Remodeled by Lion Builder construction Design By Veneer Designs
Dedicated laundry room - large contemporary single-wall blue floor dedicated laundry room idea in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, quartz countertops, blue walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer, gray countertops and medium tone wood cabinets

When the homeowners decided it was time to update their kitchen to have it reflect more their current tastes and needs, they came to me. They wanted to have a hearth-style hood area and a mantel to display seasonal decorations. The kitchen was extended slightly to accommodate the mantel, and to add the microwave, oven, & warming drawer to the primary work side of the kitchen. A second prep sink and refrigerator drawers were added to the island. Hand selected Teak wood was used as the countertop, because of the luscious texture and durability around wet areas, more than most other woods. A very long towel bar, set to the backside of the island, allows Trisha a handy place to display tea towels. Challenging to this design was that the ceiling height is only 94”, which we couldn’t raise. The kitchen, however, feels more open due to the lightness of the cabinet color, the glass-front and open display cabinets, the different levels of cabinets, and the liberal amount of well-balanced details. The bountiful details include two cabinet colors, two counter top materials, five door styles, three glass types, three drawer styles, and four hardware styles all designed to keep the observer engaged in the space. This kitchen can be described as a lush bouquet with each individual element gracefully adding to the spectacular result Design and remodel by Design Studio West Brady Architectural Photography

Driven by a passion for the salt life and a love of the natural beauty of the area, they will leave the Northeast on a trek for the Florida Gulf Coast. The winters there are simply too cold to tolerate for any length of time. And why would they suffer those freezing temperatures when the average temperature on Longboat Key in January is 71 degrees? However, this is no migration and the subject is not a bird. My clients cannot be referred to as “Snowbirds” either. This is a homecoming. More so, it is a new beginning; a resurrection! “From the crown of the palm tree, there grew a flame. The flame revealed a nest. As the flames of change kissed the nest, a new being was born. This fantastic creature was born in the image of its predecessor, but it was given a new life. Indeed, it was resurrected. Behold the Phoenix!” Many years ago, they were pulled from the area in the pursuit of better employment. All the while, they maintained a strong connection with the Gulf Coast. This is where they would spend the best years of their lives. Now is their time of rebirth. The property they chose is on boating water on the Bay side of Longboat Key. The property is among the few undeveloped lots scattered around the island. Over the years it had been planted with a variety of tropical species including many of the common house varieties such as Ficus, rubber trees, and Areca Palms. Loving the locale, these species quickly outgrew their space. In the shadows, native Sabal Palms stretched their trunks in an effort to survive. A Phoenix Reclinata Palm sat unassumingly beneath the shadow of a large Ficus. We liberated them by removing all of the invasive varieties. We then relocated all ten of the resident Sabal Palms (our State Tree) on site. The home, designed by celebrated local architect Mark Sultana of DSDG, Inc., is a contemporary flat. The layout is a single living level above parking and grade level outdoor spaces. The architecture is crisp and inspiring and it is sensitive to the smaller scale of the eclectic neighborhood in which it will be constructed. From the elevated balcony, the residents will enjoy watching the many local manatees as they hug the sea wall looking for warmth on chilly mornings. From grade level decks, they will get up close and personal with the abundant schools of mullet in the canal. A northern exposure to the open side of the plan will allow for the amazing breezes offered by passing cool fronts.

This ocean-front shingled Gambrel style house is home to a young family with little kids who lead an active, outdoor lifestyle. My goal was to create a bespoke, colorful and eclectic interior that looked sophisticated and fresh, but that was tough enough to withstand salt, sand and wet kids galore. The palette of coral and blue is an obvious choice, but we tried to translate it into a less expected, slightly updated way, hence the front door! Liberal use of indoor-outdoor fabrics created a seamless appearance while preserving the utility needed for this full time seaside residence. photo: Michael J Lee Photography

