Home Design Ideas - Crazy with Tile!

I recently ran into a photo of a simple bathroom design that I wanted to share with you.  It's a really skinny, small, simple, unique and fantastic powder room within a 1910 Georgian Mansion in San Francisco.  Check it out below.

This powder room is a contrast of the very modern and the very ornate.  It starts off as a very spare space with almost awkward proportions.  Add to that the modern wood vanity, vessel sink and faucet.  This is contrasted by the "crazy" - but well designed tile pattern, reinforced by the stained glass window and the ornate mirror. 

Detail view of the tile pattern.  I cannot imagine the man-hours that went into this.   But you have to admit it's very cool.

All in all a very quirky but beautiful powder room.  So todays lesson is this:

1. Keep it simple but pay attention to the details.
2. A contrast of styles can be very dramatic.

If you want to learn more about this bathroom you can check out the link where I found it:

http://arizonafoothillsmagazine.com/in-house/design-and-architecture/san-francicso-decorator-showcase-features-marsh-clark-powder-room

Read More

Cozy !

These rooms are very stylish yet give off a nice cozy vibe....

Read More

Family Rooms

Comfortable furniture in small spaces? Yes! ! !

Read More

New Unique Ranch Plan

Simply Elegant is now offering a new unique ranch house plan.  The "Somerset Ranch" offers a modern open floor plan, a main floor master suite and a generous front entry porch.  This modern Ranch with it's clean lines and careful attention to detail is definitely not your parents Rambler.  Check it out!

View of Entry Court.  Dormers filter natural light down into the vaulted living room and master bedroom spaces.

Nicely organized floor plan - a hallmark of Simply Elegant Home Designs.  Three additional bedrooms are located on the walkout basement floor.  This layout is ideally suited to "empty nesters" or families with tweens.

Front Elevation - Careful attention to proportions.  Clean and simple lines.  Also notice the transparency through the windows.  

Left Side Elevation.  Designed for a walkout lot.  The stone base wraps the entire footprint.

Rear Elevation - Abundant glass to take advantage of rear yard views.  The screen porch is smartly placed to the side so as not to obstruct.

All in all a very New and Unique Ranch House Plan available from Simply Elegant Home Designs.

Read More

Green House Plans Gone Wild!

Green is the big thing now in the design world and the house plans business.  I recently ran across these images of Icelandic houses that definitely take green to the next level of meaning.  Check them out below.

I love the repeating simple gable roof forms.

Grass grows nicely in Iceland.  Remember Iceland is green and Greenland is white.

The details exhibit a strong Scandinavian design influence.

Wow!

Read More

Unique Baths

Read More

Architects Have Great Tools - Color Visualizer

Every once in a while I like to give you an example of the tools I use in my business.  One of these tools is the
Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer.  I use it to perform quick color studies; which helps me to narrow concepts down pretty quickly.

The tool is pretty simple to use.  You just choose from one of their preloaded exterior architectural styles; then you paint the scene with colors that you choose from the Sherwin Williams palette.  Below is one set of color studies I performed in less than five minutes.

When it's time to repaint your house you might give this tool a try.  You can find it at Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer.  


One important note:  Please put a good size sample up on your wall before you make a final commitment to your colors.  One additional step I do at Ron Brenner Architects and Simply Elegant Home Designs is to take my colors and apply them to my 3d house model.  You can see an example of that at Architects Have Great Tools!

Read More