This project started as a repair to a severely age degraded basement wall. With a bit of creative thinking it became an opportunity for creating a daylight basement. See Project Video: Part 1: https://youtu.be/xaDcO0X1wOI Part 2: https://youtu.be/9nGNaCc6Fpw The basement wall repair solution is a new below grade window wall and covered entry door area. The plan for this daylight basement project was to terrace the adjacent grade, allowing for a wall of lower level windows and a set of steps dropping down to a new exterior entry door. We had just enough room in the side yard setback to fit it all in. A daylight basement project such as this is no small matter regarding safety issues. I have a lot of respect for the fearless yet professional manner that Jason Smith of Ozz Construction showed to execute this difficult project. The temporary support shoring allowed the crew enough working room to put in the structural steel and wall framing that holds up the entire south side of the building. The completed daylight basement transforms the feel and functionality of this formally dark and dreary area. This new natural light will be a great improvement to this future finished apartment space.

Good things come in small packages! Get creative by bringing a series of small things together. Our mini framed canvases come ready to set on a shelf or hang on a wall. Our frames are approximately 1.25’’ in depth and come with a lightly distressed rustic finish that creates a beautiful texture. Frame color is predetermined and finishes vary due to intentional distress.

Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW For many, extra time at home during COVID left them wanting more from their homes. Whether you realized the shortcomings of your space or simply wanted to combat boredom, a well-designed and functional home was no longer a want, it became a need. Tina found herself wanting more from her Old Irving Park home and reached out to The Kitchen Studio about adding function to her kitchen to make the most of the available real estate. At the end of the day, there is nothing better than returning home to a bright and happy space you love. And this kitchen wasn’t that for Tina. Dark and dated, with a palette from the past and features that didn’t make the most of the available square footage, this remodel required vision and a fresh approach to the space. Lead designer, Stephanie Cole’s main design goal was better flow, while adding greater functionality with organized storage, accessible open shelving, and an overall sense of cohesion with the adjoining family room. The original kitchen featured a large pizza oven, which was rarely used, yet its footprint limited storage space. The nearby pantry had become a catch-all, lacking the organization needed in the home. The initial plan was to keep the pizza oven, but eventually Tina realized she preferred the design possibilities that came from removing this cumbersome feature, with the goal of adding function throughout the upgraded and elevated space. Eliminating the pantry added square footage and length to the kitchen for greater function and more storage. This redesigned space reflects how she lives and uses her home, as well as her love for entertaining. The kitchen features a classic, clean, and timeless palette. White cabinetry, with brass and bronze finishes, contrasts with rich wood flooring, and lets the large, deep blue island in Woodland’s custom color Harbor – a neutral, yet statement color – draw your eye. The kitchen was the main priority. In addition to updating and elevating this space, Tina wanted to maximize what her home had to offer. From moving the location of the patio door and eliminating a window to removing an existing closet in the mudroom and the cluttered pantry, the kitchen footprint grew. Once the floorplan was set, it was time to bring cohesion to her home, creating connection between the kitchen and surrounding spaces. The color palette carries into the mudroom, where we added beautiful new cabinetry, practical bench seating, and accessible hooks, perfect for guests and everyday living. The nearby bar continues the aesthetic, with stunning Carrara marble subway tile, hints of brass and bronze, and a design that further captures the vibe of the kitchen. Every home has its unique design challenges. But with a fresh perspective and a bit of creativity, there is always a way to give the client exactly what they want [and need]. In this particular kitchen, the existing soffits and high slanted ceilings added a layer of complexity to the lighting layout and upper perimeter cabinets. While a space needs to look good, it also needs to function well. This meant making the most of the height of the room and accounting for the varied ceiling features, while also giving Tina everything she wanted and more. Pendants and task lighting paired with an abundance of natural light amplify the bright aesthetic. The cabinetry layout and design compliments the soffits with subtle profile details that bring everything together. The tile selections add visual interest, drawing the eye to the focal area above the range. Glass-doored cabinets further customize the space and give the illusion of even more height within the room. While her family may be grown and out of the house, Tina was focused on adding function without sacrificing a stunning aesthetic and dreamy finishes that make the kitchen the gathering place of any home. It was time to love her kitchen again, and if you’re wondering what she loves most, it’s the niche with glass door cabinetry and open shelving for display paired with the marble mosaic backsplash over the range and complimenting hood. Each of these features is a stunning point of interest within the kitchen – both brag-worthy additions to a perimeter layout that previously felt limited and lacking. Whether your remodel is the result of special needs in your home or simply the excitement of focusing your energy on creating a fun new aesthetic, we are here for it. We love a good challenge because there is always a way to make a space better – adding function and beauty simultaneously.

