Bright airy kitchen that marries the old and the new. Original plaster crown detailing is restored while a modern new kitchen is inserted to offer clean lines and efficient kitchen workspace. Wood paneling at the dining nook draws the eye to the floor to ceiling window and door. Warm white oak cabinetry coupled with white uppers provides a open lightness to the space. The substantial island with a stone waterfall counter anchors the kitchen. Photo Credit: Blackstock Photography

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by John Sutton Photography.

Large transitional screened-in back porch photo in DC Metro with decking and a roof extension

Photo Credit: Aaron Usher
Enclosed dining room - mid-sized traditional dark wood floor enclosed dining room idea in Other with gray walls and no fireplace

Emily Redfield
Large transitional l-shaped ceramic tile open concept kitchen photo in Denver with a drop-in sink, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, quartzite countertops, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Enjoy lounging, dining alfresco & making s'mores at the firepit with this fantastic outdoor living space. This project expanded the patio to create spaces for cooking, dining & gathering. Substantial brick bases anchor corner posts for the oversized covered arbor. Cooking arena includes built-in gas grill, under counter refrigerator and slab granite counter with eating bar.  Construction & design by Steven Ray Construction, Inc.

Bathroom - bathroom idea in Milwaukee

Substantial chrome hardware offsets the softness of the white and grey honed marble tile.
Small trendy blue tile and glass tile mosaic tile floor alcove shower photo in San Francisco with an integrated sink, furniture-like cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet and white walls

Brie Williams Photographer
Large beach style marble floor entryway photo in Charleston with white walls and a medium wood front door

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Chicago

John Clemmer
Inspiration for a timeless medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Other with gray walls, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Eric Roth Photography
Inspiration for a small modern l-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen remodel in Boston with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

What a striking home! This home in South Baton Rouge was designed by Cockfield-Jackson and the clients wanted a complete landscape design that would accompany the architecture of this A. Hays Town inspired home. Featured in this design are a substantial entertainment area in the rear, complete with an outdoor kitchen (built by Joffrion Construction) expansive pool with water feature wall, and a bluestone courtyard. Additionally, this home features a quaint side yard complete with brick steps leading to a bluestone courtyard with an antique sugar kettle fountain. The clients also needed options for guests to park. A circular driveway in the front provided a grand entrance, as well as ample parking for plenty of guests.

Renovation of the back yard hillside. This area was a sport court that we converted to an outdoor office and outdoor living room.
Elegant home design photo in Seattle

Barry Grossman Photography
Inspiration for a large contemporary master bedroom remodel in Miami

Michael Moran/OTTO Photography This LEED-certified project was a substantial rebuild of a 1960s home, preserving the original foundation to the extent possible, with a small amount of new area, a reconfigured floor plan, and newly envisioned massing. The design is simple and modern, with floor to ceiling glazing along the rear, connecting the interior living spaces to the landscape. The design process was informed by building science best practices, including solar orientation, triple glazing, rainscreen exterior cladding, and a thermal envelope that far exceeds code requirements.

