Ward Jewell, AIA was asked to design a comfortable one-story stone and wood pool house that was "barn-like" in keeping with the owner’s gentleman farmer concept. Thus, Mr. Jewell was inspired to create an elegant New England Stone Farm House designed to provide an exceptional environment for them to live, entertain, cook and swim in the large reflection lap pool. Mr. Jewell envisioned a dramatic vaulted great room with hand selected 200 year old reclaimed wood beams and 10 foot tall pocketing French doors that would connect the house to a pool, deck areas, loggia and lush garden spaces, thus bringing the outdoors in. A large cupola “lantern clerestory” in the main vaulted ceiling casts a natural warm light over the graceful room below. The rustic walk-in stone fireplace provides a central focal point for the inviting living room lounge. Important to the functionality of the pool house are a chef’s working farm kitchen with open cabinetry, free-standing stove and a soapstone topped central island with bar height seating. Grey washed barn doors glide open to reveal a vaulted and beamed quilting room with full bath and a vaulted and beamed library/guest room with full bath that bookend the main space. The private garden expanded and evolved over time. After purchasing two adjacent lots, the owners decided to redesign the garden and unify it by eliminating the tennis court, relocating the pool and building an inspired "barn". The concept behind the garden’s new design came from Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello with its wandering paths, orchards, and experimental vegetable garden. As a result this small organic farm, was born. Today the farm produces more than fifty varieties of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers; many of which are rare and hard to find locally. The farm also grows a wide variety of fruits including plums, pluots, nectarines, apricots, apples, figs, peaches, guavas, avocados (Haas, Fuerte and Reed), olives, pomegranates, persimmons, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and ten different types of citrus. The remaining areas consist of drought-tolerant sweeps of rosemary, lavender, rockrose, and sage all of which attract butterflies and dueling hummingbirds. Photo Credit: Laura Hull Photography. Interior Design: Jeffrey Hitchcock. Landscape Design: Laurie Lewis Design. General Contractor: Martin Perry Premier General Contractors

  Free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW   The Klimala’s and their three kids are no strangers to moving, this being their fifth house in the same town over the 20-year period they have lived there. “It must be the 7-year itch, because every seven years, we seem to find ourselves antsy for a new project or a new environment. I think part of it is being a designer, I see my own taste evolve and I want my environment to reflect that. Having easy access to wonderful tradesmen and a knowledge of the process makes it that much easier”. This time, Klimala’s fell in love with a somewhat unlikely candidate. The 1950’s ranch turned cape cod was a bit of a mutt, but it’s location 5 minutes from their design studio and backing up to the high school where their kids can roll out of bed and walk to school, coupled with the charm of its location on a private road and lush landscaping made it an appealing choice for them. “The bones of the house were really charming. It was typical 1,500 square foot ranch that at some point someone added a second floor to. Its sloped roofline and dormered bedrooms gave it some charm.” With the help of architect Maureen McHugh, Klimala’s gutted and reworked the layout to make the house work for them. An open concept kitchen and dining room allows for more frequent casual family dinners and dinner parties that linger. A dingy 3-season room off the back of the original house was insulated, given a vaulted ceiling with skylights and now opens up to the kitchen. This room now houses an 8’ raw edge white oak dining table and functions as an informal dining room. “One of the challenges with these mid-century homes is the 8’ ceilings. I had to have at least one room that had a higher ceiling so that’s how we did it” states Klimala. The kitchen features a 10’ island which houses a 5’0” Galley Sink. The Galley features two faucets, and double tiered rail system to which accessories such as cutting boards and stainless steel bowls can be added for ease of cooking. Across from the large sink is an induction cooktop. “My two teen daughters and I enjoy cooking, and the Galley and induction cooktop make it so easy.” A wall of tall cabinets features a full size refrigerator, freezer, double oven and built in coffeemaker. The area on the opposite end of the kitchen features a pantry with mirrored glass doors and a beverage center below. The rest of the first floor features an entry way, a living room with views to the front yard’s lush landscaping, a family room where the family hangs out to watch TV, a back entry from the garage with a laundry room and mudroom area, one of the home’s four bedrooms and a full bath. There is a double sided fireplace between the family room and living room. The home features pops of color from the living room’s peach grass cloth to purple painted wall in the family room. “I’m definitely a traditionalist at heart but because of the home’s Midcentury roots, I wanted to incorporate some of those elements into the furniture, lighting and accessories which also ended up being really fun. We are not formal people so I wanted a house that my kids would enjoy, have their friends over and feel comfortable.” The second floor houses the master bedroom suite, two of the kids’ bedrooms and a back room nicknamed “the library” because it has turned into a quiet get away area where the girls can study or take a break from the rest of the family. The area was originally unfinished attic, and because the home was short on closet space, this Jack and Jill area off the girls’ bedrooms houses two large walk-in closets and a small sitting area with a makeup vanity. “The girls really wanted to keep the exposed brick of the fireplace that runs up the through the space, so that’s what we did, and I think they feel like they are in their own little loft space in the city when they are up there” says Klimala. Designed by: Susan Klimala, CKD, CBD Photography by: Carlos Vergara For more information on kitchen and bath design ideas go to: www.kitchenstudio-ge.com

