This residence boasts many amazing features, but one that stands out in specific is the dual sided fireplace clad in Eldorado Stone’s Black River Stacked Stone. Adding stone to the fireplace automatically creates a dramatic focal point and compliments the interior decor by mixing natural and artificial elements, contrasting colors, as well as incorporating a variety of textures. By weaving in stone as architectural accents throughout the the home, the interior and the exterior seamlessly flow into one another and the project as a whole becomes an architectural masterpiece. Designer: Contour Interior Design, LLC Website: www.contourinteriordesign.com Builder: Capital Builders Website: www.capitalbuildreshouston.com Eldorado Stone Profile Featured: Black River Stacked Stone installed with a Dry-Stack grout technique

Peter Rymwid Architectural Photography Co-designed with Peter Salerno
Bathroom - mediterranean bathroom idea in New York with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets and beige walls

The kitchen at Reclaimed Wonder is a study in modern rustic charm, anchored by a striking black backsplash that brings depth and contrast to the space. Warm reclaimed wood, indigenous stone, and thoughtfully layered finishes create a kitchen that feels both artful and inviting—designed as much for beauty as for gathering. Created by the talented architects at Platt Architecture, this custom home is located within the private Wade Hampton Golf Club community in Cashiers, North Carolina. Every detail of the home was carefully considered, from the reclaimed beams and wall planks to the warm amber lighting that enhances the natural palette. Set against the serene beauty of the mountains, Reclaimed Wonder offers a refined retreat that feels deeply connected to its surroundings. J,Weiland

Blackband Design 949.872.2234 www.blackbanddesign.com
Inspiration for a mediterranean medium tone wood floor dining room remodel in Orange County with white walls, a standard fireplace and a tile fireplace

HOBI Award 2013 - Winner - Custom Home of the Year HOBI Award 2013 - Winner - Project of the Year HOBI Award 2013 - Winner - Best Custom Home 6,000-7,000 SF HOBI Award 2013 - Winner - Best Remodeled Home $2 Million - $3 Million Brick Industry Associates 2013 Brick in Architecture Awards 2013 - Best in Class - Residential- Single Family AIA Connecticut 2014 Alice Washburn Awards 2014 - Honorable Mention - New Construction athome alist Award 2014 - Finalist - Residential Architecture Charles Hilton Architects Woodruff/Brown Architectural Photography

The cost of kitchen cabinets is a major consideration when designing a new kitchen. There are so many things that need to be evaluated including the materials, the color and finish. What most kitchen designers don't mention are all of the issues relating to the fit and use of your new cabinets. At Performance Kitchens & Home, our roots come from fine craftspeople like George Nakashima and George Brauntrager, who pioneered many of the techniques that we integrate into our kitchen cabinets. We believe that every kitchen deserves cabinets that are beautiful, well-built, functional and that are designed to stand up to the test of time. We hope that some of these finely crafted kitchen cabinets will spark some ideas for you!

The cost of kitchen cabinets is a major consideration when designing a new kitchen. There are so many things that need to be evaluated including the materials, the color and finish. What most kitchen designers don't mention are all of the issues relating to the fit and use of your new cabinets. At Performance Kitchens & Home, our roots come from fine craftspeople like George Nakashima and George Brauntrager, who pioneered many of the techniques that we integrate into our kitchen cabinets. We believe that every kitchen deserves cabinets that are beautiful, well-built, functional and that are designed to stand up to the test of time. We hope that some of these finely crafted kitchen cabinets will spark some ideas for you!

The cost of kitchen cabinets is a major consideration when designing a new kitchen. There are so many things that need to be evaluated including the materials, the color and finish. What most kitchen designers don't mention are all of the issues relating to the fit and use of your new cabinets. At Performance Kitchens & Home, our roots come from fine craftspeople like George Nakashima and George Brauntrager, who pioneered many of the techniques that we integrate into our kitchen cabinets. We believe that every kitchen deserves cabinets that are beautiful, well-built, functional and that are designed to stand up to the test of time. We hope that some of these finely crafted kitchen cabinets will spark some ideas for you!

