Open plan family living, with handmade birch ply kitchen with lacquered cupboard door finishes. Corian waterfall worktop. Amtico flooring and IQ Glass Sliding doors.

This first floor living room was transformed into a traditional yet transitional family space for this large family to fully enjoy! We did the entry way, sitting room, family room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook!

Opulent details elevate this suburban home into one that rivals the elegant French chateaus that inspired it. Floor: Variety of floor designs inspired by Villa La Cassinella on Lake Como, Italy. 6” wide-plank American Black Oak + Canadian Maple | 4” Canadian Maple Herringbone | custom parquet inlays | Prime Select | Victorian Collection hand scraped | pillowed edge | color Tolan | Satin Hardwax Oil. For more information please email us at: sales@signaturehardwoods.com

Download our free ebook, Creating the Ideal Kitchen. DOWNLOAD NOW As with most projects, it all started with the kitchen layout. The home owners came to us wanting to upgrade their kitchen and overall aesthetic in their suburban home, with a combination of fresh paint, updated finishes, and improved flow for more ease when doing everyday activities. A monochromatic, earth-toned palette left the kitchen feeling uninspired. It lacked the brightness they wanted from their space. An eat-in table underutilized the available square footage. The butler’s pantry was out of the way and hard to access, and the dining room felt detached from the kitchen. Lead Designer, Stephanie Cole, saw an improved layout for the spaces that were no longer working for this family. By eliminating an existing wall between the kitchen and dining room, and relocating the bar area to the dining room, we opened up the kitchen, providing all the space we needed to create a dreamy and functional layout. A new perimeter configuration promoted circulation while also making space for a large and functional island loaded with seating – a must for any family. Because an island that isn’t big enough for everyone (and a few more) is a recipe for disaster. The light white cabinetry is fresh and contrasts with the deeper tones in the wood flooring, creating a modern aesthetic that is elevated, yet approachable for everyday living. With better flow as the overarching goal, we made some structural changes too. To remove a bottleneck in the entryway, we angled one of the dining room walls to create more natural separation between rooms and facilitate ease of movement throughout the large space. At The Kitchen Studio, we believe a well-designed kitchen uses every square inch to the fullest. By starting from scratch, it was possible to rethink the entire kitchen layout and design the space according to how it is used, because the kitchen shouldn’t make it harder to feed the family. A new location for the existing range, flanked by a new column refrigerator and freezer on each side, worked to anchor the space. The very large and very spacious island (a dream island if we do say so ourselves) now houses the primary sink and provides ample space for food prep and family gathering. The new kitchen table and coordinating banquette seating provide a cozy nook for quick breakfasts before school or work, and evening homework sessions. Elegant gold details catch the natural light, elevating the aesthetic. The dining room was transformed into one of this client’s favorite spaces and we couldn’t agree more. We saw an opportunity to give the dining room a more distinguished identity by closing off the entrance from the foyer. The relocated wet bar enhances the sophisticated vibe of this gathering space, complete with beautiful antique mirror tiles and open shelving encased by moody built-in cabinets. Updated furnishings add warmth. A rich walnut table is paired with custom chairs in a muted coral fabric. The large, transitional chandelier grounds the room, pairing beautifully with the gold finishes prevalent in the faucet and cabinet hardware. Linen-inspired wallpaper and cream-toned window treatments add to the glamorous feel of this entertainment space. There is no way around it. The laundry room was cramped. The large washer and dryer blocked access to the sink and left little room for the space to serve its other essential function – as a mudroom. Because we reworked the kitchen layout to create more space overall, we could rethink the mudroom too – an essential for any busy family. The first step was moving the washer and dryer to an existing area on the second floor, where most of the family’s laundry lives (no one wants to carry laundry up and down the stairs if they don’t have to anyway). This is a more functional solution and opened up the space for all the mudroom necessities – including the existing kitchen refrigerator, loads of built-in cubbies, and a bench. It’s hard to not fall in love with every detail of a new space, especially when it serves your day-to-day life. But that doesn’t mean the clients didn’t have their favorite features they use on the daily. This remodel was focused largely on function with a new kitchen layout. And it’s the functional features that have the biggest impact. The large island provides much needed workspace in the kitchen and is a spot where everyone gathers together – it grounds the space and the family. And the custom counter stools are the icing on the cake. The nearby mudroom has everything their previous space was lacking – ample storage, space for everyone’s essentials, and the beloved cement floor tiles that are both durable and artistic.

This dining room shows the combination of great furniture selection, art, architecture all nestled in the beautiful New York City. This home needed custom drapery from the start to accentuate these beautiful arched windows. The custom ripple fold drapery in beautiful fabric softens the space and frames the windows. We used a family dining table and added custom chairs. The punk portrait of Queen Elizabeth adds the perfect focal point.

Liadesign

Dining room, opens to courtyard, box beams, hanging light fixture, dark frame windows

Opulent details elevate this suburban home into one that rivals the elegant French chateaus that inspired it. Floor: Variety of floor designs inspired by Villa La Cassinella on Lake Como, Italy. 6” wide-plank American Black Oak + Canadian Maple | 4” Canadian Maple Herringbone | custom parquet inlays | Prime Select | Victorian Collection hand scraped | pillowed edge | color Tolan | Satin Hardwax Oil. For more information please email us at: sales@signaturehardwoods.com

Serenity Indian Wells luxury home modern dining room. Photo by William MacCollum.

Bohemian chic dining room

Moving into a new home? Where do your furnishings look and fit the best? Where and what should you purchase new? Downsizing can be even more difficult. How do you get all your cherished belongings to fit? What do you keep and what to you pass onto a new home? I'm here to help. This home was smaller and the homeowners asked me to help make it feel like home and make everything work. Mission accomplished!