pacificdesignco, Author at Pacific Design Co.

June 15, 2023June 15, 2023

Hillside Residence: Final Reveal

The Hillside Residence has been a fun project but also one that’s filled my cup. I’ve mentioned throughout the “Before” and the “Progress” posts how our clients are absolutely amazing and so wonderful to work with. This project was done in phases so you may have already seen some finished rooms before this post, but here we get to officially reveal every space!

The Kitchen

The heart of the home. And even though you’ll see how many amazing entertaining spaces the Hillside project has, the kitchen will always be the most loved on. We kept the kitchen layout similar to the existing layout. However, we rearranged some appliances and straightened out the island so it was no longer intruding on the living room and dining room spaces.

The finishes were completely changed throughout! We paired a darker wood island with lighter perimeter cabinets, combining both finishes on the custom hood. We then pulled in a backsplash full of character with uneven edges, dimpling throughout, and a beautiful variation in color. Adding a white countertop with large yet subtle veining throughout kept things light and clean. We finished the space off with a new wood planked ceiling and refinished the hardwood flooring with a natural topcoat.

The pantry

The pantry is one of my favorite features of the home! The clients wanted a large walk-in pantry off of the dining room. However, we didn’t want a plain door along this focal wall. So a custom built-in was designed with a hidden door to conceal the pantry when not in use. The pantry is stocked with small appliances, a full-size freezer, and tons of storage space throughout!

Primary Suite

This is one of those spaces that if you never walked through or saw the “before” photos, you’d be surprised what was originally here! For this space, we did a lot of reconfiguring to the floor plan to get an incredible luxury suite! We took over an unused bedroom, and then rearranged the existing bathroom and closet spaces. The return? A nice flow from the primary suite to a bathroom and closet of our clients (and my!) dreams! These spaces feature a washer and dryer in the closet, a large built-in for linens, a steam shower, and a freestanding tub with a gorgeous view!

Their steam shower transformation needs a moment to itself. It went from a bit of a cave-like vibe to sleek and sexy! One big custom piece in this shower is the curved bench. I’ve gone into a little detail in the progress post on how the process of getting it went. So today I’ll just say, can every steam shower project please include a curved bench!?

Entertainment Addition

The biggest and probably most talked about transformation to the Hillside residence is their entertainment center. To make this space happen, our clients took over their existing large garage. Later they did an addition to the home of an even larger garage with a storage room and loft. But let’s talk about their entertainment center! We started off with a professionally installed golf simulator and a custom bar top. The bar features a large piece of glass with a shadow box below to display their golf collectibles and memorabilia.

Behind the bar is a game area and large bar/kitchenette. And the main attraction leads us into the most professional in-home theater I have ever laid my eyes on! Our client is incredibly tech-savvy and did so much research and work to determine what kind of equipment he wanted in this space. From speakers, insulation, lights, and getting the sound to bounce at just the right spots of the room, this theatre is impeccable! On one of our final walk-throughs of the house, we got a little preview of the video and sound quality. I have to say, whether lounging on the cozy sofa or supported by the ergonomic recliners, it gives you quite the movie experience!

The Hillside residence will always be a favorite of ours and one we think back on often! A home like this that has all the comforts and luxury is one you can settle down in for a long time!

Be sure to check out the before and progress posts of this job, you’ll be surprised by what you see!

June 9, 2023June 9, 2023

Pines Residence Progress

Our Pines Residence is wrapping up with just a few details left, so we figured we should probably give an update on it! It’s been a project we’ve had in our queue for quite some time. So we’re excited to finally be sharing progress from the construction phase! We have quite a few homes built in the mid-century era scattered throughout Spokane, this being one of them!

Our clients lean into a mid-century touch but enjoy more of a warm transitional interior style. Which is right up our ally! Throughout the material selection phase, we got some amazing materials paired together. The tiles, cabinet finishes, and fixture combos all speak to who our clients are and truly embrace their style!

Kitchen

When tackling the kitchen we went through quite a few floor plan revisions. The “before” kitchen was outdated and felt crowded. It wasn’t functional for our clients and wasn’t a space they wanted to be in. So getting the layout pinned down was very important and our clients finally found one they loved!

When tackling a remodel and keeping a budget in mind, the fact of the matter is you’ll most likely have some design elements that get cut. That’s just because you’re working with an existing space rather than starting from scratch. Which is also why every remodel is unique! You have dreams and wants and depending on the home we are either able to deliver or together we come up with a better solution with the walls we’ve been given!

