Jake Boyd Photography
Craft room - mid-sized contemporary built-in desk medium tone wood floor craft room idea with brown walls and no fireplace

Camera Shock / Kenny Kaneshiro
Country exterior home photo in San Francisco

5 Star Outdoor Design is the area leader in pool & spa design, landscape design,outdoor kitchens, entertainment areas and much more. Let 5 Star be your one stop shop for creating the perfect outdoor space you'll love for years.

An exposed beam is a great opportunity for drama and change - the island looks welcoming and anchors the kitchen! Photo credit Brice Ferre Photography

A very productive landscape that is constantly developing new aspects. The owners are interested in raising food, flowers and fun for their friends, neighbors, and themselves. The project has been in for eight year and featured in magazines. It has been developing food forests along the edge and will see the addition of a greenhouse in the coming years. Water features in the front and back create a lot of local interest and provide a great gathering space.

Jared McKenna Photography
Example of a mountain style exterior home design in Boston

The perfect balance of recreation, relaxation, and resistance with this Endless Pools® R200. This R200 features an End2End roll-away swim spa cover, a spa-side caddy and custom swim spa steps. Elevate your swim experience at night by turning on the spa jets and e with stunning underwater LED lights. We also extended the living space of this backyard patio by adding comfort deck to the swim spa and pergola area. The perfect backyard Staycation for endless fun year-round! #hottubs #pools #swimspas

Blue is the go-to color this year and it is featured on the island. White raised panel cabinets with lighted upper glass doors. Major lighting changes include recessed can lighting and pendant lights over the island. Saddle bar stools. Island seats five. Calcutta Classique Quartz countertops are on the oversized island and surrounding cabinets. Induction cooktop, Convection, and Steam oven are some of the appliance package. Hickory plank hardwood provides a beautiful floor. Two large porcelain farmhouse sinks for two working prep stations.

Inspiration for a country garage remodel in Austin

5 Star Outdoor Design is the area leader in pool & spa design, landscape design,outdoor kitchens, entertainment areas and much more. Let 5 Star be your one stop shop for creating the perfect outdoor space you'll love for years.

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

This is a recently completed project in Lancaster County, PA consisting of natural stone steps with a limestone boulder retaining wall and a 15′ pondless waterfall with 5 LED landscape lights in the stream. The video was shot with our GoPro Hero. Below are some still shots of the waterfalls and stream.

When we imagine the homes of our favorite actors, we often think of picturesque kitchens, artwork hanging on the walls, luxurious furniture, and pristine conditions 24/7. But for celebrities with children, sometimes that last one isn’t always accurate! Kids will be kids – which means there may be messy bedrooms, toys strewn across their play area, and maybe even some crayon marks or finger-paints on walls or floors. Lucy Liu recently partnered with One Kings Lane and Paintzen to redesign her son Rockwell’s playroom in their Manhattan apartment for that reason. Previously, Lucy had decided not to focus too much on the layout or color of the space – it was simply a room to hold all of Rockwell’s toys. There wasn’t much of a design element to it and very little storage. Lucy was ready to change that – and transform the room into something more sophisticated and tranquil for both Rockwell and for guests (especially those with kids!). And to really bring that transformation to life, one of the things that needed to change was the lack of color and texture on the walls. When selecting the color palette, Lucy and One Kings Lane designer Nicole Fisher decided on a more neutral, contemporary style. They chose to avoid the primary colors, which are too often utilized in children’s rooms and playrooms. Instead, they chose to have Paintzen paint the walls in a cozy gray with warm beige undertones. (Try PPG ‘Slate Pebble’ for a similar look!) It created a perfect backdrop for the decor selected for the room, which included a tepee for Rockwell, some Tribal-inspired artwork, Moroccan woven baskets, and some framed artwork. To add texture to the space, Paintzen also installed wallpaper on two of the walls. The wallpaper pattern involved muted blues and grays to add subtle color and a slight contrast to the rest of the walls. Take a closer look at this smartly designed space, featuring a beautiful neutral color palette and lots of exciting textures!

© Lauren Devon www.laurendevon.com
Patio - traditional backyard stone patio idea in San Francisco with a pergola

Hamptons-Inspired Kitchen One cannot help but feel a distinct sense of serenity and timeless beauty when entering this Hamptons-style kitchen. Bathed in natural light and shimmering with inspired accents and details, this complete kitchen transformation is at once elegant and inviting. Plans and elevations were conceived to create balance and function without sacrificing harmony and visual intrigue. A metal custom hood, with an eye-catching brass band and impeccably balanced cabinets on either side, provides a strong focal point for the kitchen, which can be viewed from the adjacent living room. Brass faucets, hardware and light fixtures complement and draw further attention to this anchoring element. A wall of glass cabinetry enhances the existing windows and pleasantly expands the sense of openness in the space. Taj Mahal quartzite blends gracefully with the cabinet finishes. Cream-tone, herringbone tiles are custom-cut into different patterns to create a sense of visual movement as the eyes move across the room. An elegant, marble-top island paired with sumptuous, leather-covered stools, not only offers extra counterspace, but also an ideal gathering place for loved ones to enjoy. This unforgettable kitchen gem shines even brighter with the addition of glass cabinets, designed to display the client’s collection of Portmeirion china. Careful consideration was given to the selection of stone for the countertops, as well as the color of paint for the cabinets, to highlight this inspiring collection. Breakfast room A thoughtfully blended mix of furniture styles introduces a splash of European charm to this Hamptons-style kitchen, with French, cane-back chairs providing a sense of airy elegance and delight. A performance velvet adorns the banquette, which is piled high with lush cushions for optimal comfort while lounging in the room. Another layer of texture is achieved with a wool area rug that defines and accentuates this gorgeous breakfast nook with sprawling views of the outdoors. Finishing features include drapery fabric and Brunschwig and Fils Bird and Thistle paper, whose natural, botanic pattern combines with the beautiful vistas of the backyard to inspire a sense of being in a botanical, outdoor wonderland.

Family room - rustic enclosed carpeted family room idea in Denver with a music area and gray walls

Our designers teamed up to create an outdoor living space for the annual Pasadena Showcase House of Design home. Our focus was to create an outdoor living space that best utilized the area transitioning to the pool, while maintaining a water-wise/drought tolerant landscape. We incorporated our hand cast succulent water table, a pondless stream, synthetic turf, a fully paved patio with our famous Belgard paving stones, high-end outdoor furniture, a custom pergola and even a dry creek bed to tie everything together.

The focal point of the space is both the free standing club foot tub and the shower. The client had the tub custom painted. I designed the shower to accommodate two people with his and her sides. The linen tower was removed to free up space for the new water closet and shower. Each vanity was created to maximize space, so drawers were included in the middle portion of the cabinet. There is porcelain tile from floor to ceiling in the entire space for easy maintenance. Chrome was used as accents throughout the space as seen in the sinks, faucets and other fixtures. A wall of tile in the shower acts a focal point on the opposite end of the room. Photographer: Brio Yiapon

These owners were downsizing out of a 7,500 sqft home built in the '80s to their "forever home." They wanted Alair to create a traditional setting that showcased the antiques they had collected over the years, while still blending seamlessly with the modern touches required to live comfortably in today's world.