Incandescent reading lights next to the bed add warmth to the space while proving reading light and some general ambient light. The chandelier is silk string and is on a pulley system so the the height can be adjusted as needed. Wall sconce high on the wall uplight the ceiling providing additional light in the room. Photo by Stirling Elmendorf

The fireplace located in the living room has been totally remodeled. The wall around the fireplace was previously covered wall to ceiling with painted brick. The fireplace opening is finished with Real Stone, and a custom built fireplace mantle. Ship Lap material covers the wall above the fireplace proving a nice finish to the overall look. The hearth is finished in white marble. Visions in Photography

Joana Morrison
Example of a mid-sized minimalist u-shaped light wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen design in Los Angeles with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, marble backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

This sleek contemporary staircase pairs rich ebony-stained oak with satin black horizontal iron balusters for a striking modern aesthetic. Square oak newels with chamfered tops anchor the design, while thick contemporary oak treads provide substantial footing. The ebony-stained custom handrails tie the dark tones together, creating visual cohesion from bottom to top. The result is a staircase that balances bold contrast with refined simplicity, proving that durable materials and precise craftsmanship create designs that stand the test of time. 1976-2026 © Century Stair Company

This modern outdoor kitchen in Houston pulls off the industrial look perfectly - especially with its I-beam metal roof design! This 400-square-foot, triple-ribbed, trapezoidal metal roof - and its grey, galvanized steel I-beam - proved to be the perfect outdoor living space idea. "I mean, what's more industrial than an I-beam?" asks Outdoor Homescapes of Houston's owner, Wayne Franks. "It also matched the metal roof on the existing house, and we always want to make our Houston outdoor living spaces look like an original part of the home." In addition to the metal roof, the use of concrete and stainless steel help complete the look of this modern outdoor kitchen. The table, floor and backsplash are concrete and the walls roof, and appliances steel. "An ultra-modern outdoor kitchen calls for ultra-modern appliances," says Franks. "So we outfitted it with a full line of stainless steel, commercial-grade Fire Magic amenities." In addition to an e790 Echelon Fire Magic grill, these components included a power burner, warming and trash drawers, a range hood, sink, icemaker, fridge and storage. Balancing out the ultra modern look, however, is a beautiful, rustic-looking pizza oven. "It's faced with a Mountain Valley natural stone," explains Franks. "The stone matches an exterior wall of the house." "The client is a prominent Houston homebuilder in the Memorial area of Houston," explains Franks. "They found us on the web, saw our projects and felt we could do the best job matching the ultra modern architecture of their house. I think it turned out pretty great, myself." The warm, red tones of western redwood balance out the cooler tones of the concrete and stainless steel, he continues. Stained with a clear polyurethane to show off the color, the wood can be seen in the tongue-and-groove boards on the 10-foot-high ceiling. Redwood boards serve as facing on the kitchen cabinets, too. This modern outdoor kitchen, of course, also includes a 55-inch flat-screen TV mounted to the pre-existing stainless steel wall with perfect sightlines to the concrete slab table. (Outdoor Homescapes is offering a special promotion right now: free TV installation when you have your outdoor kitchen, covered patio or other outdoor living space project designed and built by us. Interested? Just contact us!) "And since the house is on a hill above the outdoor kitchen, we're actually pumping the water from the sink back up into the house to the sewer," says Franks. "That's pretty neat."

An amazing kitchen and this in an incredible home. But no one would have guessed the wall tile used this kitchen was just $7.00 a square foot. Proving you do not need to spend high prices to get high quality. Available online from www.thebuilderdepot.com

After a decade of being bi-coastal, my clients decided to retire from the east coast to the west. But the task of packing up a whole lifetime in a home was quite daunting so they hired me to comb through their furniture and accessories to see what could fit, what should be left behind, and what should make the move. The job proved difficult since my clients have a wealth of absolutely gorgeous objects and furnishings collected from trips to exotic, far-flung locales like Nepal, or inherited from relatives in England. It was tough to pare down, but after hours of diligent measuring, I mapped out what would migrate west and where it would be placed once here, and I filled in some blank spaces with new pieces. They bought their recent Craftsman-style home from the contractor who had designed and built it for his family. The only architectural work we did was to transform the den at the rear of the house into a television/garden room. My clients did not want the television to be on display, and sticking a TV in an armoire just doesn’t cut it anymore. I recommended installing a hidden, mirror TV with accompanying invisible in-wall speakers. To do this, we removed an unnecessary small door in the corner of the room to free up the entire wall. Now, at the touch of a remote, what looks like a beautiful wall mirror mounted over a Japanese tansu console comes to life, and sound magically floats out from the wall around it! We also replaced a bank of windows with French doors to allow easy access to the garden. While the house is extremely well made, the interiors were bland. The warm woodwork was lost in a sea of beige, so I chose a deep aqua color palette for the front rooms of the house which makes the woodwork sing. And we discovered a wonderful art niche over the fireplace that the previous owners had covered with a framed print. Conversely, a warm color palette in the TV room contrasts nicely with the greenery from the garden seen through the new French doors. Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).

