Inspired by the majesty of the Northern Lights and this family's everlasting love for Disney, this home plays host to enlighteningly open vistas and playful activity. Like its namesake, the beloved Sleeping Beauty, this home embodies family, fantasy and adventure in their truest form. Visions are seldom what they seem, but this home did begin 'Once Upon a Dream'. Welcome, to The Aurora.

Nantucket Greenhouse with seating area
Inspiration for a transitional partial sun backyard landscaping in Portland.

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in Dunedin

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Photo of a small contemporary backyard formal garden in Hertfordshire with decking.

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours St Marlo Country Club Envision Virtual Tours provides professional photography and Full Screen Virtual Tours for St. Marlo Custom Homes. Set on over 900 acres and surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful hardwoods, the St. Marlo Country Club offers luxury living and unparalleled panoramic views from every home. St. Marlo Country Club is in high demand due to its ideal location and award-winning golf course. St Marlo is named one of the Top Ten new golf courses by Golf Digest Magazine and designed by Dennis Griffiths the 200-acre golf course promises a great day for players of all levels. St Marlo is located in South Forsyth County and the newly established area of Johns Creek (though not within the Johns Creek City Limits) an area known for its lower taxes, great healthcare and highly acclaimed public and private schools, St. Marlo Country Club offers elegant European and Traditional style homes from the mid $500s to over $3 million. And every St. Marlo home for sale offers all the benefits of a country club setting including 24-hour gated access and security, Junior Olympic-size pool, cabana with grilling area, 9 lighted tennis courts, soccer field, volleyball, basketball court and a enormous Clubhouse with banquet room used for Father/Daughter Dances, Weddings, and other events. Restaurant, Golf Pro shop and more!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but that is completely understated in this project for an award winning builder. Deluxe was faced with the challenge of a continuous staircase from basement up to second floor, surrounded mostly with windows which limited our abilities to leverage weight distribution. As you can tell, our mission for this client was accomplished, and done so beautifully. This is as custom as custom is going to get. The treads were made of 100% solid 2-1/4" Red Oak materials and the stringers were made of two laminated solid Red Oak boards to achieve a final 3-1/2" thickness. Many people would think that with those thicknesses it would involve veneer but we stand by our quality of work and delivered exactly what the client wanted. *railings were completed by others *featured images are property of Deluxe Stair & Railing Ltd

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Inspiration for a contemporary landscaping in Hertfordshire.

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Trendy home design photo in Hertfordshire

Meet Meridith: a super-mom who’s as busy as she is badass  — and easily my favorite overachiever. She slays her office job and comes home to an equally high-octane family life. We share a love for city living with farmhouse aspirations. There’s a vegetable garden in the backyard, a black cat, and a floppy eared rabbit named Rocky. There has been a mobile chicken coop and a colony of bees in the backyard. At one point they even had a pregnant hedgehog on their hands! Between gardening, entertaining, and helping with homework, Meridith has zero time for interior design. Spending several days a week in New York for work, she has limited amount of time at home with her family. My goal was to let her make the most of it by taking her design projects off her to do list and let her get back to her family (and rabbit). I wanted her to spend her weekends at her son's baseball games, not shopping for sofas. That’s my cue! Meridith is wonderful. She is one of the kindest people I know. We had so much fun, it doesn’t seem fair to call this “work”. She is loving, and smart, and funny. She’s one of those girlfriends everyone wants to call their own best friend. I wanted her house to reflect that: to feel cozy and inviting, and encourage guests to stay a while. Meridith is not your average beige person, and she has excellent taste. Plus, she was totally hands-on with design choices. It was a true collaboration. We played up her quirky side and built usable, inspiring spaces one lightbulb moment at a time. I took her love for color (sacré blue!) and immediately started creating a plan for her space and thinking about her design wish list. I set out hunting for vibrant hues and intriguing patterns that spoke to her color palette and taste for pattern. I focused on creating the right vibe in each space: a bit of drama in the dining room, a bit more refined and quiet atmosphere for the living room, and a neutral zen tone in their master bedroom. Her stuff. My eye. Meridith’s impeccable taste comes through in her art collection. The perfect placement of her beautiful paintings served as the design model for color and mood. We had a bit of a chair graveyard on our hands, but we worked with some key pieces of her existing furniture and incorporated other traditional pieces, which struck a pleasant balance. French chairs, Asian-influenced footstools, turned legs, gilded finishes, glass hurricanes – a wonderful mash-up of traditional and contemporary. Some special touches were custom-made (the marble backsplash in the powder room, the kitchen banquette) and others were happy accidents (a wallpaper we spotted via Pinterest). They all came together in a design aesthetic that feels warm, inviting, and vibrant — just like Meridith! We built her space based on function. We asked ourselves, “how will her family use each room on any given day?” Meridith throws legendary dinner parties, so we needed curated seating arrangements that could easily switch from family meals to elegant entertaining. We sought a cozy eat-in kitchen and decongested entryways that still made a statement. Above all, we wanted Meredith’s style and panache to shine through every detail. From the pendant in the entryway, to a wild use of pattern in her dining room drapery, Meredith’s space was a total win. See more of our work at www.safferstone.com. Connect with us on Facebook, get inspired on Pinterest, and share modern musings on life & design on Instagram. Or, share what's on your plate with us at hello@safferstone.com. Photo: Angie Seckinger

