Intentionally formed and planted berms and perennial beds frame the destination for arriving Tai Chi students, elegantly creating clear direction and flow from the outer garden, to the inner garden, leading to the main patio practice space. A small flagstone bridge over the irrigation ditch can be seen at the edge of the property.

New Craftsman style home, approx 3200sf on 60' wide lot. Views from the street, highlighting front porch, large overhangs, Craftsman detailing. Photos by Robert McKendrick Photography.

This home office is a retreat for this medical student as she comes home to study in a bright and colorful, clean space. A stylized wallpaper mural fills the entire wall behind the sofa and allows the space to take on a whole new appearance.

This project involved the design and construction of a custom multi-level deck at an unnamed private school, thoughtfully built to meet all ADA accessibility requirements. The deck features multiple elevations connected by both ramps and stairs, creating a seamless and inclusive outdoor space for students, staff, and visitors. Custom-built benches were installed around the perimeter to provide ample seating and gathering areas. Special care was taken to preserve the school’s historic landscape, with the deck carefully designed and cut around existing mature trees—allowing these natural features to remain healthy while enhancing the overall outdoor environment.

Georgian College Digital Photography Students
Bedroom - contemporary bedroom idea in Toronto

This project was born out of the owner’s passion for cooking. A personal chef to a local family, the kitchen was going to not only be her office, but a training space for students learning her trade. The most important change was to remove a wall and expand the work space by 2 feet. Adding a prep sink, counter seating and a custom pantry were critical appointments. The materials selected are modern, clean and fresh. The expansive island combines a warm grey painted cabinet and is topped by waterfall white veined quartz countertops. The matte black plumbing fixtures and hardware create drama and contrast against the white countertops and modern shaker cabinetry. The oversized black dome pendants lend a restaurant vibe to the peninsula seating. The stacked stone backsplash lends texture and dimension, and it’s lines are echoed in the fireplace façade. Being averse to countertop outlets, a power strip was tucked underneath the wall cabinetry to keep the backsplash unobstructed. A picket shaped tile was featured as an accent over the client’s BlueStar range. The client’s original ventilation hood was also repurposed. A hospitality station was included and features a beverage cooler, glass display cabinetry and set apart with corbel brackets. The fireplace was refaced with new natural stacked stone in warm greys and touches of spice and features a dark stain wood mantel beam. The recessed niche was fitted with matching lighted floating shelves for display.

Entryway - traditional entryway idea in Jackson

Simple spaciuos modern layout to fit the needs of a fulltime graduate school student taking classes on zoom.
Example of a large minimalist vinyl floor and gray floor bedroom design in Austin with beige walls

Bookcase & nightstand - donated by Johnson Interiors, Oceanside Lamps donated by Black Whale Lighting, Encinitas Sleeper chair - loaned by Wieland Healthcare Rolling table - donated by AccuCare Home Medical Equipment, Escondido Design & Installation Assistance - Palomar College Students

The 11th Street Flats were completed by Oak Campus Builders in 2015. 1721 is a 46 bed building, consisting of 14 units. 1722 is a 86 bed building, consistening of 32 units.

The design strategy included working within the footprint created by the home and backyard, wanting to incorporate a swimming pool “destination” within the backyard that would be large enough to fit the “larger than life” criteria, but without taking away any of the natural beauty or obstructing the view of the horse pastures, barn and nature surrounding the home. Once the design work began, and the pool area was able to incorporate one of every feature the customer could have wanted, Curtis had some steel grates from a former tilt-a-whirl carnival ride that gave him the idea of suspending a stage over the pool. The initial idea was a modest stage with some waterfall/sheer decent features. With the idea of using steel to form the framework, the stage idea grew into something much more that would include a full stage set up, lighting trusses, a “green room” and staging area. Once the stage was designed to be so large, the pool size and scope needed to match including the patio surround, area underneath the stage, and all the additional features. The home architecture is a Ranch with a full finished walkout basement adjacent to the pool area. An existing deck had to be removed to allow for the pool build and new Trex deck, as well as a 3 story tall observation tower that overlooks the pool and surrounding horse pastures. The design strategy was to work within the footprint the house and decks provided to create an extension of the home for outdoor entertaining. Since the exterior of the house was quite long (and dull, the owner equating it to a 1970’s motel), our team needed to incorporate elements to make the space feel more like a backyard resort. The goal was maintaining a cozy at home feel in a grand expanse of space. It takes a team and a unique blend of artistry to build this project. Sandi Maki, co-owner of the company is responsible for the business side of things, and marketing to reach exceptional customers who allow us to build these backyard dreams. The construction side of our company boasts a diverse, multi-geneational family business. Allan Curtis is the designer/builder and comes up with the fantastic pool plans and ideas. His team consists of his daughter Jesse Curtis, who is high right hand and manages the project just as much as Allan does. She is instrumental in everything from dig day, to tying the steel, pouring the concrete, stonework and tile work, forming the waterfall, applying ecoFinish, pouring and stamping patio, and everything in between. Allan’s nephew Mark Curtis installed and plumbed the three pool filtration systems. Allan’s wife Annie has become very good at stonework on walls and waterfalls adding the unique accents our projects have become known for. Allan’s sister-in-law, Karen Olson also does tile and stonework on the jobs and created the rockstar mural on the patio. Frank DiPiazza assists with structural elements and built the new deck, and college student Brendan Schafer assists where needed and maintains the pool and equipment during the summer on a weekly basis. As with many homeowners who reach out to Legendary Escapes, this owner, Dale Walter, knew he wanted a “custom” pool without knowing what that really meant. He was able to show Curtis the space, and his initial ideas, and then allowed Allan and his team the freedom to dream and build. The majority of Legendary Escapes customers make the decision to hire the company after the first meeting with Curtis. As long as the project and design are challenging and interesting, the customer meets the criteria of being easy to work with, and is special in their own unique way Curtis will consider taking on their project. From the beginning it is important to Curtis that the customer understands they need to allow the project to take on a life of it’s own, and for Curtis to create without interference or asking too many questions – working together becomes a reality. The design is typically presented on paper, a hand-colored, hand drawn design that outlines only the large elements, and an accompanying budget which outlines the structural elements and budgets and has a “theme” budget for items to be determined but doesn’t change once it is set. Once that contract is signed, Curtis and his team over-deliver on what the customer could only have dreamed up in their wildest imagination. Projects proceed in an organic way- not every element is planned before the project begins. As the space begins to take shape, so do the details and finishing elements. When the Rockstar project began, there was no plan for the guitars on the fences, or guitar fire features. The VIP seating area wasn’t added until mid way through the patio pours as the space began to take shape. The murals both in the grotto and on the pool floor were planned just moments before each of them was to be installed. It’s this free-flowing combination of the customers and team’s dreams, ideas, elements and the Legendary Escapes team that creates backyard pools that are as much art as they are design and engineering masterpieces.