Design ideas for a large modern landscaping.

Our client desired a functional, tasteful, and improved environment to compliment their home. The overall goal was to create a landscape that was subtle and not overdone. The client was highly focused on their deck environment that would span across the rear of the house with an area for a Jacuzzi as well. A portion of the deck has a screened in porch due to the naturally buggy environment since the home is situated in the woods and a low area. A mosquito repellent injection system was incorporated into the irrigation system to help with the bug issue. We improved circulation of the driveway, increased the overall curb appeal of the entrance of the home, and created a scaled and proportional outdoor living environment for the clients to enjoy. The client has religious guidelines that needed to be adhered to with the overall function and design of the landscape, which included an arbor over the deck to support a Sukkah and a Green Egg smoker to cook Kosher foods. Two columns were added at the driveway entrance with lights to help define their driveway entrance since it's the end of a long pipe-stem. New light fixtures were also added to the rear of the house. Our client desired multiple amenities with a limited budget, so everything had to be value engineered through the design and construction process. There is heavy deer pressure on the site, a mosquito issue, low site elevations, flat topography, poor soil, and overall poor drainage of the site. The original driveway was not sized appropriately and the front porch had structural issues, as well as leaked water onto the landing below. The septic tank was also situated close to the rear of the house and had to be contemplated during the design process. Photography: Morgan Howarth. Landscape Architect: Howard Cohen, Surrounds Inc.

Teresa Watkins
Photo of a large tropical full sun backyard gravel formal garden in Orlando for spring.

Diablo Flooring, Inc - Founded in Pleasanton, CA. We our a family-owned, boutique Carpet & Hardwood Flooring business. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IN DANVILLE, CA & WALNUT CREEK, CA 3 Locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Pleasanton,CA 94566 Danville,CA 94526 Walnut Creek,CA 94596 Pleasanton Showroom Monday - Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 PM Sunday : Closed 5600-D Sunol Blvd Pleasanton, CA 94566 Tel: 925-426-7847 (RUGS) Fax: 925-426-7845 Danville Showroom Monday - Friday 10:00 - 5:00 PM Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 PM 112 West Linda Mesa Ave Danville,CA 94526 Tel: 925-314-9663 (WOOD) Fax: 925-314-9664 Walnut Creek Showroom Monday - Friday 10:00 - 5:00 PM Saturday 10:00 - 5:00 PM 1813 Mt. Diablo Blvd Walnut Creek,CA 94596 Tel: 925-988-9663 (WOOD) Fax: 925-988-9664 Our soft-sell approach is to listen to your objectives and help you make the best choices. Let your creativity and personal preferences guide you. Take samples of your favorites to show your family or your client in their intended environment. Take your time. Diablo Flooring will provide you with as much support as you need throughout the process, so bring your excitement and enthusiasm; we know you’ll be thrilled with the end result. Others may match or beat our price. But others will never be able to match our expertise, our selection and our commitment to providing our customers the best value on every product we sell and install. The home furnishings industry is not known for its state of the art training, its customer friendly sales or even its fast and professional installation.

