misc interior
Potting station components: Many potting stations have a three-tier system — a top shelf for storing tools, a main work surface, and a lower shelf for stashing pots and bags of soil and amendments. Beyond that, there is plenty of opportunity to customize it to best suit your gardening needs. Consider adding an outdoor sink, drawers to store additional tools and supplies, built-in bins to hold potting soil, or a shade structure to cover the entire setup.
he master bedroom’s walk-in closet is enlivened by blush-colored cabinets, wall-to-wall cheetah print carpet and graphic pink wallpaper. “It’s a little slice of heaven on even the worst mornings, DESK/VANITY IN FRONT OF WINDOW FLANKED BY SCONCE LIGHTING; DESK AS VANITY IN CLOSET/VIBRANT SHADE AT WINDOW W/ FRINGE
They wanted a dedicated workstation with all the necessary equipment, such as knives and pans, to be readily available when at the stove,” Middleton says. “They also wanted a durable, honed black granite worktop here instead of oak.” As well as open shelving and racks for bowls and kitchen gear, the island incorporates three end drawers to stash cutlery, napkins and placemats. These are perfectly positioned for when the couple are setting up to eat in the adjacent dining room.
POD To convert an existing garden shed into a relaxing retreat, consider painting the walls a light, inviting color and adding a skylight. Allowing sunlight to illuminate the space during the day and welcome stargazing by night, skylights can be relatively inexpensive to install and offer big rewards.
Tip: Also take a look at the towel hardware in the bathroom section. These can be a practical alternative to a utensil rack, with a little extra depth to accommodate more cumbersome items, such as pots with large handles. If you’re feeling crafty, create your own unconventional utility rack. A cool-looking industrial pipe affixed to the wall with coordinating brackets could work. Or, as shown in this photo, a sturdy branch could add a more organic kitchen detail. Metal S-hooks or J-hooks for your DIY pot rail can be found in most kitchen or hardware sections.
mother built the interior river rock patio around the garden with a local mason named Matt Chepin. Her mother originally kept plants like philodendrons and rubber trees, but Gray added UV blockers to the windows, filled the garden with more succulents and ferns, and replaced the soil with lava rock. There’s an automated water system in place, but there’s also a spigot in case Gray wants to do some watering herself, as her mother did.
. Pocket shutters. These were an elegant adaptation to two architectural realities. Prior to the 20th century, indoor shutters were common and brick homes had exceptionally thick exterior walls. This extra depth, often a foot or more, allowed shutters to be slid into special pockets, called embrasures, built into the wide jambs. Thus, the shutters were hidden when not in use instead of swinging out into the room. We don’t see these much anymore because exterior walls aren’t made as thick, but in some types of ecological structures, like straw-bale or rammed-earth constructions, these would work well.
a clever solution in a butler’s pantry in Sarasota, Florida. The dog tub is actually a horse feeding trough. (The owner is a polo player.) It’s about 42 inches wide and was modified to accommodate a drain. Similar galvanized stock tanks or watering troughs can be purchased from livestock supply stores. Food and supplies are kept in the base cabinet and a flip-down step allows the owner’s athletic Spanish water dogs to hop into the basin. The owner then stands on the step to wash them, says Josh Wynne, whose construction company built the LEED-certified home. The countertops are concrete and the walls are troweled clay with no added color. The upper cabinet doors are Galvalume, a carbon steel sheet coated with an aluminum-zinc alloy.
Free-standing tub: Installing a professional-style dog wash can be a lower-cost alternative to a built-in station. A plumber is still required to hook it up, but it won’t involve the tile work and framing needed for a built-in style. The model from ProGroom in this Louisville, Kentucky, laundry room includes space beneath the tub for dog bowls and a ramp that rolls out for entering and exiting the tub. The back of the tub includes a clip for tethering the bathing victim and a shelf and bracket for supplies. The most popular tubs for homeowners are those with ramps and those measuring 48 inches to 60 inches wide
an antique console in a market and based the whole kitchen design on it. “It’s a 1940s piece, now fitted to the left of the oven,” she says. The lights over the table were found at a market and have parchment shades. “That’s the only overhead lighting, which I don’t generally use, but I’ve fitted an amber bulb in each so they look like candlelight,” she says. The tiles were handmade by a ceramicist.