A Friendly Flock Touches Down The inspiration for the mosaic murals in Frieda Garcia Park in Boston came from children’s artwork. I held art classes with children from the community at Ellis Memorial and United South End Settlements. The young students created beautiful prints, drawings and collages of birds that I used to populate the magical landscapes for the park. The final design was translated into a glass mosaic by Unicorn Art Studio.

SUOT Farm and Flowers is a flower farm and floral studio owned by Sarah Wagstaff. Hannah Meucci Smith, her student, created a succulent-planted pumpkin with plants, evergreens, dried botanicals and pumpkins from the SUOT property in Burlington, Wash., outside Seattle. Pumpkins come from SUOT or The Crows Farm in Skagit Valley.

We turned this large detached two-car garage into a modern studio ADU. The studio ADU has everything you need to live independently and is perfect for students, family, or to rent out. We designed this ADU to save the maximum amount of space by creating a slim kitchenette and a Murphy bed that turns into a desk. The ADU's bathroom has a large floating vanity and corner shower.

A built-in desk and study nook area sits beside the in-law suite across from the laundry room. It’s a perfect quiet spot for the student in your home to do homework, a bill-paying hub, or a small home office space.

Children’s waiting room interior design project at Princeton University. I was beyond thrilled when contacted by a team of scientists ( psychologists and neurologists ) at Princeton University. This group of professors and graduate students from the Turk-Brown Laboratory are conducting research on the infant’s brain by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (or fMRI), to see how they learn, remember and think. My job was to turn a tiny 7’x10′ windowless study room into an inviting but not too “clinical” waiting room for the mothers or fathers and siblings of the babies being studied. We needed to ensure a comfortable place for parents to rock and feed their babies while waiting their turn to go back to the laboratory, as well as a place to change the babies if needed. We wanted to stock some shelves with good books and while the room looks complete, we’re still sourcing something interactive to mount to the wall to help entertain toddlers who want something more active than reading or building blocks. Since there are no windows, I wanted to bring the outdoors inside. Princeton University‘s colors are orange, gray and black and the history behind those colors is very interesting. It seems there are a lot of squirrels on campus and these colors were selected for the three colors of squirrels often seem scampering around the university grounds. The orange squirrels are now extinct, but the gray and black squirrels are abundant, as I found when touring the campus with my son on installation day. Therefore we wanted to reflect this history in the room and decided to paint silhouettes of squirrels in these three colors throughout the room. While the ceilings are 10′ high in this tiny room, they’re very drab and boring. Given that it’s a drop ceiling, we can’t paint it a fun color as I typically do in my nurseries and kids’ rooms. To distract from the ugly ceiling, I contacted My Custom Creation through their Etsy shop and commissioned them to create a custom butterfly mobile to suspend from the ceiling to create a swath of butterflies moving across the room. Their customer service was impeccable and the end product was exactly what we wanted! The flooring in the space was simply coated concrete so I decided to use Flor carpet tiles to give it warmth and a grass-like appeal. These tiles are super easy to install and can easily be removed without any residual on the floor. I’ll be using them more often for sure! See more photos of our commercial interior design job below and contact us if you need a unique space designed for children. We don’t just design nurseries and bedrooms! We’re game for anything!

This cafeteria is designed to make the most of the space, offering plenty of seating for students to eat or study during their breaks. It uses warm tones and includes plants to create a relaxing atmosphere, reduce stress, and improve air quality.

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in San Francisco

Umbria Plan 4 | Mountain House, CA | This Suite Home casita adds an extra full kitchen, living space, bedroom and bath seperate from the main house for the privacy of returning college students, a mother-in-law, renters or guests.