The Setup For this primary bath, our clients—empty nesters who recently updated their entire first floor—wanted a fresh, sophisticated look that would harmonize with the rest of their home’s new design. The original space included a large corner tub and a layout that, while functional, felt outdated and oversized for their needs. The goal was to update the bathroom with a layout that suited them perfectly without moving walls or major fixtures. Design objectives: Remove the large, outdated corner tub and replace it with a freestanding tub Expand and modernize the shower while keeping privacy in mind Update cabinetry for more organized, efficient storage Improve lighting with stylish yet understated fixtures to brighten the room Create a cozy, timeless atmosphere in the large space, maintaining functionality The Remodel Design challenges to be solved: Striking Balance with Lighting – The clients wanted a statement fixture that could enhance the overall design without feeling overwhelming or taking away from the open, airy atmosphere. Maximizing Existing Footprint – The clients wanted to avoid altering the floor plan, meaning the layout remained mostly the same. The focus was on enhancing the room’s functionality within the existing footprint. Retaining Coziness – With the removal of the oversized tub deck, there was a need to keep the space from feeling too vast and empty, ensuring it felt cozy and inviting despite the open layout. Adding Hidden Storage – The master closet was not attached to the bathroom, and the clients wanted a discreet way to store a hamper within the bath area without cluttering the room. The Renewed Space Design solutions: Freestanding Tub on an Angle – Replacing the old corner tub with a sleek, freestanding tub allowed the space to feel open and modern. Positioned at an angle, the tub brings balance to the layout and provides an inviting focal point while still preserving walk-around space for added functionality. Expanded Shower with Privacy Enhancements – The original, smaller shower was transformed with a larger footprint, half-wall for privacy, and contemporary brushed nickel fixtures, adding both style and function. A herringbone marble accent tile halfway up the shower walls adds a touch of sophistication without overwhelming the space. Custom Vanity with Built-in Hamper – A small pull-out hamper was added to the corner of the vanity, providing discreet storage and eliminating the need for a standalone basket. The cabinetry was reconfigured to be more functional and organized for the couple’s daily routines. Lighting that Complements the Room – The lighting selection was central to the redesign, with the client gravitating toward a bubble chandelier she had admired. After exploring several options, they chose a smaller size to provide a soft accent without dominating the space, tying in with the bathroom’s overall light and airy feel. The newly remodeled primary bath exudes a classic, calm atmosphere with a carefully chosen mix of textures and materials. The large porcelain floor tiles mimic the look of wood, lending a warm, traditional touch. Lightly textured cream tiles and brushed nickel fixtures create a soft and cohesive look, while the subtle herringbone marble accent in the shower adds just the right amount of elegance. Round mirrors above the vanities complement the curves of the freestanding tub, softening the room’s overall look and adding a touch of femininity. The result is a bright, timeless space tailored perfectly for the homeowners’ lifestyle.

I was initially contacted by the builder and architect working on this Modern European Cottage to review the property and home design before construction began. Once the clients and I had the opportunity to meet and discuss what their visions were for the property, I started working on their wish list of items, which included a custom concrete pool, concrete spa, patios/walkways, custom fencing, and wood structures. One of the largest challenges was that this property had a 30% (or less) hardcover surface requirement for the city location. With the lot size and square footage of the home I had limits to how much hardcover we could add to property. So, I had to get creative. We presented to the city the usage of the Live Green Roof plantings that would reduce the hardcover calculations for the site. Also, if we kept space between the Laurel Sandstones walkways, using them as steppers and planting groundcover or lawn between the stones that would also reduce the hard surface calculations. We continued that theme with the back patio as well. The client’s esthetic leaned towards the minimal style, so by adding greenery between stones work esthetically. I chose the Laurel Tumbled Sandstone for the charm and character and thought it would lend well to the old world feel of this Modern European Cottage. We installed it on all the stone walkways, steppers, and patios around the home and pool. I had several meetings with the client to discuss/review perennials, shrubs, and tree selections. Plant color and texture of the planting material were equally important to the clients when choosing. We grouped the plantings together and did not over-mix varieties of plants. Ultimately, we chose a variety of styles from natural groups of plantings to a touch of formal style, which all work cohesively together. The custom fence design and installation was designed to create a cottage “country” feel. They gave us inspiration of a country style fence that you may find on a farm to keep the animals inside. We took those photos and ideas and elevated the design. We used a combination of cedar wood and sandwich the galvanized mesh between it. The fence also creates a space for the clients two dogs to roam freely around their property. We installed sod on the inside of the fence to the home and seeded the remaining areas with a Low Gro Fescue grass seed with a straw blanket for protection. The minimal European style custom concrete pool was designed to be lined up in view from the porch and inside the home. The client requested the lawn around the edge of the pool, which helped reduce the hardcover calculations. The concrete spa is open year around. Benches are on all four sides of the spa to create enough seating for the whole family to use at the same time. Mortared field stone on the exterior of the spa mimics the stone on the exterior of the home. The spa equipment is installed in the lower level of the home to protect it from the cold winter weather. Between the garage and the home’s entry is a pea rock sitting area and is viewed from several windows. I wanted it to be a quiet escape from the rest of the house with the minimal design. The Skyline Locust tree planted in the center of the space creates a canopy and softens the side of garage wall from the window views. The client will be installing a small water feature along the garage for serene noise ambience. The client had very thoughtful design ideas styles, and our collaborations all came together and worked well to create the landscape design/installation. The result was everything they had dreamed of and more for their Modern European Cottage home and property.

