Design Blog
Thoughts & Musings
A "SMEG" Refrigerator adds flare to this kitchen!
New Kitchen Remodel in Novato that I did, features a "SMEG" refrigerator in Daiquiri Green with matching glass tile backsplash! Took out a wall and opened it up to the Dining room. The whole kitchen was designed around the SMEG, as it fit perfectly into an existing recess on the kitchen wall.
Here is a barn that I designed on San Juan Island, WA. It is actually a "Pole Barn", in that it does not have a foundation- just poles that were inserted into 6 foot deep holes with concrete poured around them. The second floor had a space for a living area. The three white horses and one paint pony loved living there!
3D modeling is a great way to show clients what an addition is going to look like. The darker Grey is the Original House and the lighter grey is the proposed new addition- a new entry way, a new stair-tower and a new 3 car garage with cuppola for an addition to a 1901 house in Sausalito, CA.
The new second floor terrace will be a great place to view the garden with its Southern exposure.
Mission District Restaurant I designed with custom metal cut out sign- it was a Paella Restaurant before its time!
We used the metal cut-outs from the exterior sign on the wall of the restaurant. Metal cut-outs were also used on the guardrail of the entry ramp. The cut-outs were also used as hanging art= never waste a thing was out motto!
Bronze Sink in the shape of a shell at http://solerasinks.com/
Sea Urchin shaped Bronze Sink by the same company
These are some of the nicest sinks I have seen on the market for that special powder room application. The company also does copper kitchen sinks. My cousin is installing on his boat- perfect, right? The shell sink is especially great the way that the water is going to follow the shape into the drain.
Kohler Tub Filler is mounted in the ceiling of this Master Bath with a waterfront view. Kohler SOK Tub is paired with it to create a Zen home SPA experience. Granite Tub surround. Glass tile face.
The tranquility of this Master Bath is achieved with the use of serene soothing colors of Celadon Green and light blue from the recycled glass tiles from Hakatai Glass.
Working on an "Infill Addition" for a house in Santa Rosa, CA to create a new entry and connect the garage to the main house with a laundry room/mud room. Used Google Earth of the property-worked out great to show the existing site/driveway with car with the 3D model on top!
Not sure what I would have done in the old days of hand drafting to communicate design ideas. So much has changed in the industry in the last 15 years, to make communication with clients so much better. With 3D modeling, it is easy to show a client what an addition is going to look like. With the software that I use called "Vectorworks", all the walls that I input in the 2D plan, have 3D values set into them already. I set the height of the walls when I create them and then switch to a 3D view to see what they look like. I create the roofs on a separate layer stacked above, and can see what the different options look like.
Kitchen remodel with 60" Gas Professional Stove for a food writer. Maple cabinets, slate floors, granite counters w/ 1.5" round bullnose edge= YUMMY!
You can tell that this is a cook's kitchen. I put in the signature shelf at the back of the back-splash to put condiments up off the counter, for easier cleaning. The hood is bigger then the stove by 6" on either side, so that grease is better handled. The upper cabinets have glass in them so the cook can see what they contain. The floors were slate because she had 3 dogs that trashed the former wood floor. The slate really held up to the constant movement in the kitchen around the central island!
Up-lighting above the upper cabinets of this Victorian's kitchen remodel I did, gives the room a sense of being washed with light.
Lighting in a kitchen is so important. It is the heart of the modern home, where everyone gathers. Even if you don't have tall ceilings, if you can get in some in-direct lighting under the upper cabinets, it gives more lighting. LED stripe lighting is a cost-effective way to get more lighting onto the work surfaces. And the more lighting, the better.
If youhave tall ceilings, then definitely use LED up-lighting above the upper cabinets, to wash the ceiling with in-direct lighting.
This is a bathroom I did in a Victorian over 20 years ago, and the clients really wanted to have two pedestal sinks. The challenge was what to do for storage? I designed a storage tower in-between the sinks which also came in handy for towel bars and an art pedestal all in one.
