen paint the walls in a cozy gray with warm beige undertones. (Try PPG ‘Slate Pebble’ for a similar look!) It created a perfect backdrop for the decor selected for the room, which included a tepee for Rockwell, some Tribal-inspired artwork, Moroccan woven baskets, and some framed artwork. To add texture to the space, Paintzen also installed wallpaper on two of the walls. The wallpaper pattern involved muted blues and grays to add subtle color and a slight contrast to the rest of the walls. Take a closer look at this smartly designed space, featuring a beautiful neutral color palette and lots of exciting textures!

Lorenzo Yenko
Dedicated laundry room - traditional single-wall dark wood floor and brown floor dedicated laundry room idea in Toronto with a drop-in sink, recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets, a side-by-side washer/dryer and white countertops

Transitional medium tone wood floor dining room photo in Miami with no fireplace and beige walls

Living room - large contemporary formal and enclosed living room idea in San Diego with white walls and a wall-mounted tv

Tony Soluri
Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized contemporary u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Chicago with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, glass tile backsplash, white appliances and an island

Danes Custom Homes
Elegant u-shaped eat-in kitchen photo in Dallas with a farmhouse sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, beige backsplash and paneled appliances

Clear Select Walnut - Artisan Inset Frame - Custom Stain - Shaker style - Floating vanity
Example of a bathroom design in Denver

The centerpiece of this Master Bathroom is a free-standing burnished iron bathtub. Robert Benson Photography
Example of a large farmhouse master beige tile medium tone wood floor freestanding bathtub design in New York with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white walls, an undermount sink and marble countertops