This dining room operates as a processional volume, choreographed along a deep axial sightline that terminates not in a wall but in a garden — an ivy-clad plane of green glimpsed through full-height glazing. The architecture is fundamentally additive rather than decorative: a coffered, stepped ceiling plane with recessed reveal channels floats above the seating zone, its subtle datum lines describing a rectangular "room within a room" that anchors the table without recourse to enclosing partitions. Flanking this central passage, two millwork pylons — one clad in pale limed oak on the right, one in a fine bone-toned wallcovering on the left — function as vestigial pilasters, compressing the entry threshold before releasing into the loftier dining volume. The floor reinforces this directionality through a wide-plank chevron parquet laid on the primary axis, its herringbone rhythm accelerating the eye toward the terrace. The furniture plan is deliberately non-orthogonal: an elongated oval table on twin cylindrical pedestals softens the room's rectilinear discipline, while the loosely arrayed chairs break parade-ground symmetry in favor of a more inhabited, gestural composition. Deep-set corner windows and a low banquette-height sill with integrated casework at left introduce a secondary spatial episode, a quieter alcove that relieves the room's axial insistence. ## II. Materiality, Color & Texture The palette is a study in warm neutrality calibrated across a narrow tonal band, with contrast delivered through texture rather than hue. The foundational register is greige-to-oatmeal: floor-to-ceiling drapery in a heavy, densely gathered linen falls in pin-sharp cartridge pleats, its matte drape absorbing light and softening the glass wall's hard geometry. Against this, the dining chairs are upholstered in a slubbed, striated fabric — likely a raw silk or abaca-like bast fiber — whose horizontal grain reads almost as bark, and which is set in taut opposition to the ebonized, tapered hardwood frames in the Italian mid-century idiom of Gio Ponti or Ico Parisi. The tabletop, a mottled verdigris-and-bronze stone or fossilized surface, introduces the room's only earth-toned saturation, echoed by the burl-and-walnut plinth supporting a slender fluted bronze sculpture. The oak millwork is limed and open-grained, deliberately dry and tactile beside the high-polish patinated brass of the pendant. Underfoot, a hand-knotted silk rug in cloud-grey with charcoal ombré edges introduces atmospheric perspective — a painterly gradient that dematerializes the floor plane. Chromatic release arrives entirely from two sources: the framed abstract expressionist canvas at right, with its viridian, cobalt and violet gestural detonations, and the living wall of ivy beyond the glass. Both function as color events, not color schemes. ## III. Lighting, Atmosphere & Style Profile Daylight is the primary luminaire here, entering as a broad, north-soft wash through the terrace glazing and diffused further by the ivy screen, which acts as a natural lambrequin filtering glare into a cool, even green-tinted light. Artificial sources are deployed sculpturally rather than functionally: the pendant — a folded, petal-form composition of smoked glass and patinated metal — reads as a suspended object of art, throwing a warm downward pool onto the table while its dark bronze silhouette provides essential visual weight against the white ceiling. Wall-mounted alabaster sconces bracket the room at both thresholds, their translucent stone glowing with a low-lumen, candle-adjacent warmth that establishes perimeter intimacy after dusk. The resulting atmosphere is serene, curated and quietly patrician — a room engineered for extended conversation rather than display. Stylistically, the project synthesizes a **contemporary Soft Minimalism** with a strongly collected **Mid-Century Italian** sensibility: the restraint of the architectural envelope and monochromatic textile program provides a gallery-like neutral ground, upon which a small number of high-character objects — the sculptural pendant, the Ponti-esque seating, the abstract canvas, the exterior stone sculpture — perform as museum-grade punctuation. It is an interior that achieves luxury through material integrity and negative space rather than ornament.

**Paragraph 1: Spatial Composition & Architectural Volume** This dressing vestibule is an exercise in the choreography of compression and release — a narrow processional corridor that opens onto a shallow window alcove, terminating the sightline in a single, deliberately staged tableau. The plan is organized between two parallel planes of full-height joinery: at left, a monumental run of flush-faced wardrobe doors executed in bespoke decorative panelling, and at right, a mirror-clad pier whose reflective face doubles the room's apparent width and recapitulates the window, the bench, and the herringbone floor in a quiet trompe-l'oeil. The millwork is detailed with an admirable restraint — reveal-shadow gaps rather than architraves, concealed pivot hinges, and slim bronze-toned frames that read as drawn lines rather than mouldings. Overhead, a stepped soffit and recessed cornice detail lower the datum at the corridor, then release into the fuller ceiling height of the alcove; the effect is subtly perspectival, drawing the eye toward the luminous aperture. The punched window, generously reveal-deep and set within a wide oak surround, functions less as a view and more as a light well, its frosted glazing dissolving the exterior into pure illuminated field. The upholstered bench, centered beneath it and flanked casually by a pair of double-monk shoes, provides the anthropometric anchor — a note of inhabited scale that keeps the geometry from tipping into abstraction. **Paragraph 2: Materiality, Color & Texture** The palette operates within an exceptionally disciplined tonal register — a graduated field of oyster, greige, bone, and pale putty, all sharing a warm mineral undertone that prevents the achromatic scheme from turning cold. The hero surface is undoubtedly the wardrobe fronts: a hand-applied, gesso-like plaster or lacquered artisanal finish, its brushed and troweled passages bearing faint calligraphic incisions and pinpricked stitch-like perforations, evoking a Japanese ink study or an aged fresco fragment. Against this painterly softness, the joinery frames and window casings deliver rift-sawn oak with a fine, linear grain, while the perimeter walls are dressed in a subtly striated textile or grasscloth wallcovering punctuated by small inlaid tesserae — a low-frequency rhythm that reads as texture at distance and as craft detail at proximity. Hardware provides the scheme's only true contrast: elongated blackened-bronze pulls, rectilinear and unornamented, act as punctuation marks on the pale field. Metals are otherwise handled with restraint — satin brass sabots capping the bench legs, an unlacquered brass sconce armature — introducing warmth without glitter. Underfoot, the chevron-laid oak parquet supplies directional energy, softened by a plush viscose or silk-blend rug whose sheen shifts from pearl to shadow. The tactile logic is one of graduated softness: matte plaster against silk pile, honed timber against brushed textile, with mirror as the single hard, cool interruption. **Paragraph 3: Lighting, Atmosphere & Style Profile** Natural light is the primary compositional instrument here, and it has been diffused rather than admitted — the obscured glazing and half-drawn linen Roman shade convert daylight into a soft, north-facing luminous plane, evenly modelling the plaster and revealing its topography in raking gradients. This ambient wash is calibrated against a single decorative gesture: a wall-mounted sconce in alabaster or hand-formed opaline glass, its warm amber core providing the room's only chromatic accent and a welcome note of imperfection against the otherwise machined precision. Architectural lighting is entirely concealed — no downlight apertures interrupt the ceiling plane — reinforcing the sense that illumination emanates from the surfaces themselves. The resulting atmosphere is contemplative, hushed, almost sacral: a threshold space treated with the gravity of a chapel narthex. Stylistically, the project sits at the confluence of Soft Minimalism and contemporary Parisian couture interiors — the reductive planarity and monochromatic discipline of the former married to the artisanal, hand-wrought materiality and bronze detailing associated with the latter, with a distinctly Japandi sensibility in its reverence for wabi-sabi surface irregularity and asymmetric compositional balance. It is a scheme that achieves luxury not through ornament or contrast but through the sustained rigour of tonal control, the quality of the hand in its finishes, and the confidence to leave the volume largely empty.