The cost of kitchen cabinets is a major consideration when designing a new kitchen. There are so many things that need to be evaluated including the materials, the color and finish. What most kitchen designers don't mention are all of the issues relating to the fit and use of your new cabinets. At Performance Kitchens & Home, our roots come from fine craftspeople like George Nakashima and George Brauntrager, who pioneered many of the techniques that we integrate into our kitchen cabinets. We believe that every kitchen deserves cabinets that are beautiful, well-built, functional and that are designed to stand up to the test of time. We hope that some of these finely crafted kitchen cabinets will spark some ideas for you!

Amber Roberts
Transitional bathroom photo in Singapore

This project won in the 2013 Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh Housing Excellence Award for Best Urban Renewal Renovation Project. The glass bowl was made in the glass studio owned by the owner which is adjacent to the residence. The mirror is a repurposed window. The door is repurposed from a boarding house. George Mendel

We used similar techniques as the Greene brothers to create these entryway stained glass panels. As you can see in this close up image, through a combination of copper foiling and glass layering, we were able to create a shimmering, iridescent appearance for this design. A combination of earth tones were selected for the colors of the glass. The pattern was made to mock the appearance of the famous stained glass window in the previously mentioned Gamble House. The sort of “mock art” stained glass window serves as a striking focal point for the entryway of this Kansas City home. Greene & Greene style stained glass is perfect for lovers of nature, art, or both. The vibrant green and copper tones of these windows can bring an incredible amount of warmth and color to your home’s interior. Kansas City Stained Glass can create beautiful Greene & Greene inspired stained glass installations. Our artists are very skilled in the techniques used for creating these types of designs. If you’re a fan of Greene & Greene architecture and are interesting in getting a stained glass panel for your Kansas City home that is inspired by or looks similar to their work, please contact our office. We’d love to work with you on creating a unique work of art for your home.

Beautiful Dining Room with wainscot paneling, dry bar, and larder with pocketing doors.
Inspiration for a large farmhouse dark wood floor, brown floor and wainscoting enclosed dining room remodel in Chicago with green walls and no fireplace

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2014 Houzz Design: Natural Flow Interiors http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/25418674/list/My-Houzz--Casual--Organic-Elegance-in-California

Image via Serena & Lily
Minimalist patio photo in San Francisco

Log Cabins Over The Ages Log cabins have been in existence for a long time and it is assumed that they were first built during the Bronze Age. This means that humans have been living in log cabins for over 5000 years. Written works from that age show that logs were placed over one another to build log cabins and if there were any gaps in between logs, then wood chippings were used to fill them. Log cabins are more prevalent in the cool climes rather than the hotter ones and this is the reason that you can find a lot of log cabins in Europe rather than in South Asia. The early settlers in North America used the Scandinavian technique of building log cabins when they settled in the cold parts of the continent. Over the years when larger homes started being constructed, log cabins started being used as outbuildings. Though they were used as outbuildings the charm of log cabins has not diminished. In fact, Abraham Lincoln has gone on to say that he was proud to be born in a log cabin. In the United Kingdom log cabin construction ceased considerably in the 20th century. People found it below their dignity to live in log cabins, as they thought that it was just basic housing. However, over time, log cabins have made a comeback and you can find log cabins in almost every garden in the UK. It has become a very common sight. There are many log cabin kit providers in the UK like Waltons. The choice of log cabin is also many such as: • Corner Log Cabin • Log Cabin Studio • Home Office Log Cabin • Insulated Log Cabin • Pool House Log Cabin • Traditional Log Cabin and much much more. Nowadays everyone likes to be hands on and hence you get DIY log cabin kits. Everything is laid out for you and you just need to follow the steps mentioned. You can do it alone or you can get one or two of your friends or family to help you and you will be able to create a log cabin. Creating anything gives a lot of satisfaction and when you create something truly nice you will feel genuinely overwhelmed. If you do not like to get your hands dirty then you have the option of asking the provider to send professionals to come and set up the log cabin for you.

