Benjamin Benschneider
Beach style brown floor dining room photo in Seattle with beige walls

Master suite remodel by Kaufman Construction, Inc. "Scott and Teri envisioned a luxurious spa style master suite. Working with Kaufman Construction they were able to realize their vision....."

Photo of a mid-sized traditional shade front yard brick landscaping in Los Angeles.

Gordon Beall
Elegant living room photo in Boston

This client came to us looking for a space that would allow their children a place to hang out while still feeling at home. The versatility of finished concrete flooring works well to adapt to a variety of home styles, and works seamlessly with this Craftsman-style home. We worked with the client to decide that a darker reactive stain would really make the space feel warm, inviting, and comfortable. The look and feel of the floor with this stain selection would be similar to the pictures they provided of the look they were targeting when we started the selection process. The clients really embraced the existing cracks in the concrete, and thought they exhibited the character of the house – and we agree. When our team works on residential projects, it is imperative that we keep everything as clean and mess-free as possible for the client. For this reason, our first step was to apply RAM Board throughout the house where our equipment would be traveling. Tape and 24″ plastic were also applied to the walls of the basement to protect them. The original floor was rather new concrete with some cracks. Our team started by filling the cracks with a patching product. The grinding process then began, concrete reactive stain was applied in the color Wenge Wood, and then the floor was sealed with our two step concrete densification and stain-guard process. The 5 step polishing process was finished by bringing the floor to a 800-grit level. We were excited to see how the space came together after the rest of construction, which was overseen by the contractor Arbor Homes, was complete. View the gallery below to take a look!

Doug Petersen Photography
Inspiration for a study space and large transitional gender-neutral light wood floor and beige floor kids' study room remodel in Boise with beige walls

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

A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano

Californian natives, Australian, Mediterranean and succulents Daniel Bosler Photography
Inspiration for a small contemporary drought-tolerant and partial sun front yard concrete paver landscaping in Los Angeles.

Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional galley light wood floor and beige floor kitchen remodel in Montreal with shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, an island, an undermount sink and white countertops

Hunter Douglas designer roller screen shades diffuse the light but still allow for a fantastic view, as they roll up into the cassette headrail system. Photo by Marissa at Variety Blinds and Shutters.

©Edward Butera / ibi designs / Boca Raton, Florida
Example of a large 1960s great room design in Miami with white walls

Michele Lee Wilson
Living room - eclectic living room idea in San Francisco with blue walls

Design ideas for a small asian river rock garden path in Philadelphia.

Example of a large trendy multicolored three-story mixed siding flat roof design with a mixed material roof

Variety Blinds and Shutters also does custom eyebrow arch window treatments. Our client chose a a beautiful Hunter Douglas Applause Honeycomb Semi-Opaque shade for this bedroom. The Applause Honeycomb blackout cellular shades in the bottom three windows can stack at the tops of the windows to grant the couple a splendid Texas hill country view. The blackout shades are energy-efficient, and insulate the windows. Photo by Marissa of Variety Blinds and Shutters.

Photo: Michelle Schmauder
Inspiration for an industrial bathroom remodel in DC Metro

Mid-sized transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor eat-in kitchen photo in Columbus with an undermount sink, recessed-panel cabinets, green cabinets, marble countertops, white backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and white countertops

Design: Debby Ruskin, Ruskin Gardens Co. Photo: Hoi Ning Wong © 2014 Houzz
Inspiration for a traditional landscaping in San Francisco.