Wallpaper Installation – Basement in Loomis Transform your basement into an inviting retreat with premium wallpaper installation services in Loomis. As an expert wallpaper installer and wallpaper hanger, I specialize in creating stunning, durable finishes for below-ground spaces. ✔ Basement-Specific Solutions – Moisture-resistant vinyl wallpaper, mural wallpaper, and mold-proof wallcoverings ✔ Seamless Installation – Expert pattern matching for flawless transitions on uneven surfaces ✔ Wallpaper Repair & Removal – Fixing peeling, bubbling, or outdated basement wallpaper ✔ Custom Accent Walls – Bold prints, textured designs, or faux finishes to brighten the space ✔ Commercial & Residential Expertise – From home theaters to rental units Why Choose Us? ✅ Humidity-Proof Materials – Specialized adhesives and breathable papers ✅ Surface Preparation – Proper sealing for concrete or paneled walls ✅ Quick Turnarounds – Efficient installations with minimal disruption ✅ Free Consultations – Tailored solutions for your basement’s unique needs Popular Basement Styles: • Cozy & Inviting – Warm textures and rich tones • Modern Entertainment Spaces – Sleek geometrics or metallic accents • Rustic Charm – Faux brick, wood, or stone designs • Playful & Bold – Vibrant patterns for game rooms or kids’ areas Serving Loomis homeowners & businesses—let’s turn your basement into a favorite space!

I was initially contacted by the builder and architect working on this Modern European Cottage to review the property and home design before construction began. Once the clients and I had the opportunity to meet and discuss what their visions were for the property, I started working on their wish list of items, which included a custom concrete pool, concrete spa, patios/walkways, custom fencing, and wood structures. One of the largest challenges was that this property had a 30% (or less) hardcover surface requirement for the city location. With the lot size and square footage of the home I had limits to how much hardcover we could add to property. So, I had to get creative. We presented to the city the usage of the Live Green Roof plantings that would reduce the hardcover calculations for the site. Also, if we kept space between the Laurel Sandstones walkways, using them as steppers and planting groundcover or lawn between the stones that would also reduce the hard surface calculations. We continued that theme with the back patio as well. The client’s esthetic leaned towards the minimal style, so by adding greenery between stones work esthetically. I chose the Laurel Tumbled Sandstone for the charm and character and thought it would lend well to the old world feel of this Modern European Cottage. We installed it on all the stone walkways, steppers, and patios around the home and pool. I had several meetings with the client to discuss/review perennials, shrubs, and tree selections. Plant color and texture of the planting material were equally important to the clients when choosing. We grouped the plantings together and did not over-mix varieties of plants. Ultimately, we chose a variety of styles from natural groups of plantings to a touch of formal style, which all work cohesively together. The custom fence design and installation was designed to create a cottage “country” feel. They gave us inspiration of a country style fence that you may find on a farm to keep the animals inside. We took those photos and ideas and elevated the design. We used a combination of cedar wood and sandwich the galvanized mesh between it. The fence also creates a space for the clients two dogs to roam freely around their property. We installed sod on the inside of the fence to the home and seeded the remaining areas with a Low Gro Fescue grass seed with a straw blanket for protection. The minimal European style custom concrete pool was designed to be lined up in view from the porch and inside the home. The client requested the lawn around the edge of the pool, which helped reduce the hardcover calculations. The concrete spa is open year around. Benches are on all four sides of the spa to create enough seating for the whole family to use at the same time. Mortared field stone on the exterior of the spa mimics the stone on the exterior of the home. The spa equipment is installed in the lower level of the home to protect it from the cold winter weather. Between the garage and the home’s entry is a pea rock sitting area and is viewed from several windows. I wanted it to be a quiet escape from the rest of the house with the minimal design. The Skyline Locust tree planted in the center of the space creates a canopy and softens the side of garage wall from the window views. The client will be installing a small water feature along the garage for serene noise ambience. The client had very thoughtful design ideas styles, and our collaborations all came together and worked well to create the landscape design/installation. The result was everything they had dreamed of and more for their Modern European Cottage home and property.

Realty Landscaping Corp./Real Winter, Inc. http://www.realtylandscaping.com 2014 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Commercial $75,000 & Over Award Level: Silver Project Description: Located in a highly commercialized area of lower Bucks County, the property that was once a declining horse track is now revitalized as Pennsylvania's #1 casino. Parx Casino is owned and operated by Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. and includes high stakes gaming, horse racing, premium entertainment and multiple restaurants and amenities. It's doors are open 24 hours a day. In the midst of an economic downturn, Parx brought in many much needed jobs, stimulating the local economy. The construction of the Parx Casino project began in 2008. The main portion our landscape installation ran the course of 2009 and into 2010. We originally were contracted to install a landscape that was already designed. The owner however was not totally satisfied with the design that he had commissioned, so we made a few recommendations to them. We took a leap of faith and installed one section of the landscape as a mock-up for a concept that we envisioned. Hoping to stir some interest and excitement and help the client draw in huge numbers of patrons, our concept included a high energy, formal and contemporary layout based upon low hedging and bright panels of color to match the Parx Casino logo. Lines were clean to compliment the building theme and layout. We were given the owners blessing right away and proceeded to redesign the majority of the newly re-developed site. There were a number of demanding deadlines and site related challenges. The site is very windy and open. Large volumes of vehicular and pedestrian traffic pulse through the site's veins continuously. The scale of the building and property is immense. In order to complete a project of this magnitude, a large labor force was utilized. Overnight and overtime hours were sometimes a necessity. Our veteran supervisory team ensured a good quality product on demand. Great quantities of the highest quality plant materials were needed to soften the huge expanse of asphalt, concrete and building facade. Massive 20 foot evergreen trees were brought in as a wind break, softening the building and obscuring the view to the valet security areas. Views were kept open from the main road to allow visitors a clear view of building entrances and mega-sized digital signage. A hardy mix of evergreen, deciduous and herbaceous plant materials were used to stir seasonal interest year round. Bright colors light the way down the main boulevard, drawing in the masses toward the casino entrances. We installed an automatic overhead and drip irrigation system to help keep the windy site from drying out. To supply the expansive landscape with water, we provided a large pump, which pushed thousands of gallons of water through a 4” main. The two-wire system features a smart controller and pressure regulating heads. The installation project as a whole was very successful. We took a plan that was given to us, made it our own, and turned our vision into reality. The client so satisfied that they've contracted us to maintain the landscape we implemented ever since. The casino shows no signs of slowing down. Thousands of patrons test their luck daily at Parx. The local economy, strengthened. The Lower Bucks strip is once again the place to be. Plant Schedule Trees: 6- X Cupressocyparis leylandii 8-10’ ht. 2- Ilex opaca 18-20’ ht. 37- Picea abies 20-22’ ht. 9- Picea abies 16-18’ ht. 35- Picea abies 12-14’ ht. 4- Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’ 4-4 ½” cal. Shrubs: 1,171- Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea ‘Cr. Pygmy’ 3 gal. 2,954- Boxwood microphylla ‘Winter Gem’ 18-24” ht. 41- Chaemacyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii’ 3-4’ ht. 104- Chaemacyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’ 7 gal. 124- Ilex glabra 36-42” ht. 496- Juniperus conferta ‘Blue Pacific’ 3 gal. 223- Prunus cistena 5-6’ ht. 281- Pyracantha coccinea ‘Rutgers’ 3 gal. 463- Rosa ‘Meidrifora’ 3 gal. 143- Rosa ‘Radrazz’ 3 gal. 1,045- Rosa ‘Radcon’ 3 gal. 362- Spiraea japonica ‘Lemon Princess’ 10 gal. 113- Spiraea japonica ‘Lemon Princess’ 3 gal. 217- Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’ 10 gal. 369- Spirea japonica ‘Little Princess’ 3 gal. 246- Spiraea x bumulda ‘Goldflame’ 10 gal. 106- Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’ 18-24” ht. Photo Credit: Matthew P. Aubel, Realty Landscaping Corp./Real Winter, Inc.