Tuscan wine cellar photo in New York

This is an organic Lime Wash done with a true lime wash product as opposed to a brick mortar or concrete that is often seen on new houses. This product can be applied as a solid coating making the surface completely white, or can be applied and "washed off" in many artistic ways, as seen here. If you hate your brick or just want something unique this is a great option! Photo credit: Jeff Murrey

FINISH: PRIMED The advantages of this approach – of this type of interior door finish – are fairly obvious. Pick a color, any color that suits your projects best. Mix and apply. Re- coat whenever you feel it is necessary to do so. Touch it up. It gives you, the proud owner of these interior doors, complete freedom of choice, and the significant savings, especially where it comes to bulk orders, can be a true source of joy. As Kurt Vonnegut mentions in one of his novels (Bluebeard, unless I’m mistaken … check it out when you get a chance), the thrill of laying on colors is a large part of the artist’s professional satisfaction. In other words, a keen pleasure. When back in the remote past visual arts became a field dominated by professionals rather than hobbyists, the main problem of “just laying on paint” became obvious: you can’t. The medium of choice back then was egg tempera, a permanent, fast-drying substance consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Portraits and ornaments were executed in this medium, and the wood panel was the surface of choice. One of tempera’s interesting features is that it is not as easily absorbed by wood as other mediums. Some sort of primer was necessary, of course, but pretty much any substance that dried evenly could be used. The drawbacks of tempera, or pintura al temple, as the Spanish call it, only became obvious with the advent of the Renaissance, when the leading representatives of the trade turned to oil (and interior doors suddenly became a great deal less crude, but that’s a story for another day). Oil painting is the process of “painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder.” Commonly used types include linseed (highly preferable in art, though not necessarily in interior doors, mind you), poppy seed, walnut, and safflower. Today, five hundred years later, it is safe to say that oil is more versatile than pintura al temple – by orders of magnitude. Specifically, the contrasts achieved through the former are much greater, the darks are far deeper, and three- dimensional, highly realistic images are much easier to achieve. Next time you visit a museum, take a closer look at pintura al temple portraits. All of them, without exception, come off as a bit “flat” as opposed to their latter-day counterparts. Also, where glazing is concerned … Glazing: a painting technique in which a transparent layer, with just a touch of pigment, is laid over a previously painted surface, allowing light to travel through the glaze and be reflected back off of the opaque layer below. Gentle shadows, subtle changes of color, smooth transitions – all these can be achieved through glazing, which was used by all artists up until the middle of the Nineteenth Century, when artist tubes were invented, revolutionizing the field, and other techniques began to be explored. Tempera enthusiasts (it takes all kinds to make a world) will assure you that glazing is not just possible in pintura al temple but is actually the basis of the whole enterprise. Well, what are you going to do? They’re enthusiasts. Anyway, la peinture à l'huile, as the French call it, re-introduced the ancient problem of most surface’s propensity to absorb dipingere, as the Italians call the stuff. Wood or canvas, it is all the same: you’re not going to get very far without a good primer. Experiments were conducted, and soon rabbit skin glue emerged as the least expensive and most effective solution. It was easy to apply. It dried evenly. It made the application of the l’huile stuff on top of it a walk in the park. There were drawbacks. Today, rabbit skin glue is considered to be a major cause of cracking by most modern conservators. (Remember, when you visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art – and did you see those interior doors? … some of them are quite something … - most “old masters” pictures are completely covered with a cobweb of cracks? There you go). Because the glue is hygroscopic, it continually absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, causing the glue to swell and shrink as ambient humidity levels change. Over many humidity cycles, this repeated flexing causes the brittle oily layers to crack. To combat this problem, modern primers are made of acrylic materials which are guaranteed not to cause any damage to the dipingere. No bubbling, no cracks. Your interior doors are safe.