Mike Poole

Reclaimed, rustic French & Mediterranean limestone fireplace mantels by Architectural Stone Decor. www.archstonedecor.ca | sales@archstonedecor.ca | (437) 800-8300 All these unique pieces of art are either newly hand carved or assembled from reclaimed limestone. They are tailored and custom made to suit the client's space and home in terms of design, size, color tone and finish.

To update this traditional Atlanta home, Pineapple House designers bring harmony to the interior architecture with color. They renovate the residence so it is more conducive to comfort, entertaining and their pets. In the keeping room, they replaced the vaulted ceiling with a 13’ high coffered ceiling. They pay special attention to the clients two dogs, and integrate them into the living situation with a number of elements, like the dog kennel that they incorporate under the banquette on the right side of the room. Scott Moore Photography

Rick Bethem

Interior Design by Blackband Design Photography by Tessa Neustadt

New 72 Dimplex Ignite electric fireplace with custom, LED backlit shelving and textured 20" x 20" stone tile surround

Family Room/solarium

Fireplace with precast surround and handpainted tile in the great room of Hacienda Del Halcon, a 6,800 square foot custom home built by Orlando Custom Home Builder Jorge Ulibarri in the luxury neighborhood of Waterstone in Windermere, Florida

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

photo by: Chris Corrie