My client wanted some wall units built in so she could display some art pottery that she collects. Her husband plays many musical instruments. Instead of the "same ole, same ole" why not create art with the build in to house the art displayed? The beautiful guitar was trimmed with abalone and turquoise and was beautiful and I thought it should be seen and admired so I created a guitar shaped niche with bookmatched grain surround and spotlight. The shelves were various sizes and shapes to accomodate a variety of artifacts. A couple of feature shapes were also lit.

Traditional living room in Chicago with beige walls.

Traditional dining room in Chicago with grey walls, dark hardwood floors and brown floor.

Scope of work: Update and reorganize within existing footprint for new master bedroom, master bathroom, master closet, linen closet, laundry room & front entry. Client has a love of spa and modern style.. Challenge: Function, Flow & Finishes. Master bathroom cramped with unusual floor plan and outdated finishes Laundry room oversized for home square footage Dark spaces due to lack of windos and minimal lighting Color palette inconsistent to the rest of the house Solution: Bright, Spacious & Contemporary Re-worked spaces for better function, flow and open concept plan. New space has more than 12 times as much exterior glass to flood the space in natural light (all glass is frosted for privacy). Created a stylized boutique feel with modern lighting design and opened up front entry to include a new coat closet, built in bench and display shelving. . Space planning/ layout Flooring, wall surfaces, tile selections Lighting design, fixture selections & controls specifications Cabinetry layout Plumbing fixture selections Trim & ceiling details Custom doors, hardware selections Color palette All other misc. details, materials & features Site Supervision Furniture, accessories, art Full CAD documentation, elevations and specifications

These two paintings by Danish artist Birgitte Lund add a pop of color and make a statement to complement the green topiary of this fresh and light entry.

The linear fireplace with stainless trim creates a dramatic focal point in this contemporary family room. Dave Adams Photography
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary formal enclosed living room in Sacramento with a ribbon fireplace, a wall-mounted tv, white walls, medium hardwood floors and a metal fireplace surround.

Project Features: Custom Island with Art for Everyday Turned Posts # AC2; Custom Wood Hood with Art for Everyday Mantel # MTL-A0 and Corbels # CBL-TR1; Angled Corner Hutch with Enkeboll Onlays # ONL-AT0; Style # 9 Valance with Enkeboll Onlays # ONL-AT0; Furniture Toe Kicks Type “G” Kitchen Perimeter Cabinets: Honey Brook Custom Cabinets in Maple Wood with Custom Paint # CS-3435: Cloud White by Benjamin Moore; Raised Panel Beaded Inset Door Style Island and Corner Hutch Cabinets: Honey Brook Custom Cabinets in Cherry Wood with Custom Stain # CS-3445; Raised Panel Beaded Inset Door Style Countertops: 3cm Carrara Marble with Full Height Backsplashes; Double Pencil Round Edge (Kitchen Perimeter) and Small Ogee Edge with Corner Details (Island) Kitchen Designer: Michael Macklin Photograph by Kelly Keul Duer

The flat stock trim aligned perfectly with the furniture serving as artwork and creating a modern look to this beautiful space.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional master bedroom in Orlando with grey walls and no fireplace.

Lori Hamilton Photography
Photo of an expansive traditional master bedroom in Miami with blue walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround and brown floor.

We restored original dining room buffet, box beams and windows. Owners removed a lower ceiling to find original box beams above still in place. Buffet with beveled mirror survived, but not the leaded glass. New art glass panels were made by craftsman James McKeown. Sill of flanking windows was the right height for a plate rail, so there may have once been one. We added continuous rail with wainscot below. Since trim was already painted we used smooth sheets of MDF, and applied wood battens. Arch in bay window and enlarged opening into kitchen are new. Benjamin Moore (BM) colors are "Confederate Red" and "Atrium White." Light fixtures are antiques, and furniture reproductions. David Whelan photo

Features: Custom Wood Hood with Pull Out Spice Racks, Mantel, Motif, and Corbels; Varied Height Cabinetry; Art for Everyday Turned Posts # F-1; Art for Everyday Corbels # CBL-TCY1, Beadboard; Wood Mullion and Clear Beveled Glass Doors; Bar Area; Double Panel Doors; Coffered Ceiling; Enhancement Window; Art for Everyday Mantels # MTL-A1 and # MTL-A0; Desk Area Cabinets- Main Kitchen: Honey Brook Custom in Maple Wood with Seapearl Paint and Glaze; Voyager Full Overlay Door Style with C-2 Lip Cabinets- Island & Bar Area: Honey Brook Custom in Cherry Wood with Colonial Finish; Voyager Full Overlay Door Style with C-2 Lip Countertops- Main Kitchen: Golden Beach Granite with Double Pencil Edge Countertops- Island and Bar Area: Golden Beach Granite with Waterfall Edge Kitchen Designer: Tammy Clark Photograph: Kelly Keul Duer