A complete and eclectic rear garden renovation with a creative blend of formal and natural elements. Formal lawn panel and rose garden, craftsman style wood deck and trellis, homages to Goldsworthy and Stonehenge with large boulders and a large stone cairn, several water features, a Japanese Torii gate, rock walls and steps, vegetables and herbs in containers and a new parking area paved with permeable pavers that feed an underground storage area that in turns irrigates the garden. All this blends into a diverse but cohesive garden. Designed by Charles W Bowers, Built by Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc. © Garden Gate Landscaping, Inc./Charles W. Bowers

From the street, it’s an impeccably designed English manor. Once inside, the best of that same storied architecture seamlessly meshes with modernism. This blend of styles was exactly the vibe three-decades-running Houston homebuilder Chris Sims, founder and CEO of Sims Luxury Builders, wanted to convey with the $5.2 million show-home in Houston’s coveted Tanglewood neighborhood. “Our goal was to uniquely combine classic and Old World with clean and modern in both the architectural design as well as the interior finishes,” Chris says. Their aesthetic inspiration is clearly evident in the 8,000-square-foot showcase home’s luxurious gourmet kitchen. It is an exercise in grey and white—and texture. To achieve their vision, the Sims turned to Cantoni. “We had a wonderful experience working with Cantoni several years ago on a client’s home, and were pleased to repeat that success on this project,” Chris says. Cantoni designer Amy McFall, who was tasked with designing the kitchen, promptly took to the home’s beauty. Situated on a half-acre corner lot with majestic oak trees, it boasts simplistic and elegant interiors that allow the detailed architecture to shine. The kitchen opens directly to the family room, which holds a brick wall, beamed ceilings, and a light-and-bright stone fireplace. The generous space overlooks the outdoor pool. With such a large area to work with, “we needed to give the kitchen its own, intimate feel,” Amy says. To that end, Amy integrated dark grey, high-gloss lacquer cabinetry from our Atelier Collection. by Aster Cucine with dark grey oak cabinetry, mixing finishes throughout to add depth and texture. Edginess came by way of custom, heavily veined Calacatta Viola marble on both the countertops and backsplash. The Sims team, meanwhile, insured the layout lent itself to minimalism. “With the inclusion of the scullery and butler’s pantry in the design, we were able to minimize the storage needed in the kitchen itself,” Chris says. “This allowed for the clean, minimalist cabinetry, giving us the creative freedom to go darker with the cabinet color and really make a bold statement in the home.” It was exactly the look they wanted—textural and interesting. “The juxtaposition of ultra-modern kitchen cabinetry and steel windows set against the textures of the wood floors, interior brick, and trim detailing throughout the downstairs provided a fresh take on blending classic and modern,” Chris says. “We’re thrilled with the result—it is showstopping.” They were equally thrilled with the design process. “Amy was incredibly responsive, helpful and knowledgeable,” Chris says. “It was a pleasure working with her and the entire Cantoni team.” Check out the kitchen featured in Modern Luxury Interiors Texas’ annual “Ode to Texas Real Estate” here.

Bedroom - contemporary bedroom idea in Atlanta

Our clients wanted a REAL master bathroom with enough space for both of them to be in there at the same time. Their house, built in the 1940’s, still had plenty of the original charm, but also had plenty of its original tiny spaces that just aren’t very functional for modern life. The original bathroom had a tiny stall shower, and just a single vanity with very limited storage and counter space. Not to mention kitschy pink subway tile on every wall. With some creative reconfiguring, we were able to reclaim about 25 square feet of space from the bedroom. Which gave us the space we needed to introduce a double vanity with plenty of storage, and a HUGE walk-in shower that spans the entire length of the new bathroom! While we knew we needed to stay true to the original character of the house, we also wanted to bring in some modern flair! Pairing strong graphic floor tile with some subtle (and not so subtle) green tones gave us the perfect blend of classic sophistication with a modern glow up. Our clients were thrilled with the look of their new space, and were even happier about how large and open it now feels!

This Danver kitchen showcases the standards of backyard fun. Its spacious design allows culinary creativity as well as quality time with family and friends.

Set on ten acres abutting protected conservation land, the zoning for this site allowed for a creative multi-unit residential project. The design concept created a sustainable modern farm community of three distinct structures. A sense of individuality is established between the buildings, while a comprehensive site design references historic farms with a home-like, residential scale. An existing structure was renovated to house three condo units, featuring sliding barn doors and floor-to-ceiling storefront glass in the great room, with 25’ ceilings. Across a circular cobblestone drive, a new house and barn structure houses two condo units. Connecting both units, a garage references a carriage house and barn with small square windows above and large bays at ground level to mimic barn bays. There is no parking lot for the site – instead garages and a few individual parking spaces preserve the scale of a natural farm property. Patios and yards in the rear of each unit offer private access to the lush natural surroundings and space for entertaining.