Realty Landscaping Corp./Real Winter, Inc. http://www.realtylandscaping.com 2014 PLNA Awards for Landscape Excellence Winner Category: Commercial $75,000 & Over Award Level: Silver Project Description: Located in a highly commercialized area of lower Bucks County, the property that was once a declining horse track is now revitalized as Pennsylvania's #1 casino. Parx Casino is owned and operated by Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. and includes high stakes gaming, horse racing, premium entertainment and multiple restaurants and amenities. It's doors are open 24 hours a day. In the midst of an economic downturn, Parx brought in many much needed jobs, stimulating the local economy. The construction of the Parx Casino project began in 2008. The main portion our landscape installation ran the course of 2009 and into 2010. We originally were contracted to install a landscape that was already designed. The owner however was not totally satisfied with the design that he had commissioned, so we made a few recommendations to them. We took a leap of faith and installed one section of the landscape as a mock-up for a concept that we envisioned. Hoping to stir some interest and excitement and help the client draw in huge numbers of patrons, our concept included a high energy, formal and contemporary layout based upon low hedging and bright panels of color to match the Parx Casino logo. Lines were clean to compliment the building theme and layout. We were given the owners blessing right away and proceeded to redesign the majority of the newly re-developed site. There were a number of demanding deadlines and site related challenges. The site is very windy and open. Large volumes of vehicular and pedestrian traffic pulse through the site's veins continuously. The scale of the building and property is immense. In order to complete a project of this magnitude, a large labor force was utilized. Overnight and overtime hours were sometimes a necessity. Our veteran supervisory team ensured a good quality product on demand. Great quantities of the highest quality plant materials were needed to soften the huge expanse of asphalt, concrete and building facade. Massive 20 foot evergreen trees were brought in as a wind break, softening the building and obscuring the view to the valet security areas. Views were kept open from the main road to allow visitors a clear view of building entrances and mega-sized digital signage. A hardy mix of evergreen, deciduous and herbaceous plant materials were used to stir seasonal interest year round. Bright colors light the way down the main boulevard, drawing in the masses toward the casino entrances. We installed an automatic overhead and drip irrigation system to help keep the windy site from drying out. To supply the expansive landscape with water, we provided a large pump, which pushed thousands of gallons of water through a 4” main. The two-wire system features a smart controller and pressure regulating heads. The installation project as a whole was very successful. We took a plan that was given to us, made it our own, and turned our vision into reality. The client so satisfied that they've contracted us to maintain the landscape we implemented ever since. The casino shows no signs of slowing down. Thousands of patrons test their luck daily at Parx. The local economy, strengthened. The Lower Bucks strip is once again the place to be. Plant Schedule Trees: 6- X Cupressocyparis leylandii 8-10’ ht. 2- Ilex opaca 18-20’ ht. 37- Picea abies 20-22’ ht. 9- Picea abies 16-18’ ht. 35- Picea abies 12-14’ ht. 4- Pyrus calleryana ‘Aristocrat’ 4-4 ½” cal. Shrubs: 1,171- Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea ‘Cr. Pygmy’ 3 gal. 2,954- Boxwood microphylla ‘Winter Gem’ 18-24” ht. 41- Chaemacyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii’ 3-4’ ht. 104- Chaemacyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’ 7 gal. 124- Ilex glabra 36-42” ht. 496- Juniperus conferta ‘Blue Pacific’ 3 gal. 223- Prunus cistena 5-6’ ht. 281- Pyracantha coccinea ‘Rutgers’ 3 gal. 463- Rosa ‘Meidrifora’ 3 gal. 143- Rosa ‘Radrazz’ 3 gal. 1,045- Rosa ‘Radcon’ 3 gal. 362- Spiraea japonica ‘Lemon Princess’ 10 gal. 113- Spiraea japonica ‘Lemon Princess’ 3 gal. 217- Spiraea japonica ‘Little Princess’ 10 gal. 369- Spirea japonica ‘Little Princess’ 3 gal. 246- Spiraea x bumulda ‘Goldflame’ 10 gal. 106- Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’ 18-24” ht. Photo Credit: Matthew P. Aubel, Realty Landscaping Corp./Real Winter, Inc.

