Located on a heritage-lined street in Melbourne’s Williamstown, a young family were seeking a contemporary home with ample room to grow. Benni Trajcevski of Achieve Design Group answered their call, creating the epitome of modern living concealed behind a modest façade. To achieve the long wish list including large indoor and outdoor gathering spaces to entertain family and friends, separate adult and children living and sleeping zones, and a pool suitable for year-round use, Benni has maximised every inch of the block. Seamless transitional spaces link inside with out. This flow between the indoors and outdoors is a key feature of the home, achieved through generous open floor planning and glazing. For example, large hidden sliding doors allow the pool to be closed-off for use in winter; acrylic glass panels link the pool with the sunken lounge, which includes a fire pit for year-round comfort. The inclusion of a courtyard and voids throughout create separate useable zones while maintaining the feeling of spaciousness. Orientated to the north and surrounded with floor to ceiling windows to optimise natural light, the courtyard divides the formal lounge area with the informal living area, while the first floor is divided into four separate wings for privacy and functionality. The interiors are detailed with quality materials and finishes to achieve a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic. Contrasting materials in muted tones, including tiles, steel and lightweight timbers are featured throughout. Corian and a moss green wall are unexpected features.

This project is the definition of where the finesse of craftsmanship and structural brute must meet and far exceed client expectations. ​ The massive undertaking of excavating 700 cubic yards of soil to add a new basement below the existing structure took this 2-story home to 4,000 square feet. This now 3-story Victorian boasts 1,800 additional square feet of useable space including a third living room with soundproof insulation and custom built-in cabinetry, a wet bar, full bathroom with Waterworks fixtures and intricate marble tile, private office, laundry room equipped with a chute from every floor, and a gym & guest room. ​ Restoring, the original upper 2 floors of this stunning Victorian to its former glory was another challenge in and of itself. Rehabbing vaulted coved ceilings & original early 19th century mantels, renovating the bedrooms and bathrooms, updating the kitchen and creating an indoor/outdoor experience by installing doors in the former window locations between the dining room and patio were just a few key elements of this project.

Multi-paneled LaCantina doors extend the living room to the outdoors for endless space for guests and a cool breeze while dining. The true meaning of open concept: the inside opening to the outside, a warm breeze entering the living room. These doors double the amount of useable space.

Simple bath remodel. KraftMaid Cabinetry. Doorstyle is Torrington Cherry Peppercorn Finish purchased through Home Depot. Vanity collection with custom end panel. Matching cherry peppercorn mirror frame. We also trimmed out the top of the tile with some panel molding in the same peppercorn cherry finish. Countertop is Quartz also made by KraftMaid. Color is Bramble. 8 useable drawers!

Located on a heritage-lined street in Melbourne’s Williamstown, a young family were seeking a contemporary home with ample room to grow. Benni Trajcevski of Achieve Design Group answered their call, creating the epitome of modern living concealed behind a modest façade. To achieve the long wish list including large indoor and outdoor gathering spaces to entertain family and friends, separate adult and children living and sleeping zones, and a pool suitable for year-round use, Benni has maximised every inch of the block. Seamless transitional spaces link inside with out. This flow between the indoors and outdoors is a key feature of the home, achieved through generous open floor planning and glazing. For example, large hidden sliding doors allow the pool to be closed-off for use in winter; acrylic glass panels link the pool with the sunken lounge, which includes a fire pit for year-round comfort. The inclusion of a courtyard and voids throughout create separate useable zones while maintaining the feeling of spaciousness. Orientated to the north and surrounded with floor to ceiling windows to optimise natural light, the courtyard divides the formal lounge area with the informal living area, while the first floor is divided into four separate wings for privacy and functionality. The interiors are detailed with quality materials and finishes to achieve a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic. Contrasting materials in muted tones, including tiles, steel and lightweight timbers are featured throughout. Corian and a moss green wall are unexpected features.

The family at this Roswell, Georgia retaining wall project wanted more functional space in their backyard. The property had failing cross-tie timber retaining walls which we removed, along with twenty-seven truckloads of dirt behind them, before installing five retaining wall systems in order increase the useable space between three and four times.

This bright and light kitchen project required us extending the kitchen into the dinette area and removing a window to get a better flow. Luckily there were 3 large windows, so we decided removing one wouldn't significantly decrease the amount of natural light. It was a good trade for form and function. We were able to increase the work surfaces to create a much more useable kitchen that fit all the necessities and even had room for extra. We added pull outs and functional accessories to make it an easy to use space. We supplemented the natural light with a solar tube and plenty of installed light with 2 sizes of adjustable output and temperature LED ceiling cans for layers of light.

Charity Snyder
Eat-in kitchen - small traditional l-shaped dark wood floor eat-in kitchen idea in Miami with an undermount sink, raised-panel cabinets, white cabinets, granite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and no island

360 Home Tours

This beautiful 1950's craftsman needed a redo, inside and out. After gutting it down to it's studs, the main floor and basement were redesigned for much more useable space. Three tiny bedrooms upstairs became a large master with a double sink on suite and a guest bedroom with a beautiful new bathroom. The stairway that was in the kitchen was relocated so the kitchen became larger and much more usable. The basement went from a red and orange monstrosity to a soothing family room, bedroom and new bathroom as well as an updated laundry room and storage closet. New windows and doors, as well as an egress window was added to make it code compliant. A new roof and fireplace finished off the remodel of this cozy, colorful craftsman cottage. Photos were taken by Moore House Photos by Jett (Jett Moore Photographer).

