Risers painted black hide dirt in a high traffic mudroom area and also give a clean, contemporary look.
Staircase - traditional staircase idea in Bridgeport

Without columns to block traffic and views, the Dining and Living areas now flow together and allow for larger dinner parties without crowding.
Inspiration for a transitional dining room remodel in Houston

On the other end of the kitchen is a dining area that is close to the kitchen and easily accessible but also out of the way of any kitchen traffic.
Trendy u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen photo in Philadelphia with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

photo: Mark Pinkerton
Example of a trendy kitchen design in San Francisco

© Jan Stittleburg for Atlanta Decking & Fence. JS PhotoFX.
Mid-sized elegant back porch photo in Atlanta

Juliet Court Romes Porcelain Tile | This 6in. x 6in. Black Juliet Court Romes Porcelain Tile has a stone look finish. Inkjet technology offers the very best in tile design. Offering excellent color range, sharp details and exceptional variation, inkjet technology will create a tile that is stunningly realistic. PEI measures a tile's durability and ability to withstand foot traffic, on a scale of 1-5. This tile, rated at 4 PEI, can withstand moderate to heavy traffic and is suitable for all residential and medium commercial floor and wall applications. This porcelain tile is made in the USA. Known for high quality design and efficient production, tiles made in the USA are excellent options for any floor or wall. Porcelain tiles are strong and long-lasting making them ideal for use in high-traffic or outdoor living areas. Porcelain is an excellent choice to decorate your walls or floors, and comes in a variety of colors, sizes and textures. With proper installation, porcelain tiles can last for years with very little maintenance.

Photography, Dennis Mayer
Living room - transitional open concept living room idea in San Francisco with a standard fireplace

Carpet was replaced with high quality porcelain tile that gives the appearance of wood. Tile is a long term solution for high traffic areas.
Huge elegant open concept porcelain tile family room photo in Raleigh with a standard fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Example of a transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor foyer design in Minneapolis with white walls and a glass front door

The client purchased this property with grand plans of renovating the entire place; from top to bottom, and from inside to outside. And while the inside canvas was very generous and even somewhat forgiving, the outside space would be anything but. We wanted to squeeze in as much seating space as possible in their limited courtyard area, without encroaching on the already compact-sized pool. The first and most obvious solution was to get rid of the trees and shrubs that separated this house from its zero-lot-line neighbor. With the addition of Lueder limestone pavers, this new area alone would free up nearly 120 additional square feet, which happened to be the perfect amount of space for a mobile gas fire pit and sectional sofa. And this would make for the perfect place to enjoy the afternoon sunset with the implementation of a custom-built metal pergola standing above it all. The next problem to overcome was the disconnected feel of the existing patio; there were too many levels of steps and stairs, which meant that it would have been difficult to have any sort of traditional furniture arrangement in their outdoor space. Randy knew that it only made sense to bring in a wood deck that could be mated to the highest level of the patio, thus creating and gaining the greatest amount of continuous, flat space that the client needed. But even so, that flat space would be limited to a very tight "L-shape" around the pool. And knowing this, the client decided that the larger space would be more valuable to them than the spa, so they opted to have a portion of the deck built over it in order to allow for a more generous amount of patio space. And with the edge of the patio/deck dropping off almost 2 feet to the waterline, it now created the perfect opportunity to have a visually compelling raised wall that could be adorned with different hues of plank-shaped tiles. From inside the pool, the varying shades of brown were a great accent to the wood deck that sat just above. However, the true visual crowning jewel of this project would end up being the raised back wall along the fence, fully encased in a large format, 24x24 slate grey tile, complete with a custom stainless steel, square-tube scupper bank, installed at just the right height to create the perfect amount of water noise. But Randy wasn't done just yet. With two entirely new entertaining areas opened up at opposite ends of the pool, the only thing left to do now was to connect them. Knowing that he nor the client wanted to eliminate any more water space, he decided to bring a new traffic pattern right into the pool by way of two "floating", Lueder limestone stepper pads. It would be a visually perfect union of both pool and walking spaces. The existing steps and walkways were then cut away and replaced with matching Lueder limestone caps and steppers. All remaining hardscape gaps were later filled with Mexican beach pebble, which helped to promote a very "zen-like" feel in this outdoor space. The interior of the pool was coated with Wet Edge Primerastone "Blue Pacific Coast" plaster, and then lit up with the incredibly versatile Pentair GloBrite LED pool lights. In the end, the client ended up gaining the additional entertaining and seating space that they needed, and the updated, modern feel that they loved.

Taylor Abeel
Family room - mid-sized coastal enclosed light wood floor and brown floor family room idea in San Diego with beige walls and no fireplace

kitchen peninsula separates the traffic area from the work area.
Home design - eclectic home design idea in Cincinnati

The client purchased this property with grand plans of renovating the entire place; from top to bottom, and from inside to outside. And while the inside canvas was very generous and even somewhat forgiving, the outside space would be anything but. We wanted to squeeze in as much seating space as possible in their limited courtyard area, without encroaching on the already compact-sized pool. The first and most obvious solution was to get rid of the trees and shrubs that separated this house from its zero-lot-line neighbor. With the addition of Lueder limestone pavers, this new area alone would free up nearly 120 additional square feet, which happened to be the perfect amount of space for a mobile gas fire pit and sectional sofa. And this would make for the perfect place to enjoy the afternoon sunset with the implementation of a custom-built metal pergola standing above it all. The next problem to overcome was the disconnected feel of the existing patio; there were too many levels of steps and stairs, which meant that it would have been difficult to have any sort of traditional furniture arrangement in their outdoor space. Randy knew that it only made sense to bring in a wood deck that could be mated to the highest level of the patio, thus creating and gaining the greatest amount of continuous, flat space that the client needed. But even so, that flat space would be limited to a very tight "L-shape" around the pool. And knowing this, the client decided that the larger space would be more valuable to them than the spa, so they opted to have a portion of the deck built over it in order to allow for a more generous amount of patio space. And with the edge of the patio/deck dropping off almost 2 feet to the waterline, it now created the perfect opportunity to have a visually compelling raised wall that could be adorned with different hues of plank-shaped tiles. From inside the pool, the varying shades of brown were a great accent to the wood deck that sat just above. However, the true visual crowning jewel of this project would end up being the raised back wall along the fence, fully encased in a large format, 24x24 slate grey tile, complete with a custom stainless steel, square-tube scupper bank, installed at just the right height to create the perfect amount of water noise. But Randy wasn't done just yet. With two entirely new entertaining areas opened up at opposite ends of the pool, the only thing left to do now was to connect them. Knowing that he nor the client wanted to eliminate any more water space, he decided to bring a new traffic pattern right into the pool by way of two "floating", Lueder limestone stepper pads. It would be a visually perfect union of both pool and walking spaces. The existing steps and walkways were then cut away and replaced with matching Lueder limestone caps and steppers. All remaining hardscape gaps were later filled with Mexican beach pebble, which helped to promote a very "zen-like" feel in this outdoor space. The interior of the pool was coated with Wet Edge Primerastone "Blue Pacific Coast" plaster, and then lit up with the incredibly versatile Pentair GloBrite LED pool lights. In the end, the client ended up gaining the additional entertaining and seating space that they needed, and the updated, modern feel that they loved.

New paint in a high-traffic area
Staircase - modern staircase idea in Las Vegas

Allyson Lubow
Large transitional single-wall light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen photo in New York with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, matchstick tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and a peninsula

Irvin Serrano Photography
Example of a mountain style l-shaped concrete floor and gray floor open concept kitchen design in Portland Maine with a double-bowl sink, flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, concrete countertops, multicolored backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Vinyl floors are a perfect choice for high traffic areas in your home, such as entryways and stairs.
Farmhouse vinyl floor and brown floor home design photo in San Diego with yellow walls and a white front door

Study room - small contemporary freestanding desk dark wood floor and brown floor study room idea in Chicago with black walls and no fireplace

Our Florim luxury porcelain tiles make a great first impression - seen here in the design 'Marfil Honed' with warm caramel and beige tones. Suitable for both floors and walls, its high stress resistance makes it great for high-traffic areas such as this restaurant dining area. Find out more: http://www.egmcorp.com/florim/marfil-honed