http://www.getSTACT.com STACT wine racks are incredibly easy to specify and incorporate into wine cellars, wine rooms, kitchens, home bars, commercial bars, and restaurants. Our customers have found that when it comes to modern wine cellar solutions, our system offers a number of advantages versus other wine storage solutions available on the market, here are just a few: ✓ Quality - premium *furniture grade* solution is unique to the industry, with unrivalled refinement when it comes to materials, aesthetic and craftsmanship. Our panels feature a premium high-gloss painted finish (not a laminated surface). Each panel takes more than a week to complete, with meticulous attention to detail. Once numerous coats of lacquer have been applied, each panel is hand buffed to a mirror-like piano finish. ✓ Versatility - mount any way you wish, and designed to work equally well within both commercial and residential applications, our clients have found our modular system to be the most versatile, and easiest to specify, assemble, and install - whether for 9 bottles or 9,000 within a large scale wine cellar application (www.stact.co/cellars). Available on your choice of 10 finishes, mix and match STACT panels to create your own unique look (3,628,800 possible configurations). ✓ Convenience - designed for quick and easy *DIY installation*, our patented system comes ready-to-install to any drywall surface right out of the box, minimizing the costs associated with labor and installation when compared with many custom solutions you will find on the market. Avoiding the need for a dedicated wine cellar builder to produce and arrive on site for assembly and installation. In-stock items typically ship within 1 business day. ✓ Value - direct-to-client distribution model to effectively cut out retail markup. Builders and specifiers have found STACT to be a fraction of the price of what it would cost to develop and produce a comparable custom solution. Plus currently we are offering *free shipping worldwide*. ✓ Design pedigree - created by 2012 ICFF winning designer Eric Pfeiffer, our patented prefabricated ready-to-assemble modular design is unique to the industry. ✓ Space-saving - highest bottle capacity on the market (10.7 bottles / sq ft). Each panel supports 9-12 bottles depending on how they are configured. ✓ Security - superior bottle stability, versus other wall-mounted wine storage solutions on the market. The aircraft grade aluminum bottle support structure ensures a lower center of gravity there is a more substantial portion of the bottle resting below the contact points. Thus a minimalist design aesthetic is retained, while eliminating the need for unnecessary and unsightly materials/clutter such as rubber gaskets, straps, etc. Credit: VIno Grotto Wine Cellars

In the Tuscany region of central Italy, a region made famous around the world for its history, landscapes, traditions, artistic legacy and fine wine, perhaps nothing is more universally recognized than the old world villa’s that are nestled into the rolling countryside. Standing at approximately 10,500 square feet, this custom residence has all of the elegance, style and craftsmanship of those old world homes, but with all of the modern amenities of a new modern luxury home. This stunning residence was recognized by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the best custom built home in the country in 2010, a testament to the skillful designers and craftsmen who brought the homeowners vision into reality. When Chad Haas, Founder of VAULT (www.vaultgarage.com), a company that prides itself in furnishing some of the most beautiful garages in the world, was brought into the project, the home and garage had already been built. The accolades of the gorgeous villa already awarded. But the homeowner felt that the exterior and interior of the garage lacked architectural harmony with the rest of the home and so he flew Mr. Haas out to visit the space directly so that he could assist hands-on with re-designing a new look and to add furnishings to accessories the space. “When I first approached the villa from the street, I knew that I’d have my work cut out for me. Everything looked so perfect exactly the way it was designed and built. I questioned myself ‘how was I going to improve upon perfection?’, since remarkable attention was paid to even the smallest of details in the home” asked Haas. The client’s goal was to engage Haas to design and furnish a garage where he could relax, separate from the home, enjoy his growing car collection and entertain family and friends. After spending a short weekend together with the home owner to gather his ideas, Haas returned back to his Beaverton, Oregon-based company with a clearer vision: create the ultimate gentlemen’s retreat through the look of a turn-of-a-century Tuscan ‘car barn’. Absolutely nothing in the garage was overlooked – and it shows. Every design element in the garage for color, texture and material was meticulously thought out to elicit just the right feeling and emotion in everyone that enters what may be one of the most beautifully elegant garages in America, a space commonly overlooked in the construction of homes today. A main focal point of the exterior of garage is the beautiful view from the courtyard, where all three carriage doors can be seen. While the existing wood doors looked acceptable, it was agreed that something more befitting of the quality and beauty of the home were appropriate. Haas designed luxurious castle-style doors handcrafted from solid Mahogany and bathed in a rich dark brown stain that was complemented by hand-wrought iron grills, clavos and door pull hardware. The double-wide door, in particular, is truly remarkable in both its elegance, as well as its one-of-a-kind operation. “The client was concerned in this area of having mounting hardware and a motor on the ceiling. Because the cars in this area do not get brought out on a regular (daily) basis, the doors open manually by hand and operate accordion style on a track”. The homes main overhead garage doors feature jack-shaft operation which removes the clutter of a motor on the garage ceiling, but offers the convenience of powered operation. These extraordinary, custom-made castle doors look just as beautiful on the inside as the out and their unparalleled design and craftsmanship take the exterior of the home to even greater heights than before. On to the interior, a black and white epoxy coating was stripped and replaced with porcelain tiles that resembled Italian travertine stone. To give the car barn a rustic feeling and a presence that it was older, not modern, Haas worked on the development and concept directly with the home owner to collaborate with a local millwork company that designed and hand-finished substantial wood beams from distressed Doug Fir. All of the walls were hand-plastered by a local artist using straw that was harvested from the immediate area surrounding the home and incorporated into the plaster to give it a rustic antique quality. Haas conceived and designed a bar area and cabinetry for a work area that pulled inspiration from old ice boxes of the 1920’s that utilized heavy nickel-plated hardware, again to give storage spaces a rustic appearance. The warm glow from several custom porcelain neon signs, each one meticulously built entirely by hand by VAULT, are dispersed throughout the space and transform the entire room and bring it to life. The client had never previously owned a neon sign before and along with the carriage doors felt that these items have transformed the space more than any other feature. Several antique gas pumps, restored in the client’s favorite petro bran, and a few additional porcelain signs will eventually furnish the rest of the space to complement the clients amazing car collection. In addition to the countless details that set this showcase garage apart, its ability to seamlessly blend with the rest of the home and the natural, rustic setting of the Colorado Rockies, yet house modern automobiles in a manner in which they feel well placed and belong, is also noteworthy. GARAGE DESIGN & FURNISHINGS To learn more about VAULT visit them at: http://www.vaultgarage.com/ And on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VaultGarage PHOTOGRAPHY All photographs were used with the permission of photographer John Vanderpool (john.vanderpool5@gmail.com) You can visit John Vanderpool on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JVanderpoolPhotography ARCHITECTURE Jerry Gloss, Principal, KGA Architects: http://www.kgarch.com/ HOMEBUILDER Thomas Sattler Home: http://thomassattlerhomes.com/ VEHICLES Here is an overview of the cars that were photographed in this article: 1. 2014 Ferrari 458 Italia 2. 2013 Maserati GranTurismo Sport 3. 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 4. 2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS 5. 2008 Porsche GT3 RS 6. 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo S (997) 7. 2014 Porsche Panamera GTS 8. 2013 Ford SVT Raptor (6.2L CrewCab)’ Overview of project reprinted with permission of DuPont Registry.

