The Clients wanted a relaxing, contemporary space to unwind and enjoy at the end of the day. We incorporated natural elements, soothing paint colors, organic wallpaper featuring cloud sketches, and lots of photography from the Clients global travels.

Shot of the guest bathroom shower, 6"x24" ashen gray limestone tiles surround the shower walls and ceiling and continue onto the wall outside the shower. The shower and bathroom floor is an ivory pebble mosaic with snow white grout. Satin bronze Newport Brass overhead shower faucet as well as a handheld faucet. Holcom Serenity Sliding barn door style shower door. Wall color is "Smoky Green" by Benjamin Moore, in a washable matte finish. Photography by Marie-Dominique Verdier.

Angle Eye Photography
Mudroom - small traditional brick floor mudroom idea in Philadelphia with beige walls

Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW Like many families with older children, this local Glen Ellyn couple wanted to expand the size of their kitchen while also creating a more open, airy feel for their main level. The home had plenty of space that included a formal living room, formal dining room, family room with eat-in area and kitchen with butler’s pantry. What it didn’t have, was an effortless flow between the areas used daily for cooking, eating and gathering. Additionally, the kitchen had become outdated, feeling dark and dismal, despite the abundance of natural light. Our clients wanted a bright, cheerful interior that would inspire the family to congregate in this part of the house. No easy feat with teenagers. An open floor plan design solved the issues with functionality and circulation, removing the walls that restricted flow and opening up the entry to the dining room. We also eliminated the rarely used butler’s pantry allowing us to expand the kitchen and add a large island for food prep and gathering. To create a sense of symmetry and consistency in the space, a clerestory window was added below the header and framed to match the existing adjacent entry from the living room. Inspired by the owner’s Scottish ancestry, the island cabinetry boasts a beautiful blue hue, paired with stools upholstered in a sprightly plaid. The built-in buffet area provides additional storage, topped with a beautiful wooden top stained to coordinate with the stunning tones of the flooring. The owner’s opted for stainless steel appliances, inspiring the selection of brushed silver light fixtures and polished chrome hardware. Marble-look quartz offered a durable, lightly colored surface to reflect sunlight and enhance the cheer factor. According to this happy family, this uplifting space is now everyone’s favorite place to gather. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKBD Photography by: Michael Kaskel For more design inspiration go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

This kitchen is a part of a new construction of a home on a horse farm. The homeowner is a horse enthusiast and wanted the new home to look and feel like a modern farm house. Much of the wood features are meant to recall the look of a barn, even the wood used on the staircase is reclaimed wood used from the original barn that was on the property. The kitchen uses Scavolini cabinetry and is the focal point of life at the farm house. They are a grey oak veneer with a super glossy lacquer clear coat, slab door with a channel instead of handles for a modern look. A long island stretches the expanse of the room providing plentiful seating and counter space for hosting. An appliance garage hides the coffee maker and other mini appliances that usually living on the counter top. A stainless steel refrigerator balances on the other side. The kitchen is situated in the great room with the living area featuring a gas fireplace and dining table (not shown). Along the side wall, two matching pantry units are separated by a large picture window and have a perfect area for desk and single chair for light office work. Photo by Martin Vecchio.

A delightful mix of metals, textures, finishes, and door styles create an unfitted cottage charmer with all of the conveniences of today. This is achieved through a mixture of old and new that blends to create a rediscovered, recreated, and reused heirloom environment. Door Styles: Wellington Maple (Full Overlay & Inset) Madison Square (Full Overlay & Inset) Character Maple Finishes: Glacier with Fawn Brush Finish & Hazelnut Charcoal

Custom floating vanity with display cubes, stainless steel Decolav vessel sinks, Kraus Ilusion faucet, gray quartz countertop, porcelain marble 20x20 floor tiles. Pony wall quartz cap.

Jim Maidhof
Arts and crafts gray floor basement photo in Kansas City

Contemporary master suite with traditional elements. Sliding surface-mounted frosted glass bath door on wall track. Make-up vanity area, cast iron drop-in tub with granite tub deck, custom glass shower door enclusure, shower niches and granite shelves, multiple showerheads. Custom cabinets with metal channel hardware. One Room at a Time, Inc.