OBVIOUSLY THE CEILING!!!! but also the Gathered Bed Skirts The gathered bed skirt is one of the most popular choices, perhaps because it happens to be the most widely available at stores. It’s always a stylish idea to duplicate the bed skirt fabric as a pillow on the bed. Though you need only one matching pillow, you’ll often see an entire layer of pillows that match the skirt.
Tiles: Ann Sacks Transitional Powder Room by Morgante Wilson Architects Morgante Wilson Architects SaveEmail It’s easy for a mirrored tile to look gaudy, Fortier says, but the classic shape of subway tempers the effect. It comes at a price, though, she adds. The mirrored tiles cost about $87 a square foot, a big jump from the usual cost of subway tile, which you can pick up at a home supply store for as little as a dollar a tile. It’s also worth noting that this is a wall tile, not meant for shower enclosures or flooring, Fortier says.
COURSING PATTERN It’s important to understand how any pattern will look in your space, says Kali Robledo, social media manager for Fireclay Tile. She suggests getting samples from your tile supplier and putting them in the space. Homeowners should also do a mock-up on a large sheet of paper, sketching out a scaled version of the pattern, or use a designer who can provide a digital rendering.
etA ARCHITECTURE SaveEmail Coursing. Color and an alternative layout blend to create a subtle textile-like design called coursing, says Daniel Ewald of etA Architecture. Subway tiles are offset and alternate in color to look like a basket or textile weave. This is a moderately more complicated pattern, with three colors of 2-by-8-inch tiles. The design does require careful alignment and installation, Ewald says. Homeowners should make sure the installers are comfortable with it, and they should expect to pay more for the work. Tiles: Heath Ceramics
Howells Architecture + Design, LLC Pattern with color. Architect Michael Howells used two color groups of handmade 3-by-6-inch subways to create a straight herringbone pattern on this bathroom floor. No two tiles are alike, which leads to the illusion that more than one hue is in play. He wanted a Western vibe and liked that this was a nice break from the regular subway layout. Tiles: Heath Ceramics
picture frame molding and repainted the wall in a striking navy blue for contrast.
In this kitchen renovation, the storage is hidden, James Bond style, behind elegant wood paneling with hidden hardware.
Hidden storage behind bedside cabinet; Custom-built cabinetry
intricate scrollwork, and a beautiful blue built-in storage and display cabinet.
A round of applause. Having your furniture selections mimic a room’s architectural details often makes for a pleasing visual. This Los Angeles dining room makes the most of its decorative ceiling with a round dining table directly underneath the circular molding.
this is in a hallway! love the colors, the elegance, even the painting. love it!!!!
To get that one-of-a-kind amenity, the couple and Franz punched a hole in the roof to create a suspended glass-encased garden that hangs like a green oasis right in the loft interior, shown here. Industrial Staircase by Andrew Franz Architect PLLC Andrew Franz Architect PLLC Save Photo Franz felt that his clients might not be inclined to use a rooftop garden if it remained unseen. By dropping a portion of the garden into the interior, the homeowners can enjoy the view and be encouraged to venture up and outdoors. “It’s like a micro courtyard,” he says. The drop-down garden also allowed light to flood into the unit “rather than cutting a million skylights in the roof,” he says. Franz used the ceiling joists he cut out for the garden to create the staircase treads and landings. The railings are blackened steel.
E. B. Mahoney Builders, Inc. SaveEmail A hallway that was built as part of an addition masquerades as a sunroom here with skylights to scatter sunlight and warm the interior. The homeowners decided to preserve their Georgian home’s gorgeous stonework, so they worked the addition around it. The material preservation plus the inclusion of plants and natural light uphold the basic tenets of biophilic design.
