Search results for "Useable" in Home Design Ideas

Northeast Portland is full of great old neighborhoods and houses bursting with character. The owners of this particular home had enjoyed their pink and blue bathroom’s quirky charm for years, but had finally outgrown its awkward layout and lack of functionality.
The Goal: Create a fresh, bright look for this bathroom that is both functional and fits the style of the home.
Step one was to establish the color scheme and style for our clients’ new bathroom. Bright whites and classic elements like marble, subway tile and penny-rounds helped establish a transitional style that didn’t feel “too modern” for the home.
When it comes to creating a more functional space, storage is key. The original bathroom featured a pedestal sink with no practical storage options. We designed a custom-built vanity with plenty of storage and useable counter space. And by opting for a durable, low-maintenance quartz countertop, we were able to create a beautiful marble-look without the hefty price-tag.
Next, we got rid of the old tub (and awkward shower outlet), and moved the entire shower-area to the back wall. This created a far more practical layout for this bathroom, providing more space for the large new vanity and the open, walk-in shower our clients were looking for.

After photos - completed kitchen!
Inspiration for an eclectic home design remodel in Denver
Inspiration for an eclectic home design remodel in Denver

This San Diego home exterior was remodeled with drought-resistant plants and materials, making this beautiful and tranquil hardscape. The hardscape extended the useable space well into the front-side yard with a matching firepit and seating space. What a relaxing way to enjoy the sunset in an easy-to-care-for front yard! www.choosechi.com. Photos by Scott Basile, Basile Photography.
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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.

Our challenge was to take a new build and create a setting that says it isn't. Dramatic tasteful lines, great textures and material choices made this home a pleasure to work with.
Granite from the house was taken as a lead and pulled down as part of the stone mix into everything from the driveway borders to columns to walling and finally to the barbeque. Gentle but confident lines mixed with deep plantings and a lovely sunken backyard sitting area creates a solid,
well-grounded useable space.

Part of a major renovation that touched all corners of a 120-year-old Bloomfield home, this project is full of style and charming Victorian details.
As an avid home cook, one of our client’s top priorities was maximizing storage throughout the space. To make the compact kitchen more functional, we removed a small peninsula containing the sink and dishwasher which was splitting the space in half. We also adjusted the size of the windows, bringing them above countertop height which allowed for a new “U-shaped” layout. What this room lacked in useable wall space was made up for in height — we took advantage of the generous 9-foot tall space, bringing the custom cabinetry all the way to the ceiling. Our client also opted for a slightly smaller Euro-style refrigerator, allowing for even more storage along that wall.
Central to the refrigerator, eco-friendly induction range, and farmhouse style sink, a hand carved antique Spanish work table provides the perfect prep zone, complete with an adjustable high-low fluted ceramic pendant above. A few other places where form meets function: a brass hanging rail along the range wall, a custom integral drainboard in the soapstone countertop, under cabinet lighting and hidden outlets, cushioned anti-fatigue Marmoleum sheet flooring, and a show-stopping gantry style faucet in a living unlacquered brass finish.

Based on extensive interviews with our clients, one of our challenges of this job was to provide a practical and useable home for a couple who worked hard and played hard. They wanted a home that would be comfortable for them and since they entertained often, they required function yet desired drama and style. We worked with them from the ground up, selecting finishes, materials and fixtures for the entire home. We achieved comfort by using deep furniture pieces with white goose down cushions, suitable for curling up on. Colors and materials were selected based on rich tones and textures to provide drama while keeping with the practicality they desired. We also used eclectic pieces like the oversized chair and ottoman in the great room to add an unexpected yet comfortable touch. The chair is of a Balinese style with a unique wood frame offering a graceful balance of curved and straight lines. The floor plan was created to be conducive to traffic flow, necessary for entertaining.
The other challenge we faced, was to give each room its own identity while maintaining a consistent flow throughout the home. Each space shares a similar color palette, attention to detail and uniqueness, while the furnishings, draperies and accessories provide individuality to each room.

