FineCraft Contractors, Inc. Harrison Design

seamless indoor and outdoor space.

Photographer: Ken Vaughan

In this beautiful Houston remodel, we took on the exterior AND interior - with a new outdoor kitchen, patio cover and balcony outside and a Mid-Century Modern redesign on the inside: "This project was really unique, not only in the extensive scope of it, but in the number of different elements needing to be coordinated with each other," says Outdoor Homescapes of Houston owner Wayne Franks. "Our entire team really rose to the challenge." OUTSIDE The new outdoor living space includes a 14 x 20-foot patio addition with an outdoor kitchen and balcony. We also extended the roof over the patio between the house and the breezeway (the new section is 26 x 14 feet). On the patio and balcony, we laid about 1,100-square foot of new hardscaping in the place of pea gravel. The new material is a gorgeous, honed-and-filled Nysa travertine tile in a Versailles pattern. We used the same tile for the new pool coping, too. We also added French doors leading to the patio and balcony from a lower bedroom and upper game room, respectively: The outdoor kitchen above features Southern Cream cobblestone facing and a Titanium granite countertop and raised bar. The 8 x 12-foot, L-shaped kitchen island houses an RCS 27-inch grill, plus an RCS ice maker, lowered power burner, fridge and sink. The outdoor ceiling is tongue-and-groove pine boards, done in the Minwax stain "Jacobean." INSIDE Inside, we repainted the entire house from top to bottom, including baseboards, doors, crown molding and cabinets. We also updated the lighting throughout. "Their style before was really non-existent," says Lisha Maxey, senior designer with Outdoor Homescapes and owner of LGH Design Services in Houston. "They did what most families do - got items when they needed them, worrying less about creating a unified style for the home." Other than a new travertine tile floor the client had put in 6 months earlier, the space had never been updated. The drapery had been there for 15 years. And the living room had an enormous leather sectional couch that virtually filled the entire room. In its place, we put all new, Mid-Century Modern furniture from World Market. The drapery fabric and chandelier came from High Fashion Home. All the other new sconces and chandeliers throughout the house came from Pottery Barn and all décor accents from World Market. The couple and their two teenaged sons got bedroom makeovers as well. One of the sons, for instance, started with childish bunk beds and piles of books everywhere. "We gave him a grown-up space he could enjoy well into his high school years," says Lisha. The new bed is also from World Market. We also updated the kitchen by removing all the old wallpaper and window blinds and adding new paint and knobs and pulls for the cabinets. (The family plans to update the backsplash later.) The top handrail on the stairs got a coat of black paint, and we added a console table (from Kirkland's) in the downstairs hallway. In the dining room, we painted the cabinet and mirror frames black and added new drapes, but kept the existing furniture and flooring. "I'm just so pleased with how it turned out - especially Lisha's coordination of all the materials and finishes," says Wayne. "But as a full-service outdoor design team, this is what we do, and our all our great reviews are telling us we're doing it well."

Cozy family room in this East Bay home. Photos by Eric Zepeda Studio

Jon Eady Photography

Designed in 1949 by Pietro Belluschi this Northwest style house sits adjacent to a stream in a 2-acre garden. The current owners asked us to design a new wing with a sitting room, master bedroom and bath and to renovate the kitchen. Details and materials from the original design were used throughout the addition. Special foundations were employed at the Master Bedroom to protect a mature Japanese maple. In the Master Bath a private garden court opens the shower and lavatory area to generous outside light. In 2004 this project received a citation Award from the Portland AIA Michael Mathers Photography

Dick Springgate

Brick and Slate Pool House Fireplace & Sitting Area

Modern minimalist custom media wall design with modern horizontal fireplace, custom hardwood accents. A contemporary home entertainment center design exclusively designed by DAGR Design.

Open living room with beautiful curved roof and glass louvers to let in lots of light.

Open Plan Modern Family Room, Kitchen, and Dining area with Custom Feature Wall / Media Wall, Custom Tray Ceilings, Modern Furnishings, Custom Cabinetry, Statement Lighting, an Incredible View of the Fox Hollow Golf Course.

FineCraft Contractors, Inc. Harrison Design

Clients who enlisted my services two years ago found a new home they loved, but wanted to make sure that the newly acquired furniture would fit the space. They called on K Two Designs to work in the existing furniture as well as add new pieces. The whole house was given a fresh coat of white paint, and draperies and rugs were added to warm and soften the spaces. The husband loved the comfort of the new leather sectional in the comfortable family TV room.

Trestle beams create a natural pallet