When it came to selecting finishes for the kitchen there was one finish our clients knew they wanted, Quartzite countertops! I’m sure you’ve already heard about Quartz countertops and maybe even Quartzite but here’s a quick description of both. Quartz is an engineered, man-made product manufactured in a factory by combining elements of quartz, resin, and pigment. Alternatively, quartzite is a natural stone that forms 100% organically deep within the earth that is extracted in blocks by quarrying.

What we love about Quartzite is the movement in the slabs. Every slab is unique so we make sure to plan a slab yard date and go explore all the exact options we’d get. Our clients had the “Taj Mahal” in mind and after comparing it to the other finishes (tile, wood tones, paint colors) it was a perfect addition. They selected a Taj Mahal slab with a honed, leathered finish to it!

Primary Bathroom

The primary bathroom is typically another space in the home we like to splurge on with quality and style. So pulling the Taj Mahal into this space was another easy choice for us and our clients! The wall tile in here is a gorgeous mushroom-taupe color and the flooring is a soft neutral tone. If you want to see more pictures make sure to follow us on Instagram… our followers on that platform usually get the first sneak peeks with all the pictures and videos!

In the primary bath we also went back and forth between two floorplan layouts, the clients decided on a little bit more of an expensive layout because plumbing would move around. But again, if there’s a space to splurge, it’s the primary bath. As the homeowner that’s the space you’ll be spending your mornings, end of days, and maybe even some time in-between.

More Bathrooms!

The next bathroom we’ll go over is the kiddo’s bathroom! For this home it was still a room we wanted to keep fairly neutral but with the scale of the tile we chose and some finishing touches, it still holds a cuteness that you want incorporated in your kid’s bathroom!

There wasn’t much to change with the layout of the bathroom, so all the finishes and fixtures speak for themselves in here! The vanity was a tricky one to reconfigure but the end result with the corner will add to the charm of the room!

The downstairs bathroom won’t be utilized as often as the others but we didn’t want it to feel like an after thought either! And after the design process we’re excited to say, this bathroom truly gets to shine all on it’s own. The pop of dark smaller scaled tile on the shower wall makes a beautiful statement. And the space still gets warmed up with a beautiful white oak vanity!

Powder room

The ground floor powder room is one we want to make sure we mention! Being located right off of the kitchen and being the only bathroom on the main floor, it will be utilized the most out of all the others. And if you’ve been a PDCo follower for some time, you know we love our powder rooms! The most exciting element will be a fun wallpaper the clients fell in love with. It’ll be paired with a floating wood vanity, a dark countertop and brass accents! I’m getting excited just writing about it!

Laundry

The Laundry/Mudroom is going to be another beautiful transformation! We’re changing things up in here with a stunning taupe off-green paint color for the cabinets! It pairs stunningly with the dark slate tile we have going in here. The paint was so good the clients kept going back and forth on where else we could use it!

Staircase

The first thing you see when walking into the Pines Residence is the staircase. We love a good staircase moment but this one needed a face lift. The structure will stay the same but all the finishes will be updated!

The finishes are black metal spindles and a wooden railing that will tie in beautifully with the beams. Wooden treads and risers with a custom stair runner going down the middle! Being that it’s the first thing you’re greeted with, the stairs are something that need a little extra attention. We’re excited for the end result!

The photo below shows the new wood wrapped columns, and a temporary black paint that the clients used to update the railing until the new fixtures can get installed. You can also get a little peek of the new flooring!

Fireplace

The last thing I wanted to touch on is the fireplace. The original fireplace consisted of brick and even if the clients were able to make it work., it still didn’t feel quite right. We did a little tweaking, and now the clients have a fireplace that will match their new home and them!

Stay tuned! The project is almost complete, but we won’t have final photos for a few more months since we’re taking some time off this summer. In the meantime, keep an eye out for our Hillside Residence reveal in the coming days!

March 16, 2023March 16, 2023

2023 Trends

Every year, even every season, there’ll be new trends that start. Based on the Oxford Dictionary “Trends” mean a general direction in which something is developing or changing. Everything from colors, products, styles etc. can become trends. What we’re interested in hitting on in this blog post are trending interiors. We’ll share the ones we’re loving most, even though there are definitely more than what we’ll cover!

Many individuals shy away from using trends. Why? When a popular trend starts to surface, it is used by so many people. An example of this is the farmhouse style that blew up the internet and left every vendor selling truckloads of white subway tile, andddd not much else. and then comes out of trend. A trend can become overused, leaving what was once a unique detail as something that everyone on the block now has. As time passes, something new and exciting shows up in the world of interiors, and now your trendy kitchen is stamped with “2018.” You’re now left with something that is not likely easily changeable, so following that trend comes at a high cost.

