Space Crafting
This is an example of a transitional living room in Minneapolis with grey walls, light hardwood floors, a ribbon fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and a wall-mounted tv.

Ra Ra Designs worked along side Crane and Associate Architects to bring this six story property back to life. Photos by Charlie Kang Photography
Transitional enclosed living room in London with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and brown floor.

Check out our before photos to truly grasp the architectural detail that we added to this 2-story great room. We added a second story fireplace and soffit detail to finish off the room, painted the existing fireplace section, added millwork framed detail on the sides and added beams as well. Photos by Spacecrafting Photography.

Design ideas for a transitional living room in Seattle with beige walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a metal fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

This is an example of a transitional open concept living room in Kansas City with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv and brown floor.

Photo by Christopher Stark.
Photo of a transitional living room in San Francisco with white walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace surround and brown floor.

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

Another angle.
Design ideas for a large transitional formal open concept living room in Nashville with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and grey floor.

Cabinets by Spaced In, Interior Design by Emma Victoria Interior Design
This is an example of a small transitional enclosed living room in London with grey walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a metal fireplace surround and brown floor.

Interior Design: Jan Kepler and Stephanie Rothbauer General Contractor: Mountain Pacific Builders Custom Cabinetry: Plato Woodwork Photography: Elliott Johnson

Garett & Carrie Buell of Studiobuell / studiobuell.com
Inspiration for a transitional open concept living room in Nashville with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and brown floor.

A transitional living space filled with natural light, contemporary furnishings with blue accent accessories. The focal point in the room features a custom fireplace with a marble, herringbone tile surround, marble hearth, custom white built-ins with floating shelves. Photo by Exceptional Frames.

This is an example of a transitional formal living room in Houston with beige floor, grey walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround and no tv.

Design ideas for a mid-sized transitional formal open concept living room in San Francisco with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, no tv and brown floor.

Amy Pearman, Boyd Pearman Photography
Large transitional formal open concept living room in Other with white walls, dark hardwood floors, a standard fireplace, no tv, brown floor and a stone fireplace surround.

Inspiration for a transitional living room in Paris with grey walls, medium hardwood floors, a standard fireplace and brown floor.

Combining three units in this large apartment overlooking Central Park, Weil Friedman created separate, yet connected Living and Dining Rooms in a central location. Custom millwork conceals a TV above a Hearth Cabinet firebox. A column is cleverly concealed on the right, while a storage cabinet is located to the left of the fireplace. Large framed openings between rooms incorporate closets and a dry bar. photo by Josh Nefsky

While the bathroom portion of this project has received press and accolades, the other aspects of this renovation are just as spectacular. Unique and colorful elements reside throughout this home, along with stark paint contrasts and patterns galore.

This home was fully remodeled with a cape cod feel including the interior, exterior, driveway, backyard and pool. We added beautiful moulding and wainscoting throughout and finished the home with chrome and black finishes. Our floor plan design opened up a ton of space in the master en suite for a stunning bath/shower combo, entryway, kitchen, and laundry room. We also converted the pool shed to a billiard room and wet bar.