Try a tan. Though many homeowners love white cabinets, you might feel they look sterile or cold. If so, consider an earthy, pale tan. You’ll get a light and airy look, but the space will also feel warm and comfortable. Paint pick: For a similar color, try Pale Palomino from Behr (Home Decorators Collection).
White cabinets look best when they play off opposing elements. In this kitchen, the simple white cabinets look more interesting when juxtaposed with a sparkling glass backsplash. It’s truly a case of yin and yang. Both features share a common hue, but their styles couldn’t be more different.
Staircase stunners. Using maple hardwood, designer John Prindle designed a knockout staircase that is as interesting as the pattern cut into it. If you thought it was just a matrix of random punches for purely visual effect, you’d be wrong; it’s actually each residing family member’s name cut into Morse code.
For a truly amazing arch, embellish it with dentil molding or other decorative trim. You can also take an ordinary doorway to the next level by installing door casing and a stately pediment. When this type of traditional molding is used alongside a darker wall color, the trim’s details will really stand out.
I love the idea of not just creating a reading nook, but also incorporating your reading material there too. Finish one book and grab another without ever having to stand up.
a two-tiered island. The top tier is standard counter height and is ideal for kitchen prep. The lower wood tier accommodates standard dining chairs.
a decorative wall of board-on-board reclaimed barn siding — cut into different dimensions, applied to the wall and left with a ragged edge on top — surrounds the fireplace and anchors the room. It also provides an earthy contrast to the cabin’s pristine white decor.
In the kitchen, a large island does a tremendous amount of storage work so the Grays can forgo upper cabinets and preserve the view to the water through a wall of windows. The island holds the cooktop, downdraft, steam oven, microwave, dish storage and more. PAINT COLOR: GREY CASHMERE, B. MOORE
Got a nice view of a real swimming pool? Honor it by mirroring its aqua hues as the single color statement in an otherwise monochromatic room. The pool’s color and rectangular shape are repeated three times throughout this room — on the chair pillow and bed covering, and in the photograph — which gives the room an artistic bent that feels fresh and deliberate, and those floors are a cool invitation for drenched and sunburned feet.
Carve out a cube. Even in an open-plan room smaller than this one, there’s no need to tuck your kitchen into a corner. You might gain more space by creating a stand-alone open box for it, in the center of your living space, as seen in this Paris space. With clever planning, it could create more storage, and become a more sociable spot.
deception. Extend your wall storage by adding shelving to fill a non-standard-size gap at the end of a run of wall cabinets. But don’t let it create visual clutter in an already packed kitchen. Instead add a panel at the front that matches your cabinets — effectively, a false cabinet door — and the streamlined effect of your sleek wall units will continue, as seen here. The same idea also will work for base cabinets. If your cabinetmaker is game, you could turn the open shelving into concealed storage instead. This would depend on the panel sizes available and your door front material
Ramp up coziness. Characterful wall lamps, rather than overhead spots, create soft pools of light that ramp up the cozy feel of a small space. Choose adjustable versions so they double as task lighting.
love the floor!
a wallpaper company to fabricate a custom mural from a cherished photograph, SIMULATED OUTDOOR SPACE!
Spindly tree branches, glittering stones and a glass staircase paired with warm natural wood
Catalano Architects SaveEmail 2. Sensational skylights. There are skylights, and then there are decorative leaded glass skylights. It’s not a look we see every day, which makes it feels like a daring risk with a substantial reward: windows that are unique not only in placement but in material.
Pop-up vents are useful when the ceiling over a range isn’t able to house appropriate ventilation ducts. The fact that they take up little visual space can give a beautifully open look, especially when used in an island. However, they tend to be the least powerful option by far, so for serious chefs who often cook with a lot of steam and grease, the pop-up may not be sufficient. Pop-ups are a fairly modern style in general, but they can still work in more traditional kitchens, especially when combined with stainless steel chef’s-kitchen appliances and a more dramatic range hood to act as a focal point. A pop-up vent is typically sold as part of a coordinating range, so the price will be included in the range cost.
BUILT IN DESK AT WINDOW WITH SIDE SHELVES AND DRAWERS
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