So why would we release a blog on new trends? Because they may have been given a bad rep, but they can also be classic styles/products/colors/etc. Often times trends are inspired by architectural history but revived and used in a fresh way. While it may be new to you, it might have been around for years (or centuries) and when applied properly, it won’t go out of style!

Stone Fireplaces

Stone fireplaces have been around for a long time but not always designed in a timeless way. The lighter stones with light grout is a classic design that costs a pretty penny but won’t go out of style and they turn out stunning!

Limewash Paint

This multi-toned wall detail has been popular for a few years now and used to add depth to walls, kitchen hoods, fireplaces. It used to be a tedious process especially with a traditional plaster (and still kind of is, let’s be honest) but now companies are making products that make the process easier and a lot faster.

Soffits

Soffits save money on cabinetry. But in 99% of jobs, we tear them out because we need extra storage. However, with the rising popularity of homes with 10′ ceiling heights or taller, a soffit can be a beautiful way to finish off a space. Too tall of cabinets can make you feel very small in a room (which can be uncomfortable). And I’m never a fan of stopping the cabinets a foot or more from the ceiling because it looks unfinished and collects a lot of dust (and decor)!

Towel Warmers

The towel warmer was first invented in the 1920’s. It’s come a long way and is still a luxury but now also looks beautiful too.

French Doors

French doors have becoming more and more popular and for good reason! They may be a little “extra” when it’s an interior space, but they add a truly beautiful and classic detail to a home.

FLUSH TRIM AND NO TRIM DETAILS

Minimal and clean details in home interiors are becoming more and more popular. Flush Trim allows for easy cleaning but also a stunning modern design. The no-trim detail on doors and windows is also becoming more and more popular. Both details make a classic and stunning impact on a home interior!

ZELLIGE TILES

Zellige tile dates to the 10th century in Morocco. It is a handmade ceramic tile that makes a stunning impact. The uneven surface and dimpling catches the light in a way most machine made tiles don’t. It can be bought with a sealed finish or unsealed and used in tons of applications!

So what do you think? Did you spot any details or trends that you love and could actually see yourself incorporating into a project? I would be on cloud nine to incorporate every single one of these things into my home!

February 11, 2023February 2, 2023

Helena Residence Part 2: Before

If the Helena Residence sounds familiar, that’s because this isn’t the first time you’re hearing about it! With the scale of this remodel, our clients phased it out into two phases. In Phase one we took care of the full lower level. You can take a look at the Before, Progress, and Final posts of the basement of this gorgeous midcentury home. With the second phase we’re tackling the full upper level, and demo has recently begun!

Sunken lounging is back in!

The upper level wasn’t as big of a blast from the past as the lower level but still has lots of unlocked potential. This beautiful midcentury home had many fun features, my favorite probably being the sunken lounge located in the family room. I was very excited to hear that my clients were just as fond of it, so a face lift is all that we’ll be doing here.

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The bar and fireplace in the living room were also things we loved and wanted to keep but definitely needed some help to bring them back to life. The cedar throughout the home is incredible, so some adjustments to the remaining fixtures & finishes play a huge roll in the end result! You’ll get to see just how much a dated space can be turned into your most loved space after we change up just those, without touching the floor plan too much!

The first look inside

When you first walk into the Helena Residence you’re greeted with a spacious entry way. You have the skylights right above you, and an open staircase to the left. The only piece of the entry way we weren’t sold on is the pony wall separating the entry from the dining table. This space called for more of a statement rather than a half wall blocking the flow. Taking that wall down will open up a beautiful view into the home. We also are going to update the finishes of the stairway. As tasteful as the aesthetic may have been in the past, our clients are wanting a little update while still nodding to the original architectural style.

My favorite transformation!

From the dining room, you head into the kitchen. With everything we have planned this will be my favorite transformation done to the entire home! Here we’ll keep the general layout of the kitchen in place but everything will be new. New cabinets, counters, appliances, and flooring. This kitchen is quite beautiful as it is, but the style doesn’t fit the home at all. I’m so excited for the midcentury style we will be embracing!

Major Refresh to the Bathrooms

On the main floor we’re working on three different bathrooms. The powder room, where we’ll be updating all the finishes. The primary suite currently has TWO bathrooms. We will update one, and the second will get swapped to create a second suite for guests. I love all of the finishes we’ve selected for these bathrooms, and excited to show off what we chose to make these spaces truly stand out!

The Helena Residence is truly a beautiful midcentury home, just in need of a lot of fixture and finish updates! The layout of the home is really quite functional, and only took a few tweaks to get the results we were wanting. This project has been on our radar for a long time, and we’re excited to finally see it start transforming!

