Another shot of the family room that looks into the kitchen. Oversized, worn leather chairs enhance the cozy, well-lived-in feel.
Living room - large country open concept dark wood floor and brown floor living room idea in New York with red walls, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Pantry- huge walk-in pantry with shelving.
Inspiration for a large timeless medium tone wood floor and brown floor walk-in closet remodel in Other with white cabinets

Lynn Donaldson
Eat-in kitchen - farmhouse u-shaped eat-in kitchen idea in Other with white cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, a single-bowl sink, shaker cabinets and marble countertops

Susan Gilmore
Living room - contemporary open concept dark wood floor living room idea in Minneapolis with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Large custom lazy Susans for plate storage Jeff Herr Photography
Large farmhouse medium tone wood floor enclosed kitchen photo in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops, green backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Example of a tuscan u-shaped medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen design in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Large tuscan enclosed carpeted family room photo in San Diego with white walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

Nearly two decades ago now, Susan and her husband put a letter in the mailbox of this eastside home: "If you have any interest in selling, please reach out." But really, who would give up a Flansburgh House? Fast forward to 2020, when the house went on the market! By then it was clear that three children and a busy home design studio couldn't be crammed into this efficient footprint. But what's second best to moving into your dream home? Being asked to redesign the functional core for the family that was. In this classic Flansburgh layout, all the rooms align tidily in a square around a central hall and open air atrium. As such, all the spaces are both connected to one another and also private; and all allow for visual access to the outdoors in two directions—toward the atrium and toward the exterior. All except, in this case, the utilitarian galley kitchen. That space, oft-relegated to second class in midcentury architecture, got the shaft, with narrow doorways on two ends and no good visual access to the atrium or the outside. Who spends time in the kitchen anyway? As is often the case with even the very best midcentury architecture, the kitchen at the Flansburgh House needed to be modernized; appliances and cabinetry have come a long way since 1970, but our culture has evolved too, becoming more casual and open in ways we at SYH believe are here to stay. People (gasp!) do spend time—lots of time!—in their kitchens! Nonetheless, our goal was to make this kitchen look as if it had been designed this way by Earl Flansburgh himself. The house came to us full of bold, bright color. We edited out some of it (along with the walls it was on) but kept and built upon the stunning red, orange and yellow closet doors in the family room adjacent to the kitchen. That pop was balanced by a few colorful midcentury pieces that our clients already owned, and the stunning light and verdant green coming in from both the atrium and the perimeter of the house, not to mention the many skylights. Thus, the rest of the space just needed to quiet down and be a beautiful, if neutral, foil. White terrazzo tile grounds custom plywood and black cabinetry, offset by a half wall that offers both camouflage for the cooking mess and also storage below, hidden behind seamless oak tambour. Contractor: Rusty Peterson Cabinetry: Stoll's Woodworking Photographer: Sarah Shields

Transitional kitchen photo in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, concrete countertops, white backsplash, mosaic tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

Inspiration for a transitional kitchen remodel in DC Metro

Brantley Photography
Living room - large contemporary open concept gray floor and ceramic tile living room idea in Miami with white walls, no tv, a ribbon fireplace and a stone fireplace

Inspiration for a transitional dark wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Minneapolis with beige walls, a standard fireplace and a stone fireplace

Beach style kids' bedroom photo in Austin

Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Kitchen - mid-sized cottage u-shaped porcelain tile and multicolored floor kitchen idea in Chicago with shaker cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, porcelain backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white countertops and an undermount sink

Pool - large mediterranean backyard rectangular lap pool idea in San Diego

Like most of our projects, we can't gush about this reno—a new kitchen and mudroom, ensuite closet and pantry—without gushing about the people who live there. The best projects, we always say, are the ones in which client, contractor and design team are all present throughout, conception to completion, each bringing their particular expertise to the table and forming a cohesive, trustworthy team that is mutually invested in a smooth and successful process. They listen to each other, give the benefit of the doubt to each other, do what they say they'll do. This project exemplified that kind of team, and it shows in the results. Most obvious is the opening up of the kitchen to the dining room, decompartmentalizing somewhat a century-old bungalow that was originally quite purposefully compartmentalized. As a result, the kitchen had to become a place one wanted to see clear through from the front door. Inset cabinets and carefully selected details make the functional heart of the house equal in elegance to the more "public" gathering spaces, with their craftsman depth and detail. An old back porch was converted to interior space, creating a mudroom and a much-needed ensuite walk-in closet. A new, larger deck went on: Phase One of an extensive design for outdoor living, that we all hope will be realized over the next few years. Finally, a duplicative back stairwell was repurposed into a walk-in pantry. Modernizing often means opening spaces up for more casual living and entertaining, and/or making better use of dead space. In this re-conceptualized old house, we did all of that, creating a back-of-the-house that is now bright and cheerful and new, while carefully incorporating meaningful vintage and personal elements. The best result of all: the clients are thrilled. And everyone who went in to the project came out of it friends. Contractor: Stumpner Building Services Cabinetry: Stoll’s Woodworking Photographer: Gina Rogers

OPEN FLOOR PLAN WITH MODERN SECTIONAL AND SWIVEL CHAIRS FOR LOTS OF SEATING MODERN TV AND FIREPLACE WALL GAS LINEAR FIREPLACE FLOATING SHELVES, ABSTRACT RUG, SHAGREEN CABINETS

The living room is right off the purple-palette dining room, so we continued those accents here. Textured hook rug from Galleria at the Washington Design Center. Custom sofa. Beachley arm chairs upholstered in Quadrille fabric. Ebanista coffee table. Embroidered drapery by Manuel Canovas. Lamps, garden stools from the Kellogg Collection. Strie-painted walls by decorative painter Sheppard Bear. Photo by Erik Kvalsvik

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in DC Metro