When a visual artist purchases a mass production home in one of Wilmington, NC’s developing neighborhoods, she quickly realizes that the builder’s standard house plans and amenity options lack the personality she craved. A chance visit to the Kitchen & Bath Design Studio showroom proves to be ‘love at first sight’ when a designer listens to the artist’s needs and immediately produces a tile sample that matches the artist’s vision. Can our designer achieve the client’s vision while respecting the production builder’s restrictions and architectural plans? Of course she can! To satisfy the client’s wish list, the kitchen design required a larger island, more counter space, and semi-custom cabinetry. The client settled on Brazilian cherry-style flooring, her favorite of the builder-approved upgrades for flooring. Iridescent glass mosaic tile and multiple chandelier pendants brought in the “bling factor” at the top of the client’s list—she has penchant for “bright, shiny objects” and wanted her kitchen to reflect a Farmhouse Chic or Rustic Glam aesthetic. Left to her own devices, the client would have veered toward a more liberal, Liberace-esque application of bling, so the designer introduced a neutral color palette and warm, polished nickel finishes as a counterbalance to all of that sparkle and shine. Working within the builder’s constraints, the designer made changes to the kitchen’s layout to increase island workspace and nearly double countertop space. The client had to go with an entry-level builder-approved refrigerator available in only one fridge counter depth size. So the designer moved the pantry location, situating it behind the refrigerator and then recessed the refrigerator into the pantry to cheat the counter depth needed to flow seamlessly with the semi-custom cabinetry line. She also maximized drawers and upper cabinets to increase storage space, but did not take the upper cabinets to the ceiling to respect the home’s half crown molding details. Chris Davis Photography

This was a project that involved liberating an existing small, dark, cramped kitchen in this 1940's saltbox style duplex. The single sided galley kitchen was small, difficult to cook in, and walled-off from the dining room and the living room. Every element of the kitchen had to function properly and efficiently, in as little space as possible. The new U-shaped kitchen and open floor plans give added usability to the small space while adding storage and counter work space. Custom turned wood columns and the accented archway create a threshold moment offering views from the living room into the remodeled dining room and kitchen.

Driven by a passion for the salt life and a love of the natural beauty of the area, they will leave the Northeast on a trek for the Florida Gulf Coast. The winters there are simply too cold to tolerate for any length of time. And why would they suffer those freezing temperatures when the average temperature on Longboat Key in January is 71 degrees? However, this is no migration and the subject is not a bird. My clients cannot be referred to as “Snowbirds” either. This is a homecoming. More so, it is a new beginning; a resurrection! “From the crown of the palm tree, there grew a flame. The flame revealed a nest. As the flames of change kissed the nest, a new being was born. This fantastic creature was born in the image of its predecessor, but it was given a new life. Indeed, it was resurrected. Behold the Phoenix!” Many years ago, they were pulled from the area in the pursuit of better employment. All the while, they maintained a strong connection with the Gulf Coast. This is where they would spend the best years of their lives. Now is their time of rebirth. The property they chose is on boating water on the Bay side of Longboat Key. The property is among the few undeveloped lots scattered around the island. Over the years it had been planted with a variety of tropical species including many of the common house varieties such as Ficus, rubber trees, and Areca Palms. Loving the locale, these species quickly outgrew their space. In the shadows, native Sabal Palms stretched their trunks in an effort to survive. A Phoenix Reclinata Palm sat unassumingly beneath the shadow of a large Ficus. We liberated them by removing all of the invasive varieties. We then relocated all ten of the resident Sabal Palms (our State Tree) on site. The home, designed by celebrated local architect Mark Sultana of DSDG, Inc., is a contemporary flat. The layout is a single living level above parking and grade level outdoor spaces. The architecture is crisp and inspiring and it is sensitive to the smaller scale of the eclectic neighborhood in which it will be constructed. From the elevated balcony, the residents will enjoy watching the many local manatees as they hug the sea wall looking for warmth on chilly mornings. From grade level decks, they will get up close and personal with the abundant schools of mullet in the canal. A northern exposure to the open side of the plan will allow for the amazing breezes offered by passing cool fronts.

Framingham casts a liberated light on traditional styling. With their simple, understated elegance, the cabinets meld memories of the past with demands of today. Flexibility in sizes, finishes and tops expands the decorating possibilities. Consider Vintage Maple with Black hardware for the naturalists; distinctive Polar White with Satin Nickel finished hardware for the purists. And lots of storage for the practical in all of us. | Available at www.ShopStudio41.com

"Gut this old, farmhouse kitchen, take down the walls ,modernize it, liberate the space and above all- make it happy!" That was our to-do list, and we succeeded in bringing this old farmhouse to life. Now it's the favorite space in the home. See for yourself the power of positivity.