February 2, 2023June 15, 2023

Hillside Residence: Progress

I usually recommend that everyone starts with the “before” project post, but with the Hillside Residence, it’s a must! Seeing the transformation from the start is like one of those tv remodel show moments where at the end of the episode they’ll show you a side-by-side comparison and it blows you away!

PHASE ONE

Because our clients were still living in the residence while the entirety of the construction was happening, we tackled this project in stages. Stage one consisted of the Primary Suite, Guest Bathroom, Guest Bedroom, and the paint and flooring in that section of the home.

Like with any renovation we started with demo. After tearing the entirety of the primary suite and guest bathroom down to almost the bones, we got started on the new layout. The biggest changes to this stage of the project were definitely the bathrooms. We weren’t just changing the finishes in these spaces, but we took out and moved walls to create more appealing and functional spaces!

The Primary SuitE

For the Primary Suite, we reconfigured the entry to the bathroom to create a more open layout. We moved the steam shower and soaking tub to one side of the bathroom. This provided more floor space, in addition to taking over an adjacent bedroom, for a beautiful, spacious walk-in closet. We also were able to add a linen closet built-in at the entrance of the bathroom.

The steam shower was an important part of the primary suite. One of the luxurious we added was the fully tiled, custom curved bench. It took some research to find something that was readily available. Once it was installed you can tell that the steam shower would never have been finished without it! This shower is fully equipped with music, chromotherapy, steam, body sprays, and more!

The finishes we paired together are mixtures of grey, white, and black. The darker wood stained cabinets add a lot of depth and warmth to the bathroom and closet. I love seeing some dark wood tones come back into design and paired in new, updated ways!

Guest Bathroom

In the “Before” blog post you can see how this bathroom used to be separated into two rooms. Half had a double vanity and the other with the shower and toilet. Taking out the wall and reducing to a single sink opened up the room. Since the clients didn’t need the bathroom to be as big as it was before, this change allowed them space where it mattered. A gorgeous double-door entry was added to their primary suite instead of the original small hallway. We weren’t going to skimp on the design of the bathroom though! We installed a stunning marble hex floor tile that combines both the grey and brown tones from the vanity. You may also notice that the ceiling in this room was also able to be raised by a few feet!

Second Phase

One of the big changes throughout the home was refinishing the flooring and making it a significant amount lighter. In the main areas of the home, an original knotty cedar ceiling was used. But with all of the changes to the lighting layout, we decided it would be easier to replace the ceiling rather than repairing it. With the new ceiling, we decided to stay away from the rustic knots and mimic the new floor. Those two changes alone modernized and lightened the home immensely! The core of the home isn’t something we wanted to change and there were elements we wanted to preserve. One detail we didn’t touch was the stone fireplace. It is the heart of the home, keeping texture and warmth in this space.

The Kitchen

We reconfigured the kitchen layout by moving some appliances and the island for a better flow. The light creamy perimeter cabinets paired perfectly with the darker stained island. This stain is used in the bathroom and closet in phase one as well. The other element that is the perfect touch in the kitchen and pantry is the backsplash. The uneven edges of the zellige tile and the variation of grey is SO good!!

When doing this phase, we reconfigured the existing pantry and laundry room to make one large pantry. If you want to see a quick tour of the pantry’s coolest feature, check it out over on Instagram. Since the home has laundry in other areas, this one wasn’t needed. We were able to utilize the space for the pantry and add a walk-in cleaning and storage closet. We refreshed the powder room flooring, vanity, and countertop to pull from the rest of the home’s design.

The Hillside project’s main home has now been complete! Check out the final reveal over at this post!

September 22, 2022September 22, 2022

PDCo Home: Fireplace

** For a full resource list of blog posts about our home, check out this link.

What questions do I get asked most often when it comes to PDCO home? That’s easy; where do you get your light fixtures? Annnd, how do I get my fireplace to look like that? I went through light fixtures in our PDCO home reveal post so today let’s take a closer look at the PDCO Fireplace! Something most of us don’t realize, until we start looking into installing our own fireplace, is how much detail goes into it. Today you can consider me your fireplace fairy godmother! I’ll take you through every decision we needed to make to get our fireplace to look like this. And every detail you’ll need to make when you’re getting a fireplace installed.

Where to start?

