It's Christmas in July! This homeowner was interested in adding an outdoor space that would be continuous with their indoor living area. The large windows that separate the 2 spaces allows for their home to have a very open feel. They went with a contemporary craftsman style with clean straight lines in the columns and beams on the ceiling. The stone veneer fireplace, framed with full masonry block, with reclaimed Hemlock mantle as the centerpiece attraction and the stained pine tongue and groove vaulted ceiling gives the space a dramatic look. The columns have a stacked stone base that complements the stone on the fireplace and kitchen fascia. The light travertine flooring is a perfect balance for the dark stone on the column bases and knee walls beside the fireplace as well as the darker stained cedar beams and stones in the fireplace. The outdoor kitchen with stainless steel tile backsplash is equipped with a gas grill and a Big Green Egg as well as a fridge and storage space. This space is 525 square feet and is the perfect spot for any gathering. The patio is surrounded by stained concrete stepping stones with black star gravel. The original second story windows were replaced with smaller windows in order to allow for a proper roof pitch. TK IMAGES

This 2-story home needed a little love on the outside, with a new front porch to provide curb appeal as well as useful seating areas at the front of the home. The traditional style of the home was maintained, with it's pale yellow siding and black shutters. The addition of the front porch with flagstone floor, white square columns, rails and balusters, and a small gable at the front door helps break up the 2-story front elevation and provides the covered seating desired. Can lights in the wood ceiling provide great light for the space, and the gorgeous ceiling fans increase the breeze for the home owners when sipping their tea on the porch. The new stamped concrete walk from the driveway and simple landscaping offer a quaint picture from the street, and the homeowners couldn't be happier.

Beautiful lakefront location with fire bowls/fountains. Vista is framed by coconut palms and stained tongue and groove ceiling.

Made for sweet dreams. Layers of neutral tones and mixed textures make for a soothing retreat. We love how the large picture window floods the room with natural light. Blackout linen panels frame the view when open and pull shut for privacy and a good nights sleep. Photo: Kerry Bern www.prepiowa.com

Originally a church and community centre, this Northside residence has been lovingly renovated by an enthusiastic young couple into a unique family home. The design brief for this kitchen design was to create a larger than life industrial style kitchen that would not look lost in the enormous 8.3meter wide “assembly hall” area of this unassuming 1950’s suburban home. The inclusion of a large island that was proportionate to the space was a must have for the family. The collation of different materials, textures and design features in this kitchen blend to create a functional, family-friendly, industrial style kitchen design that feels warm and inviting and entirely at home in its surroundings. The clients desire for dark charcoal colour cabinetry is softened with the use of the ‘Bluegrass’ colour cabinets under the rough finish solid wood island bench. The sleek black handles on the island contrast the Bluegrass cabinet colour while tying the island in with the handless charcoal colour cabinets on the back wall. With limited above bench wall space, the majority of storage is accommodated in 50-65kg capacity soft closing drawers under deep benchtops maximising the storage potential of the area. The 1meter wide appliance cabinet has ample storage for small appliances in tall deep drawers under bench height while a pair of pocket doors above bench level open to reveal bench space for a toaster and coffee machine with a microwave space and shelving above. This kitchen design earned our designer Anne Ellard, a spot in the final of KBDI’s 2017 Designer Awards. Award winners will be announced at a Gala event in Adelaide later this year. Now in its ninth year, the KBDi Designer Awards is a well-established and highly regarded national event on the Australian design calendar. The program recognises the professionalism and talent of Australian kitchen and bathroom designers. What the clients said: ” The end result of our experience with Anne and Kitchens by Kathie is a space that people walk into and everyone says “Wow!”. As well as being great to look at, it’s a pleasure to use, the space has both great form and function. Anne was extremely responsive to any issues or concerns that cropped up during the design/build process which made the whole process much smoother and enjoyable. Thanks again Anne, we’re extremely happy with the result.”

This is a living room in a Tucson Santa Fe. The ceiling is hand split, split rail fence over hand hued vegas. The fireplace is stuccoed. This is a gorgeous Santa Fe stile living room.

© Lori Hamilton Photography © Lori Hamilton Photography

Tre Dunham

Giovanni Photography

Custom railings and columns make a statement on this beautiful cottage. Photo by Tom Aiken