With an ideal location in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, this dated Victorian residence had "beautiful bones" but had been sitting on the market for a year before being purchased with plans to revitalize the interior. Interior designer, Noel Han, explained, "Historical Victorian homes in this area often have beautiful architectural elements that I aim to preserve, but the floor plan and layout tend to be stuffy, not live-able and not light filled. Modern families want bright, light-filled, spacious rooms that take advantage of outdoor views and living spaces, and function well for storage, meals and entertaining." Preserving the architectural integrity and special features of the home was one of Han's goals but at the same time, she re-designed the space, moving walls and adding windows to create an open floorplan that flowed easily between the kitchen and outdoor living spaces. Where the range once stood in the original design, now an entire wall of windows provides panoramic views of the outdoors and fills the kitchen with light. Below the windows, Han designed a long bank of base cabinets with drawers to provide plenty of storage and work surface. Light now pours into the space even on foggy days. The range was moved to the opposite wall so that beautiful window views could be added to the kitchen. Han selected a palette of finishes with an eye toward creating a "soft color aesthetic". "White painted finishes are very popular right now but would have felt stark and cold in this space," she explained. "The French grey paint from Dura Supreme was a perfect complement for this vintage Victorian home, to create a classic color scheme". "This beautiful home already had hardware elements with a vintage brass finish, so I carefully selected antiqued, brushed brass hardware, plumbing and metal finishes to blend with the original elements," said Han. She continued, "The La Cornue French Range adds modern function with a French antique look." "I appreciate working with Dura Supreme cabinetry because of the quality of the cabinetry, fast delivery and the custom options. I'm able to create beautiful architectural details like the pull-out columns on both sides of the range and the curved mullion doors on the furniture hutch, and they offer a stunning palette of finishes and styles," explained Han. For the bath cabinetry, Han created a similar palette of finishes and styles to create a complementary look throughout the entire home. Product Details: Perimeter: Dura Supreme Cabinetry shown in the St. Augustine door style and Mullion Pattern #15 door style with a “Zinc” painted finish. Kitchen Island: Dura Supreme Cabinetry shown in the St. Augustine door style with a Clove stain and Black Accent finish on Cherry wood. For more information about Noel Han, Interior Designer, click to her website here www.atelnoel.com. For more information about Gilmans Kitchens and Baths, click to their website here www.gkandb.com. Photography by: Ned Bonzi www.nedbonzi.com. Request a FREE Dura Supreme Brochure Packet: http://www.durasupreme.com/request-brochure

How AI is Revolutionizing Bathroom and Kitchen Renovations in 2025 The renovation industry is entering a new era — and it’s powered by artificial intelligence. For decades, bathroom and kitchen makeovers required weeks of back-and-forth planning, consultations, and budgeting. But in 2025, AI bathroom design and AI kitchen renovation tools are transforming the experience, making it faster, smarter, and far more personalized. A Smarter Way to Renovate Traditional renovation processes are known for being time-consuming and stressful. From collecting measurements to selecting products and coordinating contractors, homeowners are often left overwhelmed. That’s where AI comes in — simplifying every step of the journey. Using platforms like the Allreno app, homeowners can now scan their space with a smartphone, instantly generate a 3D model, and receive personalized layout suggestions. The app’s AI engine automatically recommends styles, color palettes, and materials that match your preferences — saving hours of guesswork. AI Bathroom Design: A Game-Changer Designing a bathroom used to mean working with spreadsheets, mood boards, and several design consultations. Today, AI bathroom design streamlines this process into minutes. Tools like Allreno analyze space dimensions, plumbing positions, lighting conditions, and user style inputs to generate design proposals that are not only beautiful but also practical and code-compliant. Homeowners can preview their dream bathroom in realistic 3D, adjust fixtures and finishes, and even get instant price estimates — all before a single tile is laid. AI Kitchen Renovation: Built for Speed and Precision AI kitchen renovation takes things even further. AI models can detect where cabinetry fits best, suggest storage optimizations, and align design with ergonomic principles. Whether you’re planning a sleek modern kitchen or a cozy traditional space, AI delivers layouts that balance aesthetics with function. Allreno’s smart design engine can pull directly from product inventories, ensuring the designs you see are not only buildable but immediately available — reducing delays and backorders. Empowering Professionals and Homeowners What makes AI-powered home renovation truly powerful is how it bridges the gap between homeowners and professionals. Contractors, designers, and suppliers can now work with exact specifications and visuals shared directly through platforms like Allreno, eliminating miscommunication and ensuring smoother execution. This also means cost savings. With AI managing space planning, product selection, and budgeting, professionals spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time delivering quality craftsmanship. The Rise of Smart Home Remodels The trend toward smart home remodels is also being fueled by AI. Renovation projects now consider how your bathroom or kitchen connects with your smart lighting, voice assistants, or energy-efficient systems. Allreno helps integrate this tech seamlessly into your renovation plan, future-proofing your investment. Why Allreno Is Leading the AI Renovation Movement The Allreno app is at the forefront of this AI-driven shift. It’s not just a design tool — it’s a full renovation ecosystem. By combining design automation, real-time pricing, local contractor matching, and AI-powered recommendations, Allreno makes renovation as easy as ordering a product online. In a world where speed and personalization are key, Allreno empowers homeowners to take control of their renovation journey — with clarity, confidence, and creativity. Ready to renovate smarter? Try the Allreno app and experience the future of home renovation today.

GAO Zhiqiang: A dialogue between tangible space and intangible emotions——Space Emotional Design Series, Beijing Dahu Villa One's way of life is based on his understanding of culture. In other words, 'home' has long been separated from the simple definition of just a house. It is both a deep feeling that lies in the blood and a spiritual destination of body and mind. The project is a private residence of Beijing Dahu villa. The owner is an entrepreneur who has passion with life. The house bordered by a lake on both sides has a very good view. The owner who has his own unique and profound views on life aesthetics enjoys gardening in his spare time. Therefore sunlight, air, water and plants are the four design elements which perfectly meet the owner’s needs of having an exquisite land-scape indoors. There are floor-to-ceiling glass windows, unbounded gardens, wooden shelves and vines indoors. All these elements togeth-er form a peaceful and introverted daily emotion which gives the owner a sense of belonging. This three-storey house has a very clear division of functional space: reception and leisure on the first floor, master bedroom and three guest rooms on the second floor and the logistics area is on Negative layer. The living room with no basement below is designed to sink 30 centimeters as a solution of insufficient height. There are large French win-dows on both south and west sides of living room which introduces plenty of light into the space. There are indoor and outdoor area of teahouse dealing with different seasons and weather. The study is located in the northwest corner which is the most important position of a house in Fengshui. Next to the study is a wine and cigar bar where people can relax and enjoy the scenery outside the window. The dining table in the garden is under a natural pavilion formed by wooden shelves and vines. The owner can have cup of tea together with some friends whether the weather is sunny or rainy. There will always be someone who will create a life the way you want to live. And a good design should not only provide people a comforta-ble living space, but also give them the ability to enjoy life. Circular moving lines connect space one by one smoothly. Scenery and light become the focus of the design. Through many design lan-guages such as the arrangement of moving lines in the space, different space interaction and the amount of body shape, the designer is try-ing to describe a picture, tell a story and construct a new attitude towards life. The dining room and the west kitchen are the other most important spaces besides the living room. Under warm yellow lamplight, classic and contemporary indoor style interweave here. Different materials carry emotions as well as record time which happen to echo the sense of ritual shaped in space. On the east side of the second-floor master bedroom is a living room with Ivory curtains, sofas, carpets where the owner can drink morning tea and receive his friends. What space itself presents is the elegant temperament that is gifted by time. The designer chose a modern style Italian frame bed enclosed by screen for the main bedroom. Milky white, light grey, beige and soft tex-ture, vernal sunshine together become a soothing force. At present, people's needs for living space are more spiritual. Its tolerance and temperature cover a family heritage. It is the artistic creation in the changing times. It can carry history and also inspire future.

