This garden takes advantage of the chimney tops and attics spaces of the urban landscape of the Back Bay- we refer to it as "Mary-Poppinsville". Split in to two areas- seating and dinning/cooking. shrubs, perennials, annuals, and edibles including: herbs, tomatoes, The client is a gourmet chef and uses the foods in his cooking. With limited space, the most popular edible plants that clients ask for are tomatoes and herbs because the herbs can be used in daily cooking and theres nothing to compare to the homegrown tomato. Where space is generous, we also plant blueberries strawberries, raspberries, lettuces, peppers.

Give your home a boost of elegance with a custom walk-in closet, featured here in French Roast. Choose your own combination of hanging rods, open shelves, and drawers to accommodate all of your clothes and accessories so you can start and end each day organized.

Photos credited to Imagesmith- Scott Smith Entertain with an open and functional kitchen/ dining room. The structural Douglas Fir post and ceiling beams set the tone along with the stain matched 2x6 pine tongue and groove ceiling –this also serves as the finished floor surface at the loft above. Dreaming a cozy feel at the kitchen/dining area a darker stain was used to visual provide a shorter ceiling height to a 9’ plate line. The knotty Alder floating shelves and wall cabinetry share their own natural finish with a chocolate glazing. The island cabinet was of painted maple with a chocolate glaze as well, this unit wanted to look like a piece of furniture that was brought into the ‘cabin’ rather than built-in, again with a value minded approach. The flooring is a pre-finished engineered ½” Oak flooring, and again with the darker shade we wanted to emotionally deliver the cozier feel for the space. Additionally, lighting is essential to a cook’s –and kitchen’s- performance. We needed there to be ample lighting but only wanted to draw attention to the pendants above the island and the dining chandelier. We opted to wash the back splash and the counter tops with hidden LED strips. We then elected to use track lighting over the cooking area with as small of heads as possible and in black to make them ‘go away’ or get lost in the sauce.

'Sweet 100' cherry tomatoes growing in a 15-gallon terra-cotta pot. Container-grown tomatoes are more susceptible to blossom end rot, but cherry tomatoes like 'Sweet 100', 'Sungold', and 'Black Cherry' rarely have this problem. Photo by Steve Masley

Megan Kime
Example of a mid-sized classic medium tone wood floor and brown floor enclosed dining room design in Raleigh with red walls and no fireplace

'Carmello' tomato growing in a 15-gallon terra-cotta pot, week 1. Photo by Steve Masley
Example of an eclectic home design design in San Francisco

Nautical-themed hybrid swimming pool with raised spa, sunshelf, slide, grotto, and pizza oven (September 2013) – Ask the Pool Guy and his team at Legendary Escapes recently unveiled the newest Legendary Escape, a stunning nautical-themed hybrid swimming pool. The hand-carved concrete waterfall, rock slide, and grotto are the focal point of this incredible project, and designer and builder Al Curtis has truly outdone himself this time. Behind the waterfall sits a grotto that seats 8-10 people comfortably. The waterfall, slide, and grotto area come complete with intricate details and additions that perfectly play into the project’s theme. An immense amount of creativity, talent, and skill is required to take ordinary materials like vinyl and concrete and turn them into the outstanding backyards that Curtis creates, but these details allow his creativity to shine in a different light. Curtis immerses himself completely in just one or two projects at a time, which allows him the opportunity to add those intricate details that take his extraordinary projects to the next level. Some of the details in the grotto area of this hybrid project include real ship portholes that open and close, as well as carvings and lanterns to add visual interest inside of the grotto. The project also includes a raised spillover spa and a sunshelf with a bubbling water feature. The sunshelf has steps leading into the main body of the pool, giving swimmers an easy entry point if they don’t feel the urge to jump off the top of the waterfall or take a ride down the hand-carved, hand-tiled slide. The shelf has just enough water to allow shallow wading or lounging, and the pebbled finish provides a perfect place to set a lounge chair without worrying about damaging the vinyl liner. With the spa nearby, this whole end of the pool is perfect for relaxing, talking, or watching the kids while they swim. This incredible hybrid swimming pool also includes a poolside pizza oven, so fresh, stone-fired pizza is never far away. The brick oven can cook a pizza in about 90 seconds, and produces authentic, outstanding pizzas. The homeowners have spent years perfecting their pizza crust and sauce recipes, as well as growing their own tomatoes and basil. The pizza oven adds another element of their own personality, and makes this project even more perfect for them. With a built-in countertop, it’s easy to get a couple of pies going at one time, or to prep ingredients for personal pizzas. The homeowners are very family-oriented and love to have friends and family over to their home. During the construction process, the Legendary Escapes crew met several friends and family members who stopped in for some quality time and to check out the progress of the pool. The finished product is a perfect place for entertaining, and it feels very comfortable and welcoming. With the sunshelf, spa, grotto, poolside seating, and the pool itself, there are plenty of different places to sit or soak and have conversations or splash around. Curtis is incredibly proud of this project, and he has high hopes for it. He was recently named a Master of Design by Pool & Spa News for a hybrid swimming pool he built in Brighton, MI. This new, nautical hybrid pool fits in beautifully with his portfolio, but also stands out as extraordinary. The team at Legendary Escapes anticipates positive feedback and recognition for this project, and looks forward to building more swimming pools that push the envelope and wow clients and fans.

