This shady gravel garden path takes one from the back of the property to the front garden. Crushed stone meandering path lined with shade-loving perennials with white flowers making an elegant white and green garden. Photo: Lisa Cullen

Small mountain style family room photo in Denver with a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Mid-sized elegant open concept carpeted family room photo in New York with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

This side entrance is full of special character and elements with Old Chicago Brick floors and arch which also leads to the garage and back brick patio! This is the perfect setting for the beach to endure the sand coming in on those bare feet! Fletcher Isaacs Photographer

Small elegant marble floor and white floor powder room photo in Toronto with a one-piece toilet, multicolored walls, a console sink, furniture-like cabinets and marble countertops

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional l-shaped and open concept light wood floor living room remodel in San Francisco with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, paneled appliances, an island, gray walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

Living room - mid-sized transitional enclosed medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room idea in Minneapolis with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a wall-mounted tv and a stone fireplace

Living room - large transitional formal and open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room idea in Charlotte with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

The Clients contacted Cecil Baker + Partners to reconfigure and remodel the top floor of a prominent Philadelphia high-rise into an urban pied-a-terre. The forty-five story apartment building, overlooking Washington Square Park and its surrounding neighborhoods, provided a modern shell for this truly contemporary renovation. Originally configured as three penthouse units, the 8,700 sf interior, as well as 2,500 square feet of terrace space, was to become a single residence with sweeping views of the city in all directions. The Client’s mission was to create a city home for collecting and displaying contemporary glass crafts. Their stated desire was to cast an urban home that was, in itself, a gallery. While they enjoy a very vital family life, this home was targeted to their urban activities - entertainment being a central element. The living areas are designed to be open and to flow into each other, with pockets of secondary functions. At large social events, guests feel free to access all areas of the penthouse, including the master bedroom suite. A main gallery was created in order to house unique, travelling art shows. Stemming from their desire to entertain, the penthouse was built around the need for elaborate food preparation. Cooking would be visible from several entertainment areas with a “show” kitchen, provided for their renowned chef. Secondary preparation and cleaning facilities were tucked away. The architects crafted a distinctive residence that is framed around the gallery experience, while also incorporating softer residential moments. Cecil Baker + Partners embraced every element of the new penthouse design beyond those normally associated with an architect’s sphere, from all material selections, furniture selections, furniture design, and art placement. Barry Halkin and Todd Mason Photography

Michael Stadler Photographs ( http://www.stadlerstudio.com/)

Builder: John Kraemer & Sons | Architecture: Sharratt Design | Interior Design: Engler Studio | Photography: Landmark Photography
Family room - transitional look-out carpeted and gray floor family room idea in Minneapolis with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Brian Kellogg
Family room - traditional family room idea in Sacramento with beige walls

Tom Holdsworth Photography Our clients wanted to create a room that would bring them closer to the outdoors; a room filled with natural lighting; and a venue to spotlight a modern fireplace. Early in the design process, our clients wanted to replace their existing, outdated, and rundown screen porch, but instead decided to build an all-season sun room. The space was intended as a quiet place to read, relax, and enjoy the view. The sunroom addition extends from the existing house and is nestled into its heavily wooded surroundings. The roof of the new structure reaches toward the sky, enabling additional light and views. The floor-to-ceiling magnum double-hung windows with transoms, occupy the rear and side-walls. The original brick, on the fourth wall remains exposed; and provides a perfect complement to the French doors that open to the dining room and create an optimum configuration for cross-ventilation. To continue the design philosophy for this addition place seamlessly merged natural finishes from the interior to the exterior. The Brazilian black slate, on the sunroom floor, extends to the outdoor terrace; and the stained tongue and groove, installed on the ceiling, continues through to the exterior soffit. The room's main attraction is the suspended metal fireplace; an authentic wood-burning heat source. Its shape is a modern orb with a commanding presence. Positioned at the center of the room, toward the rear, the orb adds to the majestic interior-exterior experience. This is the client's third project with place architecture: design. Each endeavor has been a wonderful collaboration to successfully bring this 1960s ranch-house into twenty-first century living.

Elegant freestanding bathtub photo in New York with brown walls

Colorful family room for a family of 5. Photography by John Woodcock
Large transitional open concept carpeted family room photo in Phoenix with white walls, no fireplace and a media wall

Example of a classic carpeted and beige floor family room design in Seattle with gray walls, a standard fireplace and a tile fireplace

Richard Cadan
Trendy beige floor living room photo in New York with a ribbon fireplace and a media wall

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   Our clients came to us looking to do some updates to their new condo unit primarily in the kitchen and living room. The couple has a lifelong love of Arts and Crafts and Modernism, and are the co-founders of PrairieMod, an online retailer that offers timeless modern lifestyle through American made, handcrafted, and exclusively designed products. So, having such a design savvy client was super exciting for us, especially since the couple had many unique pieces of pottery and furniture to provide inspiration for the design. The condo is a large, sunny top floor unit, with a large open feel. The existing kitchen was a peninsula which housed the sink, and they wanted to change that out to an island, relocating the new sink there as well. This can sometimes be tricky with all the plumbing for the building potentially running up through one stack. After consulting with our contractor team, it was determined that our plan would likely work and after confirmation at demo, we pushed on. The new kitchen is a simple L-shaped space, featuring several storage devices for trash, trays dividers and roll out shelving. To keep the budget in check, we used semi-custom cabinetry, but added custom details including a shiplap hood with white oak detail that plays off the oak “X” endcaps at the island, as well as some of the couple’s existing white oak furniture. We also mixed metals with gold hardware and plumbing and matte black lighting that plays well with the unique black herringbone backsplash and metal barstools. New weathered oak flooring throughout the unit provides a nice soft backdrop for all the updates. We wanted to take the cabinets to the ceiling to obtain as much storage as possible, but an angled soffit on two of the walls provided a bit of a challenge. We asked our carpenter to field modify a few of the wall cabinets where necessary and now the space is truly custom. Part of the project also included a new fireplace design including a custom mantle that houses a built-in sound bar and a Panasonic Frame TV, that doubles as hanging artwork when not in use. The TV is mounted flush to the wall, and there are different finishes for the frame available. The TV can display works of art or family photos while not in use. We repeated the black herringbone tile for the fireplace surround here and installed bookshelves on either side for storage and media components. 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

Transitional formal dark wood floor living room photo in Raleigh with white walls, a standard fireplace, a brick fireplace and a wall-mounted tv