AV Architects + Builders Location: Tysons, VA, USA The Home for Life project was customized around our client’s lifestyle so that he could enjoy the home for many years to come. Designed with empty nesters and baby boomers in mind, our custom design used a different approach to the disparity of square footage on each floor. The main level measures out at 2,300 square feet while the lower and upper levels of the home measure out at 1000 square feet each, respectively. The open floor plan of the main level features a master suite and master bath, personal office, kitchen and dining areas, and a two-car garage that opens to a mudroom and laundry room. The upper level features two generously sized en-suite bedrooms while the lower level features an extra guest room with a full bath and an exercise/rec room. The backyard offers 800 square feet of travertine patio with an elegant outdoor kitchen, while the front entry has a covered 300 square foot porch with custom landscape lighting. The biggest challenge of the project was dealing with the size of the lot, measuring only a ¼ acre. Because the majority of square footage was dedicated to the main floor, we had to make sure that the main rooms had plenty of natural lighting. Our solution was to place the public spaces (Great room and outdoor patio) facing south, and the more private spaces (Bedrooms) facing north. The common misconception with small homes is that they cannot factor in everything the homeowner wants. With our custom design, we created an open concept space that features all the amenities of a luxury lifestyle in a home measuring a total of 4300 square feet. Jim Tetro Architectural Photography

Removing the seldom used bar sink provided more functional counter space for entertaining. A solid quartzite slab backsplash makes it feel more formal and separate from the kitchen. © Deborah Scannell Photography

Example of a large transitional u-shaped porcelain tile eat-in kitchen design in Boston with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, marble backsplash and granite countertops

2011 CAPITAL COTY AWARD HONORABLE MENTION AWARD WINNER Built circa 1980, a young couple with three children originally purchased this home for their growing family. After four years of karate, soccer, piano and other activities, however, the home was becoming too small to meet their needs. Problems started upon entering the front foyer. A 25-foot long dark hallway separated the family room and the kitchen, ending in a tiny powder room stuck in the middle of the layout. The kitchen was especially isolated, a cramped L-shaped design with a box bay breakfast bump out that was literally falling apart. The new design started with the core of the problem—the maze and separation created by the long hallways. First, the 25’ load bearing wall separating the foyer from family room was totally taken out and replaced with a long supporting beam. A French door replaced a small door and window leading to a screen porch . This action allowed lots of light to get into family and foyer. Then, the powder room was removed and the partition wall between the kitchen and family room was taken down. This created a large open concept design and greatly increased the size of the kitchen. The box bay was demolished and replaced with new walls and a large window. The plumbing for main sink and dishwasher got relocated into this box bay allowing a total transformation of the space. Now there are cabinets and counters on all sides. The doorway to the dining room was reconfigured to allow a butler area on its left. While the right side was occupied with new 36” gas range top with a decorative wood hood above it. The refrigerator, microwave/oven and pantries—the space’s tall elements—occupy one wall.. A large Island with a prep sink and beverage center for the kids occupies the center of the layout. Capable of seating up to four, family and friends can now keep the cook company. A large built-in desk area lets the kids do their homework so the parents can supervise while they prepare meals. Light cabinetry with a touch of caramel glazing and exotic granite countertops by our designers contributed to this kitchen’s elegant design. The contrasting distressed island’s darker finish matches the dinette set and other furnishings. New hardwood floors were installed throughout the first floor for a seamless look, while recess, pendant and task lighting make the space even brighter. Importantly, there’s plenty of space for parents and kids to hang out together. The kitchen is truly the heart of their home.

Small beach style master concrete floor and gray floor bedroom photo in Los Angeles with white walls

The table was made from Peruvian walnut with a fantastic cashmere finish. The base to the table is a metal with a custom finish. The bar area was a built in banquette which was difficult to get in and out of. Modernizing this space to a bar area opened up the entire space for socializing and brought more light through the windows.

Example of a transitional u-shaped light wood floor eat-in kitchen design in New York with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The kitchen is open to the dinette and great room with additional light from the beautiful exterior switch back stair case. The ceiling is painted white bead board to add some texture above the white cabinetry. Darker stained hardwood floors give contrast to this pristine presentation. Architecture by Meyer Design. Builder is Lakewest Custom Homes.

This primary bath feels like a retreat to the black sand beaches of the Canary Islands, featuring sky and ocean blues, reclaimed natural wood, mini-hex black tiling in the shower and three showerheads above. Bright and blue wallpaper featuring a palm leaf print carries the coastal feel through to a separate toilet room.

This space used to be the existing kitchen. We were able to rearrange the cabinets and add in some new cabinets to create this bar. The front of the curved bar is copper with a patina technique. Two colors of concrete countertops were used for the bar area to pick up on the color of the stacked stone veneer we used as the backsplash. The floating shelves have LED lighting underneath. Illuminated open cabinets await new collections! We also installed a climate controlled wine cellar. Photo courtesy of Fred Lassman