There’s nothing quite like a cozy cottage to call home. Especially when you can get creative, renovating key spaces to balance modern convenience and vintage charm. We collaborated with the talented homeowners to bring their vision to life an the results speak for themselves. A gourmet kitchen fits seamlessly in the original home’s footprint and not one, but two thoughtfully re-designed bathrooms bring a slice of luxury and function to this sweet little home. The modern-meets-classic kitchen tiles started it all, setting the tone for the entire renovation. Gourmet appliances and custom cabinetry maximized function and storage and new lighting was a perfect finishing touch. We completely re-worked the home’s “master” bath (you should see the “before!”), adding a spacious frameless glass shower. In the basement, the new bathroom is every bit the retreat the homeowner dreamed of, with the freestanding composite tub, an enormous vanity and a hidden stackable washer and dryer. The decommissioned fireplace is oh-so decorative, showing off with new Ann Sacks marble mosaic tile. The transformation is impressive, and it’s so rewarding to see this lovely couple and sweet pup happy in their adorable home! Furniture staging for photography provided by Crush Staging, Portland. Photography by Cody Wheeler.

SOME OF OUR PROJECTS We at Not Just Closets are proud of our workmanship, our creativity, and the help we have been able to provide to our many clients. We look forward to meeting you, and working with you to find just the right solution to your space organization problems. Perhaps photos of your project will wind up here in the Portfolio section. We will be adding to the examples in this web page as we complete more projects. This web page was created on 11/05/2013, so expect the examples displayed to continue to grow in the coming years. We were pleased to be invited to do a new Master Bedroom Closet project for a home in Albuquerque that was featured in the 2013 Parade of Homes. Perhaps you visited it during the 2013 Parade? The next 4 images are from that home. The closet was long and narrow but there was plenty of space for hanging clothes and drawer units as well as for folded clothes, shoes and other items. All this was accomplished without sacrificing elbow room in this narrow space. Views from the bathroom into the Master Closet. Another perspective of the Master Closet. The closets shown here were designed for a NE Heights home in Albuquerque. They were installed and photos were taken before any clothes or other items were added. The dark pullout in the first image is a clothes hamper. These light colored cabinets were chosen for the Master Bedroom closet to help keep the space bright and light. Note the two rows of hangars for shirts and dresses above, and pants below. The double row of drawers in this closet replaces the typical Chest of Drawers without sacrificing the extra space needed for the chest. This is a great addition to any closet. The last closet photo shows a two-door vertical storage closet on the right that is very flexible to configure. It can be outfitted to store clothes, shoes, jewelry, or other items. Also note the extra-length hangar space for formal dresses or long gowns. Not Just Closets was also contracted to do the Pantry in the above home. Please notice that the shelving wraps around the corners, providing the greatest amount of storage space. Also you will find that the spacing on the shelves was designed to allow for a large number of varying size items in the pantry. There are large shelves on the bottom since large items are usually heavy and bulky. Seldom-used items can also be stored on the top shelf. The storage shelves shown are in a large walk-in pantry, with a concommitantly large number of shelves. Dark colored cabinets were chosen for the Pantry to match the Kitchen cabinets. We were asked to design and install the closets for a house in the October 2014 Parade of Homes. The view is of an extremely large walk-in closet with upper and lower hanging bars, tall hanging areas, and a huge amount of cabinet and drawer storage. The next two views portray the same closet, demonstrating the size of the closet and the many wrap around hanging areas, shelves, storage cabinets, and drawers. All four walls were filled with these features. The closet also has a pull-down ironing board, allowing for quick refreshing of creases in trousers or straightening of dresses. Not Just Closets also does commercial installations, as evidenced by the corporate office kitchen and file storage solutions shown here. This photo is of a work center island incorporating file storage. Not shown is another large set of shelves for bulk storage. The back side of the work center also has cabinets for storage. This is a view of the Break Center at the corporate office. The counter, sink and upper and lower cabinets were all designed and installed by Not Just Closets. Photo A - Shown is a corner shelf unit for a child's closet in a 2015 Parade of Homes residence. The corner unit stores many toys in a neat, orderly fashion. Photo B - Hanging space above drawers illustrates the versatility of our units. Every inch of space is utilized in this Master Bedroom Closet in the 2015 Parade of Homes residence. Roll-out shelves offer convenience and easy access to a pantry in the 2015 Parade of Homes kitchen. This customer said - "Total 100% customer satisfaction. I love it! It is the crown jewel of the room. Every woman who has seen it has mentioned they are jealous of it all". We agree. This closet was custom-designed for blueprint storage for an architect. Master Bedroom closet units offer a variety of ways to hang and store clothes. Above the double hang and drawer unit are wardrobe lifts (not shown at the top of this photograph) to store seasonal clothes. A small bedroom closet can be made more useful with the right combination of hangs (hanging racks) and shelving. An entry closet with double hangs and a convenient bench for removing and storing shoes. This is a Master Bedroom Closet with adjustable shelves to organize and optimize the storage needs of the customer. The large nest of small drawers just exudes an aura of organization, and the shoe storage is adjusted to hold different sizes of boots and shoes.

