Brunswick Parlour transforms a Victorian cottage into a hard-working, personalised home for a family of four. Our clients loved the character of their Brunswick terrace home, but not its inefficient floor plan and poor year-round thermal control. They didn't need more space, they just needed their space to work harder. The front bedrooms remain largely untouched, retaining their Victorian features and only introducing new cabinetry. Meanwhile, the main bedroom’s previously pokey en suite and wardrobe have been expanded, adorned with custom cabinetry and illuminated via a generous skylight. At the rear of the house, we reimagined the floor plan to establish shared spaces suited to the family’s lifestyle. Flanked by the dining and living rooms, the kitchen has been reoriented into a more efficient layout and features custom cabinetry that uses every available inch. In the dining room, the Swiss Army Knife of utility cabinets unfolds to reveal a laundry, more custom cabinetry, and a craft station with a retractable desk. Beautiful materiality throughout infuses the home with warmth and personality, featuring Blackbutt timber flooring and cabinetry, and selective pops of green and pink tones. The house now works hard in a thermal sense too. Insulation and glazing were updated to best practice standard, and we’ve introduced several temperature control tools. Hydronic heating installed throughout the house is complemented by an evaporative cooling system and operable skylight. The result is a lush, tactile home that increases the effectiveness of every existing inch to enhance daily life for our clients, proving that good design doesn’t need to add space to add value.

Clients' first home and there forever home with a family of four and in laws close, this home needed to be able to grow with the family. This most recent growth included a few home additions including the kids bathrooms (on suite) added on to the East end, the two original bathrooms were converted into one larger hall bath, the kitchen wall was blown out, entrying into a complete 22'x22' great room addition with a mudroom and half bath leading to the garage and the final addition a third car garage. This space is transitional and classic to last the test of time.

INTERNATIONAL AWARD WINNER. 2018 NKBA Design Competition Best Overall Kitchen. 2018 TIDA International USA Kitchen of the Year. 2018 Best Traditional Kitchen - Westchester Home Magazine design awards. The designer's own kitchen was gutted and renovated in 2017, with a focus on classic materials and thoughtful storage. The 1920s craftsman home has been in the family since 1940, and every effort was made to keep finishes and details true to the original construction. For sources, please see the website at www.studiodearborn.com. Photography, Adam Kane Macchia and Timothy Lenz

project type: new construction architect: lake + flato architects location: scottsdale, az date: winter 2009 area: 4,500 sf
Inspiration for a southwestern patio remodel in Phoenix with a fire pit

The Watermill House is a beautiful example of a classic Hamptons wood shingle style home. The design and renovation would maintain the character of the exterior while transforming the interiors to create an open and airy getaway for a busy and active family. The house comfortably sits within its one acre lot surrounded by tall hedges, old growth trees, and beautiful hydrangeas. The landscape influenced the design approach of the main floor interiors. Walls were removed and the kitchen was relocated to the front of the house to create an open plan for better flow and views to both the front and rear yards. The kitchen was designed to be both practical and beautiful. The u-shape design features modern appliances, white cabinetry and Corian countertops, and is anchored by a beautiful island with a knife-edge marble countertop. The island and the dining room table create a strong axis to the living room at the rear of the house. To further strengthen the connection to the outdoor decks and pool area of the rear yard, a full height sliding glass window system was installed. The clean lines and modern profiles of the window frames create unobstructed views and virtually remove the barrier between the interior and exterior spaces. The open plan allowed a new sitting area to be created between the dining room and stair. A screen, comprised of vertical fins, allows for a degree of openness, while creating enough separation to make the sitting area feel comfortable and nestled in its own area. The stair at the entry of the house was redesigned to match the new elegant and sophisticated spaces connected to it. New treads were installed to articulate and contrast the soft palette of finishes of the floors, walls, and ceilings. The new metal and glass handrail was intended to reduce visual noise and create subtle reflections of light. Photo by Guillaume Gaudet

Gilbertson Photography
Inspiration for a small contemporary 3/4 white tile porcelain tile alcove shower remodel in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, a one-piece toilet and flat-panel cabinets