If you’re from the Spokane, WA general area then highly recommend Falco’s Spokane for all your fireplace needs! They truly are the full package; they’re easy to work with, have quality products and do quality work! I love that they are a one stop shop for finding the right unit AND installation. After finding a fireplace supplier, your next step is to decide what type of fireplace you want. Gas, Wood or Specialty? The exact model we selected is the Kozy Heat Bayport 41 gas fireplace. A fireplace is a big focal point in any space, so one thing to consider is the style of your home. Not only with the shape and size of the unit, but all of the “media kit” items inside the unit! There are fireplaces that lean more traditional, transitional, modern, etc. so make sure the fireplace you select fits the home you’re dreaming up.

Falco’s has details about each fireplace unit and here’s what they have to say about the Kozy Heat Bayport 41 direct vent gas fireplace. “Direct vent gas fireplaces don’t require a chimney or existing fireplace for successful installation – they can be installed almost anywhere, even on interior walls and in modern homes. The Bayport 41 Log is energy-efficient, easy to operate, and provides an exceptional level of heat output, making this fireplace a great investment that will give years of good service.”

We really wanted a fireplace that put out heat. Many fireplaces are fine for just aesthetic purposes, but some people don’t realize that there are special units that are more for the functionality of heat output!

Let’s personalize it!

After selecting the exact fireplace unit we began to put together the details. Our home is definitely more modern, but still cozy and soft. We knew we wanted our fireplace to have a minimalist appearance. I kept all this in mind when selecting a fireplace, but also when going through all the details. The easiest details to select were the black gloss enamel panels for extra reflection and glow. The black full rectangular framed screen front was exactly what we needed for the sharp lines next to the drywall edges. These two things definitely took our fireplace in the modern direction we were wanting to take it.

We also customized our media kit to our personal preferences. I get lots of questions about this specifically! We selected the driftwood rock media kit but we asked them to eliminate the rocks with yellow tones. I’m a pain, I know 😉 We added the black glass media kit onto that to also increase the reflection and glow. And there you have our customized Kozy Heat Bayport 41 direct vent gas fireplace!

What matters most!

Your fireplace surround is just as important if not more important than your fireplace unit, when we’re looking at the aesthetic aspect of things. For a cleaner look we went without a hearth and mantle and chose to do a built-in ledge instead. The detail of a ledge gave me the room to “dress up” our fireplace while still not making it too busy for what we were wanting.

We brought our fireplace surround all the way up to the ceiling. In our PDCO home final reveal, I talk about how this brings your eye up making your ceiling heights seem even taller. It’s a must-have in my opinion when designing a fireplace wall. We also brought this drywall all the way to the floor with a very clean line so no base trim was needed to finish it off. We painted the whole thing in the same color as our walls. I wanted a minimalist look but felt there was enough detail because of the ledge and the angles of the vaulted ceiling! I’ve been going back and forth on adding a white oak ledge on top of the existing ledge to add a little warmth, but haven’t fully decided.

The Frame TV

I recently released a blog post talking about our Samsung Frame TV details. But a few details I wanted to add here are how we don’t have any TV “parts” sitting on our ledge and how we got away with that. We included an outlet in the spot where we’d be hanging our TV above the fireplace. So, the plan was to plug in the TV and everything would still look very clean. However, the Samsung frame TV does have the “brains” of the TV in a separate box that you plug into the TV. This allows for a thin TV screen, making it even more identical to an art piece.

That said, we still didn’t want to have any boxes sitting on our ledge. So, we decided to drill a hole through our wall (behind the tv). Then we drilled another hole through the side of the fireplace surround. We fed the cable through so the box could sit out of sight – once we find the right cabinet of course!

I hope I covered all the questions you have regarding putting together your own fireplace package! If I did miss anything, comment below!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. And/or – some of the items discussed in this post I have received at a discounted price. We hope by sourcing some of our favorite products, we provide value to you and your projects!

September 22, 2022September 22, 2022

PDCo Home: Hardware

** For a full resource list of blog posts about our home, check out this link.

Hardware. You either love it and everything about selecting it, or it stresses you out. Whichever one you are, today’s post is for you! And if your blood pressure usually goes up from just mentioning hardware, then maybe today we can change that!

our go-to resource

I often think of hardware as an accessory for your home. Just like we choose rings, earrings, and necklaces to wear with our outfits, hardware is the accessory we choose to dress up our doors and cabinets with. But it’s not just an accessory for our homes — it’s absolutely essential due to its functionality! For our home and for 99% of our projects we select all of our hardware from Spokane Hardware which is also known as Hardware Hut online.

If you are local to Spokane, Washington, I cannot recommend Spokane Hardware enough! They have the greatest selection of cabinet hardware, door hardware, and so many accessory options too. It’s so nice to go to their showroom and easily browse different hardware options, many of which you may not have thought about searching for online. I love doing this because it opens my mind to other options, while also allowing you to see the true color and feel of the hardware before purchasing. For those who aren’t local, you can also easily purchase the hardware through their online website. Their team is always so helpful no matter what I’m looking for and they are an incredible resource for finding hardware solutions for the trickiest problems! So, whether hardware shopping stresses you out or not, Spokane Hardware and Hardware Hut are your places!

