Search results for "Unusable" in Home Design Ideas

We turned a small unused bedroom into a master bathroom and gave this house a proper master suite.
Large elegant master gray tile and stone tile marble floor corner shower photo in Minneapolis with beaded inset cabinets, gray cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink and marble countertops
Large elegant master gray tile and stone tile marble floor corner shower photo in Minneapolis with beaded inset cabinets, gray cabinets, a two-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink and marble countertops

The Homeowner’s of this St. Marlo home were ready to do away with the large unused Jacuzzi tub and builder grade finishes in their Master Bath and Bedroom. The request was for a design that felt modern and crisp but held the elegance of their Country French preferences. Custom vanities with drop in sinks that mimic the roll top tub and crystal knobs flank a furniture style armoire painted in a lightly distressed gray achieving a sense of casual elegance. Wallpaper and crystal sconces compliment the simplicity of the chandelier and free standing tub surrounded by traditional Rue Pierre white marble tile. As contradiction the floor is 12 x 24 polished porcelain adding a clean and modernized touch. Multiple shower heads, bench and mosaic tiled niches with glass shelves complete the luxurious showering experience.

Living room remodel from unused living space to a functional wine storage, entertainment space. Primarily modular bamboo wine racks accompanied with traditional a granite counter and stone hearth convert this space into the most popular room in the home. LED accent lights complete the ambience.
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Original yard had unusable flagstone patio. New patio is a sturdy surface for additional seating. Overgrown plants were replaced with smaller species, which will attract hummingbirds per the homeowner's request.
Linda Strader

This beautiful, 1,600 SF duplex three-bedroom, two-bath apartment in the heart of the West Village was originally a diamond in the rough with great potential. The coop is located on a quiet, tree-lined street and, as a top floor unit, boasts lovely southern and eastern exposures with views of this charming neighborhood overlooking the Hudson. Our clients were making a big move from the West Coast and wanted the new home to be ready in time for the start of the new school year, so Studioteka’s architecture and interior design team rolled up our sleeves and got to work! Construction documents were prepared for the coop board and NYC Department of Buildings approval and our team coordinated the renovation. The entire unit had new hardwood flooring, moldings, and doors installed, the stairs were gently refinished, and we took down a wall separating the living room from a small den on the lower level, making the living space much more open, light-filled, and inviting. The hot water heater was tucked away in an unused space under the stair landing, allowing for the creation of a new kitchen pantry with additional storage. We gut-renovated the upstairs bathroom, creating a built-in shower niche as well as a brand new Duravit tub, Mirabelle high-efficiency toilet, American Standard matte black fixtures, and a white Strasser Woodenworks vanity with black hardware. Classic white subway tile lines the walls and shower enclosure, while black and white basketweave tile is used on the floor. The matte black towel hooks, toilet roll holder, and towel rod contrast with the white wall tile, and a shower curtain with a delicate black and white pattern completes the room. Finally, new mid-century modern furnishings were combined with existing pieces to create an apartment that is both a joy to come home to and a warm, inviting urban oasis for this family of four.

