Photographer - Kate Hansen
Midcentury living room in Melbourne with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a wood stove and a freestanding tv.

The front of the house features an open porch, a common feature in the neighborhood. Stairs leading up to it are tucked behind one of a pair of brick walls. The brick was installed with raked (recessed) horizontal joints which soften the overall scale of the walls. The clerestory windows topping the taller of the brick walls bring light into the foyer and a large closet without sacrificing privacy. The living room windows feature a slight tint which provides a greater sense of privacy during the day without having to draw the drapes. An overhang lined on its underside in stained cedar leads to the entry door which again is hidden by one of the brick walls.

Photo Credit: Andy Beasley Sliding doors lead onto a tucked away patio area with wood clad wall. Texture and materials create an exciting space with a contrast to the large format grey floor tiles. Exposed brick walls are a great way to make a feature in any space this client did not want to use brick slips so real brick was exposed and the variation in tones makes for a warm and dynamic dining area. The wrap around glazing and slot window makes the space feel lightweight without overexposing the area. Wall Colour - Farrow & Ball Strong White. Floor tiles - Worlds End Tiles (Around £45sqm)

Photo of a kitchen renovation feature cabinets finished in Black Licorice and Pure White lacquer. The cabinets are oversized and conceal the appliances with finished wood panels. Unique features include a wall of natural leuders veneer stone with a custom floating ventilation system as a main focal point. Complementing the cabinets are countertops of Satin Cambrian black granite and Honed Calcatta Colorado Marble. Custom hewn wood beams and hand scraped flooring warm the rooms feel against the cool gray walls. Designed and constructed by USI in Southlake Tx.

Inspiration for a contemporary deck in Melbourne with a roof extension.

Overview Simple extension in Twickenham. The Brief The primary aim of this project was to create a space to cook and eat in while repositioning the ground floor bathroom. Our Solution The clients blend of vintage and crisp modern architecture meant the scheme could be a little industrial in its aesthetic. We have combined several key features – An oversized rooflight to flood the kitchen with sun; a feature pivot door to the garden and a simple wrapped zinc roof. With the clients fantastic garden to look onto and a reclaimed gym floor to add a bit of reclaimed chic, this has created some striking, crisp architecture. Category

This side entrance is full of special character and elements with Old Chicago Brick floors and arch which also leads to the garage and back brick patio! This is the perfect setting for the beach to endure the sand coming in on those bare feet! Fletcher Isaacs Photographer

great room. looking from dining. feature wall - cedar post cross-sections. Photo credit: Allison Cartwright, TwistArt LLC
Inspiration for a modern living room in Austin with beige walls and a wall-mounted tv.

In 2014, we were approached by a couple to achieve a dream space within their existing home. They wanted to expand their existing bar, wine, and cigar storage into a new one-of-a-kind room. Proud of their Italian heritage, they also wanted to bring an “old-world” feel into this project to be reminded of the unique character they experienced in Italian cellars. The dramatic tone of the space revolves around the signature piece of the project; a custom milled stone spiral stair that provides access from the first floor to the entry of the room. This stair tower features stone walls, custom iron handrails and spindles, and dry-laid milled stone treads and riser blocks. Once down the staircase, the entry to the cellar is through a French door assembly. The interior of the room is clad with stone veneer on the walls and a brick barrel vault ceiling. The natural stone and brick color bring in the cellar feel the client was looking for, while the rustic alder beams, flooring, and cabinetry help provide warmth. The entry door sequence is repeated along both walls in the room to provide rhythm in each ceiling barrel vault. These French doors also act as wine and cigar storage. To allow for ample cigar storage, a fully custom walk-in humidor was designed opposite the entry doors. The room is controlled by a fully concealed, state-of-the-art HVAC smoke eater system that allows for cigar enjoyment without any odor.

The rear wall openings were enlarged, bricks were patched in and repaired at chimney. Photography by Marco Valencia.
This is an example of a traditional kitchen/dining combo in New York with brown floor.

Exposed brick and timber set the tone for this San Francisco SOMA loft bedroom. Photo Credit: David Duncan Livingston
This is an example of a mid-sized contemporary master bedroom in San Francisco with grey walls, carpet and grey floor.

In this lovely, luxurious master bedroom, we installed the headboard wallpaper with a white and gold pattern, and painted the walls and trim in a fresh soft white. Gold accents tie everything together!