Driven by a passion for the salt life and a love of the natural beauty of the area, they will leave the Northeast on a trek for the Florida Gulf Coast. The winters there are simply too cold to tolerate for any length of time. And why would they suffer those freezing temperatures when the average temperature on Longboat Key in January is 71 degrees? However, this is no migration and the subject is not a bird. My clients cannot be referred to as “Snowbirds” either. This is a homecoming. More so, it is a new beginning; a resurrection! “From the crown of the palm tree, there grew a flame. The flame revealed a nest. As the flames of change kissed the nest, a new being was born. This fantastic creature was born in the image of its predecessor, but it was given a new life. Indeed, it was resurrected. Behold the Phoenix!” Many years ago, they were pulled from the area in the pursuit of better employment. All the while, they maintained a strong connection with the Gulf Coast. This is where they would spend the best years of their lives. Now is their time of rebirth. The property they chose is on boating water on the Bay side of Longboat Key. The property is among the few undeveloped lots scattered around the island. Over the years it had been planted with a variety of tropical species including many of the common house varieties such as Ficus, rubber trees, and Areca Palms. Loving the locale, these species quickly outgrew their space. In the shadows, native Sabal Palms stretched their trunks in an effort to survive. A Phoenix Reclinata Palm sat unassumingly beneath the shadow of a large Ficus. We liberated them by removing all of the invasive varieties. We then relocated all ten of the resident Sabal Palms (our State Tree) on site. The home, designed by celebrated local architect Mark Sultana of DSDG, Inc., is a contemporary flat. The layout is a single living level above parking and grade level outdoor spaces. The architecture is crisp and inspiring and it is sensitive to the smaller scale of the eclectic neighborhood in which it will be constructed. From the elevated balcony, the residents will enjoy watching the many local manatees as they hug the sea wall looking for warmth on chilly mornings. From grade level decks, they will get up close and personal with the abundant schools of mullet in the canal. A northern exposure to the open side of the plan will allow for the amazing breezes offered by passing cool fronts.

"Gut this old, farmhouse kitchen, take down the walls ,modernize it, liberate the space and above all- make it happy!" That was our to-do list, and we succeeded in bringing this old farmhouse to life. Now it's the favorite space in the home. See for yourself the power of positivity.

Terracotta may be one of the most aesthetically pleasing types of tiled floor, but as many of our customers will tell you can be particularly difficult to keep clean. This is due to the naturally high porosity of clay, which allows dirt to become very easily trapped. Quite commonly this situation is made worse by a lack of an adequate sealer to block the intrusion of muck. Of course, poor quality cleaning products also make it difficult for property owners to keep their Terracotta tiles clean, and a combination of the two problems can leave these floors looking a lot like this one, located in the kitchen of a house in the beautiful Forest of Dean. The property owner was keen to have me restore some character to her dull Terracotta tiles. It was proving increasingly difficult for her to keep them clean due to the reasons described before, and the grout had also become very dirty. So, the customer turned to me for some professional assistance. While these Terracotta tiles had been sealed previously it had, over time, lost its ability to protect the stone against ingrained dirt. To remove the old excess sealer my product of choice was the heavy duty soil remover and stripper, Tile Doctor Remove & Go, which I applied liberally across the surface and scrubbed in to the tile used a rotary machine fitted with a scrubbing pad. This also helped to remove the trapped dirt and left the stone looking fresher. Once the old sealer was removed – to be replaced with a fresh sealer once cleaning was complete – I was free to focus on the troublesome grout lines with Tile Doctor Pro Clean, an alkaline cleaner that reliably breaks down dirt. When cleaning the grout, I opted to use a handheld grout brush that allowed for more precise, careful application of the product. As per usual, the floor was given a good rinse and left to dry for 24 hours. Upon returning to the property I checked the floor was completely dry, ready for sealing. My process for sealing actually involved the application of two different kinds of sealer; initially I applied a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow which has soaks into the pores of the tile and has the added bonus of enhancing its natural colours. Once this had dried I then applied ix coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go, a product which forms a durable layer of protection of the surface of the tiles and at the same time provides a lovely sheen finish. The combination of the two sealers will certainly offer a long-term solution to the ingrained dirt problem, and the appearance-enhancing properties in the products really helped to transform the tiles from dull and dirty to lively and eye-catching. Nonetheless, before departing the property, I also left my very pleased customer with some cleaning advice for the future. Paul Wales Monmouthshire Tile Doctor

