This bedroom and full bathroom are part of an adventuresome project my wife and I embarked upon to create a complete apartment in the basement of our townhouse. We designed a floor plan that creatively and efficiently used all of the 385-square-foot-space, without sacrificing beauty, comfort or function – and all without breaking the bank! To maximize our budget, we did the work ourselves and added everything from thrift store finds to DIY wall art to bring it all together. A partial double closet bar adds a little extra space while still leaving room for longer hanging clothes.

This stained glass window was created as part of our signature Aspen Stained Glass line. These windows look beautiful in cottage style or contemporary homes and are a great way for outdoor enthusiasts to celebrate their love of nature. The textured appearance of the glass provides the homeowners with a high level of privacy and comfort.

Mountain style freestanding desk carpeted home design photo in Orange County with white walls

Staircase - cottage staircase idea in San Francisco

Staircase - mid-sized traditional wooden straight wood railing staircase idea in New York with painted risers

Originally, the exterior of the Napa ranch residence was a standard knocked down stucco finish. We covered over the entire exterior of the house with a natural plaster product that has been made in Italy for centuries, known as Rialto or Vero. This product is a combination of slaked lime mixed with 60% reconstituted crushed marble dust. Quarried from the legendary Carrara marble mines. The finish itself is a vertically combed striated texture embedded into the plaster. While it cures, a transparent group of patinas are applied to the stone-like plaster substance to create a look of an aged villa.

Inspiration for a transitional home design remodel in Minneapolis

These Slate kitchen floor tiles at a property in Oxford were in good physical condition, but had become dull over time due to heavy usage, and upon close inspection the grout was stained. The customer contacted me as she was keen to get the tiles back to looking their best. This would require a thorough clean and the application of a fresh sealer. While Slate floor tiles are reputed to be hard wearing and damage resistant – and are therefore a popular choice for high traffic areas like kitchens – this does not exclude them from needing regular maintenance. To begin, I mixed a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro Clean and water. Pro-Clean is a versatile cleaner that when used in a weak dilution can be used as a regular cleaner for most types of natural stone floor, including more sensitive stones such as Limestone and Marble. The cleaning was then spread across the surface area of the floor, and left it to dwell for ten minutes to allow the solution to seep into the pores of the stone and lift the ingrained dirt to the surface. Pro-Clean in a strong dilution also functions as a stripping product, meaning it works to strip away any old and ineffectual sealer. I then scrubbed the solution into the floor using a stiff scrubbing brush, paying particular attention to the grout in order to break down the visible staining. The tiles and grout lines came up really well during the cleaning process – this became clear once I had rinsed the floor and removed the residue using a wet vacuum. With the customer eager to have the job completed quickly, I installed portable room dryers and utilised a heat gun to dry the floor, allowing me to seal it on the same day. Once I had ensured the floor was completely dry, I commenced the sealing process by firstly applying a coat of Tile Doctor Stone Oil, a product which is designed to bring out all of the natural dark shades in the Slate. When this was dry, I applied a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow. This is an impregnating sealer, meaning that it soaks into pores of the stone to provide durable protection from within against ingrained dirt and stains. Colour Grow also enhances the natural colours in the stone even further. The customer was amazed by just how big a difference could be made to the tiles in the space of just a day. Although the tiles were generally in very good nick, my main task was to be liven them up – judging by the before and after photos, I think this was achieved. And, now that they have been treated to a fresh seal, the tiles will be prevented from quickly becoming dull again. Barry Woodward Oxfordshire Tile Doctor

Example of a farmhouse staircase design in San Francisco

Beautiful custom runner to match the unique measurements of this staircase.
Small wooden curved staircase photo in Minneapolis with wooden risers

Home design - 1960s home design idea in Seattle

Large country u-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen photo in Milwaukee with white cabinets and a peninsula

For this job I travelled to the town of Albrighton, which is actually the most easterly settlement in the whole of Shropshire. My client had an issue with their Marble tiled floor which was installed in the kitchen and hallway. They had dropped and broke a bottle of vinegar in the kitchen, and the substance unfortunately came in contact with the tiles. Since Marble is highly sensitive to acid, the vinegar (an acetic acid) had basically etched the surface of the tiles make it impossible clean chemically. Although the tiles were a nice, expensive Marble, the person who had first installed them had done a poor job, leaving lippage of up to 5mm in some areas, which would make work trickier. Undeterred I could see it would be possible to restore the floor using a combination of burnishing for the tiles and cleaning with a high alkaline product for the grout lines. I demonstrated this to my client on one tile which went well and I was then given the go ahead to restore the entire floor. My first task focused on cleaning the grout lines using a solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean worked in with a stiff grout brush. Pro-Clean is a high alkaline cleaner suitable for use on most types of natural stone floor. It helped to alleviate most of the grout staining caused by the vinegar, whilst also lifting out any ingrained dirt and muck, and this left the grout looking a lot cleaner. After cleaning the grout lines I was able to move on to burnishing the tiles. As previously mentioned, no chemical product would be able to have an effect on the damaged tiles, so I resolved to burnish them using a system of four diamond encrusted burnishing pads fitted to a rotary machine. Working first with a coarse burnishing pad, and moving through to medium, fine and very fine pads, lubricated with a little water, I was able to significantly reduce the appearance of the acid stains, while also giving the tiles a nice polished finish. Following the cleaning and burnishing processes I gave the tiles a good rinse to remove any remaining residue and then ensured the floor was completely dry before starting on the sealing. To seal the floor and maximise the appearance I used Tile Doctor Colour Grow and Tile Doctor Shine powder. Colour Grow is an impregnating sealer that seeps into the pores of the stone intensifying and enhancing the natural shades and colours in the stone whilst also providing stain protection; Shine Powder on the other hand is a crystallising powder that is ground directly into the tiles to provide a high shine finish and durable surface protection. My client and her husband were really happy with the results and left the following message on the Tile Doctor Feedback system: “Jozsef was a charming young man in every respect, who worked very hard and achieved an amazing result. The tiles look better than the day they were laid. We are absolutely delighted with the work he has done and will recommend him to all our acquaintances. Thank you, Jozsef!” Jozsef Hoffmann Shropshire Tile Doctor

Wood-look tile floor using porcelain plank tiles in a herringbone pattern.
Living room - traditional porcelain tile living room idea in Sacramento

Tiny Heirloom Inc.
Trendy home office photo in Portland

Bar Countertop Materials: Zinc
Large transitional u-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Atlanta with recessed-panel cabinets, distressed cabinets, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Backsplash: Oriental White Echelon by Olympia Tile + Stone. http://j.mp/1mUoZN6

Materials and interior paint selected by Cherry City Interiors & Design
Freestanding bathtub - mid-sized contemporary master beige tile and ceramic tile porcelain tile freestanding bathtub idea in Portland with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, white walls, a drop-in sink and tile countertops