Vaulted ceilings are a great way to make your space look more grand and Fratantoni Luxury Estates has perfected this!! For more inspirational photos, Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.

Richard Herman is in the hospitality business and owns several upscale hotels in Florida and in other states as well as cattle ranches in both Florida and Missouri. Their farm in Ocala is by farm their most unique. The property serves as a 4-H demonstration project for the purpose of children’s education. They have been working with the Academy Prep of St. Pete which is dedicated to inner-city youths that are selected on the basis of need and achievement. Wife Diane spends her time on the farm raising Gypsy Vanners, a diminutive draft horse named after the job they did in Eastern Europe, pulling the wagons (vans) for gypsies that wandered across the continent. On the Ocala farm, there are several mules with a unique profession. Richard had visited the Hearthstone display at a Log & Timber Home Shows at the Orlando Convention Center many years ago. He was impressed that Hearthstone had stayed in touch with him over the years by mailings, invitations to shows, and periodic phone calls. When the time came to start serious consideration of the design of barn, Hearthstone responded promptly and professionally to Richard and Diane’s requests for information and a review of their ideas for their barn, which would serve as the centerpiece for their new farm. They wanted a multipurpose facility that could accommodate an educational environment and a large hall suitable for the fundraising events for his charities. Richard wanted a barn that reflected the look and feel of barns built at the dawn of the 20th century. Besides the rustic chicken houses and vegetable gardens, they have completely renovated a 1020’s era farmhouse to be as historically correct as possible and serves as the entry to the farm. “They very careful to feel us out, get comfortable with our capabilities, and be convinced that we could perform as promised,” said Project Manager John Ricketson of Hearthstone. Design Process There were some initial drawings that gave us a start on the basic shape and size of the barn. From there, it was a process of narrowing down the uses of each area and the spans that could be achieved. The barn was going to have the traditional “board & batten” exterior siding and a metal roof. There is a cantilevered ‘hay hood” on the north gable end above the large sliding barn doors that open into the foyer and horse stalls. The wings house a combination of areas, beginning with the large restrooms to accommodate crowds for events. Other parts of the wings have garage areas for the farm vehicles, feed room, tack room, wash rack, storage, offices, and smaller restrooms. Keeping with the look and feel of the turn of the century, Hearthstone developed a process for giving the timbers a surface texture that mimicked the circular cuts of timbers that had just come out of an old sawmill. This was easier said than done. Randy Giles guided his millwright (Wolfgang) in designing a machine that would do this effectively. The barn was delivered in October of 2014 and was erected over the course of two weeks, thanks to a hardworking crew (Eric Foster) and near-perfect weather. After the Hearthstone crew completed the erection and roof dry-in, it was time for the local carpenters to step up and install some light conventional framing on the gable ends before applying the roof fascia and exterior board & batten siding. Next came the big sliding barn doors, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling. Large rustic fixtures were hung from the great hall roof timbers. Exterior The board & batten siding was cypress and allowed to turn color naturally as rain hit it and the sun started working on it with UV rays. This method causes a much grayer look closer to the ground and less so where the roof overhang provides protection. The North end has some large limestone boulders and planters arranged around the pad with tall pampas grass. The planters provide casual seating before events and during outside receptions. The entire area was sodded with lush St. Augustine grass and split rail fences were added to enclose the barn area. The corrugated metal roof was a special order material that immediately rusted after being exposed to moisture. The layer of rust protects the metal from the elements. Interior The board & batten theme was carried throughout most of the interior with the timbers left natural to show off the circular saw texture. All of the tongue & groove decking was shipped in advance to allow the local painter to pre-stain it with a dark brown transparent stain that is a beautiful background to the light color Eastern White Pine timbers. “Everything was unique in this project” said Project Manager John Ricketson. “The setting on a small demonstration farm close to Ocala, the multipurpose design, the circular saw texture on the timbers.” The Hermans are very proud of their farm’s outcome. Richard sent a note to Randy Giles, owner of Hearthstone: “The Barn is fantastic, not a single problem, period. Next month, we have Jo Dee Messina coming in to help with a fundraiser for a local center for abused kids. Folks love the farm, ...... but that barn gets all of the attention. I would encourage you to use me as a reference for your sales team, feel free to extend my cell phone to any prospective purchasers.”