'Sweet 100' cherry tomatoes growing in a 15-gallon terra-cotta pot. Container-grown tomatoes are more susceptible to blossom end rot, but cherry tomatoes like 'Sweet 100', 'Sungold', and 'Black Cherry' rarely have this problem. Photo by Steve Masley

'Carmello' tomatoes growing in a large terra-cotta pot. Photo by Steve Masley
Photo of an eclectic landscaping in San Francisco.

Geo Tomato Cage by TerraTrellis. Sturdy, sculptural support for edibles like tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant or ornamental plants. Set on flat, level garden earth or on patio surface with container plant. Beautiful sculptural effect.

'Carmello' tomato growing in a 15-gallon terra-cotta pot, week 14. Photo by Steve Masley
Deck - traditional deck idea in San Francisco

Geo Tomato Cage by TerraTrellis. Sturdy, sculptural support for edibles like tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant or ornamental plants. Set on flat, level garden earth or on patio surface with container plant. Beautiful sculptural effect.

Heirloom Tomatoes | Lore Patterson
This is an example of a traditional formal garden in Seattle for summer.

Who wouldn’t feel at home in this beautiful eat-in kitchen? The open layout, classy white cabinets, and the sunshine streaming through the window combine to form a kitchen that’s functional and welcoming—the kind where you can easily imagine the delightful odors of fresh herbs and fragrant spices mingling with the laughter and chatter of friends and family. A closer look reveals a number of design ideas that might be useful if you’re looking to create a similar ambiance in your own home. This design takes advantage of natural sunlight by pairing a large window with a light color scheme that makes the space bright and airy. No detail has been overlooked, as evidenced by the glass hexagon backsplash that serves as an accent. The interlocking glass tiles create a lovely pattern of varying neutral tones that gives just the right amount of energy to the space. The cabinets are equally as tasteful, finished with an elegant crown molding. The gray cabinet island with white cabinets creates a stylish two-tone look and adds a splash of contrast, and the spacious island includes both an impressive cooktop and a bar—adding more seating and extra workspace. Of course, the countertop is an essential part of any kitchen, but it’s especially important to choose the right one in a design that includes such a large work surface. The kitchen countertop has to look good—after all, it’s the element that ties the rest of the design together—but it also needs to be a functional surface that can handle the tomato sauce or red wine spill, whatever might be on the kids’ sticky fingers, and the wear and tear of everyday use. A quartz kitchen, like this one, doesn’t have to sacrifice its looks to be practical. This luxurious white quartz countertop with delicate, swirling gray veins ties the color palette together and glitters in the sun—but it’s also a durable work space. The engineered stone used here is a Calacatta Verona Quartz, one of many choices that Sky Marble offers as part of our extensive quartz selection. Calacatta Verona Quartz has all the classic beauty of marble, doesn’t require ongoing maintenance, and can stand up to many, many years of family dinners or cocktail parties. And it’s an excellent choice for this kitchen’s color scheme, maximizing the natural lighting and seamlessly uniting the gray of the island and the white of the other cabinets. Altogether, this contemporary kitchen style strikes the perfect balance between elegance and warmth. At Sky Marble in Sterling, VA, we can help you find just the right look to make your kitchen ideas for make your new build or renovation project a similar success.

Blossom End Rot (BER) is not a disease, it's a physiological condition of tomatoes. It usually occurs after a heat wave early in the summer, and arises when the plant's growth outstrips its ability to deliver water all the way to the tip of the fruit. It usually only affects the tomato trusses that are growing rapidly at the time. Irregular or inadequate water is the most common cause, and over-fertilization can contribute. Inadequate calcium was once thought to be the culprit, but only in rare cases is calcium deficiency the cause. BER is common in container-grown tomatoes. Affected tomatoes are still edible, just cut off the bad part of the fruit. With adequate water, the problem usually self-corrects, but if you want to avoid it entirely, grow cherry tomatoes. Photo by Steve Masley

Fotografía: masfotogenica fotografia
Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic formal and enclosed light wood floor living room remodel in Malaga with blue walls, no fireplace and no tv

Fotografía: masfotogenica fotografia
Example of a small eclectic single-wall slate floor eat-in kitchen design in Malaga with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, white cabinets, white backsplash, stainless steel appliances, solid surface countertops and no island

Fotografía: masfotogenica fotografia
Inspiration for a mid-sized eclectic formal and enclosed light wood floor living room remodel in Malaga with blue walls and a tv stand

Fotografía: masfotogenica fotografia
Example of a mid-sized eclectic light wood floor kitchen/dining room combo design in Malaga with blue walls and no fireplace