This grand and historic home renovation transformed the structure from the ground up, creating a versatile, multifunctional space. Meticulous planning and creative design brought the client's vision to life, optimizing functionality throughout. The bedrooms are serene havens designed for relaxation. Luxurious bedding and carefully chosen furnishings set the stage for comfort. Soothing color palettes, complemented by tasteful artwork, create a tranquil atmosphere for rest and rejuvenation.

Italian Different Concept A real laboratory of ideas. Myyour is a reality where the most innovative design ideas are chosen and transformed into new and unique decorative solutions... solutions that are able to express elegance and color, functionality and aesthetics, versatility and prestige. A result that has been achieved thanks to the upshot of the series of research, assessments, studies and applications that have been carried out for each of the collections... An uninterrupted series of formal and technological trials to help us reach our final objective: a vanguard product that is best characterized as a perfect blend of craftsmanship and innovation and which is destined to become the protagonist of the most diverse spaces: a product designed to take over the scene by giving a touch of exclusivity and originality to the home, office, public setting... The founding pillars of the Myyour philosophy are the surprising stateliness of its products and the distinction of a manufacturing process, which is meticulously followed as to ensure perfection; from the development of the project to the selection of the materials, but also from the execution of the project to the attention and care that are paid to every single minimum detail along the way. This is how the Myyour quality came to life. A must that is always more and more appreciated on an international level and by a clientele who has witnessed the potential artistic expression of these decorative creations. These solutions have managed to fill an empty space and are always in perfect harmony with their outside beauty and intrinsic functionalities. These creations always manage to trigger the creativity of individuals, architects, decorators and designers.

The new flow around the kitchen works for this busy family of five, and mom and dad always have a clear view of the family room. Natural elements are incorporated in a fresh transitional style in details such as quarter sawn white oak cabinetry with mitered cabinet doors. An abundance of creative storage makes preparation and cooking easy for mom who loves to bake. In lieu of a traditional set of table and chairs, the dining table is connected to the end of the large island, which also places it in a nice sunny spot in close proximity to the doors leading to the deck. Additional counter seating is included with complimentary furniture. The island is highlighted with a fantastic slab of natural stone, adding contrast and a little drama while perfectly complimenting the other materials in the space. Stainless steel appliances and hardware keep it modern while a pretty glass mosaic backsplash adds depth and texture. Photo: Peter Krupenye

Our eclectic modern home remodel project turned a closed-off home filled with heavy wood details into a contemporary haven for hosting with creative design choices, making the space feel up to date and ready to host lively gatherings. The dining room and bar portion of the home is incredibly stunning and make for great entertaining. The crown molding detail on the ceiling and the beautiful light fixture above the dining room table elevates this space. The walnut flooring mirrors the molding above, an excellent design choice for this space!

This kitchen was challenging due to the four risers stacks that could not be relocated . We can up with very creative solutions to the problem with the details in of the custom island with the antique mirror and other custom mill work.

Photo: Rachel Loewen Photography © 2018 Houzz
Eclectic home office photo in Chicago

This gourmet kitchen that is dressed to impress with crisp white cabinets and quarts countertops. A creative hidden pantry and intricate subway tile backsplash take this suburban kitchen from bland and boxy to bursting with texture, pattern, and personality. Topped with a handsome wood beam that adds architectural interest, while the contrast of the large deep blue custom island brings stylish drama to this trend-setting space. Budget analysis and project development by: May Construction

When a young professional couple approached us to decorate the main floor of their brand new modern townhouse in Port Coquitlam, we were very excited. Having moved from a Gastown condo, the couple was eager to infuse this suburban location with a funky yet sophisticated downtown vibe. They were also looking for a neutral backdrop with some hits of colour and asked us to incorporate wallpaper. The statement artwork that we selected above the fireplace set the tone for this project. We started with a pair of sleek neutral leather sofas to maximize seating in the small living space and layered them with a variety of toss pillows in blues, teals & turquoise then added a few pops of orange. We defined the front entrance and dining area with a stunning marbleized grey and white wallpaper by Graham and Brown. The dark wood furniture in the dining area adds contrast and sophistication balancing the dark stained kitchen cabinets opposite. The resulting look is clean, modern and playful. Interior Design by Lori Steeves of Simply Home Decorating. Photos by Tracey Ayton Photography. Floor Plans/ Drawings by ZakCreative.