This bathroom remodel was designed by Lindsay from our Windham Showroom. This remodel feature Caesarstone quartz countertops w/ Tuscan Dawn color and standard edge. The customer kept their original cabinet they had previously. It also features 12”x24”Anatolia Ottomano Ivory shower walls and Anatolia 6”x24” bath floor. The bath wall accents include blanc ET beige 2” raindrop and flatliner Amond ¼”x6” (top & bottom of accent). Other features include Brizo Brushed Nickel faucets and other plumbing fixtures and Amerock hardware Revitalized brushed nickel knobs and handles.

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Set within a serene natural landscape and abutting the scenic Campbell's Scottish Highlands Golf Course, this striking custom modern home by RWH Architect blends contemporary architecture, functional living, and site-sensitive design into a residence that feels both dramatic and welcoming. Inspired by Scandinavian architectural principles and modern New England design, the home was carefully crafted to balance bold geometric forms with warm natural materials, creating a timeless luxury residence deeply connected to its surroundings. Expansive views overlooking the rolling fairways and natural landscape of the golf course further reinforce the home’s strong relationship to the site. One of the primary design challenges of the project was fitting the home between two existing houses while maintaining a high level of privacy for both interior and exterior living spaces, while also maximizing expansive views of the course. Rather than allowing the surrounding structures to limit the design, RWH Architect carefully positioned and shaped the residence to create a sense of separation, openness, and visual connection where appropriate. Through thoughtful massing and strategic orientation, the home is able to open toward the golf course while shielding key living areas from neighboring properties, resulting in a balance of privacy, light, and uninterrupted views. The architectural composition is defined by two soaring gabled structures connected through a recessed central entry, establishing a bold visual identity while maintaining clean, minimalist lines. A significant challenge in the design process was balancing the large-scale modern forms with a sense of warmth and livability. Through the use of natural wood accents, expansive glazing, and carefully proportioned massing, the home achieves a refined balance between contemporary minimalism and inviting residential comfort. Dark exterior cladding contrasts beautifully against warm materials and the surrounding landscape, allowing the structure to feel sophisticated without appearing cold or overpowering. Another critical design challenge involved maximizing natural light while preserving energy efficiency and maintaining privacy throughout the home. RWH Architect carefully oriented the structure and strategically positioned the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows to capture sweeping golf course and landscape views while maintaining the comfort and privacy of the interior spaces. The result is a home filled with natural light that maintains a strong connection to the outdoors while still providing private, comfortable living environments. Inside, the thoughtfully designed floor plan prioritizes openness, comfort, and flexibility for modern living. The residence was intentionally organized into two distinct architectural zones: a private wing dedicated to the bedrooms and personal retreats, and a public living wing centered around the kitchen, dining, and gathering spaces. This separation creates a natural balance between entertaining and privacy, allowing the home to function seamlessly for both intimate daily living and larger social gatherings. The main living level centers around an expansive open-concept kitchen, dining area, and great room designed to function as the social heart of the home. One challenge within the interior layout was creating a highly open floor plan while still maintaining distinct functional zones and practical circulation. Through careful spatial planning, ceiling volume transitions, and strategic room positioning, the design creates separation without sacrificing openness. Large windows and direct access to the rear outdoor living spaces further reinforce the seamless indoor-outdoor connection, allowing the living spaces to fully embrace the surrounding views of the course and the natural landscape beyond. Rather than existing on a single flat plane, the residence was thoughtfully designed across multiple levels that respond directly to the site’s natural topography. As occupants move through the home, subtle level changes and transitional stair sequences create a dynamic spatial experience that guides movement between the public and private zones of the residence. This layered circulation approach enhances the architectural character of the interior while creating moments of progression, discovery, and connection between spaces. The result is a home that feels immersive and expansive, where movement throughout the residence becomes part of the overall architectural experience itself. The first floor also incorporates flexible private accommodations, including a guest suite with ensuite bathroom and additional secondary bedrooms positioned to create privacy away from the primary gathering spaces. This approach allows the residence to comfortably support multigenerational living, guests, and evolving family needs over time. On the upper level, the luxurious primary suite serves as a private sanctuary complete with dual walk-in closets, a spacious spa-inspired bathroom, and access to a private balcony overlooking the property and adjacent golf course. Dedicated office spaces were intentionally integrated into the design to address the growing demand for functional remote work environments without compromising the home’s residential character. A centrally located laundry room further improves day-to-day convenience and efficiency. Vaulted ceilings, oversized glazing, and carefully framed sightlines enhance the sense of openness and light throughout the upper level. Throughout the home, minimalist detailing and carefully selected materials reinforce the project’s modern architectural identity while preserving warmth and livability. The interplay of sharp rooflines, expansive glass, natural textures, and integrated landscaping creates a residence that feels sculptural from every angle while remaining exceptionally functional for everyday life. This custom luxury residence exemplifies RWH Architect’s expertise in contemporary residential architecture, innovative problem solving, and personalized home design. By transforming complex site conditions and modern living demands into opportunities for architectural creativity, the project delivers a sophisticated home that is visually striking, highly functional, and thoughtfully connected to its environment for generations to come.