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Example of a trendy home design design in Hertfordshire

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Trendy home design photo in Hertfordshire

Stuart Wade, Envision Virtual Tours St Marlo Country Club Envision Virtual Tours provides professional photography and Full Screen Virtual Tours for St. Marlo Custom Homes. Set on over 900 acres and surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful hardwoods, the St. Marlo Country Club offers luxury living and unparalleled panoramic views from every home. St. Marlo Country Club is in high demand due to its ideal location and award-winning golf course. St Marlo is named one of the Top Ten new golf courses by Golf Digest Magazine and designed by Dennis Griffiths the 200-acre golf course promises a great day for players of all levels. St Marlo is located in South Forsyth County and the newly established area of Johns Creek (though not within the Johns Creek City Limits) an area known for its lower taxes, great healthcare and highly acclaimed public and private schools, St. Marlo Country Club offers elegant European and Traditional style homes from the mid $500s to over $3 million. And every St. Marlo home for sale offers all the benefits of a country club setting including 24-hour gated access and security, Junior Olympic-size pool, cabana with grilling area, 9 lighted tennis courts, soccer field, volleyball, basketball court and a enormous Clubhouse with banquet room used for Father/Daughter Dances, Weddings, and other events. Restaurant, Golf Pro shop and more!

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
This is an example of a small contemporary backyard formal garden in Hertfordshire with decking.

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Design ideas for a small contemporary backyard formal garden in Hertfordshire with decking.

Aralia Gardens Limited. www.aralia.org.uk
Design ideas for a contemporary landscaping in Hertfordshire.

Modern form is married with elegant function in this open-floor-plan apartment in the heart of Chelsea, NYC. Award-winning interior designer, Jo Ann Alston, transformed the outdated elements of this upscale unit to create a timeless, yet modern aesthetic, with clean, natural lines that bespeak both luxury and ease. This charmingly functional kitchen now serves as the focal point for cooking, convening, and entertaining, for the whole family and their numerous guests. Careful planning and selection were required to effectively work within the parameters of the open floor plan to create a seamless flow from the kitchen to the living room. Modern cabinetry, strategically hidden appliances, and ingeniously concealed lighting and elevations all coalesce to create uninterrupted sight lines that engender a sense of harmony and aesthetic intrigue. The existing cabinets, countertops, and appliances were all replaced, the wood flooring was refinished, and an elegant bar area was incorporated into the dining room, doubling as a bar for entertaining and a buffet for serving meals. In the kitchen, European, high-gloss lacquer was selected for the minimalist-modern cabinetry and coordinated with flooring and Dekton countertops, whose practicality and functionality are especially well-suited for NYC apartment homeowners with a penchant for entertaining. For the sight lines from the living room to the kitchen to be seamless and uninterrupted, the refrigerator is concealed within the cabinetry and the range is hidden from sight behind the island. A dramatic light fixture above the dining room island and tasteful uplighting and downlighting offer especially compelling views of the kitchen when viewed from the living room, while glass cabinets with brass trim and accent lighting visually expand the width of the space. Touches of luxury such as the brass faucet and brass-framed glass cabinets visually harmonize with the colors in the waterfall designed Dekton countertop, the game-stopper feature of the large kitchen island. A clean, light-wood back splash at the bar corresponds effortlessly with the newly refinished wood flooring, further enhancing the soft and natural vibe of the entire apartment. This elegant stroke of design genius is proof positive that you need not compromise timeless elegance for practical, modern features in an uncluttered, even minimalist environment. The brilliance of this design is not limited to its balanced and graceful aesthetic appeal. It also includes the great many benefits coordinated between designer and client to ensure there would also be plenty of room for storage of kitchen items, abundant countertop space, and designated areas for enjoying company together comfortably throughout the space. Anyone who walks through this space in the heart of Chelsea is bound to feel both inspired and at ease. This is the result of careful planning and attention to the smallest details that culminate in comfort, style, and design excellence.