Reface or replace? Well, this is a reface. This kitchen is a typical 1980’s honey oak kitchen that has now become outdated. Some alterations to the kitchen were required to make it more useable and comfortable for the home owner. There was an upper corner cabinet that went to the counter top and included a “bread” cupboard. This was removed and replaced with a standard corner cabinet. We also added a waste/recycle station beside the dishwasher and extended the cabinetry around the outside corner to include and tie in a shallow drawer home organization station. The doors were replaced and the finishing was done on site. We also converted the cupboard to the left of the stove into a bank of drawers. New laminate counter tops that look like marble, under cabinet lighting, and back splash bring this kitchen into the 21st century.

Inspiration for a contemporary patio remodel in San Francisco

By organizing the garage, we created additional square footage of useable space. The garage became an extension of the basement, where the client can enjoy working on projects, work-out in the home gym, while having space for additional storage. Having a clearly labeled system ensures that the client is set up for success in staying organized.

This compact kitchen incorporates euro style, frameless cabinetry, with a maple/matt white combination. The walnut spice shelf inserted into the wall adds character and useable shelving. The backsplash accent tile makes a bold statement and adds a fun element to the kitchen. Pushing the sink into the corner allowed for a larger prep area within the limited space, tailored to the homeowners specific needs.

This new build eco home in Bristol used a range of techniques and reclaimed materials in a pragmatic process aimed at maximising its ecological credentials whilst minimising its initial capital investment. Aesthetically it took influence from the mismatched beauty of Bristol with a wealth of styles and era’s contradictorily played against each other to produce a juxtaposition of historic and contemporary. Its large front windows celebrate a view out over most of the city and tie it to the street scene which it fronts. It is not a house for those seeking privacy, its owners wanted to be part of the community. That said certain aspects were concealed to allow privacy where needed, the bedrooms are buried into the hillside both privatising and excluding road noise. The bathrooms and utility etc were tucked around a rising circulation core and a rear corridor given visual independence by being painted entirely yellow. Externally a full landscaping design was prepared and implemented including over 6 flights of stairs and a number of terraces and planting banks to create the wealth of spaces maximising useable areas around the house.

This kitchen in Providence, RI was just redone with the design ideas of Leah Ehrenhaus. She turned an original 1960's kitchen into a more useable and gorgeous space. The subway tiles on the wall, the very cool vent fan over the stove, creative use of a narrow island created additional work and storage space. This combined with new stainless appliances and a very interesting maple hard wood floor made for a very happy client.

Located on a steep hill above downtown Ventura, this modern Spanish house features panoramic views of town with the ocean and Channel Islands beyond. While the views are amazing from a large front deck, the steep slope presented some constraints on the landscape design. Although the property is about a third-of-an-acre, the only useable and open garden space is a small (about 500 square feet) area to the West of the house. The house sits at the back of the property, and another steep hill on the neighboring property behind is held back by a tall retaining wall, leaving just enough room for a narrow, hardscaped patio in the back yard. Bright plantings along the back of the property delineate the home from the neighboring property, and we chose plantings to help stabilize the soil and further develop the Spanish garden look while creating a lush, inviting feel. Additionally, we added 52 pieces of pottery to soften and add interest to the back garden and patio areas. Succulents, herbs, and California natives fill the pottery along with bright, sweet-smelling, tropical-looking, and climate-appropriate plants. Slope stabilization was paramount for the front hill. Beyond that, finding plants that would thrive on the steep slope was the next obstacle. Finally, the aesthetics could be addressed, and we worked to find plants that meshed with the architecture—blending plants with white and orange to play off the red-tiled roofs and white-plastered walls that are emblematic of the Spanish style of this house as well as the predominate style of the neighborhood. The flattish area to the West was designed with the idea of creating a contemporary take on the parterre garden. Reminiscent of Mediterranean gardens, this vegetable and herb garden substitutes formal hedges with formal Corten steel planters to honor the modern Spanish architecture of the house. The citrus, herbs, and vegetables serve the foodie clients well.

Inspiration for a mediterranean landscaping in Santa Barbara.

This project is the definition of where the finesse of craftsmanship and structural brute must meet and far exceed client expectations. ​ The massive undertaking of excavating 700 cubic yards of soil to add a new basement below the existing structure took this 2-story home to 4,000 square feet. This now 3-story Victorian boasts 1,800 additional square feet of useable space including a third living room with soundproof insulation and custom built-in cabinetry, a wet bar, full bathroom with Waterworks fixtures and intricate marble tile, private office, laundry room equipped with a chute from every floor, and a gym & guest room. ​ Restoring, the original upper 2 floors of this stunning Victorian to its former glory was another challenge in and of itself. Rehabbing vaulted coved ceilings & original early 19th century mantels, renovating the bedrooms and bathrooms, updating the kitchen and creating an indoor/outdoor experience by installing doors in the former window locations between the dining room and patio were just a few key elements of this project.