Tricia Koning
Minimalist concrete floor kitchen photo in Chicago with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island

“We could never have envisioned what could be” – Steiner Ranch Homeowner and Client It is an especially fulfilling Project for an Interior Designer when the outcome exceeds Client expectations, and imagination. This remodeling project required instilling modern sensibilities, openness, styles and textures into a dated house that was past its prime. Strategically, the goal was to tear down where it made sense without doing a complete teardown. Starting with the soul of the home, the kitchen, we expanded out room by room to create a cohesiveness and flow that invites, supports and provides the warmth and relaxation that only a home can. In the Kitchen, we started by removing the wooden beams and adding bright recessed lighting. We removed the old limestone accent wall and moved the sink and cooktop from the island on to the countertop – the key goal was to create room for the family to gather around the kitchen. We replaced all appliances with modern Energy Star ones, along with adding a wine rack. The first order of business for the Living Room was to brighten it up by adding more lighting and replacing an unused section with a glass door to the backyard. Multi-section windows were replaced with large no-split glass overlooking the backyard. Once more, the limestone accent was removed to create a clean, modern look. Replacing the dated wooden staircase with the clean lines of a metal, wire and wooded staircase added interest and freshness. An odd bend in the staircase was removed to clean things up. The Master Bedroom went from what looked like a motel room with green carpet and cheap blinds to an oasis of luxury and charm. A section of the wraparound doors were closed off to increase privacy, accentuate the best view from the bedroom and to add usable space. Artwork, rug, contemporary bed and other accent pieces brought together the seamless look across the home. The Master Bathroom remodel started by replacing the standard windows with a single glass pane that enhanced the view of the outdoors. The dated shower was replaced by a walk-in shower and soaking tub to create the ultimate at-home spa experience. Lighted LED mirrors frame His & Hers sinks and bathe them in a soft light. The flooring was upgraded throughout the house to reflect the contemporary color scheme. Each of the smaller bedrooms were similarly upgraded to match the clean and modern décor of the rest of the house. After such a transformation inside, it was only appropriate that the exterior needed an upgrade as well. All of the legacy limestone accents were replaced by stucco and the color scheme extended from the interior of the house to the gorgeous wrap around balconies, trim, garage doors etc. to complete the inside outside transformation.

Large elegant galley dark wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in DC Metro with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, stone slab backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Rich dark floors and light walls provide a warm backdrop for pops of greens and blues throughout this contemporary residence.
1950s dark wood floor kitchen/dining room combo photo in New York with white walls

Madrona Passive House, a new Seattle home designed by SHED Architecture & Design and built by Hammer & Hand, combines contemporary design with high performance building to create an environmentally responsive and resource-efficient house. The home’s airtight, super-insulated building envelope and passive design minimize energy consumption while providing superior thermal comfort to occupants. A heat recovery ventilator supplies constant fresh air to the home’s interior while recovering 90% of thermal energy from exhaust air for reuse inside. A rooftop solar photovoltaic array will provide enough energy to offset most, perhaps all, of the home’s energy consumption on a net annual basis. To manage stormwater the project employs permeable pavers for site hardscape and two cisterns to capture and control rainwater from the home’s roof and the green roof on the garage. By investing in sustainable site development strategies, efficient building systems and an advanced envelope, the project aims to respect the home’s environmentally critical site and achieve one of the world’s most demanding building energy standards: Passive House. Photos by Mark Woods Photography.

This 35' × 44' single-slip timber frame boathouse on Clearwater Bay (Lake of the Woods, Ontario) showcases the sleek, modern capabilities of heavy timber architecture. Designed in-house by Cornerstone Timberframes and completed in 2021, the White Pine structure features a minimalist 1/12 pitch single-slope roof and clean, linear drop-cut rafter profiles that create sharp, refined shadow lines. Engineered for a demanding waterfront environment, the timber columns are anchored to a steel I-beam dock substructure using concealed 3/8-inch steel knife blade connectors embedded directly into the concrete deck. Integrated lighting above the main beams illuminates the geometry of the frame at night, transforming this functional dock shelter into a striking, contemporary lakeside landmark.

This 35' × 44' single-slip timber frame boathouse on Clearwater Bay (Lake of the Woods, Ontario) showcases the sleek, modern capabilities of heavy timber architecture. Designed in-house by Cornerstone Timberframes and completed in 2021, the White Pine structure features a minimalist 1/12 pitch single-slope roof and clean, linear drop-cut rafter profiles that create sharp, refined shadow lines. Engineered for a demanding waterfront environment, the timber columns are anchored to a steel I-beam dock substructure using concealed 3/8-inch steel knife blade connectors embedded directly into the concrete deck. Integrated lighting above the main beams illuminates the geometry of the frame at night, transforming this functional dock shelter into a striking, contemporary lakeside landmark.