Built in 2023 by Cutuli Homes, this custom detached accessory dwelling unit was designed as a true mother-in-law home—a private, beautifully finished residence that allows three generations of one family to live close together while maintaining their own individual spaces.
The DADU was built as a companion to the homeowners' main residence, which Cutuli Homes had extensively remodeled and expanded two years earlier. Rather than treating the new structure as an afterthought, the goal was to create a home that felt architecturally connected to the existing property. Its traditional exterior, white siding, steeply pitched roof, generous windows and carefully proportioned trim give the small residence the character of an established home.
The project was created for the homeowners' mother, who downsized from her large lakefront home in the Midwest to move closer to her family and young grandchild. The result captures one of the greatest advantages of multigenerational living: family and shared community just steps away, balanced with the independence, privacy and comfort of a home of her own.
Inside, every inch was carefully considered. The compact footprint feels remarkably open thanks to a vaulted, white-paneled ceiling, abundant natural light, tall windows and an open vertical design that draws the eye upward. A loft level expands the usable living space without sacrificing the airy feeling of the main floor.
Traditional white Shaker-style cabinetry provides extensive built-in storage throughout the home and gives the interior a clean, timeless architectural character. In the kitchen, cabinetry extends upward to take advantage of the available height, while warm neutral countertops and a textured herringbone-pattern backsplash introduce subtle depth and contrast. Stainless-steel appliances are thoughtfully incorporated into the compact layout, creating a highly functional kitchen without overwhelming the living space.
One of the home's most charming features is the intimate living area tucked beneath custom built-in cabinetry. A built-in upholstered window-seat-style sofa with drawers below transforms what could have been unused space into a comfortable place to read, relax or visit. Across from it, a contemporary fireplace is integrated into a compact feature wall, with a wood display ledge above providing space for artwork, plants and personal collections.
Warm wood accents soften the predominantly white interior. Natural wood ledges, shelving, flooring and the loft ladder bring warmth and texture to the rooms, while greenery and personal furnishings give the home the comfortable character of a full-size residence rather than a conventional accessory dwelling unit.
The private sleeping area demonstrates the same emphasis on intelligent space planning. Built-in cabinetry surrounds the bed and continues overhead, providing substantial storage without requiring bulky freestanding furniture. A softly textured wall treatment, warm wood shelving and abundant natural light make the compact bedroom feel inviting and finished.
Above, the loft takes advantage of the dramatic roofline with a white tongue-and-groove style paneled ceiling extending from wall to wall. Built-in storage is incorporated beneath the sloped portions of the ceiling, turning otherwise difficult spaces into useful cabinetry while preserving an open central area for a desk, music, hobbies or additional flexible living space.
Even the exterior reflects the home's attention to detail. Large windows bring daylight deep into the interior, while the private patio extends the living space outdoors. Traditional siding and trim allow the DADU to complement the architecture of the main residence while still having an identity of its own.
At every turn, this project demonstrates that downsizing does not have to mean compromising on craftsmanship, beauty, storage or individuality. Through custom cabinetry, creative built-ins, vertical space planning and carefully considered architectural details, Cutuli Homes transformed a modest footprint into an elegant and highly personalized residence.
More than simply a DADU, this is a thoughtfully designed multigenerational home—close enough for grandparents, parents and grandchildren to share everyday life, while giving everyone the privacy and independence of having a place of their own.

This Beautiful 5,931 sqft home renovation was completely transformed from a small farm bungalow. This house is situated on a ten-acre property with extensive farmland views with bright open spaces. Custom beam work was done on site to add the “rustic” element to many of the rooms, most specifically the bar area. Custom, site-built shelving and lockers were added throughout the house to accommodate the homeowner’s specific needs. Space saving barn doors add style and purpose to the walk-in closets in the ensuite, which includes walk-in shower, private toilet room, and free standing jet tub; things that were previously lacking. A “great room” was created on the main floor, utilizing the previously unusable living area, creating a space on the main floor big enough for the family to gather, and take full advantage of the beautiful scenery of the acreage.

This once unused garage has been transformed into a private suite masterpiece! Featuring a full kitchen, living room, bedroom and 2 bathrooms, who would have thought that this ADU used to be a garage that gathered dust?

Living in place with flex:
The mother of the homeowner needed a home that is fully accessible for living in place, so we created a barrier-free entry and installed grab bars. The new suite contains a full bedroom and bath and a small living room with a kitchenette.
One of the homeowners especially loves to cook. Now he has a new kitchen with more space, more storage, and better functionality.
Fresh paint, wallpaper and a new look:
We refinished the hardwood floors throughout and gave the whole home a fresh new look. We updated a powder room with paint, new tile, new fixtures, new lighting, and wallpaper.
Kitchen with space, flow, and storage:
The kitchen was cut off from the rest of the home. It had a long peninsula with awkward flow around the kitchen that just didn’t work. We removed the peninsula and instead created a large island with seating for three. With the new island, counter space is much more usable now. We put hidden cupboards underneath for added storage. The island also holds the built-in microwave with a steel drawer front below for continuity. We used banked drawers rather than cupboards for ease of access. We also installed new large appliances.
Coffee station, cookbooks, and spices:
We removed two clumsy closed pantries and an unused main door, and this allowed space for more cabinetry. We added an open shelf section with herringbone tile and a counter for a coffee station and cookbooks. Other features were a waste bin pullout with garbage bag storage and a tall spice pullout drawer.
The kitchen now has a big double-wide appliance garage where all small appliances are stored and organized in a big pantry with a light inside. All the appliances are front and centre (rather than buried in the back somewhere), yet hidden behind a door.
Flex space means other new spaces for everyone:
In creating a flex space for the mother on the main floor, the homeowners lost their space for a family room, although there is still a formal living and dining room on that floor. We solved it by creating a new finished basement with a family room to replace the one upstairs. This gives the family and the mother their own spaces and at the same time comfortable places for all of them.