New construction and original landscaping completed in 2010. Original design had boulders between the driveway and home to minimize the stop and create curb appeal. An assortment of unusual trees (lions head maple, moon rise maple, hinokie cypress, twisted baby locus, and paper bark maple and others) were installed to compliment the home on the naturally wooded lot. Many different perennials and flowering shrubs were installed between these unique specimen trees to provide interest throughout the year.
Phase 2 was initiated by the homeowner in 2016 were we landscaped the backyard, which was overgrown with wild trees. It was cleared to create a more useable space and play area for children. Our design team created a master landscape plan and was an integral part with the approval process with the municipality. We worked in tandem with an engineering firm to design and install a bio-retention pond. The pond was designed to take all of the runoff from the newly landscaped backyard. Wet loving plants were incorporated into the pond to beautify the area and absorb the water. A custom, multi-level play set was installed over artificial turf to blend with the newly expanded lawn area. An assortment of trees, shrubs and perennial were installed on the hillside separating the upper yard and newly expanded lower area. Low voltage landscape lighting was expanded to highlight the new plantings and provide light for the children to play in the evening. Our landscape design complimented he newly installed covered outdoor living space.

Door at left prevented full depth vanity across entire width. Useable drawers were provided under sink, notched around plumbing. Philip Wegener Photography

Stamped Concrete Patio and a Pink Cordyline
Inspiration for a mediterranean landscaping in Santa Barbara.
Inspiration for a mediterranean landscaping in Santa Barbara.

Before & After entertainment wall area. Client wanted to fill in the cut out and add some storage to make it more of a useable space. 1 week turnaround.

Enlarged kitchen by removing a wall, back door & window, creating a U-shaped kitchen. Stainless steel appliance. Useable comer cabinets; cloud like trays.

This was a very cool outdoor project. This house originally did not have a deck, but the homeowners didn’t want to keep going through the basement to go outside to the backyard. We designed a deck with an upcoming patio in mind. I designed the deck and a proposed patio idea, then we hooked up with my landscaper Pat with Earthly Possibilities to create the below the deck living. We used Timbertech Decking Terrain Series (Sandy Birch for the main color then accented it with Rustic Elm for the Picture Frame). To make below more useable, we installed Trex’s Rain Escape System then installed a ceiling with Azek’s PVC Ceiling. In the ceiling we had a few LED lights installed along with a ceiling fan. Pat then installed the patio pavers and custom firepit. This complete project turned out great so the homeowner can entertain and enjoy their new backyard this year!

This home make full use of Victorian Porch Spindles, paneled column pedestals, and round tapered columns, which come together to offer great curb appeal as well as useability.

William Morris Acanthus Design
19th century shown in documented color
80% Worsted Wool, 20% Nylon
Suitable for heavy traffic
Useable for stair runners, area rug and wall to wall
Cut or loop,pile
Custom colors and borders available

This kitchen renovation involved increasing the useability of the space by opening the support wall between the kitchen and the dining room, which the customer thought was a great idea. The result is nothing short of amazing, with much more light able to get into the dining area, and the increased convenience of the kitchen and dining areas being more closely connected. wow!!!

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.

After photos - completed kitchen!
Large eclectic u-shaped ceramic tile eat-in kitchen photo in Denver with a double-bowl sink, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, stone slab backsplash, paneled appliances and an island
Large eclectic u-shaped ceramic tile eat-in kitchen photo in Denver with a double-bowl sink, dark wood cabinets, granite countertops, stone slab backsplash, paneled appliances and an island

This yard needed a lot of work and the family was more than ready for some big changes. They wanted to go up on their slope to gain more space and make their backyard more cozy and aesthetically appealing, we did just that for them by building a wall to retain a lot of dirt and we stuccoed it with santa barbara smooth finish, at the same time we made the wall useable as we converted a portion of it into a water feature. We also added a modern fire pit for all the cozy vibes and get-togethers. The family requested a custom built jacuzzi area, we installed a prefab jacuzzi into our custom made deck for them. We also revamped their existing outdoor kitchen and patio cover so that way it matches with the new look of their backyard. Overall the family was overjoyed with how well everything looked!

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).
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