This 35' × 44' single-slip timber frame boathouse on Clearwater Bay (Lake of the Woods, Ontario) showcases the sleek, modern capabilities of heavy timber architecture. Designed in-house by Cornerstone Timberframes and completed in 2021, the White Pine structure features a minimalist 1/12 pitch single-slope roof and clean, linear drop-cut rafter profiles that create sharp, refined shadow lines. Engineered for a demanding waterfront environment, the timber columns are anchored to a steel I-beam dock substructure using concealed 3/8-inch steel knife blade connectors embedded directly into the concrete deck. Integrated lighting above the main beams illuminates the geometry of the frame at night, transforming this functional dock shelter into a striking, contemporary lakeside landmark.

Our client, with whom we had worked on a number of projects over the years, enlisted our help in transforming her family’s beloved but deteriorating rustic summer retreat, built by her grandparents in the mid-1920’s, into a house that would be livable year-‘round. It had served the family well but needed to be renewed for the decades to come without losing the flavor and patina they were attached to. The house was designed by Ruth Adams, a rare female architect of the day, who also designed in a similar vein a nearby summer colony of Vassar faculty and alumnae. To make Treetop habitable throughout the year, the whole house had to be gutted and insulated. The raw homosote interior wall finishes were replaced with plaster, but all the wood trim was retained and reused, as were all old doors and hardware. The old single-glazed casement windows were restored, and removable storm panels fitted into the existing in-swinging screen frames. New windows were made to match the old ones where new windows were added. This approach was inherently sustainable, making the house energy-efficient while preserving most of the original fabric. Changes to the original design were as seamless as possible, compatible with and enhancing the old character. Some plan modifications were made, and some windows moved around. The existing cave-like recessed entry porch was enclosed as a new book-lined entry hall and a new entry porch added, using posts made from an oak tree on the site. The kitchen and bathrooms are entirely new but in the spirit of the place. All the bookshelves are new. A thoroughly ramshackle garage couldn’t be saved, and we replaced it with a new one built in a compatible style, with a studio above for our client, who is a writer.

Photography by Liz Rusby
Home office - industrial freestanding desk concrete floor home office idea in San Francisco with white walls

Mike Schwartz
Trendy bathroom photo in Chicago with a hinged shower door

JE Evans Photography (Columbus, OH)
Example of a transitional guest dark wood floor bedroom design in Columbus with blue walls

1790 Garvin Weeks House North Reading, MA All custom-made cabinetry in a farmhouse style. The main cabinets and island are in two different styles with the island featuring a milk paint and oil finish. The reclaimed custom island counter blends harmoniously with the restoration timber framing used for new supports in the framing phase of the project. Eric Roth

The goal: traditional detailing (executed with custom cabinetry, woodwork, hand-painted Italian tile, and a muted palette) which doesn't steal the show from the greenbelt view. Fine Focus Photography

This customer wanted their deck to have seating around the edge. We built their deck and deck seating out of AZEK composite decking in Slate Grey. It features a double picture frame on the deck and single picture frame on the bench seating. This will be a lovely space for the customer to enjoy the outdoors in low maintenance on the comfort.

Virginia AIA Merit Award for Excellence in Interior Design | The renovated apartment is located on the third floor of the oldest building on the downtown pedestrian mall in Charlottesville. The existing structure built in 1843 was in sorry shape — framing, roof, insulation, windows, mechanical systems, electrical and plumbing were all completely renewed to serve for another century or more. What used to be a dark commercial space with claustrophobic offices on the third floor and a completely separate attic was transformed into one spacious open floor apartment with a sleeping loft. Transparency through from front to back is a key intention, giving visual access to the street trees in front, the play of sunlight in the back and allowing multiple modes of direct and indirect natural lighting. A single cabinet “box” with hidden hardware and secret doors runs the length of the building, containing kitchen, bathroom, services and storage. All kitchen appliances are hidden when not in use. Doors to the left and right of the work surface open fully for access to wall oven and refrigerator. Functional and durable stainless-steel accessories for the kitchen and bath are custom designs and fabricated locally. The sleeping loft stair is both foreground and background, heavy and light: the white guardrail is a single 3/8” steel plate, the treads and risers are folded perforated steel.

gourmet kitchen Troy Thies Photography
Trendy light wood floor kitchen photo in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and an island