Custom jewelry drawer. Glass integrated with countertop for closed position viewing.

This space truly allowed us to create a luxurious walk in closet with a boutique feel. The room has plenty of volume with the vaulted ceiling and terrific lighting. The vanity area is not only beautiful but very functional was well. Bella Systems

Lots of drawers in this project! All soft close with dovetailed drawers.

Armario vestidor de la habitación Suite con mucho espacio de almacenamiento

Christopher Barrett

jim Grote

The clients worked with the collaborative efforts of builders Ron and Fred Parker, architect Don Wheaton, and interior designer Robin Froesche to create this incredible home.

In 2008 an extension was added to this small country home thus allowing the clients to redesign the main floor with a larger master suite, housing a separate vanity, and a bathroom filled with technology, elegance and luxury. Although the existing space was acceptable, it did not reflect the charismatic character of the clients, and lacked breathing space. By borrowing the ineffective space from their existing “entrance court” and removing all closets thus permitting for a private space to accommodate a large vanity with Jack and Jill sinks, a separate bathroom area housing a deep sculptural tub with air massage and hydrotherapy combination, set in a perfect symmetrical fashion to allow the beautiful views of the outdoor landscape, a thin 30” LCD TV, and incorporating a large niche wall for artful accessories and spa products, as well as a private entrance to the large well organized dressing room with a make-up counter. A peaceful, elegant yet highly functional on-suite was created by this young couple’s dream of having a contemporary hotel chic palette inspired by their travels in Paris. Using the classic black and white color combination, a touch of glam, the warm natural color of cherry wood and the technology and innovation brought this retreat to a new level of relaxation. CLIENTS NEEDS Better flow, Space to blend with surrounding open area – yet still have a “wow effect” Create more organized and functional storage and take in consideration client’s mobility handicap. A large shower, an elongated tall boy toilette ,a bidet, a TV, a deep bathtub and a space to incorporate art. Designate an area to house a vanity with 2 sinks, separate from toilette and bathing area. OBJECTIVES Remove existing surrounding walls and closets, incorporated same flooring material throughout adding texture and pattern to blend with each surrounding areas. Use contrasting elements, but control with tone on tone textured materials such as wall tile. Use warm natural materials such as; solid cherry shaker style pocket doors. Enhance architectural details. Plan for custom storage using ergonomics solutions for easy access. Increase storage at entry to house all winter and summer apparel yet leave space for guest belongings. Create a fully organized and functional dressing room. Design the bathroom using a large shower but taking in consideration client’s height differences, incorporate client’s flair for modern technology yet keeping with architectural bones of existing country home design. Create a separate room that fits the desired hotel chic design and add classic contemporary glam without being trendy. DESIGN SOLUTIONS By removing most walls and re-dividing the space to fit the client’s needs, this improves the traffic flow and beautifies the line of sight. A feature wall using rich materials such as white carrara marble basket weave pattern on wall and a practical bench platform made out of Staron-pebble frost, back-lit with a well concealed LED strip light. The glow of two warm white spot lights, highlight the rich marble wall and ties this luxuriant practical element inviting guests to the enticing journey of the on-suite. Incorporate pot-lights in ceiling for general lighting. Add crystal chandeliers as focal point in the vanity area and bathroom to create balance and symmetry within the space. Highlight areas such as wall niches, vanity counter and feature wall sections. Blend architectural elements with a cool white LED strip lighting for decorative-mood accents. Integrate a large seamless shower so as to not overpower the main attraction of the bathroom, insert a shower head tower with adjustable shower heads, The addition of a state of the art electronic bidet seat fitted on to an elongated tall boy toilette. Special features of this bidet include; heated seat, gentle washing ,cleaning and drying functions, which not only looks great but is more functional than your average bidet that takes up too much valuable space. SPECIAL FEATURES The contrasting materials using classic black and white elements and the use of warm tone materials such as natural cherry for the pocket doors is the key element to the space, thus balances the light colors and creates a richness in the area. The feature wall elements with its richness and textures ties in the surrounding spaces and welcomes the individual into the space . The aesthetically pleasing bidet seat is not only practical but comforting as well. The Parisian Philippe Starck Baccarat inspired bathroom has it’s many charms and elegance as well as it’s form and function. Loads of storage neatly concealed in the design space without appearing too dominant yet is the aspect of the success of this design and it’s practicality. PRODUCTS USED Custom Millwork Wenge Veneer stained black, Lacquered white posts and laminated background. By: Bluerock Cabinets http://www.bluerockcabinets.com Quartz Counter Hanstone Quartz col: Specchio White By: Leeza distribution in VSL http://www.leezadistribution.com Porcelain Tile Floor: Fabrique white and black linen By: Daltile, VSL http://www.daltile.com Porcelain Tile Wall: Fabrique white and black linen By: Olympia, VSL http://www.olympiatile.com Plumbing Fixtures: All fixtures Royal By: Montval http://www.lesbainstourbillonsmontval.com Feature Wall :Bench Staron Color: Pebble frost Backlit-with LED By: Leeza distribution in VSL http://www.leezadistribution.com Feature Wall :Wall Contempo carrara basket weave By: Daltile, VSL http://www.daltile.com Lighting: Gen-lite – chandaliers Lite-line mini gimbals LED strip light By: Shortall Electrique http://www.shortall.ca

