2018 REMODEL IDEAS

Viewed from above, the house shows off its multiple outdoor entertaining areas and lush vegetation

The Coles and their children love hitting the beach, just four blocks away.

This Bay Area family decided to splurge on top-of-the-line cabinetry by the Italian company, Cucine Lube because the kitchen would be the focal point of the open living space and where they predicted that they’d spend much of their time. The glossy panels are crafted from acrylic and glass dust to form a light and sturdy material that is "as luminous as glass." In addition, the panels are easy to maintain; resistant to water, heat, stains, and chemicals; and designed to be in contact with food—making it money well spent.

To add more space to her petite Florence apartment originally designed by Roberto Monsani, architect Silvia Allori incorporated fold-down furniture and storage into the white laminate walls that also support bookshelves.

In a chaotic stretch of Brooklyn, architect Nicholas Hunt built a 55-square-foot reprieve from the bustle in his own backyard. The studio, crafted with salvaged fence pickets and cedar planks, is crowned with a Plexiglas skylight.

A stainless steel chimney painted red pierces through this two-story chestnut-clad holiday pad facing the sea, the handiwork of ECE Architecture's Nick Evans. Built into a sandstone hill in East Sussex, England, the highlights include the kitchen—Evans's wife is a chef—a room enlivened by a shiny 16-foot steel countertop and cabinetry in custom hues of green. For a breezy beach feel, reclaimed roof beams, sawed and painted white, were converted into floorboards.

Skylab Architecture cantilevered the living volumes in order to minimize the building’s footprint and to create a tree house-like experience for the residents.

The refrigerator is Sub-Zero, the cooktop and hood are Viking, and the oven is Miele.

The cantilevered front porch and railing were restored, as was the original dry-stacked limestone below. The roof overhang was notched to accommodate the heritage live oak.

The former gallery was enclosed in order to create space for two guest bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. An elevated walkway stretches over the former nave and leads to a master suite opposite, separated from the other bedrooms for privacy.

Blue velvet drapery separates the dining room from the living area, where there are leather-and-wood lounge chairs by Tessa Furniture and a floor lamp from Artemide.

The new pool was raised six feet above the ground and was designed for entertaining—and to better match the home’s new modern style.

Beyond the large pedestrian gate, “which is really the home’s front door,” says Gottschalk, “the house begins to reveal its strong indoor and outdoor relationship. Blurring the boundary between the two is a key design element.”

facade closeup

The renovated kitchen features quartz counters and natural maple cabinets, and it flows easily with the rest of the renovated open plan.

A new steel staircase with wood tread and a cable railing does not block the outside views. The double-height window systems used at the front and back of the home are glass storefront units from YKK.

One of the highlights of the home is the luxurious, modern kitchen which was enlarged and updated during the renovation.

The cedar-clad recessed entryway of Hyde Park House, with a generous front deck, warmly welcomes visitors.