This LEED Platinum certified house reflects the homeowner's desire for an exceptionally healthy and comfortable living environment, within a traditional neighborhood. INFILL SITE. The family, who moved from another area of Wellesley, sought out this property to be within walking distance of the high school and downtown area. An existing structure on the tight lot was removed to make way for the new home. 84% of the construction waste, from both the previous structure and the new home, was diverted from a landfill. ZED designed to preserve the existing mature trees on the perimeter of the property to minimize site impacts, and to maintain the character of the neighborhood as well as privacy on the site. EXTERIOR EXPRESSION. The street facade of the home relates to the local New England vernacular. The rear uses contemporary language, a nod to the family’s Californian roots, to incorporate a roof deck, solar panels, outdoor living space, and the backyard swimming pool. ZED’s careful planning avoided to the need to face the garage doors towards the street, a common syndrome of a narrow lot. THOUGHTFUL SPACE. Homes with dual entries can often result in duplicate and unused spaces. In this home, the everyday and formal entry areas are one and the same; the front and garage doors share the entry program of coat closets, mudroom storage with bench for removing your shoes, and a laundry room with generous closets for the children's sporting equipment. The entry area leads directly to the living space, encompassing the kitchen, dining and sitting area areas in an L-shaped open plan arrangement. The kitchen is placed at the south-west corner of the space to allow for a strong connection to the dining, sitting and outdoor living spaces. A fire pit on the deck satisfies the family’s desire for an open flame while a sealed gas fireplace is used indoors - ZED’s preference after omitting gas burning appliances completely from an airtight home. A small study, with a window seat, is conveniently located just off of the living space. A first floor guest bedroom includes an accessible bathroom for aging visitors and can be used as a master suite to accommodate aging in place. HEALTHY LIVING. The client requested a home that was easy to clean and would provide a respite from seasonal allergies and common contaminants that are found in many indoor spaces. ZED selected easy to clean solid surface flooring throughout, provided ample space for cleaning supplies on each floor, and designed a mechanical system with ventilation that provides a constant supply of fresh outdoor air. ZED selected durable materials, finishes, cabinetry, and casework with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and no added urea formaldehyde. YEAR-ROUND COMFORT. The home is super insulated and air-tight, paired with high performance triple-paned windows, to ensure it is draft-free throughout the winter (even when in front of the large windows and doors). ZED designed a right-sized heating and cooling system to pair with the thermally improved building enclosure to ensure year-round comfort. The glazing on the home maximizes passive solar gains, and facilitates cross ventilation and daylighting. ENERGY EFFICIENT. As one of the most energy efficient houses built to date in Wellesley, the home highlights a practical solution for Massachusetts. First, the building enclosure reduces the largest energy requirement for typical houses (heating). Super-insulation, exceptional air sealing, a thermally broken wall assembly, triple pane windows, and passive solar gain combine for a sizable heating load reduction. Second, within the house only efficient systems consume energy. These include an air source heat pump for heating & cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation, and high efficiency appliances. Lastly, photovoltaics provide renewable energy help offset energy consumption. The result is an 89% reduction in energy use compared to a similar brand new home built to code requirements. RESILIENT. The home will fare well in extreme weather events. During a winter power outage, heat loss will be very slow due to the super-insulated and airtight envelope– taking multiple days to drop to 60 degrees even with no heat source. An engineered drainage system, paired with careful the detailing of the foundation, will help to keep the finished basement dry. A generator will provide full operation of the all-electric house during a power outage. OVERALL. The home is a reflection of the family goals and an expression of their values, beautifully enabling health, comfort, safety, resilience, and utility, all while respecting the planet. ZED - Architect & Mechanical Designer Bevilacqua Builders Inc - Contractor Creative Land & Water Engineering - Civil Engineering Barbara Peterson Landscape - Landscape Design Nest & Company - Interior Furnishings Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Throughout, black accents and hardware match the iron hardware on the room’s Dutch door, which is original to the house. The wood element is carried through out the room in big (the island ends, the floor) and small (wood element on hood, reclaimed wood shelving) ways. After tearing down this home's existing addition, we set out to create a new addition with a modern farmhouse feel that still blended seamlessly with the original house. The addition includes a kitchen great room, laundry room and sitting room. Outside, we perfectly aligned the cupola on top of the roof, with the upper story windows and those with the lower windows, giving the addition a clean and crisp look. Using granite from Chester County, mica schist stone and hardy plank siding on the exterior walls helped the addition to blend in seamlessly with the original house. Inside, we customized each new space by paying close attention to the little details. Reclaimed wood for the mantle and shelving, sleek and subtle lighting under the reclaimed shelves, unique wall and floor tile, recessed outlets in the island, walnut trim on the hood, paneled appliances, and repeating materials in a symmetrical way work together to give the interior a sophisticated yet comfortable feel. Rudloff Custom Builders has won Best of Houzz for Customer Service in 2014, 2015 2016, 2017 and 2019. We also were voted Best of Design in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 which only 2% of professionals receive. Rudloff Custom Builders has been featured on Houzz in their Kitchen of the Week, What to Know About Using Reclaimed Wood in the Kitchen as well as included in their Bathroom WorkBook article. We are a full service, certified remodeling company that covers all of the Philadelphia suburban area. This business, like most others, developed from a friendship of young entrepreneurs who wanted to make a difference in their clients’ lives, one household at a time. This relationship between partners is much more than a friendship. Edward and Stephen Rudloff are brothers who have renovated and built custom homes together paying close attention to detail. They are carpenters by trade and understand concept and execution. Rudloff Custom Builders will provide services for you with the highest level of professionalism, quality, detail, punctuality and craftsmanship, every step of the way along our journey together. Specializing in residential construction allows us to connect with our clients early in the design phase to ensure that every detail is captured as you imagined. One stop shopping is essentially what you will receive with Rudloff Custom Builders from design of your project to the construction of your dreams, executed by on-site project managers and skilled craftsmen. Our concept: envision our client’s ideas and make them a reality. Our mission: CREATING LIFETIME RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON TRUST AND INTEGRITY. Photo Credit: Linda McManus Images

