Behind the rolling hills of Arthurs Seat sits “The Farm”, a coastal getaway and future permanent residence for our clients. The modest three bedroom brick home will be renovated and a substantial extension added. The footprint of the extension re-aligns to face the beautiful landscape of the western valley and dam. The new living and dining rooms open onto an entertaining terrace. The distinct roof form of valleys and ridges relate in level to the existing roof for continuation of scale. The new roof cantilevers beyond the extension walls creating emphasis and direction towards the natural views.

Rumpus room and rustic bar
This is an example of a large country home bar in Melbourne with dark hardwood floors and multi-coloured floor.

A beautifully renovated kitchen for a home in Manly NSW. Inspired by the gorgeous surrounding Manly flora, this kitchen features a pantry with a bi-folding door.

The owners of this stunning Mosman Park home decided the only way was up when it came to their dream home, opting to add a modular second storey rather than buying an existing home or starting from scratch.

A young family moving from NYC tackled a makeover of their young colonial revival home to make it feel more personal. The kitchen area was quite spacious but needed a facelift and a banquette for breakfast. Painted cabinetry matched to Benjamin Moore’s Light Pewter is balanced by Benjamin Moore Ocean Floor on the island. Mixed metals on the lighting by Allied Maker, faucets and hardware and custom tile by Pratt and Larson make the space feel organic and personal. Photos Adam Macchia. For more information, you may visit our website at www.studiodearborn.com or email us at info@studiodearborn.com.

Inspiration for a large transitional single-wall wet bar in Cleveland with an undermount sink, light hardwood floors, beige floor, grey benchtop, glass-front cabinets, blue cabinets, soapstone benchtops, grey splashback and mosaic tile splashback.

Michael Duerinckx
Inspiration for a large transitional seated home bar in Phoenix with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, distressed cabinets, granite benchtops and stone slab splashback.

Large beach style single-wall home bar in Charleston with shaker cabinets, grey cabinets, granite benchtops, white splashback, medium hardwood floors, brown floor and black benchtop.

Our client came to us after purchasing a 2,500 square foot, 2-bedroom 2 1/2 bath unit in Chicago's hot West Loop neighborhood. The unit had great space and was in a great location, but there was a lot of wasted space and it looked like a 1990s Las Vegas hotel suite (complete with floor to ceiling water feature). We tore out all of the finishes and re-configured the floor plan to allow better flow. We even found space for an additional bedroom, taking the unit from a two bedroom to a three bedroom and greatly increasing it's value. In the end, our client was left with a tailored and stylish urban home that is aslo comfortable and approachable. Photo by Eric Hausman

The 100-year old home’s kitchen was old and just didn’t function well. A peninsula in the middle of the main part of the kitchen blocked the path from the back door. This forced the homeowners to mostly use an odd, U-shaped corner of the kitchen. Design objectives: -Add an island -Wow-factor design -Incorporate arts and crafts with a touch of Mid-century modern style -Allow for a better work triangle when cooking -Create a seamless path coming into the home from the backdoor -Make all the countertops in the space 36” high (the old kitchen had different base cabinet heights) Design challenges to be solved: -Island design -Where to place the sink and dishwasher -The family’s main entrance into the home is a back door located within the kitchen space. Samantha needed to find a way to make an unobstructed path through the kitchen to the outside -A large eating area connected to the kitchen felt slightly misplaced – Samantha wanted to bring the kitchen and materials more into this area -The client does not like appliance garages/cabinets to the counter. The more countertop space, the better! Design solutions: -Adding the right island made all the difference! Now the family has a couple of seats within the kitchen space. -Multiple walkways facilitate traffic flow. -Multiple pantry cabinets (both shallow and deep) are placed throughout the space. A couple of pantry cabinets were even added to the back door wall and wrap around into the breakfast nook to give the kitchen a feel of extending into the adjoining eating area. -Upper wall cabinets with clear glass offer extra lighting and the opportunity for the client to display her beautiful vases and plates. They add and an airy feel to the space. -The kitchen had two large existing windows that were ideal for a sink placement. The window closest to the back door made the most sense due to the fact that the other window was in the corner. Now that the sink had a place, we needed to worry about the dishwasher. Samantha didn’t want the dishwasher to be in the way of people coming in the back door – it’s now in the island right across from the sink. -The homeowners love Motawi Tile. Some fantastic pieces are placed within the backsplash throughout the kitchen. -Larger tiles with borders make for nice accent pieces over the rangetop and by the bar/beverage area. -The adjacent area for eating is a gorgeous nook with massive windows. We added a built-in furniture-style banquette with additional lower storage cabinets in the same finish. It’s a great way to connect and blend the two areas into what now feels like one big space!

