Home Tours - Design & Inspiration

Painting Wood Blinds!

Oh yes we did! I started a ginormous DIY project in our old house and promised The Husband I'd do it on a shoestring budget.As you know necessity is the mother of either invention or stupid ideas! :) Either way, painting our wood blinds was one of the ways I got a big bang for our buck! This project isn't hard it's just takes time-so if you have more time than money and want to update your windows...this may work for you!

Residencia PS by Pupogaspar Arquitetura

The Secret to Dealing with Quirky Room Challenges

Our circa 1875 home presents unique design challenges when trying to place furniture to create good traffic flow. Too many doors and odd-sized walls means having to be creative with furniture choices and decor. Our living room is the most challenging since it sits in the middle of the house.

Country Club Loft

LOCATION. The project is situated at the Campestre Golf Club in Monterrey, Mexico. Monterrey is a couple of hours drive from Texas and is the most Industrialized City of Mexico, with about 5 million people. For many years the "Colonia del Valle" a suburb in a secluded Valley by the Sierra Madre has been the enclave for Industrialists and their families, with its own million-dollar membership fee Golf Club and home to several corporate headquarters, it is one of the top per capita suburbs in the country. The Building is a new 20-story high-rise, the single residential tower on the edge of the Golf Course, which offers views of the Sierra Madre, the "Cerro de la Silla" (Saddle Mountain), and the Golf Course. CLIENT. I had done two other homes for the family, one in the Mexican Caribbean Riviera, the other in the Tobacco growing Jungle of Veracruz, Mexico, where the family's hand made Cigars business is located. The hometown schools were not adequate for the two daughters now 21 and 22 so they went away to high school in London, and returned to College in Monterrey, which is an also excellent college town. A full floor apartment of about 4500 sq. ft. was available in the new building, and they asked me to meet them at the site, and do the job. The Girls had enjoyed European contemporary design and requested a Loft type layout and the use of Wood and Glass. DESCRIPTION AND FEATURES. The Study or work area is incorporated into the Main Space with Library, Living and Dining room areas all in one. The kitchen is open (Glass enclosed) to the Main space as well. The Master bedroom is for the two girls to share, while a Pied-a-Terre with two small bedrooms and a seating area is provided for the parents an elder brother, or guests. Glass covered columns. Sandblasted tempered glass covers the structural columns of the Main spaces. A glass doorway is provided for the elevator entry. Glass tile at the walls and butcher-block countertops in matching colors are used in all bathrooms. While consistency was part of the palette, a different color was chosen for each bedroom tying the room fabrics and bath materials, for the girl's suite in purples and blues, the parents' is red and the guest's is black. The roman shears and shades are all motorized due to their lengths of up to 28'. The bookcase (27' x10') with rolling ladder produced in California, together with all the furniture, and equipments was containerized and shipped for a Turn-Key six month completion time, from meeting to move in. Wood floors. The floors are washed oak longstrip diagonally placed to direct the main entrance flow towards the outward corner view. CREDITS. Furniture. BB Italia. Panama Chairs, Sity Sectional, Meta Coffee table. Brueton. Dining table. Make-up tables chair. Kitchen stools. Cassina. Moove Long Easy Chairs, Kick table (not shown). De Padova. Inciza armchairs. Desk chairs Georgetti. Recliner armchair. Molteni. Less tables. Desk tables. Montis. Baku sofa. Ligne Roset. Pollen tables. Poltrona Frau. Socrate Sofa. Kitchen. Downsview. Cabinetry. GE Monogram. Appliances. Frankee. Sink & Faucet. Art. Ray Charles White. Aluminum Water Study. Main Room. Vicente Rojo. Piramides series. Entrance. Elizabeth Saltos. Red Bedroom and seating area. Glass Tile. Ann Saks tile and Stone. Fabrics. Gant. Chenille on Headboards Clarence House. Bedroom pillows and ottomans. Bathrooms. Vola. Basins and Faucets. Jacuzzi. J dream shower. Area Rugs. Christopher Farr. Lighting. Leavit-Weaver Floor & Table lighting. Photography. Michael Calderwood, Mexico City. 20 Prints 8"x10" enclosed.

Cape Cod Renovated into Craftsman Style Home

The homeowners of a 1930s Cape-style home that had been remodeled and expanded several times before they purchased it wanted an exterior facelift that would upgrade and unify the home's aesthetics while adding much needed functionality. The clients went to Titus Built, LLC with a desire for a more appealing interpretation of their traditional Cape exterior, with Craftsman elements and a sophisticated level of design. The home needed significant structural work to improve water management in storm conditions, as well as an overall tightening of its envelope to better conserve energy. This exterior facelift required thoughtful planning to successfully achieve the aesthetic and functional goals of the clients while retaining the original character of the home and its detached garage. When adding elements of Craftsman styling to the 80-year old Cape home, it was essential to establish authenticity in the details and in the overall exterior impression. The design was meticulously researched, revised and implemented to faithfully integrate with the home's fundamental nature. Many of the elements in this project were custom-designed and handcrafted in the builder's millwork shop. This included everything from the extra-large gable end rafters (called barge board) to over 100 handcrafted mahogany and cedar brackets, along with custom flower boxes and shutters. Exterior details created from the sourced raw lumber Sapele (African mahogany) contribute to the character of the finished design. Since almost nothing was bought "off the shelf," accurate planning was crucial to the project's timely completion. In addition, a project with so many custom-designed features required a prudent balance of needs, desires and budget. A new covered front porch affords protection from seasonal elements and presents an appealing welcome. The front door is stained in a warm persimmon, and the front entry was remodeled to improve traffic flow in what was once a claustrophobic area. The finished design substantially enhances the home's aesthetics and significantly improves its functionality, while honoring the original character of the house with care. Specified Products - Brick/Masonry: Connecticut Fieldstone Doors: Simpson Door Company Hardware: Baldwin Hardware Corp. HVAC: Lennox Lighting Fixtures: Arroyo Craftsman Paints/Stains: Benjamin Moore Windows: Marvin Windows and Doors Titus Built, LLC Won Gold in the 2010 Qualified Remodeler Master Design Awards for this Exterior Facelift.

Barn Style Wall Made With Scraps

New construction builds often entail changes that are made to the plans as the project progresses. With this cottage the original plan was to have an open loft bedroom but the owner later proposed to frame a new wall and enclose it.