Brian Kellogg
Example of a transitional carpeted living room design in Sacramento with beige walls

Angie Seckinger
Inspiration for a transitional medium tone wood floor closet remodel in DC Metro with open cabinets and white cabinets

Touches of color add interest to the all important curb appeal. Notice how the color draws your eyes toward the front door! Photo by Marilyn Peryer
Inspiration for a large country white two-story wood exterior home remodel in Raleigh with a metal roof

Ann Hiner Photography
Trendy living room photo in Austin with a wall-mounted tv, white walls and no fireplace

Example of a trendy master carpeted bedroom design in Minneapolis with gray walls

Rikki Snyder © 2014 Houzz
Example of an eclectic medium tone wood floor living room design in New York with black walls, a standard fireplace and a tv stand

Inspiration for a farmhouse landscaping in San Francisco.

Tracey Rapisardi Design, 2008 Coastal Living Idea House Entry
Example of a large beach style ceramic tile and white floor entryway design in Tampa with white walls and a white front door

Elizabeth Taich Design is a Chicago-based full-service interior architecture and design firm that specializes in sophisticated yet livable environments.

Home Tour America Realtor Travis Reed
Inspiration for a transitional master dark wood floor bedroom remodel in Atlanta with gray walls

Adrienne DeRosa © 2014 Houzz Inc. The recently redecorated living space defines a new direction for the first floor of Raymond's and Jennifer's home. Although Jennifer has always redesigned the look of their rooms every 4-5 years, this time around comes with a different perspective. "Now that [the kids] are all moved out and it is just my husband and I, I finally have had the ability to have fun with the house," Jennifer explains. "I have always redecorated every couple years, but this time has been my favorite. I can finally get rid of the clutter and stuff and find chic, fun pieces I know won't get a ball thrown through them." Wall color: Alabaster White, Duration by Sherwin Williams; sofas: Arhaus Photo: Adrienne DeRosa © 2014 Houzz

The inspiration for this room came from the existing painting shown above the fireplace.
Living room - mid-sized transitional formal and open concept carpeted living room idea in St Louis with gray walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

Jim Yochum Photography
Kitchen - small country kitchen idea in Other with white cabinets, quartzite countertops and a farmhouse sink

Irving Place Residence. New York, NY. Photography by Biz Jones.
Inspiration for a mid-century modern freestanding desk home office remodel in New York with white walls

The back yard patio is the new living room. Let’s discuss. If you’ve tried to purchase an outdoor, propane heater, new grill, or even outdoor seating in the past six months, this is not news to you. We’re all doing our best to manage through the pandemic while still enjoying social connections and time with family and friends. The solution that so many of us have adopted is to spend more time outside. There’s a Norwegian saying that says, “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” It’s a mantra worth adopting these days. We have a lot of customers who are ready to bundle up and enjoy their back yards as much as they enjoy their living rooms. But these lucky homeowners have had that opportunity for the past six months. Reading any further may make you pretty jealous, but we hope that it inspires you for a future project in your own back yard.

The laundry room serves as a vestibule to the full bathroom beyond. It has new functional cabinetry and a folding surface. Mosaic tile with a black and white pattern was chosen to complement the historic era of the house. Light fixtures by Schoolhouse Electric. Project done in collaboration with Country Living for their Makeover Takeover project. photo by Annie Schlechter

Photo: Brian Barkley © 2015 Houzz
Family room - traditional multicolored floor family room idea in Other with beige walls

