Julie Soefer
Living room - transitional medium tone wood floor living room idea in Houston with white walls and a standard fireplace

In the third floor library we had custom built bookcases constructed with a strong geometric pattern. The shelves were finished in a high gloss black to make them stand out against the white walls. Photo: Eric Roth

Example of a huge trendy master carpeted and gray floor bedroom design in Chicago with white walls

Photo by Eric Rorer
Contemporary gray three-story mixed siding exterior home idea in San Francisco

Beach style single-wall medium tone wood floor home bar photo in Boston with white cabinets, no sink, shaker cabinets, mirror backsplash and white countertops

Transitional screened-in side porch photo in Burlington

Patio kitchen - transitional backyard tile patio kitchen idea in Houston with a roof extension

Example of a trendy two-story exterior home design in Seattle

Michal Utterback
Inspiration for a 1950s white one-story flat roof remodel in Los Angeles

Beach style brown floor, dark wood floor, shiplap ceiling and shiplap wall bedroom photo in Atlanta with white walls

moris moreno
Inspiration for a contemporary boy dark wood floor kids' bedroom remodel in Miami with multicolored walls

Photos by Alan Blakely
Transitional dark wood floor entry hall photo in Houston with white walls

The existing U-shaped kitchen was tucked away in a small corner while the dining table was swimming in a room much too large for its size. The client’s needs and the architecture of the home made it apparent that the perfect design solution for the home was to swap the spaces. The homeowners entertain frequently and wanted the new layout to accommodate a lot of counter seating, a bar/buffet for serving hors d’oeuvres, an island with prep sink, and all new appliances. They had a strong preference that the hood be a focal point and wanted to go beyond a typical white color scheme even though they wanted white cabinets. While moving the kitchen to the dining space gave us a generous amount of real estate to work with, two of the exterior walls are occupied with full-height glass creating a challenge how best to fulfill their wish list. We used one available wall for the needed tall appliances, taking advantage of its height to create the hood as a focal point. We opted for both a peninsula and island instead of one large island in order to maximize the seating requirements and create a barrier when entertaining so guests do not flow directly into the work area of the kitchen. This also made it possible to add a second sink as requested. Lastly, the peninsula sets up a well-defined path to the new dining room without feeling like you are walking through the kitchen. We used the remaining fourth wall for the bar/buffet. Black cabinetry adds strong contrast in several areas of the new kitchen. Wire mesh wall cabinet doors at the bar and gold accents on the hardware, light fixtures, faucets and furniture add further drama to the concept. The focal point is definitely the black hood, looking both dramatic and cohesive at the same time.

Jackson Design and Remodeling
Kitchen - traditional u-shaped kitchen idea in San Diego with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

D Gilbert
Example of a trendy galley medium tone wood floor kitchen design in Los Angeles with flat-panel cabinets and light wood cabinets

Gray marble cut with a water jet into a quatrefoil pattern by Waterworks lines a bathroom's walls and floor. A chandelier from Ironies casts a warm glow over the freestanding bathtub.

From Plain to Fabulous A great thing about building a new home is that you are starting fresh. Being a Florida decorator, many of our clients are moving from the Northern or Mid-West states. We advise them to leave their often dark, large pieces of traditional furniture behind and just bring pieces that have value to them whether sentimental or monetary. This dining room was a pleasure because it was a clean slate with large windows letting in the morning sun. The floors are hand-scraped engineered wood in Brazilian walnut which give the entire home a warm feel to counteract the stark white walls. The home owners have a large art collection and specifically chose the white paint so that the paintings can be seen at their best and moved around the home easily. The owners host many dinner parties throughout the year and wanted a table that was virtually indestructible, and that visitors didn’t have to be careful with. This long Mango wood trestle table comfortably seats between eight and ten and has an antique grey, distressed look that is similar to driftwood. We alternated turquoise and light blue dining chairs for some contrast. An outstanding centerpiece for the room is a dazzling grey chandelier with an outstanding display of brilliant graphite crystals. Hundreds of faceted crystals are suspended from ten fluted glass arms. Wall sconces in chrome with grey linen shades were added and all the lighting is on dimmers for a choice of bright or mood lighting depending on the required ambience. To control the harsh Florida sunlight that can leech color out of furnishings within weeks, we installed light grey Silhouette window shades which keep approximately 97% of harmful UV rays out but still let in light even when fully closed. Traversing draperies were installed floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall providing a spectacular color wall of cream, green, purple and turquoise. The hardware is hidden behind the crown moulding for a clean, modern look. The best part of this design story lies in the large-scale artwork. The home owner had been given the painting years ago when she lived in Philadelphia but the colors didn’t suit her Northern palette. The painting was hidden in the attic but during the move was crated and sent to Florida. After not seeing it for sixteen years she had forgotten what it looked like and when she saw the crate about to be off-loaded asked the removal crew to take it away. At the last minute she decided to look in the crate and was surprised and delighted to find the perfect artwork for her dining room! Lastly, hand-torn wallpaper was installed in a custom color in the tray ceiling. As this room is used for dinner parties, games and even casual dining we decided not to install a rug for ease of use and movement around the table. Photographer: Rolando Diaz

Photo: Brian Barkley © 2015 Houzz
Family room - traditional multicolored floor family room idea in Other with beige walls

Ben Hill
Example of a large minimalist master bathroom design in Houston with a vessel sink