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   This project started out as a kitchen remodel but ended up as so much more. As the original plan started to take shape, some water damage provided the impetus to remodel a small upstairs hall bath. Once this bath was complete, the homeowners enjoyed the result so much that they decided to set aside the kitchen and complete a large master bath remodel. Once that was completed, we started planning for the kitchen! The original kitchen was just large enough to accommodate an island and a separate pantry but felt a little cramped, especially during the weekends when the couple likes to entertain. The primary goal was to maintain the functionality of the current space, but to add some breathing room as well as to provide a view to the homeowner’s side yard and substantial Hosta garden. The solution was to bump out the space about 10 feet which provided ample room for large pro appliances, a large island for gathering and an upgraded pantry space. It was important to the homeowners to create a space that felt like it belonged in their historic 1866 home. Details such as matching new trim to the existing large custom profiles in the original home and re-purposing an existing door to be used for the new pantry, provided these touches. A large window at the main sink provides that view into the yard and a beautiful focal point for the room. A mix of painted wood and stained cabinetry gives the new kitchen a sense of belonging in the older home, as do the Super White quartzite that has the look of marble, subway tile backsplash, polished nickel lanterns and glass and mirrored doors. The large pantry, filled with custom shelving built to the homeowner’s specifications, stainless steel appliances and the two Galley Workstations – sinks that do double duty as prep space – ensure that not only does the kitchen look great, but also functions in a personalized manner that works perfectly for the occupants. Doing the bump out also allowed the opportunity for a small mudroom and powder room right off the kitchen as well as re-arranging some openings to allow for better traffic flow throughout the entire first floor. The result is a comfortable up-to-date home that feels both steeped in history yet allows for today’s style of living. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Michael Alan Kaskel For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com