Маргарита Кунник

Angle Eye Photography

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."

Another view of the hallway between bedrooms, with the restored original built-ins. New darker floors replace the rotted oak floors. Non-functioning heat registers from the 30's were removed to make the hallway cleaner and improve access.

Custom built in salt water aquariums

The minimal windows Guillotine Windows installed to this new build property offers high levels of thermal insulations, solar protection and transparency. Glass balustrades were used on the staircase as a protection batter while allowing light to penetrate further into the building.

christian blok, photographer

Eric Zepeda

Interior Designer & Homestager Celene Collins (info@celenecollins.ie) beautifully finished this show house for new housing estate Drake's Point in Crosshaven,Cork recently using some of our products. This is showhouse type A. In the Hallway, living room and front room area, she opted for "Authentic Herringbone - Superior Walnut" a 12mm laminate board which works very well with the warm tones she had chosen for the furnishings. In the expansive Kitchen / Dining area she chose the "Kenay Gris Shiny [60]" Polished Porcelain floor tile, a stunning cream & white marbled effect tile with a veining of grey-brown allowing this tile to suit with almost colour choice. In the master ensuite, she chose the "Lumier Blue [16.5]" mix pattern porcelain tile for the floor, with a standard White Metro tile for the shower area and above the sink.

The Sater Design Collection's luxury, Mediterranean home plan "Prestonwood" (Plan #6922). http://saterdesign.com/product/prestonwood/

Behind the burled walnut walls of this hallway is an entry to a china and silver closet. Across the hall is the powder room -- tastefully hidden behind the walnut panels like the wall it mirrors. The dining vestibule is highlighted by a bracelet chandelier hanging in a tiled square vault in the burl walnut clad ceiling. Brett Drury Architectural Photography