Cramped kitchen be gone! That was the project motto and top priority. The goal was to transform the current layout from multiple smaller spaces into a connected whole that would activate the main level for our clients, a young family of four.
The biggest obstacle was the wall dividing the kitchen and the dining room. Removing this wall was central to opening up and integrating the main living spaces, but the existing ductwork that ran right through the center of the wall posed a design challenge, er design opportunity. The resulting design solution features a central pantry that captures the ductwork and provides valuable storage- especially when compared to the original kitchen's 18" wide pantry cabinet. The pantry also anchors the kitchen island and serves as a visual separation of space between the kitchen and homework area.
Through our design development process, we learned the formal living room was of no service to their lifestyle and therefore space they rarely spent time in. With that in mind, we proposed to eliminate the unused living room and make it the new dining room. Relocating the dining room to this space inherently felt right given the soaring ceiling and ample room for holiday dinners and celebrations. The new dining room was spacious enough for us to incorporate a conversational seating area in the warm, south-facing window alcove.
Now what to do with the old dining room?! To answer that question we took inspiration from our clients' shared profession in education and developed a craft area/homework station for both of their boys. The semi-custom cabinetry of the desk area carries over to the adjacent wall and forms window bench base with storage that we topped with butcher block for a touch of warmth. While the boys are young, the bench drawers are the perfect place for a stash of toys close to the kitchen.
The kitchen begins just beyond the window seat with their refrigerator enclosure. Opposite the refrigerator is the new pantry with twenty linear feet of shelving and space for brooms and a stick vacuum. Extending from the backside of the pantry the kitchen island design incorporates counter seating on the family room side and a cabinetry configuration on the kitchen side with drawer storage, a trashcan center, farmhouse sink, and dishwasher.
We took careful time in design and execution to align the range and sink because while it might seem like a small detail, it plays an important role in supporting the symmetrical configuration of the back wall of the kitchen. The rear wall design utilizes an appliance garage mirrors the visual impact of the refrigerator enclosure and helps keep the now open kitchen tidy. Between the appliance garage and refrigerator enclosure is the cooking zone with 30" of cabinetry and work surface on either side of the range, a chimney style vent hood, and a bold graphic tile backsplash.
The backsplash is just one of many personal touches we added to the space to reflect our client's modern eclectic style and love of color. Swooping lines of the mid-mod style barstools compliment the pendants and backsplash pattern. A pop of vibrant green on the frame of the pantry door adds a fresh wash of color to an otherwise neutral space. The big show stopper is the custom charcoal gray and copper chevron wall installation in the dining room. This was an idea our clients softly suggested, and we excitedly embraced the opportunity. It is also a kickass solution to the head-scratching design dilemma of how to fill a large and lofty wall.
We are so grateful to bring this design to life for our clients and now dear friends.

A cramped and dated kitchen becomes a light, bright, and spacious great room through the removal of a wall dividing the kitchen from the living and dining rooms. The new cabinet plan is expanded into an unused breakfast nook enlarging the functional space. Efficient storage is designed with the addition of a tall pantry cabinet fitted with roll-out shelves, ample use of convenient drawer storage, trash and recycling pull-out, and an appliance garage designed to hide away an assortment of countertop appliances. Pro-style appliances by Jennair make this kitchen a chef’s dream and thoughtful design details complete the overall look.

This home is a true gem in the heart of MacGregor Downs community in Cary, NC. Built in the 1980's in true Modernist design and architecture, the new owners wanted to keep the integrity of the original design. We redesigned the Half Bath, created floor plan layouts for new furniture, spec'd out furniture, accessories, flooring material, lighting, and artwork, as well as worked on brightening the wall and ceiling paint colors. One challenge we faced during the design process were the very tall ceilings, the very wide walls, and unusual angles. We chose interesting , engaging, and minimalistic artwork for the walls, which proved a successful solution. Another challenge was having a large open angled living room space; we created the perfect layout with separate functional gathering areas and eliminated unused corners.
Photo credit: Bob Fortner