Eco-friendly wood blinds offer privacy while preserving the environment.

Teresa Watkins
Design ideas for a large tropical full sun backyard gravel formal garden in Orlando for spring.

Both clients were art aficionados, and she was a board member of the American Crafts Council. Both reveled in the quirky merging of nostalgia with modernity of the Postmodern style in full bloom back then. So the folding screen wall and glass block daylight openings street-side are symbols announcing that the occupants value their privacy.

DJK Custom Homes
Example of a huge farmhouse open concept dark wood floor and brown floor family room design in Chicago with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

DJK Custom Homes
Inspiration for a large country master carpeted and white floor bedroom remodel in Chicago with beige walls

Project Homeworks takes a balanced approach to their job: clients needs, trends and budget. At Project Homeworks we value and respect our clients and strive to produce pleasing results for them and their environment in an efficient and timely manner. Cyndi began her decorating experience working for a specialty home decor and linen store, where she found her interest growing towards window displays for the company. Over the years, she honed her skills of interior design, such as colour and balance, through building several of her and her husband's homes. This grew into a business and Project:Homeworks was born in 2000. After several lottery houses, showrooms and private residences, Cyndi continues to find enjoyment and satisfaction in creating a warm environment for Project:Homeworks clientele

We just finished installing this gorgeous Valor 530 Windsor Arch. A fireplace should both complement and add value to a home. This was absolutely the perfect choice for this space.

DJK Custom Homes
Example of a huge farmhouse open concept dark wood floor and brown floor family room design in Chicago with beige walls, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv

Learn about why eco-friendly furniture is here to stay and why we stand for its value.
Example of a mountain style dining room design in San Francisco

Teresa Watkins
Photo of a traditional landscaping in Orlando.

UnionMain Homes at Lake Breeze is a new master-planned community in Lavon, Texas that opened on February 6, 2023. Lake Breeze offers spacious, modern floor plans on oversized lots with close access to Lake Lavon in the Community ISD. With a wide range of floorplans and lot sizes, there’s something for everyone. UnionMain Homes offers 40-foot and 50-foot homesites each with distinct floorplans. The 40-foot floor plans come equipped with numerous upgrades, including signature design package finishes. Choose between 3-floor plan options with 4+ bedrooms and 2.5-4 baths, ranging from 2,728 -3,272 square feet to fit the needs of your family. There are 6 front entry 50-foot floor plan options to choose from, offering 3+ bedrooms and 2.5-4 baths ranging from 2,224 – 3,448 square feet equipped with design package finishes. “This neighborhood truly exemplifies the UnionMain Homes brand and lifestyle for which we are known,” said Tim Gehan, UnionMain Homes CEO. “With our most popular features already included and personalization options available through our preselected design packages, we continue to offer our residents the best in luxury living in the most desirable locations in the Dallas area.” In Lake Breeze, you’ll enjoy a small-town, family-friendly identity with a relaxed rural setting in one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas. This lakeside community is within mere minutes of some of Colin County’s best shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. With easy access to Interstate 30 and Highway 78 enjoy access to all that Dallas – Fort Worth has to offer. As a Lake Breeze homeowner, you’ll join a community where your children’s education is a top priority. Community ISD has received numerous accolades due to the hard work of students, teachers, curriculum staff, and campus leadership. The school district believes in providing every student with every opportunity to succeed and offers a variety of competitive sports and provides a high-quality fine arts education. About UnionMain Homes Combining over 75 years of homebuilding experience, our commitment to creating better living environments remains unwavering. We build with the latest energy-efficient construction materials and use cutting-edge approaches to deliver comfortable, eco-friendly homes that ensure long-lasting enjoyment and higher resale values. But we don’t just focus on life inside the home- we believe in building community through each sought-after location we carefully select to build in, to truly enhance the lives of our customers. To learn more about UnionMain Homes in Lake Breeze, visit our website here or visit our model at 711 Oak Street Lavon, Texas 75166. This Home of the Week is presented by the Dallas Builders Association. For information on the Association please visit www.dallasbuilders.com.