The Logistics for cabinetry hardware

There are a few things to consider when you are hardware shopping. First, I normally like to use a combination of a knob and pull in each space, but you can use the same combination of hardware throughout your entire home! If you do decide to change it up, I’d recommend keeping the finish the same. However, in rare cases, I’ll change up the finish if it really makes sense for the aesthetic of a particular room!

Another thing I see people worry about is what type of hardware they should get, such as pulls or knobs. I’ll share how we do it most of the time and why. Almost every time, we vote for knobs on cabinet doors. I personally think a pull on a cabinet drawer gets too visually cluttered. The exception to this is very tall cabinet doors, like a pantry cabinet, that may need a longer pull to hold the weight of the door. Knobs are incredibly versatile, and I love using them on doors and drawers! We go back and forth between knobs and pulls on drawers in our designs depending on the aesthetic we are wanting to achieve. Every once in a while, we will throw in a special piece like a cabinet latch, cup pull, finger pull, or other unique design to change up the look.

How We Did it: the kitchen

Next, I’m going to share all our PDCO home cabinetry hardware details! For our home, we wanted a fairly minimalist look, so we chose to do knobs almost everywhere.

Starting off in the kitchen, we used all Top Knobs Nouveau II Round Cabinet Knob and a Top Knob cabinet latch. For some reason, I couldn’t find the Top knobs cabinet latch, but this Emtek Cabinet Latch is the same look. Please keep in mind though, that brands usually have slight variations to their finishes! So be very careful mixing different brands, especially when it comes to brass and bronze finishes.

The knob placement depended on how long our drawers were. Since most of the drawers weren’t wider than 36″ we just used one knob in the center of the drawer. There was only one spot, which is the tilt-out under our sink, that we used two knobs due to the length. The latches we used are beautiful but have a lot of detail, so using them sparingly is important. I like placing them under a sink, or a special pantry cabinet. We love the visual interested they added!

How We Did it: the primary bathroom

To keep that minimalist look, we carried the same finger pull knobs throughout our home so you also see them in our primary bathroom. We also stuck with the beautiful oiled bronze finish, which was the perfect brown tone. It’s not too stark like black would have brought, and not too flashy like satin brass. The oil rubbed bronze finish from Top Knobs is very different from the standard oil rubbed bronze you typically would see. It’s a favorite of ours!

Even though the drawers on our vanity are pretty large, I LOVE the very simple look of keeping one knob on each drawer. It’s modern and simple, but feels so warm due to the finishes we chose for this vanity.

How We Did it: the kids’ bathroom

The only room we changed the style of cabinet hardware in is our kids’ bathroom. I wanted something a little different in here! Something that was easy for the kids to use and also that added a little extra charm. We selected these from the Top Knobs line to make sure the finish matched the rest of the home. The exact ones we selected are the Top Knobs Egg Cabinet Knob.

Door hardware

When it comes to door hardware there really aren’t many guidelines! But the main consideration is the ease of use between a lever and a knob. We recommend levers for families with children as well as those considering a home for aging in place, due to levers being easier to grab and use. From an aesthetic standpoint, we select a finish that coordinates with one of the other finishes we’ve selected for the home. At PDCo Home, we matched our door hardware finish to our plumbing fixtures which is a satin brass.

All of our interior door hardware is from Emtek. The door levers are the Emtek Modern Helios Door Leverset with a Stretto Narrow Trim. With this narrow backplate, planning ahead is important! It requires a custom bore hole size. You must order your doors with this specific bore size, or have the bores drilled on site. I’m so in love with this look! The pocket door hardware is the Emtek Narrow Modern Rectangular Solid Brass Mortise Pocket Door Privacy Latch. It’s a sleek look and matches our narrow backplates on the other doors perfectly.

Our front exterior door is the only one that we didn’t select from Emtek’s line. I wanted something very unique for our front door and this Sun Valley Brass Bandbox Handle x Handle Mortise Lock Entry Set makes such a statement! I was obsessed from the moment I saw it. The entire Sun Valley Brass collection is stunning, with products ranging from modern to traditional styles. There are a lot of finishes to select from, too! The brass is a living finish and has antiqued so beautifully, adding warmth yet contrast with our black front door.

There you have it! A full hardware tour. I know many of my clients get stressed thinking (and overthinking!) about hardware and the millions of options and combinations out there. Sometimes, it really is okay to keep it simple!

