Basement - transitional basement idea in Chicago

Katina Bentley Photography
Example of a transitional basement design in Boston

Example of a mid-sized trendy straight staircase design in San Francisco

Dawn Smith Photography
Example of a huge urban freestanding desk carpeted and beige floor home studio design in Cincinnati with black walls and no fireplace

The mahogany wood paneling in the Formal Library has been French polished by hand to create a visibly stunning finish that is also wonderful to touch. Historic New York City Townhouse | Renovation by Brian O'Keefe Architect, PC, with Interior Design by Richard Keith Langham

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary master medium tone wood floor and brown floor bedroom remodel in DC Metro with no fireplace and gray walls

Image by Peter Rymwid Architectural Photography © 2014
Inspiration for a transitional light wood floor and beige floor dressing room remodel in New York with open cabinets and white cabinets

This area joins the gym area with the stairway with the sitting area and comes complete with a swing for the lofted area. The project was timber framed from the repurposed timbers of a tobacco barn and utilizes the stone and plank flooring throughout with aluminum ceiling sheets under Structural Insulated Panels. Timer Framer: Lancaster County Timber Frames /General Contractor: Historic Restorations

In this project Lazar has created another of his hyper-livable top floors—half indoors, half outdoors—that could arguably be the beating heart of the home. A sunny gathering space and gourmet kitchen are gathered under an elevated ceiling. Lined with windows and stocked with gleaming counters, the big room opens onto an equally spacious ocean-view deck that could morph either way: as everyday living space or party central. Thoughtfully designed by Steve Lazar design+build by South Swell. designbuildbysouthswell.com Photography by Laura Hull

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

The basement got a complete overhaul as well. New stairs with storage lead to a new guest suite and full bathroom. Additional game room, laundry room and utility space complete this basement remodel. Photo: Pete Eckert

Mid-sized elegant medium tone wood floor and brown floor home office library photo in New York with gray walls and no fireplace

Vivid colors add a touch of whimsy to this bright, spacious playroom, with moldings and built-ins inspired by classical and historical design precedents. Interior Architecture by Brian O'Keefe Architect, PC, with Interior Design by Marjorie Shushan. Featured in Architectural Digest. Photo by Liz Ordonoz.

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Large transitional look-out carpeted and brown floor basement photo in Denver with beige walls and no fireplace

We began to flesh out the space by creating focused areas for entertaining such as the sitting area by the tv with a big comfy leather sofa that can also lay flat to act as a bench or if the game goes into the wee hours it can be used as a bed to sleep. We know when there is a big game there is a need for ample seating so we also found wood chairs that had the nice bold curves and lines that tie the room together. We refinished the wood and re-upholstered the seats using repurposed leather scraps to create an aviator inspired custom seat cushion design. Photos by Keith Isaacs

Inspiration for a bedroom rustic gender-neutral carpeted kids' bedroom remodel in Minneapolis

Holland Photography - Cory Holland
Example of a transitional family room design in Seattle

Inckx Photography
Example of a large classic dark wood floor and brown floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Phoenix with multicolored walls and no fireplace

Photos by Kaity
Large trendy attached garage photo in Grand Rapids