When a family living in Singapore decided to purchase a New York City pied-à-terre, they settled on the historic Langham Place, a 60-floor building along 5th Ave which features a mixture of permanent residencies and 5-star hotel suites. Immediately after purchasing the condo, they reached out to Decor Aid, and tasked us with designing a home that would reflect their jet-setting lifestyle and chic sensibility. Book Your Free In-Home Consultation Connecting to the historic Tiffany Building at 404 5th Ave, the exterior of Langham Place is a combination of highly contemporary architecture and 1920’s art deco design. And with this highly unique architecture, came highly angular, outward leaning floor-to-ceiling windows, which would prove to be our biggest design challenge. One of the apartment’s quirks was negotiating an uneven balance of natural light throughout the space. Parts of the apartment, such one of the kids’ bedrooms, feature floor-to-ceiling windows and an abundance of natural light, while other areas, such as one corner of the living room, receive little natural light. By sourcing a combination of contemporary, low-profile furniture pieces and metallic accents, we were able to compensate for apartment’s pockets of darkness. A low-profile beige sectional from Room & Board was an obvious choice, which we complemented with a lucite console and a bronze Riverstone coffee table from Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams. Circular tables were placed throughout the apartment in order to establish a design scheme that would be easy to walk through. A marble tulip table from Sit Down New York provides an opulent dining room space, without crowding the floor plan. The finishing touches include a sumptuous swivel chair from Safavieh, to create a sleek, welcoming vacation home for this international client.

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).

This partially wooded, acre and a half lot in West Dundee presented many challenges. The clients began working with a Landscape Architect in the early spring, but after not getting the innovative ideas they were seeking, the home builder and Architect suggested the client contact our landscape design/build firm. We immediately hit it off with the charismatic clients. They had a tall order for us: complete the design and implement the construction within a three month period. For many projects this would be a reasonable time frame. However construction delays and the coordination of multiple trades left a very short window to complete the work. Beyond the tight time frame the site required specific care in preserving the many mature surrounding trees, as well as addressing a vast grade change. Over fifteen feet of grade change occurs from one end of this woodland property to the other. All of these constraints proved to be an enormous challenge as we worked to include and coordinate the following elements: the drive layout, a dramatic front entry, various gardens, landscape lighting, irrigation, and a plan for a backyard pool and entertainment space that already had been started without a clear plan. Fortunately, the client loved our design ideas and attention to detail and we were able to mobilize and begin construction. With the seamless coordination between our firm and the builder we implemented all the elements of this grand project. In total eight different crews and five separate trades worked together to complete the landscape. The completed project resulted in a rewarding experience for our firm, the builder and architect, as well as the client. Together we were able to create and construct a perfect oasis for the client that suited the beautiful property and the architecture of this dream home.

This 100-year-old farmhouse underwent a complete head-to-toe renovation. Partnering with Home Star BC we painstakingly modernized the crumbling farmhouse while maintaining its original west coast charm. The only new addition to the home was the kitchen eating area, with its swinging dutch door, patterned cement tile and antique brass lighting fixture. The wood-clad walls throughout the home were made using the walls of the dilapidated barn on the property. Incorporating a classic equestrian aesthetic within each room while still keeping the spaces bright and livable was one of the projects many challenges. The Master bath - formerly a storage room - is the most modern of the home's spaces. Herringbone white-washed floors are partnered with elements such as brick, marble, limestone and reclaimed timber to create a truly eclectic, sun-filled oasis. The gilded crystal sputnik inspired fixture above the bath as well as the sky blue cabinet keep the room fresh and full of personality. Overall, the project proves that bolder, more colorful strokes allow a home to possess what so many others lack: a personality!

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).

This stunning one-acre garden, within walking distance of downtown Bethesda, was designed and installed by our firm in 2004.. LPI continues to maintain it today. The owners, devoted gardeners, wanted to utilize as much of the existing plant palette as possible but also to have space for a pond, a cutting garden, and expanses of lawn. The biggest challenge proved to be coping with the prodigious amount of water on site due to an underground spring and drainage issues posed by it and the topography of the site. In 2010 this garden won an Award of Merit from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, , a Grand Award from the MD*DC*VA Landscape Contractors Association, and an Environmental Improvement Award of Distinction from PLANET. ©Melissa Clark Photography. All rights reserved.

My client called me in for a "Design Perspective". She hated her floors and wanted my professional opinion. I questioned whether I should be brutally honest, and her response was "absolutely". Then truth be told, "your countertops bother me more than your floors". My client has a stunningly beautiful home and her countertops were not in "the same league". So the project scope expanded from new floors to include countertops, backsplash, plumbing fixtures and hardware. While we were at it, her overly froufrou corbels were updated along with dishwashers that "drove her crazy". Since there was plenty of "demo" in store, she elected to lower her breakfast bar to counter height at the same time to connect her nook more seamlessly with her kitchen. The process: at our first slab warehouse stop, within ten minutes, we uncovered the most beautiful slabs of Taj Mahal ever. No need to keep looking. The slabs had perfect coloration and veining. So different from any other slab of Taj Mahal, it really ought to have its own name. Countertop selection was easy as was the subway and Arabesque backsplash tile. Polished chrome, with its blend of warm and cool tones, was the obvious choice for her plumbing fixture and hardware finish. Finding the right floor tile was what proved to be most challenging, but my client was up to the task. Several weeks of shopping and numerous samples hauled home led us to the perfect limestone. Once her room was complete, better barstools were in order. Hancock and Moore with their huge assortment of leather colors and textures was our clear choice. The Ellie barstools selected embody the perfect blend of form and comfort. Her new limestone flooring extends into her Butler's pantry, pool bath, powder bath and sewing room, so wait, there is still more to do.

Modern luxury meets warm farmhouse in this Southampton home! Scandinavian inspired furnishings and light fixtures create a clean and tailored look, while the natural materials found in accent walls, casegoods, the staircase, and home decor hone in on a homey feel. An open-concept interior that proves less can be more is how we’d explain this interior. By accentuating the “negative space,” we’ve allowed the carefully chosen furnishings and artwork to steal the show, while the crisp whites and abundance of natural light create a rejuvenated and refreshed interior. This sprawling 5,000 square foot home includes a salon, ballet room, two media rooms, a conference room, multifunctional study, and, lastly, a guest house (which is a mini version of the main house).