When my client had to move from her company office to work at home, she set up in the dining room. Despite her best efforts, this was not the long-term solution she was looking for. My client realized she needed a dedicated space not on the main floor of the home. On one hand, having your office space right next to the kitchen is handy. On the other hand, it made separating work and home life was not that easy. The house was a ranch. In essence, the basement would run entire length of the home. As we came down the steps, we entered a time capsule. The house was built in the 1950’s. The walls were covered with original knotty pine paneling. There was a wood burning fireplace and considering this was a basement, high ceilings. In addition, there was everything her family could not store at their own homes. As we wound though the space, I though “wow this has potential”, Eventually, after walking through the laundry room we came to a small nicely lit room. This would be the office. My client looked at me and asked what I thought. Undoubtedly, I said, this can be a great workspace, but do you really want to walk through this basement and laundry to get here? Without reservation, my client said where do we start? Once the design was in place, we started the renovation. The knotty pine paneling had to go. Specifically, to add some insulation and control the dampness and humidity. The laundry room wall was relocated to create a hallway to the office. At the far end of the room, we designated a workout zone. Weights, mats, exercise bike and television are at the ready for morning or afternoon workouts. The space can be concealed by a folding screen for party time. Doors to an old closet under the stairs were relocated to the workout area for hidden storage. Now we had nice wall for a beautiful console and mirror for storage and serving during parties. In order to add architectural details, we covered the old ugly support columns with simple recessed millwork panels. This detail created a visual division between the bar area and the seating area in front of the fireplace. The old red brick on the fireplace surround was replaced with stack stone. A mantle was made from reclaimed wood. Additional reclaimed wood floating shelves left and right of the fireplace provides decorative display while maintaining a rustic element balancing the copper end table and leather swivel rocker. We found an amazing rug which tied all of the colors together further defining the gathering space. Russet and burnt orange became the accent color unifying each space. With a bit of whimsy, a rather unusual light fixture which looks like roots from a tree growing through the ceiling is a conversation piece. The office space is quite and removed from the main part of the basement. There is a desk large enough for multiple screens, a small bookcase holding office supplies and a comfortable chair for conference calls. Because working from home requires many online meetings, we added a shiplap wall painted in Hale Navy to contrast with the orange fabric on the chair. We finished the décor with a painting from my client’s father. This is the background online visitors will see. The last and best part of the renovation is the beautiful bar. My client is an avid collector of wine. She already had the EuroCave refrigerator, so I incorporated it into the design. The cabinets are painted Temptation Grey from Benjamin Moore. The counter tops are my favorite hard working quartzite Brown Fantasy. The backsplash is a combination of rustic wood and old tin ceiling like porcelain tiles. Together with the textures of the reclaimed wood and hide poofs balanced against the smooth finish of the cabinets, we created a comfortable luxury for relaxing. There is ample storage for bottles, cans, glasses, and anything else you can think of for a great party. In addition to the wine storage, we incorporated a beverage refrigerator, an ice maker, and a sink. Floating shelves with integrated lighting illuminate the back bar. The raised height of the front bar provides the perfect wine tasting and paring spot. I especially love the pendant lights which look like wine glasses. Finally, I selected carpet for the stairs and office. It is perfect for noise reduction. Meanwhile for the overall flooring, I specifically selected a high-performance vinyl plank floor. We often use this product as it is perfect to install on a concrete floor. It is soft to walk on, easy to clean and does not reduce the overall height of the space.

Photo of a large beach style galley wet bar in Dallas with an undermount sink, glass-front cabinets, blue cabinets, quartz benchtops, grey splashback, mirror splashback, porcelain floors, brown floor and white benchtop.

The basement bar uses space that would otherwise be empty square footage. A custom bar aligns with the stair treads and is the same wood and finish as the floors upstairs. John Wilbanks Photography

Large traditional l-shaped wet bar in Philadelphia with no sink, raised-panel cabinets, light wood cabinets, granite benchtops, beige splashback, stone tile splashback, light hardwood floors and brown floor.

Architect: Cook Architectural Design Studio General Contractor: Erotas Building Corp Photo Credit: Susan Gilmore Photography
Large traditional home bar in Minneapolis.

Design ideas for a large transitional single-wall wet bar in Boston with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, marble benchtops, green splashback, stone slab splashback, dark hardwood floors, brown floor and green benchtop.

Large transitional home bar in Minneapolis with medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Separate beverage station features a white shiplap accent wall, black granite countertops and a glass front wine fridge. A secondary walk-in pantry is nestled behind a modern herringbone sliding barn door.

Design ideas for a large modern single-wall home bar in Sacramento with flat-panel cabinets, black cabinets, quartzite benchtops, light hardwood floors, beige floor and grey benchtop.