A Memorial-area art collector residing in a chic modern home wanted his house to be more visible from the street. His yard was full of trees, and he asked us to consider removing them and developing a more modern landscape design that would fully complement the exterior of his home. He was a personal friend of ours as well, and he understood that our policy is to preserve as many trees as possible whenever we undertake a project. However, we decided to make an exception in his case for two reasons. For one thing, he was a very close friend to many people in our company. Secondly, large trees simply would not work with a landscape reflective of the modern architecture that his house featured. The house had been built as story structure that was formed around a blend of unique curves and angles very reminiscent of the geometric patterns common in modern sculpture and art. The windows had been built deliberately large, so that visitors driving up to the house could have a lighted glimpse into the interior, where many sculptures and works of modern art were showcased. The entire residence, in fact, was meant to showcase the eclectic diversity of his artistic tastes, and provide a glimpse at the elegant contents within the home. He asked us to create more modern look to the landscape that would complement the residence with patterns in vegetation, ornamentation, and a new lighted water fountain that would act like a mirror-image of the home. He also wanted us to sculpt the features we created in such a way as to center the eye of the viewer and draw it up and over the landscape to focus on the house itself. The challenge was to develop a truly sophisticated modern landscaping design that would compliment, but in no way overpower the façade of the home. In order to do this, we had to focus very carefully on the geometric appearance of the planting areas first. Since the vegetation would be surrounding a very large, circular stone drive, we took advantage of the contours and created a sense of flowing perspective. We were then very careful to plant vegetation that could be maintained at a very low growth height. This was to prevent vegetation from behaving like the previous trees which had blocked the view of the house. Small hedges, ferns, and flowers were planted in winding rows that followed the course of the circular stone driveway that surrounded the fountain. We then centered this new modern landscape plan with a very sophisticated contemporary fountain. We chose a circular shape for the fountain both to center the eye and to work as a compliment to the curved elements in the home’s exterior design. We selected black granite as the building material, partly because granite speaks to the monumental, and partly because it is a very common material for modern architecture and outdoor contemporary sculpture. We placed the fountain in the very center of the driveway as well, which had the effect of making the entire landscape appear to converge toward the middle of the home’s façade. To add a sense of eclectic refinement to the fountain, we then polished the granite so that anyone driving or walking up to the fountain would see a reflection of the home in the base. To maintain consistency of the circular shape, we radius cut all of the coping around the fountain was all radius cut from polished limestone. The lighter color of the limestone created an archetypal contrast of light and darkness, further contributing to the modern theme of the landscape design, and providing a surface for illumination so the fountain would remain an established keynote on the landscape during the night.

Convert a small space to a polished eye-catching and functional home office. We used white painted maple wood veneers and solid wood painted doors, moldings and trims to give the space a formal style. This home office boasts under cabinet LED lighting, doors with glass inserts, upper cabinets surrounded by wrap around shelving for books and accent pieces and sturdy maple wood drawers for storing office supplies or filing important documents.

Unglazed porcelain – There is no glazing or any other coating applied to the tile. Their color is the same on the face of the tile as it is on the back resulting in very durable tiles that do not show the effects of heavy traffic. The most common unglazed tiles are the red quarry tiles or the granite looking porcelain ceramic tiles used in heavy commercial areas. Historic matches to the original tiles made from 1890 - 1930's. Subway Ceramic floor tiles are made of the highest quality unglazed porcelain and carefully arranged on a fiber mesh as one square foot sheets. A complimentary black hex is also in stock in both sizes and available by the sheet for creating borders and accent designs. Subway Ceramics offers vintage tile is 3/8" thick, with a flat surface and square edges. The Subway Ceramics collection of traditional subway tile, moldings and accessories.

This is an example of a modern dining room in San Francisco with grey walls.

The built-in sink is great for cleaning your hands and brushes after painting or working with clay.
Large contemporary home studio in Chicago with concrete floors, a freestanding desk, grey floor and grey walls.

In this project, the client wanted to make an arts and crafts themed first floor. First, walls were torn down to open up the space. To carry the arts and crafts theme throughout the first floor quarter sawn cabinets and a hand-scraped wood floors were installed in the kitchen, new arts and crafts columns were added between the kitchen and family room, and doors and trim sympathetic to the rest of the theme were replaced in each room. The staircase was also completely redone with new null posts, balusters, skirt boards, and risers. Thomas J. Pearson, Inc. Bird & Branch Photography

Tsantes Photography
Photo of a contemporary bathroom in DC Metro with a double shower and travertine.

Helman Sechrist Architecture
Arts and crafts family room in Chicago with a tile fireplace surround and multi-coloured walls.