Eat-in kitchen - mid-sized transitional u-shaped porcelain tile and gray floor eat-in kitchen idea in San Diego with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, multicolored backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, no island and multicolored countertops

Mudroom off the garage with built-in cabinets for outdoor clothes for all-seasons. Imagine: taking off your wet boots on this solid wood bench before tucking them away into the built-in cubby under your seat. Thoughtful convenience is imbued throughout this transitional space between home and world. Photography by Spacecrafting

Convenient pull-out refrigerators has a beaded inset panel door to match the rest of the Knotty Alder Mouser semi-custom cabinets in the bar area.
Mid-sized elegant u-shaped concrete floor seated home bar photo in Cincinnati with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and quartzite countertops

Example of a mid-sized transitional master gray tile and ceramic tile porcelain tile and double-sink freestanding bathtub design in Seattle with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, a hinged shower door, white countertops, a niche and a built-in vanity

Enclosed kitchen - large contemporary u-shaped medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen idea in Chicago with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Mike Boatman (309) 698-8804

Transitional laundry room photo in Toronto with white countertops

Great kitchen storage conveniences. See all your spices at once. Drawers make easy access to pots & pans, dishes, & cleaning supplies. Linens are ready for the table and silverware is neatly at hand.

In a row home on in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington DC needed a convenient place for their laundry room without taking up highly sought after square footage. Amish custom millwork and cabinets was used to design a hidden laundry room tucked beneath the existing stairs. Custom doors hide away a pair of laundry appliances, a wood countertop, and a reach in coat closet.

Corner home bar conveniently located in the great room area. Lots of storage for glassware and supplies between the upper and lower Medallion smoke cabinets.

This organization system is generous in its inclusion of convenient accessories to make the chore of laundry finally enjoyable. The ironing board saves a great deal of space as it folds up into a cabinet which includes a 4 stick broomstick organizer and shelves for cleaning supplies. This thoughtful design is sophisticated, state-of-the-art, and satisfying.

This client added a large linen closet with pull handles to make grabbing a clean towel or bathroom supplies very convenient. Photos: Marilyn Cunningham Photography

Have you ever wished for a clutter-free drawer? With our 4VCOS drawer organizer you can conveniently access and organize everything from office supplies to cotton balls. This trim-to-fit insert drops in taking your space from messy to magnificent in just seconds.

Jennifer Wetzel
Inspiration for a 1960s home design remodel in Kansas City

This 1930's Barrington Hills farmhouse was in need of some TLC when it was purchased by this southern family of five who planned to make it their new home. The renovation taken on by Advance Design Studio's designer Scott Christensen and master carpenter Justin Davis included a custom porch, custom built in cabinetry in the living room and children's bedrooms, 2 children's on-suite baths, a guest powder room, a fabulous new master bath with custom closet and makeup area, a new upstairs laundry room, a workout basement, a mud room, new flooring and custom wainscot stairs with planked walls and ceilings throughout the home. The home's original mechanicals were in dire need of updating, so HVAC, plumbing and electrical were all replaced with newer materials and equipment. A dramatic change to the exterior took place with the addition of a quaint standing seam metal roofed farmhouse porch perfect for sipping lemonade on a lazy hot summer day. In addition to the changes to the home, a guest house on the property underwent a major transformation as well. Newly outfitted with updated gas and electric, a new stacking washer/dryer space was created along with an updated bath complete with a glass enclosed shower, something the bath did not previously have. A beautiful kitchenette with ample cabinetry space, refrigeration and a sink was transformed as well to provide all the comforts of home for guests visiting at the classic cottage retreat. The biggest design challenge was to keep in line with the charm the old home possessed, all the while giving the family all the convenience and efficiency of modern functioning amenities. One of the most interesting uses of material was the porcelain "wood-looking" tile used in all the baths and most of the home's common areas. All the efficiency of porcelain tile, with the nostalgic look and feel of worn and weathered hardwood floors. The home’s casual entry has an 8" rustic antique barn wood look porcelain tile in a rich brown to create a warm and welcoming first impression. Painted distressed cabinetry in muted shades of gray/green was used in the powder room to bring out the rustic feel of the space which was accentuated with wood planked walls and ceilings. Fresh white painted shaker cabinetry was used throughout the rest of the rooms, accentuated by bright chrome fixtures and muted pastel tones to create a calm and relaxing feeling throughout the home. Custom cabinetry was designed and built by Advance Design specifically for a large 70” TV in the living room, for each of the children’s bedroom’s built in storage, custom closets, and book shelves, and for a mudroom fit with custom niches for each family member by name. The ample master bath was fitted with double vanity areas in white. A generous shower with a bench features classic white subway tiles and light blue/green glass accents, as well as a large free standing soaking tub nestled under a window with double sconces to dim while relaxing in a luxurious bath. A custom classic white bookcase for plush towels greets you as you enter the sanctuary bath.

The Oslo Sundance Desk by Convenience Concepts is the perfect combination of modern and contemporary styling. Featuring solid Bamboo legs, and ample storage space inside. Also featuring a sleek tempered glass desktop that allows you to see all of your work tools and supplies inside for easy access. Look for coordinating items available, sold separately.

Featuring smooth and chic stone tabletop with champagne and faux leather upholstery details. This glorious makeup vanity with 4 drawers is great for storing all your jewelry, cosmetics, beauty supplies, and hair accessories, convenient and dust-free. Boasting the retracted and extendable design in the gold finish, this makeup table looks commodious and luxurious, space-saving, and practical.

Close up view of tilt out drawer recharging station, customized by Arbor Mills cabinetry
Example of a transitional kitchen design in Chicago

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography