The kitchen was designed to take full advantage of the beautiful view. The aqua wall, matching backsplash tile and light maple cabinetry echo the home's tranquil lakeshore feeling. Designed by Dan Feidt, Architect. Built by TreHus.

Fog and Black Fox finishes perfectly compliment the Sloan cabinet door style in a kitchen design that is casual with a trend forward feel.
Inspiration for a large contemporary galley medium tone wood floor and brown floor open concept kitchen remodel with shaker cabinets, distressed cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

When it comes to finding inspiration for your house or apartment design, there are a variety of routes you can take. For some, it is important to dive into the latest trends in fashion and art, using only the most popular decor pieces and embracing the color palettes seen on runways or in home and garden magazines. But for others, it’s simply about discovering what feels most like “home.” Ashley Steele, the creator of A Styled Affair, was part of the latter group. “Since my husband and I were moving into a space that was previously owned, I needed a way to make it feel like it was truly ours, and unique to us,” she told our team. A Styled Affair sprang from Ashley’s passion for fashion, and need for a creative outlet. But it soon became more than that. She developed a following, and it quickly became a place where she could share her personal style, travel adventures, and lifestyle tips. “While the blogging industry has become overwhelmed with people sharing their favorite home decor or make-up tips, I think what sets A Styled Affair apart is my commitment to stay true to my unique taste. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum – and that carries through in the clothes I wear, the decor I select for our home, and the travels I plan.” Paintzen connected with Ashley as she was settling into her new home in Boston’s Seaport District. Although she and her husband have lived in Boston for almost 8 years, they were used to smaller, more traditional spaces. Their new home is much bigger, and more modern, than any place they lived before. “I wanted to select colors of comfort, simplicity, and sophistication so we could elevate the space and make it feel more like a home.” Ashley also accurately pointed out that new construction can sometimes feel a little cold and sterile, almost industrial. “I wanted our home to feel like a peaceful oasis after coming in from the bustling city.” Ashley chose soft white paint for her walls to bring a sense of comfort and zen. With lots of wall decor, art work and carefully selected furniture, the walls serve as a clean and comfortable palette, and allowed her more freedom when making her other design decisions throughout the space. Ashley kept the overall palette fairly neutral, and incorporated “modern bohemian” inspired decor throughout the home; the final product was clean and simple, and catered to her style. We asked Ashley what she was most excited for now. “I’m most excited to continue to find new decor pieces to compliment the paint colors and decor we’ve already found for the space. We have been really patient with decorating and selected each piece really careful to make sure it is cohesive and flows from room to room. I’m looking forward to enjoying the space with my husband and dog, and entertaining friends and family in the spring and summer!” A few final questions for Ashley on her experience with Paintzen: “I would highly recommend Paintzen to anyone, especially those that live in the city. There are so many different paint companies and contractors to choose from but going through Paintzen simplified the process and made me feel comfortable that we had the right team working on our space. Their platform for booking services and choosing paint colors made the process seamless and was a great way to keep track of what we booked and chose for colors. Most importantly, the customer service team was outstanding whenever we had a question or needed to make an adjustment.” And advice she would give someone repainting their home: “Patience. I would recommend taking your time and doing your research before selecting paint colors. Lighting changes every color so make sure to bring paint swatches and samples into the space and look at it throughout the day to see the different tones that the light will pick up. I would also recommend researching color trends and recommendations for colors in the family you are looking for. We found our living room color through a blog post listing top-used colors by interior designers and it looks amazing.”

Once the warm weather of spring arrives, you will have the perfect chance to get a head start on your exterior renovations. What better way to begin spring cleaning than with a fresh new color or fresh new stain on the exterior of your home. We can help you decide which color is best for you as well as assist you with any other questions that you may have about exterior projects!

Builder: John Kraemer & Sons | Architect: SKD Architects | Photography: Landmark Photography | Landscaping: TOPO LLC
Inspiration for a craftsman open concept medium tone wood floor living room remodel in Minneapolis with a music area, beige walls, a ribbon fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar

Vincent Ivicevic
Inspiration for a transitional u-shaped medium tone wood floor kitchen remodel in Orange County with an undermount sink, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island, white cabinets and shaker cabinets

Color Trends 2015 'Quiet on the Set' residential interior featuring exterior door, panelled windows, modern dining table and chairs. Color A (Wall): Silver Fox 2108-50, Regal Select, Eggshell. Color B (Trim): Chantilly Lace OC-65, Advance, Satin.

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar Rebecca Segar

These clients retained MMI to assist with a full renovation of the 1st floor following the Harvey Flood. With 4 feet of water in their home, we worked tirelessly to put the home back in working order. While Harvey served our city lemons, we took the opportunity to make lemonade. The kitchen was expanded to accommodate seating at the island and a butler's pantry. A lovely free-standing tub replaced the former Jacuzzi drop-in and the shower was enlarged to take advantage of the expansive master bathroom. Finally, the fireplace was extended to the two-story ceiling to accommodate the TV over the mantel. While we were able to salvage much of the existing slate flooring, the overall color scheme was updated to reflect current trends and a desire for a fresh look and feel. As with our other Harvey projects, our proudest moments were seeing the family move back in to their beautifully renovated home.

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar

Jason Hartog Photography
Contemporary exterior home idea in Toronto

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar

Photo: Le Michelle Nguyen © 2015 Houzz
Inspiration for an eclectic bedroom remodel in San Francisco

Figuring out how to make a big kitchen work better — for a chef wanting to use her kitchen for both cooking classes and corporate entertaining — is what won Janice two design awards. A designer with Drury Design in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, Janice won first place in the large kitchen category in the NKBA competition for greater Chicagoland. The same project was also named by Trends magazine as one of its Top 50 kitchens for 2013-2014, the second straight year a Drury project has been so honored. The cabinetry is from Grabill’s Benchmark line with an Olde Towne door style in maple and finished in Super White. Janice uses Grabill all the time, she said. “What we like most about them is their turnaround time. They have a very good product at a fair price. They have a great warranty.” With the kind of detail involved in this kind of project, they are also “most helpful in double-checking everything to make sure everything fits the way I planned it. If they see any issues, if there are any questions, they don’t make assumptions. They call me and we work things out. They’re very flexible in how they work.” This transitional style in its Super White finish from Grabill provides a lot of flexibility, explained Janice. “There’s a really pretty aqua color on the walls, but everything else is neutral, so the owner can put whatever accent color she wants with it and it will still work. So she can really change the look of the kitchen with just the paint color.” Photos provided by Janice Teague

This house was a 50 year old outdated Cape Cod. With some easy, budget friendly rennovations the house went from outdated to right on trend. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me with any questions or requests. Thank you. Rebecca Segar