After six years of living in their Huntley IL home, Chris and Meghan were tired of their dark, dingy, outdated kitchen and it was finally time for a long-anticipated change. “The kitchen is the place where we live, it’s where we do everything,” Meghan said. “It was important that it be a space where we wanted to be.” Meghan loves cooking and enjoys including their girls in healthy meal prepping, this led them to want a brighter, more enjoyable kitchen with increased functionality and improved storage. For Chris especially, the laundry room was an entirely dysfunctional eyesore. “We had a washer and a dryer, but it was all kind-of cobbled together!” Chris said. “There were always laundry piles everywhere, we weren’t really sure what we wanted to do in there, but it was time for us to make a change.” The mess of the space was stressful every time they walked in the door from the garage each day. Kids’ backpacks and shoes piled up haphazardly in the makeshift boot-bench closet left the family feeling disorganized and stressed. They needed space for folding clothes and locker cubbies to help keep the family organized. Having known Christine and Todd in the Huntley community for years, Chris and Meghan were familiar with their work. “We already trusted them personally and having seen their projects for years we knew they did top notch work. After we reviewed the initial round of designs, we knew that hiring them was definitely the right choice,” Meghan and Chris said. Although Chris had done a lot of work in their home himself, the kitchen and laundry room renovation was such a large undertaking that he didn’t want to steal time away from his family to spend what would surely be many long weekends doing the job himself. “That would not have been a wise choice for us,” Chris laughed. “Our designer, Michelle was very, very, easy to work with; anything we wanted to see or weren’t sure about, she went above and beyond to make this easy for us. She was easy to get hold of and always quick to respond,” the couple said. Michelle pulled ideas that mirrored the couple’s taste and style and was adept at directing the couple to limited choices that didn’t overwhelm them and kept the process moving. “I have a hard time making decisions. Michelle made the decision-making process so easy. I loved how she listened to what I liked and then presented three great options for me to choose from,” Meghan said. The main objectives for the kitchen were better storage solutions, they wanted the space to reflect their lifestyle and taste, and they wanted it to last for years with low maintenance. One of the first steps in creating a more functional kitchen was relocating the refrigerator, creating an improved workflow for the busy family. “We didn’t know that we could even move the refrigerator to a new location where it is now, that was something that we never would have thought of,” Chris said. “The new refrigerator location makes the kitchen feel so much bigger. We didn’t add any space, but our whole kitchen with the new design just seems like it’s so much larger than before!” Meghan said. The perimeter mist colored cabinets helped warm and brighten the entire room, while the graphite colored cabinets on the island added contrast. Using this fresh, clean color palette satisfied the couple’s desire for a bright space that was the exact opposite of what they had before. Organization accessories were also added to the cabinets such as a spice drawer tray and roll outs to create hidden convenience. “I absolutely love the hidden spices – it makes cooking so much more enjoyable!” Chris said. “And all the pull outs, and the double trash bin, who would think you could get so excited about organization!” the couple said in unison. One thing they hated in their original kitchen was how dark the space felt. Added lighting on the ceiling with the new light fixtures combined with the lighter cabinetry colors throughout solved this problem. “Our new kitchen has this warm, almost cozy feeling that our old kitchen never had, it’s just a space that I love spending my time in now,” Meghan said. The light airy feeling was accentuated with the use of floating white shelves on either side of the decorative range hood. “We have so much cabinetry space, the new design is amazing we actually have more storage space than we will ever need,” Meghan said. The island was extended to create more work surface and added space for stool seating. “The new island changes how we live. Now the kids can be in the kitchen with us, doing homework, eating breakfast, and the three of us have special dinners there when Chris is working late,” Meghan said. The Carrara Marmi Quartz countertops were chosen because they are, not only beautiful, but are made from hard-working material that doesn’t require maintenance. The white subway tile backsplash that wraps to the ceiling behind the focal point cooktop range/hood compliments the crisp white countertops perfectly, while brushed brass hardware and light fixtures keep the design fresh and new. The couple had a few fears at the beginning of the project, as most homeowners do. Their biggest fear was being out of their kitchen and laundry room for an extended time. The crew made it very easy for the family to work in a limited space keeping the washer and dryer hooked up the majority of the time, and also getting appliances working with minimal downtime. “They above and beyond accommodated us to get us through the process,” Meghan said. “They did a great job making sure we were as comfortable as possible throughout the process,” Chris added. “Our project manager DJ did a great job. He was very good at updating us on schedule changes, getting guys in as quickly as possible. Everyone that stepped in the house was nice and did great work,” said Chris. They thought Advance’s carpenter was phenomenal and were impressed when he took a conceptual idea from a photograph and worked with designer Michelle to create a one of a kind range/hood that has become the topic of conversation with friends and family who visit the new kitchen. “He was in our house literally every day for several weeks. He was easy to work with and good at what he did,” Meghan and Chris said. The focal point of the kitchen; a hand-crafted, custom-built ventilation hood was clad with handpicked reclaimed barnwood. Advance Design’s carpenter built the framework and the cladding to create a one-of-a-kind design element that the couple loves. “I think it was especially fun for him to create something unique from scratch, showcasing his talent in this area,” Meghan said. “I love that my kitchen is not like everyone else’s. I got to pick out the wood on my hood and watch it being built and was able to choose what pieces of wood went where on it. It’s totally unique.” Red Oak flooring was toothed-in throughout the kitchen and the rest of the first floor anywhere changes were made. Then the whole floor was refinished to tone down the orange undertones in the existing floor stain, ultimately changing the color complexion of the entire first floor. The result is a completely new feeling to the entire home. Renovating the laundry room was extremely important to Meghan and Chris, but they had trouble visualizing what the possibilities were for the seemingly small space. Michelle produced beautiful 3D illustrations that helped them envision the space in a whole new way. “I must have told Michelle 100 times that I am a visual person, seeing the designs in 3D made it so easy to make decisions and see what we could really do with our space,” Meghan said. A dividing wall and doorway were removed between the existing laundry room and hallway formerly containing a coat closet, providing space to design specialized graphite colored cabinetry matching the kitchen island to house custom storage cubbies for each family member. Adding the tall utility cabinetry in the new laundry area helped solve the storage issue, tucking away cleaning supplies, household items, and even the cat got its own cubby. “I love how everything is now hidden in its own space. I can’t tell you how much I hated coming home and seeing everything sitting around on counters,” Chris said. Electrical outlets were planned for the inside of utility cabinets, so devices could charge in hidden locations. Stacking the washer and dryer allowed for wider countertop space to provide a folding area and a special space for clothes to hang. “The way I do laundry has been completely transformed! I can actually fold clothes and hang them now right out of the washer and dryer,” Meghan said. “The end result in the kitchen and the laundry/mud room was an updated light and bright space, with a smarter work flow that better meets the needs of this family,” Michelle said. “I would totally recommend Advance Design,” Meghan said. “Sometimes I sit and just look at my kitchen and laundry room and think ‘Wow, I can’t believe I get to live here!’ It’s an understatement to say we love our new space.”

Photo Credit: ©Tom Holdsworth, A screen porch was added to the side of the interior sitting room, enabling the two spaces to become one. A unique three-panel bi-fold door, separates the indoor-outdoor space; on nice days, plenty of natural ventilation flows through the house. Opening the sunroom, living room and kitchen spaces enables a free dialog between rooms. The kitchen level sits above the sunroom and living room giving it a perch as the heart of the home. Dressed in maple and white, the cabinet color palette is in sync with the subtle value and warmth of nature. The cooktop wall was designed as a piece of furniture; the maple cabinets frame the inserted white cabinet wall. The subtle mosaic backsplash with a hint of green, represents a delicate leaf.