August 5, 2022August 1, 2022

North Trail Residence

While we don’t get every project professionally photographed due to cost, I still love to share snapshots from my phone to document the process! The North Trail Residence was one of our new construction projects that wrapped up last year! Located in a rural area with gorgeous mountain views, this project holds true to traditional cabin materials and colors while still featuring modern touches.

With new construction projects, I get so excited when the framing is complete, and the space starts to take shape. This home has an open concept with lots of floor to ceiling windows to brighten up the whole interior!

Let’s Move IN!

I think one of the hardest points of any project is once the sheetrock is up. Because once you are able to walk through every individual room it starts feeling more like a house. At that point, wanting to have your home finished and waiting months for it to be done gets even harder! It feels oddly close to completion, yet so much is left to do.

Hardwood Floors

Getting the floors installed and stained at the North Trail project is different from many other projects. We selected a real hardwood instead of an engineered or other prefinished product. Once the wood was installed and ready for finishing, we got to personally select the perfect stain for the space. We use a sample color as a reference for what we wanted to work toward. Then our installer mixed and adjusted the stain until we were happy with the color. The last time we did this was on our Post Street project – oh, how I love this process!

Stunning Tile

Throughout the home, we wanted to make sure the tiles made a statement! But also kept true to darker hues and an organic aesthetic. For the walk-in shower in the primary suite, we used a dark large-scale tile for the walls and ceiling. The space is very large and has natural light coming in from a window. The clients wanted this space to feel cozy and cave-like, but we balanced it with a light-colored stone mosaic floor. Above the vanity in the primary suite, we also used a darker tile that we brought all the way up to the ceiling. This tile is incredible up close – it’s a natural stone and has what looks like little fossils throughout! We kept the floors light and simple to once again balance light and dark tones in the space. In the powder room, we used small wood-looking hexagon tiles for a statement!

Custom Kitchen

The cabinets within the kitchen and the bathrooms were all custom with a beautiful rich stain color. To help modernize a kitchen (and entire home!) with dark cabinets, we selected a light-colored backsplash and countertop. The waterfall edge on the end of the long counter was another way to incorporate a modern detail and add more light colors visually! Throughout the home, we also used the same soft white color to showcase crisp lines and help reflect all of the natural light.

When a project has a month or two left before it’s finished is probably the hardest! At this point it seems like mostly everything is done. The flooring is in, the cabinets are installed, the toilets and sinks are where they need to be and even working! For a client and a designer, the finish line is right there but you can’t cross it just yet!

the final touches

The North Trail Residence has been fully finished for a while now and it was a joy to assist these clients with selecting some finishing touches like rugs and furnishings! Many times, after a remodel or new home construction is complete, our clients realize their old belongings just look out of place! This may be due to a change of style, or their furniture or rugs are starting to show signs of wear. They then look to us to help through the last details!

I love helping with these last stages because we already have gained so much momentum on the project, as well as trust when it comes to understanding your style and needs. It’s a great time to start thinking of furnishing and decor needs for your new spaces well ahead of your end of construction timeline, so that we can get these pieces ordered and in place when it’s move in time!

If you have a project on your mind for 2023, be sure to reach out! It’s time to start planning your design to meet that timeline! You can contact me or book online here.

August 1, 2022June 15, 2023

Hillside Residence: “Before”

Our Hillside Residence Project is a traditional home that sits on 50 acres of land. The home is surrounded by open fields that end at a beautiful tree line and sits on a hillside. Our clients have been living in this home for 20 years, which they had also originally built. This home has a beautiful structure and 20 years ago was exactly what the clients wanted and needed. However, the home is no longer functional for our client’s needs and the finishes and designs have become outdated!

This renovation project consists of taking over a bedroom to expand the Primary Suite (similar to what we did at our Pittsburg Residence!) and reconfiguring the whole suite, remodeling a guest bathroom, and adjusting the main spaces of the home to provide a larger pantry and a storage and cleaning closet while also updating the kitchen and powder room. The main spaces will continue to be an open concept, but with new finishes reflecting a traditional yet natural aesthetic.

THE PRIMARY SUITE FACE LIFT

The primary suite was feeling plain and dated. There were also some significant tile issues due to the steam shower. The closet was too small, and for these empty nesters, it made sense to take over an adjacent bedroom and let their suite become the new priority! There were certain parts about the bathroom layout that we felt could be adjusted to create a better flow of traffic and have a more pleasing use of square footage. Our clients also asked for one additional change to the primary suite, which was to expand the entrance to the suite. To do so, we are breaking down another wall that backs to the adjacent guest bathroom. Since that bathroom is able to be decreased in size, this adjustment will easily allow us to add a double door to the primary suite, creating a beautiful grand entrance of our clients’ dreams!