Our clients came to our North Showroom in Cedar Park, TX wanting to completely renovate the outdated cabinets and countertops in their newly purchased home. The flow of the kitchen was not aligning with their new family needs, and the style did not match their modern vision. The dated kitchen left a lot of unused space, and had pain points that disturbed the flow and symmetry of the space. We developed a design to take advantage of the room height, spacious area, and natural light from the bay window nook area.
Our designer Dave met with the clients in the showroom and discovered the needs and wants to make the kitchen remodel a success. After understanding the client’s vision and requirements, they begun the collaboration on their kitchen design. During this phase we concluded we could achieve the kitchen design with in-stock cabinets from Kitchen Cabinet Distributors (KCD), a national recognized in-stock cabinet provider. We could have chosen a custom kitchen cabinetry line, however KCD’s offerings were the perfect fit for the design and allowed for an opportunity to save some of the budget for full quartz backsplash vs. tile. Our designers help you navigate the different lines we carry and are thoughtful to not steer you to more than you need to succeed. The first order of business was to change the orientation of the island, and move its position to frame the new galley arrangement. This would allow for better egress around the island and prevent tight spaces for a busy new kitchen.
Secondly, now was the time to take advantage of the room height and install new stacked wall cabinets with clear glass panels on the top row. This made the kitchen renovation feel more grand, bright, and inviting. The glass provided opportunity to tie in the lighting scheme and lend more warmth to the design. Coupled with the toe kick and under cabinet lights in the base cabinets, the kitchen invites you in. Dave also took full advantage of the kitchen layout by using upper cabinets and no open shelving.
We also wanted to find a new home for the built-in microwave as a stainless hood was now going to frame the cooktop / oven combo. We modified the cabinet in the island to trim in a microwave, at the same time keeping it out of view from the living area. Building on this approach, we also took the trash bin out of the kitchen space and provided a dedicated double trash bin cabinet. Aesthetics were very important in this design.

We were able to turn a dark unusable narrow kitchen into a bright functional open space. This kitchen has a new adjacent family room with a south-facing window seat.

A classic marble white and marble motif play beautifully off the weathered engineered wood flooring in the guest bathroom renovation. A walk in shower replaced the unused tub, and the frameless glass shower door and tiled wainscoting make this small space seem much larger than its footprint. A wall hung toilet and toe kick lighting expands the floor visually, allowing for the small tiled in window to truly brighten this small space. Marble countertops compliment the marbled sculpted large format Porcelanosa wall tile, and satin nickel fixtures pop against the white background. Truly a retreat!

This space was transformed from a decrepit unused garage to a vibrant finished living room.
Mid-century modern family room photo in Denver
Mid-century modern family room photo in Denver

In redesigning this second-floor guest bathroom, designer Jay Eiler wanted to extend the timeless look and feel that is featured throughout this elegant turn-of-the-century home. The result is a calm, serene space with custom finishes and a sophisticated color palette.
The bathroom was originally crowded and lacked natural flow, so the team took advantage of an unused storage area in the adjoining bedroom, and expanded the space to create a modern functional bathroom. A newly added transom window helped to make the room feel even more spacious and added warm natural light throughout.
On the floors, honed Calcutta Gold marble neatly borders the oval river shell mosaic tile. A Moroccan-shaped marble tile mosaic in a pale emerald shines against the crisp white subway glass tile in the shower. This luxurious steam shower features sleek fixtures, including an oversized rain shower head.
For the homeowners and their family, this peaceful and tranquil space has become the bath that everyone in the home wants to use.
Photo by: Alise O'Brien

We always recommend our clients think about how they will use their home in years to come - and that's just what this couple did! They were ready to remodel their master bathroom in their forever home and wanted to make sure they could enjoy it as long as possible. By removing the unused soaking tub, we were able to create a large, curbless walk-in shower with a relaxing area by the window. This master bathroom is the perfect size for this pair to enjoy now and in the future! And they even have extra room to display some of their sentimental art they've collected over the years. We really appreciate the opportunity to serve them and hope they enjoy the space for years to come.

We utilized the unused space under the stairs for a snack station. Since space was limited in this kitchen , this was an ideal spot for the microwave drawer.

We removed this unused whirlpool tub for a client that needed an easy access shower.
Inspiration for a large eclectic master brown tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and brown floor alcove shower remodel in Jacksonville with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops
Inspiration for a large eclectic master brown tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile and brown floor alcove shower remodel in Jacksonville with shaker cabinets, dark wood cabinets, a one-piece toilet, gray walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops and white countertops
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