Landmark Photography
Transitional dark wood floor dining room photo in Minneapolis with white walls

This project won in the 2013 Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh Housing Excellence Award for Best Urban Renewal Renovation Project. The glass bowl was made in the glass studio owned by the owner which is adjacent to the residence. The mirror is a repurposed window. The door is repurposed from a boarding house. George Mendel

Photography by Christopher Sturnam
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional black floor eat-in kitchen remodel in New York with medium tone wood cabinets, no island, white countertops, an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, multicolored backsplash and black appliances

Inspiration for a cottage attached garden shed remodel in San Francisco

1950s exterior home photo in Boston

The original house was demolished to make way for a two-story house on the sloping lot, with an accessory dwelling unit below. The upper level of the house, at street level, has three bedrooms, a kitchen and living room. The “great room” opens onto an ocean-view deck through two large pocket doors. The master bedroom can look through the living room to the same view. The owners, acting as their own interior designers, incorporated lots of color with wallpaper accent walls in each bedroom, and brilliant tiles in the bathrooms, kitchen, and at the fireplace tiles in the bathrooms, kitchen, and at the fireplace. Architect: Thompson Naylor Architects Photographs: Jim Bartsch Photographer

THE SETUP Client Background: Our clients, a couple who have transitioned into the empty nest phase, have cherished their home for over three decades without undergoing any significant renovations. With a newfound desire to adapt their living space to better suit their current lifestyle, they’ve embarked on a journey to reimagine their kitchen — the heart of their home. Their aspiration is to cultivate a serene, neutral-toned sanctuary on the first floor that seamlessly merges with their family room, ensuring a harmonious and inviting environment. Design Inspiration: The renovation is inspired by the couple’s penchant for soft, calming neutrals, using their cherished family room and the kitchen’s existing tile flooring as the cornerstone for the color scheme. This approach aims to foster a sense of warmth and tranquility throughout. Design Objectives: Harmonize the kitchen with the family room by adopting a soothing, neutral color scheme, ensuring a seamless flow across the first floor. Enhance kitchen functionality with thoughtfully designed cabinetry, providing a designated place for every item and maximizing storage efficiency. Cultivate an inviting and comfortable atmosphere that reflects the homeowners’ desire for a calm and relaxing space. Design Challenges: The homeowners wish to retain the existing kitchen tile flooring and integrate it into a refreshed, modern design. Accommodating a dining area spacious enough for family visits without compromising the kitchen’s open feel or functional layout. Despite liking the current placement of plumbing and appliances, the homeowners aspire for a more open floor plan to facilitate better movement and interaction. The need to amplify natural light in the kitchen, especially around the sink area, where existing lighting is insufficient. Preserving the half-wall between the kitchen and family room, a feature the homeowners want to keep, while ensuring it complements the new design. THE RENEWED SPACE Design Solutions: By choosing a neutral color palette that complements the existing tile, the design unifies the kitchen with the adjacent spaces. The tile’s grout was cleaned and restored, enhancing the floor’s appearance and integrating it seamlessly with the new kitchen aesthetic. The inclusion of a larger island with seating for two, alongside maintaining a substantial dining table, was achieved by optimizing the spatial layout. This allowed for a sociable yet functional kitchen, accommodating large family gatherings without feeling crowded. Minor adjustments to the kitchen’s layout maintained the preferred locations for plumbing and appliances while introducing an ‘open’ design concept. Strategic modifications, such as angling the pantry wall, improved the flow and accessibility within the space. Replacing the garden window with a broader, standard window significantly increased natural light, transforming the sink area into a bright, welcoming space with enhanced views of the outdoors. The decision to keep the half-wall was ingeniously leveraged to define the dining area while maintaining an open connection to the family room. This feature not only serves as a visual separator but also ties the two spaces together through the shared color scheme and design elements. The homeowners are thrilled with their newly remodeled kitchen, which has become a hub of warmth and hospitality. Hosting a wedding shower and a birthday party, they have shared their renewed space with friends and family, who have been equally enamored. This remodel has not only met their functional and aesthetic desires but has also enriched their home with a fresh sense of serenity and joy. The upstairs part of the home is shaping up nicely. Here’s their newly remodeled primary bathroom.

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

After discussing many options of where to have this pool installed on the property the final decision was made for the bottom of the hill. Many advantages for installation due to a cul de sac on the lower portion but it meant that there needed to be a substantial staircase to access from the house. Boulders were used for the main retention system with outcroppings used along the decorative concrete steps made by Belgard to address the hillside slope. A simple paver patio rounds out phase 1 of the project. Future plans for grilling/bar chill area are in the works for Spring 2021!

This oak staircase was formerly finished entirely in a dark wood stain that matched the previous hardwood. When we replaced the hardwood to distressed dark grey-brown planks, we had to tie the staircase in as well. We painted out the risers and stringers to match the white of the trim throughout, and re-stained the existing treads to match the new floor boards. But instead of repainting the pickets and railing, we decided to replace them. The cost of repainting and refinishing the old builders-grade parts was about the same as replacing them with higher end, more substantial, and more contemporary ones, so the decision was a no-brainer. In the curve of the now light and airy staircase, a cute little tufted chair, accompanied by a reclaimed wood side table, is a favorite spot of the little girl of the house.

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in DC Metro

This is another beautiful piece we feel privileged to be a part of creating that was designed by Alicia Jonik of Tracy Lynn Studios. This is definitely the feature piece of this dining area and the seating decision to go without head chairs allows the eye to be drawn to this stunning custom table and base. The base is style lands somewhere between transitional and contemporary which matches the overall vibe of this stunning dining room. It is 2" thick solid Ash wood to carry the load of the 1.5" thick solid Ash table top. The joints are all floating mortise and tenon joinery to ensure durability in this heirloom piece of furniture. There are 3 stretchers that tie the bases together into one unit to connect to the top. The stretchers will keep the top from sagging over time as well as prevent any racking of the outside legs. The base is slotted underneath at the connection points to allow for the substantial seasonal wood movement that will happen from the horizontal stacked plank table top. The top is laced with recessed steel c-channel to give the table a substantial amount of support and help keep it flat over time. The finish we came up with for this table was a custom mix of mid tone earth browns that are accented by whitewashed grain to help tie it to other light tones in the room. What a beautiful space that this landed in. We are thrilled to have our table featured here!