Laundry room - transitional gray floor laundry room idea in Miami with gray cabinets

Photos by Spacecrafting
This is an example of a transitional back porch design in Minneapolis with decking and a roof extension.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   We went with a minimalist, clean, industrial look that feels light, bright and airy. The island is a dark charcoal with cool undertones that coordinates with the cabinetry and transom work in both the neighboring mudroom and breakfast area. White subway tile, quartz countertops, white enamel pendants and gold fixtures complete the update. The ends of the island are shiplap material that is also used on the fireplace in the next room. In the new mudroom, we used a fun porcelain tile on the floor to get a pop of pattern, and walnut accents add some warmth. Each child has their own cubby, and there is a spot for shoes below a long bench. Open shelving with spots for baskets provides additional storage for the room. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKBD Photography by: LOMA Studios For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Example of a beach style patio design in New York with a fire pit and no cover

Living room - 1950s open concept living room idea in Houston

The new perimeter lends some privacy from the surrounding neighbors. Westhauser Photography
Example of a mid-sized trendy backyard concrete patio design in Milwaukee with a fire pit

Wooden Classicism Nesbitt House – Seaside, Florida Architect: Robert A. M. Stern Builder: O.B. Laurent Construction E. F. San Juan produced all of the interior and exterior millwork for this elegantly designed residence in the influential New Urban town of Seaside, Florida. Challenges: The beachfront residence required adherence to the area’s strict building code requirements, creating a unique profile for the compact layout of each room. Each room was also designed with all-wood walls and ceilings, which meant there was a lot of custom millwork! Solution: Unlike many homes where the same molding and paneling profiles are repeated throughout each room, this home featured a unique profile for each space. The effort was laborious—our team at E. F. San Juan created tools for each of these specific jobs. “The project required over four hundred man-hours of knife-grinding just to produce the tools,” says Edward San Juan. “Organization and scheduling were critical in this project because so many parts were required to complete each room.” The long hours and hard work allowed us to take the compacted plan and create the feel of an open, airy American beach house with the influence of 1930s Swedish classicism. The ceiling and walls in each room are paneled, giving them an elongated look to open up the space. The enticing, simplified wooden classicism style seamlessly complements the sweeping vistas and surrounding natural beauty along the Gulf of Mexico. --- Photography by Steven Mangum – STM Photography

This cozy outdoor space was made to feel more like a living room, complete with a custom fireplace. The mortared walls and columns give the sense of enclosure while still leaving access to the rest of the yard. Photo by Linda Oyama Bryan

Patio - coastal backyard patio idea in Dallas with a fireplace

Designing additions for Victorian homes is a challenging task. The architects and builders who designed and built these homes were masters in their craft. No detail of design or proportion went unattended. Cummings Architects is often approached to work on these types of projects because of their unwavering dedication to ensure structural and aesthetic continuity both inside and out. Upon meeting the owner of this stately home in Winchester, Massachusetts, Mathew immediately began sketching a beautifully detail drawing of a design for a family room with an upstairs master suite. Though the initial ideas were just rough concepts, the client could already see that Mathew’s vision for the house would blend the new space seamlessly into the fabric of the turn of the century home. In the finished design, expanses of glass stretch along the lines of the living room, letting in an expansive amount of light and creating a sense of openness. The exterior walls and interior trims were designed to create an environment that merged the indoors and outdoors into a single comfortable space. The family enjoys this new room so much, that is has become their primary living space, making the original sitting rooms in the home a bit jealous. Photo Credit: Cydney Ambrose

Matt Koucerek
Inspiration for a large timeless dark wood floor sunroom remodel in Kansas City with a standard ceiling

This room was also designed with retractible custom glass sliders that opened for an unobstructed 7.5 feet. The view, overlooking the pool and the detached garage with office above has integrated ceiling speakers with Smart Home Technology. All these features really made this space an airy, calm retreat.

This room was also designed with retractible custom glass sliders that opened for an unobstructed 7.5 feet. The view, overlooking the pool and the detached garage with office above has integrated ceiling speakers with Smart Home Technology. All these features really made this space an airy, calm retreat.