Shoe storage under stairway
Example of a classic wooden staircase design in New York with white walls

Reminiscent of a villa in south of France, this Old World yet still sophisticated home are what the client had dreamed of. The home was newly built to the client’s specifications. The wood tone kitchen cabinets are made of butternut wood, instantly warming the atmosphere. The perimeter and island cabinets are painted and captivating against the limestone counter tops. A custom steel hammered hood and Apex wood flooring (Downers Grove, IL) bring this room to an artful balance. Project specs: Sub Zero integrated refrigerator and Wolf 36” range Interior Design by Tony Stavish, A.W. Stavish Designs Craig Dugan - Photographer

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography: Eric Roth Photo

Photography by Andrea Rugg
Open concept kitchen - mid-sized traditional l-shaped medium tone wood floor open concept kitchen idea in Minneapolis with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartz countertops, gray backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The thickness of the sapele wood kitchen countertop is expressed at the stone island counter. The existing ceilings were removed and replaced with exposed steel I-beam crossties and new cathedral ceilings, with the steel beams placed sideways to provide a cavity at the top and bottom for continuous linear light strips shining up and down. The full height windows go all the way to floor to take full advantage of the view angle down the hill. Photo by Lisa Shires.

Our craftsmen removed an existing wall, doubling the depth of this kitchen. The doorway from kitchen to foyer and the doorway from kitchen to family room were widened and new headers were installed. Now, the remodeled area allowed for TWO islands and more cabinetry. Plug-molds, hidden under the island and under the wall cabinets, maintained a clean look eliminating receptacles. The finishing touch was the brick pattern subway backsplash tile and the accent tile in the niche above the range. The new Red Oak flooring was our final detail.

Brantley Photography
Kitchen - transitional ceramic tile kitchen idea in Miami with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, beige backsplash, matchstick tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Every detail of this cool gray transitional kitchen design in Yardley, PA combines to create a stunning space, packed with stylish and practical features. The Dura Supreme stacked Avery style kitchen cabinets are painted zinc with a shadow glaze to add depth to the finish. The upper cabinets have a mullion style door, and the island is in a contrasting dark finish with glass front cabinets on one side. This is beautifully accented by Top Knobs bar pulls and a Dekton by Cosentino Entzo countertop with 2" mitered edge and a double waterfall countertop on the island. The cabinetry includes ample storage accessories, such as a tray divider, spice drawer, roll outs, and pull out base cabinet. The backsplash is random size mosaic Alabastro tile with Schluter strips to cap the edges. A Blanco Precis Siligranit sink combines with a Brizo Smart Touch on the perimeter of the kitchen. The appliances include Wolf ovens and a Sub Zero refrigerator, as well as a Wolf range in the island, perfect for cooking while talking to guests or keeping an eye on the kids. Power outlets in the island and angled power strips under the wall cabinets are ideal for plugging in small appliances or charging electronics. This open plan kitchen design is a functional, efficient space, as well as a style icon in the center of this home.

This kitchen was completely remodeled from the floor to the ceiling and it looks fantastic. The floor is slated tile and the earth colors contrast well with the white overlay maple cabinets and the black counter tops. The homeowners wanted more task light in the kitchen so we designed the layout for the LED strip lighting that follows under the cabinetry. -Allison Caves, CKD Caves Kitchens

Michael Carroll. Solid Apollo LED. In this elegant and simple kitchen renovation, the owners wanted to add extra lighting to two places in the kitchen that normally do not receive enough light - the under cabinet area and in the cabinets. The owners wanted to find a simple solution without having excess installation requirements, such as drilling and work to fit large traditional lighting fixtures. Here instead they looked to Solid Apollo for the slim and easy to install LED Strip Light - shown here in the beautiful Warm White color, which suits the wood cabinet colors. The LED Strip Light has an extremely low profile and includes double sided sticky back tape for an easy to install and permanent installation. The photos shown here show the completed kitchen with the LED Lights turned on, another photo of the renovation in progress and several photos of the dimmer, simple barrel connections, and the slide and lock LED Strip connectors for quick easy-to-hide connections. The dimmer used here is the iTouch LED Dimmer, which is a simple in-line LED Dimmer for quick and easy on/off and dimming control. And with the included double sided tape, the slim dimmer can easily be hidden in a discrete location, compared to unsightly traditional wall dimmers that upset the carefully chosen back splash designs and require excessive effort for installation.

Ed Bond. Solid Apollo LED. In this kitchen renovation, the owners wanted to bring more lighting to highlight the carefully chosen back splash and granite counter top. Here LED Strip Light in Warm White was used to bring bright beautiful light under each cabinet area throughout the kitchen. There were several jumps where the shelves were at different heights and to connect each section, the owners used matching Snap&Lite Interconnector cables for quick connections that did not require any soldering.

Ed Bond. Solid Apollo LED. In this kitchen renovation, the owners wanted to bring more lighting to highlight the carefully chosen back splash and granite counter top. Here LED Strip Light in Warm White was used to bring bright beautiful light under each cabinet area throughout the kitchen. There were several jumps where the shelves were at different heights and to connect each section, the owners used matching Snap&Lite Interconnector cables for quick connections that did not require any soldering.

This classic white kitchen has been modernized with stainless steel appliances and black granite countertops. The maple white cabinets go great with the satin nickel hardware and the earthy slate tiled floor. The homeowners wanted more light in the kitchen and we designed the perfect layout for the LED strip lights under all the cabinetry. -Allison Caves, CKD Caves Kitchens

Kitchen LED Under Cabinet Lighting- Ultra Bright Flexible Strips in Warm White for Under Cabinet Lighting Normal Bright Flexible Strips in Warm white for Above the Cabinet Lighting Strips available in custom lengths and can be either hardwired or plugged into a standard outlet.

Glass backsplash with an under counter power strip. The under counter power strip provides a clean backsplash.
Inspiration for a large 1950s eat-in kitchen remodel with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Solid Apollo LED. For this small bar area, the owner wanted to bring exciting color changing light to an otherwise dull area. As traditional lighting would have been difficult to intigrate, the owner realized he could leave a small reccessed channel around the back of each shelf area, just large enough to place color changing RGB LED strip light. At each corner, Snap & Lite 90 degree L connectors were used for quick connections, without the need for soldering. The both strip light areas are controlled by the Black Glass Touch In-Wall RGB Controller, with a basic color wheel, pre-programmed color changing programs, and full dimming control.

Glass backsplash with an under counter power strip. The under counter power strip provides a clean backsplash.
Small mid-century modern eat-in kitchen photo with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, glass tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Jack Korlann. Solid Apollo LED. In this beautiful under cabinet lighting installation, our customer wanted to bring subtle lighting to his recently renovated kitchen area. Here Warm White High Brightness LED Strip Light was carefully placed under each cabinet area. In each of the pictures, you can see how this subtle amount of light adds another element without overpowering the carefully chosen colors and tones from the rest of the elements in the kitchen. The 5-Zone wireless remote control dimmer was used and as several of the pictures show, the lights can be brought down to 10% of their brightness, for incredibly gentle mood lighting, and even works great as a night light. To connect the LED Strip Lights together, matching Snap&Lite Interconnectors and Power Adapters were used, and the power supply, receiver and other accessories were carefully tucked away in the cabinets.

Anice Hoachlander, Hoachlander Davis Photography
Example of a mid-sized 1960s l-shaped light wood floor and beige floor open concept kitchen design in DC Metro with flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, an island, quartz countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an undermount sink