Photo by Joe Fletcher
Example of a mid-sized trendy courtyard concrete patio design in San Francisco with no cover

This large open kitchen was completely updated to include a custom cabinetry, a large center island, banquette seating and an extra large table to accommodate family and friends in the busy summer season. With plenty of lighting, extra large appliances and preparation space, everyone can get in on the cooking fun.

Example of a beach style bathroom design in Philadelphia

Updated Guest Bedroom Junior Suite. A window was covered over to create a framed wall filled with wall covering. Wall to wall carpet was replaced with hard wood and area rugs. All lighting was updated to include wall sconces, recessed lights including lighting directly over bed for reading and wall mounted TV's over dressers.

The kitchen was originally planned to mimic the location of appliances in her current kitchen to minimize re-learning of appliance locations. The only change was adding a trash cabinet between the fridge and the sink. A french door fridge allows someone in a wheelchair to easily access frozen and cold foods, while the water and ice dispenser on the outside of the door make it easy to stay hydrated rather than using the sink each time. She can roll up to the kitchen sink due to the recessed cabinetry under the sink or stand at counter height to put away dishes from the dishwasher. The dishwasher is ADA and very simple to use , and is raised off the floor so whether she is sitting or standing it's easier to reach. The gas cooktop has controls at the front making it easy to reach from the wheelchair and the exhaust fan above also has a control at the front. All cabinet door handles are D-shape, which makes them easy to grasp and there is plenty of electric outlets for charging phones, computers and small appliances. The kitchen island is table height at 30" so meal prep can be easily done in a wheelchair while guests and can be seated in a chair or wheelchair around the island. The dining chairs can also be turned around to add extra seating in the living room area. Pendant lights above the kitchen island light up the space, while recessed lighting in the kitchen and living room provide overall room lighting. There is also under cabinet lighting which makes the room glow at night! Wainscoting made of commercial grade material is strategically placed on sharp corners and exposed walls to reduce and minimize damage from the wheel chair, while creating a finished and complete look! We selected a free standing microwave to sit below the island, which is easy to use and is the same style as in her previous apartment. The island is 48" from the appliance wall, leaving ample space to open doors and maneuver around in the wheelchair and has easy access to the laundry area as well. We eliminated the pocket doors that had been in front of the laundry area for easy access, and since it was exposed, dressed it up with coordinating tile to the kitchen with additional cabinets above. There is a coordinating quartz counter on top of the washer and dryer for folding laundry or storing additional supplies.

Pictured here is a closeup of the microwave and island storage which includes 4 pantry drawers, under cabinet microwave, drawers for pots and pans easily located near the cooktop and drawers for kitchen supplies, napkins, and other items. The kitchen was originally planned to mimic the location of appliances in her current kitchen to minimize re-learning of appliance locations. The only change was adding a trash cabinet between the fridge and the sink. A french door fridge allows someone in a wheelchair to easily access frozen and cold foods, while the water and ice dispenser on the outside of the door make it easy to stay hydrated rather than using the sink each time. She can roll up to the kitchen sink due to the recessed cabinetry under the sink or stand at counter height to put away dishes from the dishwasher. The dishwasher is ADA and very simple to use , and is raised off the floor so whether she is sitting or standing it's easier to reach. The gas cooktop has controls at the front making it easy to reach from the wheelchair and the exhaust fan above also has a control at the front. All cabinet door handles are D-shape, which makes them easy to grasp and there is plenty of electric outlets for charging phones, computers and small appliances. The kitchen island is table height at 30" so meal prep can be easily done in a wheelchair while guests and can be seated in a chair or wheelchair around the island. The dining chairs can also be turned around to add extra seating in the living room area. Pendant lights above the kitchen island light up the space, while recessed lighting in the kitchen and living room provide overall room lighting. There is also under cabinet lighting which makes the room glow at night! Wainscoting made of commercial grade material is strategically placed on sharp corners and exposed walls to reduce and minimize damage from the wheel chair, while creating a finished and complete look! We selected a free standing microwave to sit below the island, which is easy to use and is the same style as in her previous apartment. The island is 48" from the appliance wall, leaving ample space to open doors and maneuver around in the wheelchair and has easy access to the laundry area as well. We eliminated the pocket doors that had been in front of the laundry area for easy access, and since it was exposed, dressed it up with coordinating tile to the kitchen with additional cabinets above. There is a coordinating quartz counter on top of the washer and dryer for folding laundry or storing additional supplies.