It started with vision. Then arrived fresh sight, seeing what was absent, seeing what was possible. Followed quickly by desire and creativity and know-how and communication and collaboration. When the Ramsowers first called Exterior Worlds, all they had in mind was an outdoor fountain. About working with the Ramsowers, Jeff Halper, owner of Exterior Worlds says, “The Ramsowers had great vision. While they didn’t know exactly what they wanted, they did push us to create something special for them. I get inspired by my clients who are engaged and focused on design like they were. When you get that kind of inspiration and dialogue, you end up with a project like this one.” For Exterior Worlds, our design process addressed two main features of the original space—the blank surface of the yard surrounded by looming architecture and plain fencing. With the yard, we dug out the center of it to create a one-foot drop in elevation in which to build a sunken pool. At one end, we installed a spa, lining it with a contrasting darker blue glass tile. Pedestals topped with urns anchor the pool and provide a place for spot color. Jets of water emerge from these pedestals. This moving water becomes a shield to block out urban noises and makes the scene lively. (And the children think it’s great fun to play in them.) On the side of the pool, another fountain, an illuminated basin built of limestone, brick and stainless steel, feeds the pool through three slots. The pool is counterbalanced by a large plot of grass. What is inventive about this grassy area is its sub-structure. Before putting down the grass, we installed a French drain using grid pavers that pulls water away, an action that keeps the soil from compacting and the grass from suffocating. The entire sunken area is finished off with a border of ground cover that transitions the eye to the limestone walkway and the retaining wall, where we used the same reclaimed bricks found in architectural features of the house. In the outer border along the fence line, we planted small trees that give the space scale and also hide some unsightly utility infrastructure. Boxwood and limestone gravel were embroidered into a parterre design to underscore the formal shape of the pool. Additionally, we planted a rose garden around the illuminated basin and a color garden for seasonal color at the far end of the yard across from the covered terrace. To address the issue of the house’s prominence, we added a pergola to the main wing of the house. The pergola is made of solid aluminum, chosen for its durability, and painted black. The Ramsowers had used reclaimed ornamental iron around their front yard and so we replicated its pattern in the pergola’s design. “In making this design choice and also by using the reclaimed brick in the pool area, we wanted to honor the architecture of the house,” says Halper. We continued the ornamental pattern by building an aluminum arbor and pool security fence along the covered terrace. The arbor’s supports gently curve out and away from the house. It, plus the pergola, extends the structural aspect of the house into the landscape. At the same time, it softens the hard edges of the house and unifies it with the yard. The softening effect is further enhanced by the wisteria vine that will eventually cover both the arbor and the pergola. From a practical standpoint, the pergola and arbor provide shade, especially when the vine becomes mature, a definite plus for the west-facing main house. This newly-created space is an updated vision for a traditional garden that combines classic lines with the modern sensibility of innovative materials. The family is able to sit in the house or on the covered terrace and look out over the landscaping. To enjoy its pleasing form and practical function. To appreciate its cool, soothing palette, the blues of the water flowing into the greens of the garden with a judicious use of color. And accept its invitation to step out, step down, jump in, enjoy.

A four bedroom, two bathroom functional design that wraps around a central courtyard. This home embraces Mother Nature's natural light as much as possible. Whatever the season the sun has been embraced in the solar passive home, from the strategically placed north face openings directing light to the thermal mass exposed concrete slab, to the clerestory windows harnessing the sun into the exposed feature brick wall. Feature brickwork and concrete flooring flow from the interior to the exterior, marrying together to create a seamless connection. Rooftop gardens, thoughtful landscaping and cascading plants surrounding the alfresco and balcony further blurs this indoor/outdoor line. Designer: Dalecki Design Photographer: Dion Robeson

This small space bathroom features many small space tricks, including the perfect combination of mirror and glass, a beautiful floating vanity and an ample amount of storage in all of the right places. Photography by Brandon Barre.

Photography by Eduard Hueber / archphoto North and south exposures in this 3000 square foot loft in Tribeca allowed us to line the south facing wall with two guest bedrooms and a 900 sf master suite. The trapezoid shaped plan creates an exaggerated perspective as one looks through the main living space space to the kitchen. The ceilings and columns are stripped to bring the industrial space back to its most elemental state. The blackened steel canopy and blackened steel doors were designed to complement the raw wood and wrought iron columns of the stripped space. Salvaged materials such as reclaimed barn wood for the counters and reclaimed marble slabs in the master bathroom were used to enhance the industrial feel of the space.

Marcel Page marcelpagephotography.com
This is an example of a transitional single-wall wet bar in Chicago with shaker cabinets, blue cabinets, an undermount sink, red splashback and light hardwood floors.

Photo by Linda Oyama-Bryan
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional u-shaped eat-in kitchen in Chicago with stainless steel appliances, subway tile splashback, a farmhouse sink, soapstone benchtops, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, white splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and black benchtop.

A visually stunning feature tile used on the back wall giving an amazing effect and a beautiful porcelain tile used on the remaining walls and floor. Feature Wall: Wall Wo Mirror Pyramid Rett 35x100cm Walls & Floor: North White Stone Soft 80x80cm