This Terracotta tiled floor was installed in the conservatory of a house in the old market town of Garstang, Lancashire, famous for being the world’s first ever ‘Fairtrade Town’. There were quite a few problems with this floor; for one, my client had not re-sealed the tiles in many years and had therefore allowed the existing seal to become very worn and almost completely ineffectual. This had subsequently allowed the floor to become very dirty and marked with white blotches. These white blotches had occurred where the fertilizer held in decorative plant pots had started to eat away at the sealer. The tiles were cleaned with a strong solution of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, which is a strong alkaline cleaner. The solution was liberally applied to the floor and left to dwell for a short period, allowing time for the cleaner to seep into the pores of the Terracotta and lift the ingrained dirt to the surface. The solution was then agitated using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a heavy rotary machine, making a marked difference to the appearance of the tiles within a matter of minutes. Tile Doctor Acid Gel was then used to spot treat the white marks, the acid content in the product breaks down the alkaline salts that had developed, left behind by the leaked plant fertilizer. The entire floor was then rinsed several times to remove the soiled cleaning residue and the excess moisture was extracted using a wet-vac machine. The Terracotta tiles were left to dry for an entire week as there was no evident damp proof membrane in place at the property. I used damp testers to approximate when the tiles would be dry enough to seal, which was very important as any excess moisture can upset the performance of the sealer. My first choice of sealer was Tile Doctor Colour Grow, an impregnating sealer that also intensifies the natural colours in the stone. A single coat of Colour Grow was applied, before I opted to follow this up with six coats of Tile Doctor Seal & Go, which provides a very robust surface seal and also helped to give the Terracotta the aesthetically pleasing my client had requested. Before leaving the property with its newly restored Terracotta tiled conservatory, I made sure to give my client some tile maintenance advice. Needless to say, she was very pleased with the results. Russell Taylor Lancashire Tile Doctor

These pictures of a Victorian Tiled Hallway are from a property in Canterbury that was once a nursing home and was now being renovated to become a children’s home. The building was being gutted and extended at the same time and when the carpet was pulled up in the hallway, they were surprised to find a relatively intact Victorian tiled floor underneath. Whilst they thought it bizarre that anyone would want to cover up such an attractive floor the carpet had protected it over the years. They realized it would make a marvellous feature at the entrance to the property, but professional restoration would be needed to do it justice. After a bit of research, they came across Tile Doctor and got in touch. Canterbury comes under my North Kent designation, so I went to visit the property and survey the floor and quote for doing the restoration. There were a few missing and loose tiles that would need replacing and refixing also there was a lot of ingrained dirt so a deep clean and application of a new sealer would be required. I gave them a price for the work which they readily accepted, and we arranged a suitable time to carry out the work. Subject to the building schedule I had calculated the floor would take three days to restore. On the first day I set about replacing and re-fixing the missing, broken, and loose tiles. This is delicate work as you need to extract the old tile without disturbing its neighbours and then clean up the area ready for its replacement. Being a Tile Doctor I keep a selection of stock tiles for repairs, some are reclaimed, and some are replica. Also, there are several companies still making Victorian style tiles so I can usually source what I need. After the individual missing and broken tiles had been replaced and the adhesive had set, it was then a matter of renovating the floor as a whole. The tiles were covered in a thick layer of carpet adhesive which needed a combination of specialist tools and products to remove. First, a liberal layer of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied and left to dwell for thirty minutes. Next, Tile Doctor Pro-Clean was added and scrubbed in with a black pad. This process softened the adhesive sufficiently in readiness for the next stage which involves using a set of diamond burnishing pads on a weighted buffing machine. Several applications were needed, each time with a successively finer grade of diamond pad and rinsing off the slurry in between. The tiles were first milled using a very coarse 50-grit pad, followed by 100, 200 and finally burnished with a 400-grit burnishing pads. This removed all the adhesive and dirt in the tiles, which was cleaned up using the wet vacuum. Old Victorian floors like this do not have a damp proof membrane installed under the floor, and with a lot of water being used in the cleaning process I was concerned White efflorescence salts could appear later as the floor dried. To counter this, I gave the floor an acid wash using Tile Doctor Acid Gel to counter and dissolve the salts, it also gives the tiles another clean and will remove any old grout smears further improving the appearance of the tiles. Once done the floor was left to dry overnight. On my return I tested the floor was dry by taking several moisture readings around the floor with a damp meter. Applying sealer to a damp floor is never advised and can lead to clouding and an unwanted finish. Happy that the tiles were dry, a single coat of Tile Doctor Colour Grow sealer was applied. This is an impregnating sealer with a colour enhancing component to ‘lift’ the stronger colours of the floor. Colour Grow however does leave a matt appearance and as the client had asked for a shiny finish it was topped up with five coats of Tile Doctor Seal and Go. This is a compatible topical sealer which added a mid to high sheen. By the end of the third day the Victorian floor looked brand new, and I received the following feedback from the client. Its rare to receive feedback from commercial customers so they were clearly overwhelmed with the transformation. Did not think this glued covered bad old floor could look sooooo good Fabulous Fantastic job Looks Amazing Thank you For aftercare I recommend the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner which isn’t as harsh as many of the products you find in supermarket. Stronger products can actually strip off the sealer over time leaving it vulnerable to dirt and detracting from its appearance. Graham Davis North Kent Tile Doctor