Access to the Master Bathroom is made easy from the kitchen/laundry area. Upon entering the bathroom, the roll up sink and medicine cabinet are easily accessible. There is wainscoting wall protection that is carried in from the adjacent hallway that easily blends with wainscoting height tile in the bathroom as well. The toilet is extra high comfort height and sits at 21" so that access from the wheelchair is easiest. There is a linen cabinet across from the toilet that provides for drawers for bathroom items and supplies and for linens and towels on top. The shower threshold could not be eliminated, so we extended the shower bench over 21" into the bathroom floor so that easy transfer could be made from the wheelchair onto the bench in the bathroom, The handheld shower is located within easy reach of the bench with all bathing supplies conveniently located in an easily accessible niche. Although not all grab bars are shown here, there is one at the sink to help her stand up, a pull down bar near the toilet, a vertical bar to help standing up from the toilets, an angled bar from the bench to stand up and a horizontal and vertical grab bar in the shower itself. Note that we selected the basic grab bar to install over any designer grab bar for maximum safety and comfort. From the Master Bath, a hallway leads to the closet and the Master Bedroom. We widened the hallway to access the closet to 42" wide, and increased the size of the door to enter the closet from 24" to 36" and eliminated the door to improve overall access. The closet was built in and provides for all her items that were previously in a dresser in her bedroom. This way, she can go into the closet and get all items needed to dress without going back into the bedroom for undergarments.

Photo: Rikki Snyder © 2014 Houzz
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Emilio Collavino
Trendy kitchen photo in Miami

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The kitchen island is table height at 30" so meal prep can be easily done in a wheelchair while guests are seated in a chair or wheelchair around the island. The dining chairs can also be turned around to add extra seating in the living room area. Pendant lights above the kitchen island light up the space, while recessed lighting in the kitchen and living room provide overall room lighting. There is also under cabinet lighting which makes the room glow at night! Wainscoting made of commercial grade material is strategically placed on sharp corners and exposed walls to reduce and minimize damage from the wheel chair, while creating a finished and complete look!

Bathroom - small traditional bathroom idea in Philadelphia

The new open plan living/dining room. The countertop that contains all the appliances is at standard height of 36". Although the sink has a recessed wheelchair accessible approach, maintaining the 36" counter height allows our client to stand and put dishes away in the cabinets above. The kitchen island is for dining and meal prep and is the "command central" of the apartment . Beneath the kitchen island are four drawers for the food pantry, a microwave, pots and pan drawers within easy reach to the cooktop and storage drawers. There is 48" between the kitchen island and the island to allow for easy wheelchair access, while full wheelchair turns are made easy on either end of the island. The living room leaves plenty of space for her wheelchair to join the sitting area while the ottoman in front of the sofa serves as a footrest or place to put things when a tray is placed on top of it. The ottoman pulls the room together with a multi color fabric much like a rug would do...we were not able to have a rug in the space due to space limitations as well as the need to keep an open path behind the dining chairs.

Ellen Farber
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We added 6 feet on the back of the house to create space for an island in the kitchen
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The den creates an informal space between the kitchen and the outdoor space to relax and watch TV.
Example of a large beach style enclosed vinyl floor and gray floor family room design in Philadelphia with white walls and a wall-mounted tv

Updated Guest Bedroom Junior Suite. A window was covered over to create a framed wall filled with wall covering. Wall to wall carpet was replaced with hard wood and area rugs. All lighting was updated to include wall sconces, recessed lights including lighting directly over bed for reading and wall mounted TV's.