Houston Interior Designer Lisha Maxey took this Museum District condo from the dated, mirrored walls of the 1980s to Mid Century Modern with a gallery look featuring the client's art collection. "The place was covered with glued-down, floor-to-ceiling mirrors," says Lisha Maxey, senior designer for Homescapes of Houston and principal at LGH Design Services in Houston. "When we took them off the walls, the walls came apart. We ended up taking them down to the studs." The makeover took six months to complete, primarily because of strict condo association rules that only gave the Houston interior designers very limited access to the elevator - through which all materials and team members had to go. "Monday through Friday, we could only be noisy from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and if we had to do something extra loud, like sawing or drilling, we had to schedule it with the management and they had to communicate that to the condo owners. So it was just a lot of coordination. But a lot of Inner City Loopers live in these kinds of buildings, so we're used to handling that kind of thing." The client, a child psychiatrist in her 60s, recently moved to Houston from northeast Texas to be with friends. After being widowed three years ago, she decided it was time to let go of the traditionally styled estate that wasn't really her style anyway. An avid diver who has traveled around the world to pursue her passion, she has amassed a large collection of art from her travels. Downsizing to 1,600 feet and wanting to go more contemporary, she wanted the display - and the look - more streamlined. "She wanted clean lines and muted colors, with the main focus being her artwork," says Maxey. "So we made the space a palette for that." Enter the white, gallery-grade paint she chose for the walls: "It's halfway between satin and flat," explains Maxey. "It's not glossy and it's not chalky - just very smooth and clean." Adding to the gallery theme is the satin nickel track lighting with lamps aimed to highlight pieces of art. "This lighting has no wires," notes Maxey. "It's powered by a positive and negative conduit." The new flooring throughout is a blended-grey porcelain tile that looks like wood planks. "It's gorgeous, natural-looking and combines all the beauty of wood with the durability of tile," says Maxey. "We used it throughout the condo to unify the space." After Maxey started looking at the client's bright, vibrant, colorful artwork, she felt the palette couldn't stay as muted anymore. Hence the Mid Century Modern orange leather sofas from West Elm and bright green chairs from Joybird, plus the throw pillows in different textures, patterns and shades of gold, orange and green. The concave lines of the Danish-inspired chairs, she notes, help them look beautiful from all the way around - a key to designing spaces for loft living. "The table in the living room is very interesting," notes Maxey. "It was handmade for the client in 1974 and has a signature on it from the artist. She was adamant about including the piece, which has all these hand-painted black-and-white art tiles on the top. I took one look at it and said 'It's not really going to go.'" However, after cutting 6 inches off the bottom and making it look a little distressed, the table ended up being the perfect complement to the sofas. The dining room table - from Design Within Reach - is a solid piece of mahogany, the chair upholstery a mix of grey velvet and leather and the legs a shiny brass. "The side chairs are leather and the end ones are velvet," says Maxey. "It's a nice textural mix that lends depth and texture." The galley kitchen, meanwhile, has been lightened and brightened, with white quartz countertops and backsplashes mimicking the look of Carrara marble, stainless steel appliances and a velvet green bench seat for a punch of color. The cabinets are painted a cool grey color called "Silverplate." The two bathrooms have been updated with contemporary white vanities and vessel sinks and the master bath now features a walk-in shower tiled in Dolomite white marble (the floor is Bianco Carrara marble mosaic, done in a herringbone pattern. In the master bedroom, Homescapes of Houston knocked down a wall between two smaller closets with swing doors to make one large walk-in closet with pocket doors. The closet in the guest bedroom also came out 13 more inches. The client's artwork throughout personalizes the space and tells the story of a life. There's a huge bowl of shells from the client's diving adventures, framed art from her child psychiatry patients and a 16th century wood carving from a monastery that's been in her family forever. "Her collection is quite impressive," says Maxey. "There's even a framed piece of autographed songs written by John Lennon." (You can see this black-framed piece of art on the wall in the photo above of two green chairs). "We're extremely happy with how the project turned out, and so is the client," says Maxey. "No expense was spared for her. It was a labor of love and we were excited to do it."

A dream closet for "her" Photo: Erhard Pfeiffer

A white painted wood walk-in closet featuring dazzling built-in displays highlights jewelry, handbags, and shoes with a glass island countertop, custom velvet-lined trays, and LED accents. Floor-to-ceiling cabinetry utilizes every square inch of useable wall space in style.