Living Room in East London house
Living room - 1960s living room idea in London

One of the most unique features of the home is the glass door in the living room. Powered like an automatic garage door, the wall retracts up to the ceiling at the press of a button. The door, as all windows throughout the home, was fabricated with double-pane glass to keep out noise and cold temperatures. The sofa and ottoman were designed by Robert and Cortney for CB2. Completely modular, it can be configured in a variety of ways and colors. By implementing a tray onto the ottoman, the piece can go from extra seating to a tabletop in a flash. Photo: Adrienne DeRosa Photography © 2014 Houzz Design: Cortney and Robert Novogratz

Inspiration for a timeless kitchen remodel in Austin with medium tone wood cabinets

Kitchen - cottage light wood floor kitchen idea in Charlotte with a farmhouse sink, beaded inset cabinets, marble countertops, gray backsplash, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances

colorful kid bedroom
Example of a mid-sized minimalist dark wood floor bedroom design in Toronto with white walls and no fireplace

relaxing bedroom
Inspiration for a large modern guest marble floor bedroom remodel in Toronto with beige walls and no fireplace

Gentiana andrewsii / closed gentian
Inspiration for a landscaping in St Louis.

Lee Manning Photography
Example of a mid-sized farmhouse u-shaped medium tone wood floor eat-in kitchen design in Los Angeles with a farmhouse sink, shaker cabinets, gray cabinets, soapstone countertops, green backsplash, ceramic backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

The design plays off of the many different elements of water, represented through the color palette, textiles, fixtures, artwork and even in the ceiling detail. Using cool colors to evoke a sense of calm and well-being, Dominique strived to create a tranquil environment where families can seek refuge from the harshness of reality. The room design emphasizes the use of natural light with minimalistic, clean-lines to elicit an uplifting and soothing environmental feel. The intent was to keep the design sophisticated and refined, while tastefully incorporating fun and whimsical elements throughout; making this safe haven, a ‘home-away-from-home’ for each family that the Ronald McDonald House serves.

Wood reclaimed from barns in upstate New York for the beams and cross-beams and Oklahoma flagstone brings a warm and rustic outdoor feel to this unique outdoor living space. This new addition complements the home as well as being reminiscent of the home owner’s Wisconsin house. Within you will discover a custom wood-fired pizza oven and outdoor fireplace built with the same stone. Completing this outdoor living space design, we included custom heaters and motorized retractable screens creating an enclosed patio so that the homeowners could enjoy their backyard year-round. Hidden within the archways, the screens are unnoticeable when the homeowners choose to enjoy the breeze. These screens can be installed on new structures, as well as retrofitted for pre-existing structures. One Specialty also constructed the retaining wall with archway, gate and fencing. The custom landscaping and landscape lighting finish the entire project. http://www.onespecialty.com/reclaimed-retreat/

The sleek lines of this grey granite vanity top complement the Craftsman style cabinetry and unify the diverse tones of the slate floor and shower tiles. Under-mount double sinks maintain a clean, uninterrupted horizontal plane. Photo:David Dietrich

Example of a transitional bedroom design in Austin

Example of a mid-sized transitional open concept medium tone wood floor and brown floor living room design in Edmonton with beige walls, a two-sided fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

Marisa Vitale Photography
Great room - mid-century modern medium tone wood floor and brown floor great room idea in Los Angeles with white walls, a two-sided fireplace and a tile fireplace

Jim Schmid Photography
Bathroom - large coastal master stone slab light wood floor bathroom idea in Charlotte with beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, green walls, an undermount sink, onyx countertops and green countertops

Agastache rupestris / Threadleaf giant hyssop
Inspiration for a landscaping in Denver.

Kitchen - industrial kitchen idea in San Francisco

Chris and Sofia of Arlington Heights knew when they purchased their home that they would finish the basement. They needed a space for the kids to hang out, for family and friends to stay, and to have a better space for hosting holidays and parties. The dark unfinished space went mostly unused for three years, but once their kids reached the ideal age for use of a well-built basement, they moved ahead with their plan. “The old basement was dark and cold, and the kids came down and played, but they didn’t like it. The new space is like a whole other house, so we have this space for family game nights and for watching games or Super Bowl parties,” Chris said. The couple found Advance Design Studio through a friend who had their entire home renovated by the remodeling company. After the initial meeting and visiting the showroom, Chris and Sofia were positive that Advance Design was the company that could best turn their unfinished basement into a family friendly space for everyone to enjoy. “We really liked the showroom, we liked being able to choose all of those finishes and meet with them in one place,” Chris said. A Custom Space for a Family with Multiple Needs The project began with a fireplace focal point complete with an amazing entertainment wall, a fantastic full kitchen complete with every amenity, and a brand new full bath. The new basement truly has a space for everyone. If the kids want to watch a movie and hang out on the couch they can, if family wants to play games and have a pizza party on the large island they can, and if guests want to stay over night on the pull-out sofa they can enjoy the entire private “suite” complete with a full bath. It is the true definition of a multifunctional basement. The stunning, full kitchen is the highlight of this now bright and airy basement. You walk down the stairs and are immediately impressed with the detailed metal tile work on the ceiling, bringing to mind the classic feel of a comfortable old pub. Cherry Merlot cabinets provide a rich contrast against the soft neutral walls and the contrasting copper tin ceiling tile and backsplash. Rich Santa Cecelia granite countertops pair nicely with timeless stonework on the outer walls. The island is large enough to provide a more than adequate entertaining space, and provides plenty of both seating and storage. The well-appointed kitchen houses a regular size refrigerator, a full size oven for pizza parties and cookie baking anytime, a microwave oven as well as complete sink and trash set up. One could easily do without a home kitchen forever in this generously designed secondary space! The fireplace and buffet wall seating area is the ideal place to watch movies or sporting events. The coordinating stonework on the fireplace flows throughout the basement, and a burnt orange accent wall brings color and warmth to otherwise ordinary basement space. The Elite Merlot media buffet compliments the kitchen as well as provides storage and a unique functional display option, giving this part of the basement a sophisticated, yet functional feel. The full bath is complete with a unique furniture style cherry DuraSupreme vanity and matching custom designed mirror. The weathered look to the cabinets and mirror give the bathroom some earthy texture as does the stone floor in the walk-in shower. Soft blue makes the space a spa-like mini retreat, and the handsome wall to wall tile and granite speak luxury at every corner. Advance Design added clever custom storage spaces to take advantage of otherwise wasted corners. They built a custom mudroom for the kids to house their sports equipment and a handy built in bench area with basket pull outs for a custom home gym. “They were able to custom fit this second mudroom with the lockers and the bench, they were able to custom build that, so the kids could store all of their equipment down here for the sports that they are in,” Chris said. They Got The Amazing Space They Had Envisioned for Years! The basement Chris and Sofia had envisioned had come to life in a few short months of planning, design and construction, just a perfect fit in the summer months. Advance Design Studio was able to design and build a custom, multifunctional space that the whole family can enjoy. “I would recommend Advance Design because of the showroom, because of the cleanliness on the jobsite and the professionalism, combined with Christine’s design side as well as Todd’s builder’s side - it’s nice to have it all together,” reminisced Chris after the project was complete.

C.Bernstein added a practical, feature for the supreme chef of the house: a copper herb bin that drains directly into the sink drain. No more over watering and flooding the plants! The copper spray faucet facilitates the growth of culinary and medicinal herbs. Photography: Robin G. London