Just stumbled across this amazing backyard on Design*Sponge. It’s the home of Meredith Kleinman, an interior designer and painter, and she has truly made me covet her home.

The interior is beautiful, but it’s the exterior that really got my attention.

The wood deck is complete with shaded sitting area. The three sided bench is a great use of custom carpentry, and takes the outdoor patio to a whole new level, perfect for family use or social gathering. Of course there needs to be a convered dining area too. And don’t miss the concrete work making the floor. 

Then there is the small sunroom with amazing tiny tile work just behind the sitting area. I love the return of tiny tile installation like this.

Then there’s the Japanese style bathhouse complete with outdoor shower. The sunny California weather is perfect for outdoor showers. And this one, complete with wooden Japanese inspired hot tub creates the perfect space.

If this doesn’t inspire you to start creating your own backyard oasis, I don’t know what will!

(Photo Credits: Design*Sponge, Meredith Kleinman)

Bookshelves, especially custom-built units for your home, can add visual appeal and storage space for books, family photos, travel mementos and more.

When my parents moved into the house I grew up in, they installed custom shelving for my dad’s book collection in the living room. I grew up spending most of my time playing in a room that was ceiling to floor books on one whole wall. It may be nostalgia, but there is something homey, comforting, and aesthetically pleasing to me about perfectly placed bookshelves full of treasures.

Hiring a contractor to add custom finish work to your home can ensure you get shelving that’s perfect for your home.  Sometimes store bought shelving just won’t fit into the space you need, and using custom carpentry will bring the best results for your space. A carpenter will be able to create perfect shelving and storage space for you in any part of a room that you need.

In this example, the custom shelving fits to this room precisely. Using a smaller traditionally sized bookshelf just wouldn’t have the same effect, and that’s why custom finish carpentry projects can add so much more to your home.

 (Photo Credit: Remodelista ) 

If you choose to start a finish carpentry project, any carpenter you talk to should be able to show you examples of their previous work. Not only will it give you an idea of the kind of work you can expect, you might even get more ideas that you hadn’t thought of before. For example, if you have a smaller home or apartment, you will want to take advantage of every possible inch of space, and a custom carpenter can help you aceive that with a design like this.

 (Photo Credit: Arciform) 

On the design end of things, your new custom units can be designed and constructed to hold anything you want. I have some great photos, a deer antler, and a whole section of Polaroid cameras on my main shelving unit along with my books. Some people make sure to design a nook that their TV can slide perfectly into, or they can create a work space for their computers.