Backsplashing

The primary bath has large slabs of porcelain tiles made to look like veined marble, which cost much less than real stone. The seamless concrete floor flows into the curb-less shower for access. There is in-wall storage on the left, and the sink and countertop are made of seamless Corian. The wood door pockets away.

After: The soaring new living and dining space benefits from an abundance of natural light from every side, and they spent a lot of time trying to find the best lighting for the kitchen. The final choice: long, narrow copper pendants from Denmark suspended by ultra thin wires to not disrupt the visual flow of the room.

The bookcase in the great room holds about 3,500 books. Several hundred more can be found in the living room, and on the floor-to-ceiling shelves in Zeke and Teasel's offices.

After: A new porch roof, made of metal, completes the updated exterior facade. The home’s doors and the garage door are painted a punchy pink, Benjamin Moore’s Rosewood.

After: The kitchen’s countertops and backsplash are “all those 1950s-30s enamel card tables,” Geoffrey explains. “That was a decision I made early on; it took me a year and a half to collect them all.” The beams were a great surprise; they were hidden away in the ceiling. The appliances are former Consumer Reports test appliances bought at auction, and the ceiling lights are a custom design, intended to look mid-century.

Designed by Arba, the retreat’s enclosed garden provides outdoor space out of the wind while the cuts give it a strong connection with the setting.

The perimeter countertop is made from waxed cold-rolled steel. “I like materials that get better with age; this will fill up with color,” Caleb says.

In the first-floor bathroom, the mermaid backsplash Caleb carved plays off the Hygge & West “Mermaid” wallpaper.

The kitchen countertops, backsplash and sink hardware are all clad in brass, only slightly more expensive than comparable surfaces choices and naturally antibacterial.

In the kitchen, quartzite kitchen island countertops and a wall of off-white ceramic tile complement the walnut cabinetry and brass surfaces.

The bathroom cleverly functions as both a private and public space, thanks to a sliding wall that closes off the bathtub and Linden's vanity.

The bathroom is clad in blue penny tile, and natural light pours in to illuminate it all. “It’s almost a spa-like experience,” says Khoi. The tiles are from Bedrosians.

For the interior, “We worked hard to basically keep the tones the same, even if the wood may have changed, from a hardwood to a soft wood,” says Sabbeth. Interestingly, the couple first wanted to whitewash the wood, but that treatment was eventually deemed too cold for the year-round coziness everyone was after.

The kitchen is a balance of woods and stone, with marble on the large island and Naica quartzite in a leathered finish on the perimeter counters and backsplash. The stove hood is a custom plaster finish: “I was constantly looking for ways to add softness,” says interior designer Holly Waterfield.

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

Cornflower blue hexagonal tiles form the backsplash in this blue kitchen, where the tiles continue onto the countertop (often a great way to save on your budget), which is edged in copper. The blue cabinets are a solid color in contrast to the variegated tones of the tiles.