The vision for my kitchen was to design a space that's chic, practical, and an extension of my personal style. I opted for an updated, contemporary neutral palette, using a soft green cabinetry for a touch of warmth. My favorite of these is the walnut pantry interior, which stores a ton of food, spices, and vitamins, and even has supplemental wine storage.

Photo by Mike Casey Cramped, uncomfortable, and out of date: when the owners of this home approached us about renovating their kitchen and adjoining sunroom, these were high on their list of complaints. OPENING UP THE KITCHEN Our plan kept the kitchen in the same location but took down the walls between both the dining room and the sunroom to create an expansive multi-purpose space with spectacular views to conservation land along the back of the property. We removed the powder room and in its place created a window-lined hallway to the living room—opening up direct access between these two previously disconnected spaces. We then built a new half bath between these two rooms, with a door along the back hallway. The result is a more private powder room that is easier to access than before. Significantly improved cabinetry provides ample storage for both human and canine needs. An island countertop is functional and pleasant, enabling the owners to prep for and clean up from dinner all while enjoying the view of the woods behind their house. CREATING COMFORT We also completely rebuilt the sunroom, thickening the framing to allow for extra insulation and raising the roof to accommodate a higher ceiling and tall windows that let in as much natural light as the skylights they replaced, but much less of the solar gain that had made the room so intolerable in the summer. We improved visual connections between spaces and admitted more natural light by converting the framing of the main stairway from full to half walls. We also insulated the attic and replaced an aging, inefficient central air conditioning system with ductless minisplit heat pumps, which can also be used as supplemental heat. All in all, this was our kind of project: we made the home more attractive, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient—all over the course of a single, well-integrated project.

A scullery is like a mud room for a kitchen; sometimes we design these areas as a true working kitchen. This scullery functions as a pantry, storage area, baking counter and supplement to the butler's pantry. The beautiful brass accents look fantastic with the black cabinetry, white subway tile and quartz counter-tops!

Natural light flows into this bathroom, supplemented with modern fixtures. The countertop is artfully cantilevered, and the reclaimed timber with its charred Shou Sugi ban finish (the art of preserving and finishing wood using fire) adds beauty and texture to the room. A screen below the basin sink adds a fun detail and masks what lies behind.

The parking strip was mostly dirt and was supplemented with low growing low water plantings.
Example of a classic home design design in San Francisco

This transitional dinning room is a combination of both classic, homey textures and colors, like the brick fireplace and dining table set, and more contemporary elements such as the white walls and the wooden light piece above the table. The beautiful brick fireplace works well with the style of the chairs and adds to the room by creating a homey feel. The large dining table is great for guests and family dinners and the simplicity of the table is complemented by the design of the chairs. The area rug works to section of the room to give it a tailored look and make the room well edited. The overhead hanging lighting creates a focal point at the table and also provides most of the light, supplemented by flush-mount ceiling lights over the fireplace.

Painted previously stained maple cabinets, rearranged cabinetry, supplemented with additional cabinets to create island seating, new granite counters and marble backsplash.

This 84 square foot daylight basement kitchen utilizes every square inch of space and provides ample counter space for cooking and entertaining. Featuring Dura Supreme Cabinetry in Knotty Alder with cashew stain and floating shelves. Flooring is Mannington Adura LVT in Napa Dry Cork. Appliances: Wolf 24" induction cooktop, Bosch 24" convection microwave, Bosch, 18" panel ready slim-line dishwasher, Bosch fully vented pull-out exhaust hood and Bosch freestanding counter depth 24" refrigerator. Countertops and backsplash are Formica laminate in Limestone Matte with ogee edge detail. LED track lighting and LED under-cabinet lighting creates an inviting space. Individually controlled convection radiant wall heaters by Stelpro supplement the home's forced air heating system. Photo by A Kitchen That Works LLC

Michael Lavin Flower
Example of a trendy exterior home design in Boston

The Kitchen Garden - Raised Beds with for organic vegetables, herbs and greens to supplement the families diet. Farm to table never got closer than growing your own food right in your own home.

The vision for my kitchen was to design a space that's chic, practical, and an extension of my personal style. I opted for an updated, contemporary neutral palette, using a soft green cabinetry for a touch of warmth. My favorite of these is the walnut pantry interior, which stores a ton of food, spices, and vitamins, and even has supplemental wine storage.

Supplementing existing plant material to create a cohesive look and flow of the arrival sequence to the main house.
This is an example of a transitional landscaping in Austin.

Acucraft's Hearthroom 36 Wood Burning Fireplace with Arched Doors, Cylinder Handles, and a Black Finish.
Elegant living room photo in Minneapolis

Revamped casual Oakland garden. Supplemented existing Napa Basalt walls and stairs to reduce slope and add gravel patio, replaced traditional sod lawn with synthetic turf, added new planting and low-voltage lighting throughout.

Blau-Thompson Residence This Civil War era, 1680-square-foot three-story row house is located in the Italian Market section of Philadelphia. The BluPath Design principals and their young child were the clients. The project goal was to upgrade a traditional housing type to meet a contemporary lifestyle, applying both sustainable criteria and clean, modern yet sensual aesthetics. The challenge of the property (only 830 square feet in lot size) was to create a design that was small, but smart. The structure formerly housed a luncheonette with two apartments above. The interior was gutted and renovated into a single family home. The construction of a small rear addition added a new kitchen on the first floor and new bathrooms on the second and third levels. The east-west orientation of the home was ideal for the roof-mounted solar collectors, which were installed to provide domestic hot water and supplement the new radiant floor heating system. Exterior sensors improve the efficiency of the heating system's response to fluctuations in outside temperature. A new white-coated, rubber membrane roof reduced the structure's heat gain by 20 percent. A water catch system collects rainwater and air conditioner condensation to water the home's small rear garden. Large windows and skylights bring light deep into the row house and reduce the use of light fixtures. The rear yard garden features ipe decking (a dense, water-repellent hardwood) on permeable compacted gravel to minimize storm water runoff. BluPath Design’s principals used the project to demonstrate how sustainability can be integrated with beauty and function, with sensual materials and colors, well-proportioned and light-filled rooms, economic use of space, and thoughtful details. Cherry flooring and custom stairs complement the Indian slate tile in the kitchen and bathrooms. The kitchen features custom walnut cabinets with blue granite counters and backsplashes. The first floor dining area is illuminated by a BluPath-designed fiber-optic chandelier. Ipe hardwood is also used for the master bath tub-surround and shower floor. Sliding frosted glass panels separating the master bath from other living areas allows light from the corner windows to naturally illuminate the adjacent room. Awards Honorable Mention for Sustainability and Energy Efficiency IIDA Philadelphia City Center Chapter 3rd Annual Interior Design Awards, June 2007 Bronze 2006 Commonwealth Design Award 10,000 Friends of PA, May 2006 Media HGTV ‘What You Get for the Money’ February 2007 Philadelphia Style Magazine March/April 2007 Philadelphia Inquirer June 11, 2006 Philadelphia CityPaper September 25-October 2, 2003 Photography by Barry Halkin

In this project, we added 1,100 sf to this home for a convenient In-law suite. The bedroom and other living areas feature white walls with white trim, grey hardwood flooring, and bay windows with white trim for lots of natural lighting supplemented by recessed lighting in strategic locations long the tray ceiling.

Tara Miller
Ornate exterior home photo in Atlanta