GUEST BATHROOM RECONSTRUCTION

This bathroom space is very linear with two separate rooms. One is used for a double vanity and the other for the shower and toilet. This layout easily allows multiple people to use different areas of the bathroom at the same time. However, it’s now feeling way too large and closed off from what our clients currently need! As previously mentioned, the wall by the entry door will be moved. The bathroom will be smaller and reduce the vanity to a single sink. We will also remove the wall separating the vanity from the toilet area so the space feels larger.

THE KITCHEN update

They kitchen currently has two islands, with one that sits at a bar height. Even though this main space is fully open, the high-top island creates a separation. It cuts off the kitchen from the dining room and living area. Our plan is to remove both islands, then bring in a single larger island at counter height. This adjustment will reduce the pinch points around the dining room and living room. In the past, arranging furniture has always been difficult due to the kitchen island! In the new kitchen layout, we reconfigured the perimeter cabinets and appliance locations, allowing for more cabinets and a better flow to the space.

Besides a change to the flooring and all finishes, the other major change to the space will be the ceiling. Right now, you see wood planks with a lot of knots and a golden orange finish. Since we have so many changes to the light placement, we would need to adjust the ceiling detail as well. The clients love the wood, but not the knots, so the plan will be to freshen up the whole ceiling with new wood planks. This will also allow us to move lights according to the new layout without issues.

PROJECT SCHEDULE

We came to a decision with our clients to approach this project in phases, especially with the increased lead times. We didn’t want to start everything at once and then have clients with a home that isn’t livable with continued delays. The primary suite and guest bathroom was completed last year, and the main spaces of the home just recently wrapped up! You can see some of the progress at this post!

The final reveal of this project can be found here.

If you have a project on your mind, be sure to get in touch! You can contact me or book online here.

July 12, 2022July 12, 2022

Frame TV: Vintage Art Roundup

When people come to our home, we get asked about our TV all the time! Our Samsung Frame TV is one of the biggest conversational pieces in our family room. We didn’t originally plan to hang a TV in this space because let’s be real, they are not aesthetically pleasing. Who wants a big black box on their wall 90% of the day?

We may not have wanted a black hole over our fireplace, but we eventually realized we did want a TV. It was right around the holidays when we realized how nice it would be to have friends and extended family over to watch Christmas movies. The rest of the year, we’re pretty much fine with snuggling in our bed with the kiddos to watch a movie! Anyway, I’ve been admiring the Frame TVs for a few years now, so I knew that if we were to put up a TV, this would be it. And really, it was the best decision to get one! They’re aesthetic and functional — the two things when paired together that I can’t say no to!

The best part about them is how easy it is to change the art or photos when you get tired of it. There are so many good ones to choose from! Some people like to share family photos, but I prefer paintings and other art in my personal home. Below you will find a list of my favorite vintage landscape art. These are ones I use in my own home! I added links to take you straight to the store. While the TV is an investment, the digital art is very affordable. They are something you and your guests will enjoy for many years!

This last one is the one currently displayed in our home. It’s very special as it reminds me of a painting my grandmother had in her home. I remember sitting on her lap while she rocked me and staring at the painting, dreaming about how peaceful it looked. I love the deep earth tones in this piece, and it brings together so many colors we have throughout our home as well!

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. We hope by sourcing some of our favorite products, we provide value to you and your projects!

The Kitchen

The pantry

Primary Suite

Entertainment Addition

Kitchen

Primary Bathroom

More Bathrooms!

Powder room

Laundry

Staircase

Fireplace

Stone Fireplaces

Limewash Paint

Soffits

Towel Warmers

French Doors

FLUSH TRIM AND NO TRIM DETAILS

ZELLIGE TILES

Sunken lounging is back in!

The first look inside

My favorite transformation!

Major Refresh to the Bathrooms

PHASE ONE

The Primary SuitE

Guest Bathroom

Second Phase

The Kitchen

Where to start?

Let’s personalize it!

What matters most!

The Frame TV

our go-to resource

The Logistics for cabinetry hardware

How We Did it: the kitchen

How We Did it: the primary bathroom

How We Did it: the kids’ bathroom

Door hardware

Let’s Move IN!

Hardwood Floors

Stunning Tile

Custom Kitchen

the final touches

THE PRIMARY SUITE FACE LIFT

GUEST BATHROOM RECONSTRUCTION

THE KITCHEN update

PROJECT SCHEDULE

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