I was initially contacted by the builder and architect working on this Modern European Cottage to review the property and home design before construction began. Once the clients and I had the opportunity to meet and discuss what their visions were for the property, I started working on their wish list of items, which included a custom concrete pool, concrete spa, patios/walkways, custom fencing, and wood structures. One of the largest challenges was that this property had a 30% (or less) hardcover surface requirement for the city location. With the lot size and square footage of the home I had limits to how much hardcover we could add to property. So, I had to get creative. We presented to the city the usage of the Live Green Roof plantings that would reduce the hardcover calculations for the site. Also, if we kept space between the Laurel Sandstones walkways, using them as steppers and planting groundcover or lawn between the stones that would also reduce the hard surface calculations. We continued that theme with the back patio as well. The client’s esthetic leaned towards the minimal style, so by adding greenery between stones work esthetically. I chose the Laurel Tumbled Sandstone for the charm and character and thought it would lend well to the old world feel of this Modern European Cottage. We installed it on all the stone walkways, steppers, and patios around the home and pool. I had several meetings with the client to discuss/review perennials, shrubs, and tree selections. Plant color and texture of the planting material were equally important to the clients when choosing. We grouped the plantings together and did not over-mix varieties of plants. Ultimately, we chose a variety of styles from natural groups of plantings to a touch of formal style, which all work cohesively together. The custom fence design and installation was designed to create a cottage “country” feel. They gave us inspiration of a country style fence that you may find on a farm to keep the animals inside. We took those photos and ideas and elevated the design. We used a combination of cedar wood and sandwich the galvanized mesh between it. The fence also creates a space for the clients two dogs to roam freely around their property. We installed sod on the inside of the fence to the home and seeded the remaining areas with a Low Gro Fescue grass seed with a straw blanket for protection. The minimal European style custom concrete pool was designed to be lined up in view from the porch and inside the home. The client requested the lawn around the edge of the pool, which helped reduce the hardcover calculations. The concrete spa is open year around. Benches are on all four sides of the spa to create enough seating for the whole family to use at the same time. Mortared field stone on the exterior of the spa mimics the stone on the exterior of the home. The spa equipment is installed in the lower level of the home to protect it from the cold winter weather. Between the garage and the home’s entry is a pea rock sitting area and is viewed from several windows. I wanted it to be a quiet escape from the rest of the house with the minimal design. The Skyline Locust tree planted in the center of the space creates a canopy and softens the side of garage wall from the window views. The client will be installing a small water feature along the garage for serene noise ambience. The client had very thoughtful design ideas styles, and our collaborations all came together and worked well to create the landscape design/installation. The result was everything they had dreamed of and more for their Modern European Cottage home and property.

Bridle Path Residence — Formal Living & Music Room This Bridle Path Residence living room is conceived as an elegant, light-filled entertaining space where classical architectural structure meets contemporary glamour and collected residential comfort. Rather than relying on ornament alone, the design uses proportion, symmetry, material contrast, and carefully selected furniture to create a room that feels sophisticated yet genuinely livable. The architecture establishes a strong sense of permanence. Extensive wall panelling, substantial crown moulding, layered ceiling details, and classical fireplace architecture give the room an established character reminiscent of a refined estate interior. At the same time, the clean white envelope keeps the architecture fresh and allows the furnishings and artwork to provide the personality. The expansive bay windows are one of the defining features of the room. Their repeated vertical proportions bring abundant natural light deep into the space while creating a strong relationship with the surrounding landscape. The windows also soften the formal architecture, giving the room an open, airy quality rather than the heaviness often associated with traditional interiors. The furniture introduces a deliberately more contemporary language. A blush-toned sofa and upholstered accent chairs bring softness and warmth, while deep navy seating adds contrast and visual depth. Slim brass frames on the chairs and occasional tables introduce a subtle metallic thread throughout the room, connecting the individual seating pieces into a cohesive composition. The central seating arrangement is intentionally conversational. Rather than orienting every piece toward the fireplace, the furniture creates an intimate social zone within the much larger room. The mix of rounded forms, sculptural silhouettes, and geometric metal bases prevents the formal architecture from feeling rigid. A sculptural gold-toned coffee table becomes an important visual anchor. Its organic texture contrasts with the linear architectural detailing and polished hardwood floor, adding a layer of tactile richness. Smaller glass and metal tables maintain visual openness and allow the expansive room to remain uncluttered. The fireplace provides a secondary focal point at the far end of the room, framed by symmetrical architectural detailing and flanking sconces. Its position establishes a visual axis through the space, while the artwork above introduces a curated, contemporary note within the traditional setting. The piano adds an important dimension to the room's identity. Rather than being treated as a separate musical installation, it is integrated naturally into the overall composition, reinforcing the idea of the room as a space for music, entertaining, conversation, and everyday enjoyment. It also adds a rich dark element that balances the lighter furnishings and architectural envelope. The warm hardwood flooring provides continuity and grounds the predominantly white palette. Against it, the combination of blush, navy, muted green, brass, glass, and natural textures creates a sophisticated but approachable colour story. Overall, the room demonstrates a modern interpretation of classic luxury. Traditional architectural detailing provides the foundation, while contemporary furniture, sculptural lighting, metallic accents, art, and layered upholstery bring freshness and personality. The result is an elegant Bridle Path living space that feels tailored, highly finished, and timeless without becoming overly formal.

Elevate your bedroom decor with the perfect area rug, a key element that can transform your space into a haven of style and comfort. Area rugs are more than just floor coverings; they are integral to setting the tone and enhancing the aesthetics of your room. Whether you lean towards a contemporary, traditional, or mid-century modern look, the right rug can tie your entire bedroom design together. For a luxurious and timeless addition, hand-tufted and hand-knotted rugs offer exceptional quality and craftsmanship. Hand-tufted rugs feature a dense, plush pile that adds a touch of elegance, while hand-knotted options provide intricate patterns and enduring durability. If you appreciate artisanal techniques, hand-loomed rugs offer a unique, textured look that complements various decor styles. If modern functionality is your focus, machine-woven rugs might be the perfect choice. These rugs are often heat set for enhanced durability and come in a range of contemporary designs. Machine-washable options also provide ease of maintenance, making them ideal for busy households. For those looking for a rug that combines practicality with style, consider options that are stain-resistant, water-resistant, and feature non-slip backings. Adhesive and non-slip properties ensure safety on hardwood floors, while stain-resistant and water-resistant materials make cleaning a breeze. For a cozy and inviting feel, shag or flokati rugs offer plush, long fibers that create a luxurious underfoot experience. Flat-woven rugs, such as kilims, are reversible and lightweight, making them versatile for various settings and easy to maintain. Braided and hand-hooked rugs add a rustic or handcrafted charm, enhancing the warmth and personality of your bedroom. Incorporating a rug set or a personalized option can further enhance your decor. An 8x10 area rug is a popular size that works well in many bedrooms, providing ample coverage while allowing for a cohesive look with other decor elements. Whether you choose a rug with fringe for a touch of flair or an organic, textured rug for a natural vibe, the possibilities are endless. Transitional rugs, which blend elements of both traditional and modern styles, offer versatility and can adapt to various decorating themes. From contemporary geometric patterns to classic designs with a modern twist, these rugs bridge the gap between different aesthetics, ensuring that your bedroom remains stylish and cohesive. In summary, selecting from the 15 best area rugs involves considering both the visual appeal and practical features that align with your bedroom decor. With options ranging from hand-knotted elegance to machine-woven convenience, and features like non-slip backings, stain-resistance, and plush textures, you can find the ideal rug to enhance your space and reflect your personal style.