Blog
4 Kitchen Makeovers With Standout Range Hoods (9 photos)
A lot of time and focus goes into choosing the perfect cabinets, countertops and tile for a kitchen remodel. But there’s one spot you might be overlooking: the range hood. Adding a custom range hood instead of a standard stainless steel model can provide the cherry on top of your kitchen transformation....
How to Create a Spirit-Lifting Sensory Garden (13 photos)
If you’d love your outside space to be somewhere you can immerse yourself in nature and leave the hubbub behind, a sensory garden might be for you. With elements designed to stimulate the five senses, the benefits to well-being are huge.
“Whereas most gardens are designed to...
“Whereas most gardens are designed to...
7 Ways to Declutter Your Home as You Welcome Fall (10 photos)
This past spring, when many of us started spending more time at home, a lot of us felt the urge to trim excess belongings and organize our stuff. However, getting clutter out of the house was difficult, because at the start of the pandemic, many charities were closed.
Fortunately, organizations...
Fortunately, organizations...
How to Refine Your Landscape Design Style (9 photos)
One of the first steps you’ll want to take when planning a landscape redesign is to identify — or clarify — your landscape design style. There are many styles to choose from, and you’ll want to choose what appeals to you and also suits your site and climate.
To get started, browse and save landscape...
To get started, browse and save landscape...
19 Design Tricks to Maximize a Small Kitchen (21 photos)
Designing a small kitchen may seem like a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to pull out some clever tricks for maximizing its function and increasing its visual size. Here are some of my favorite ways to do just that.
Converted Century-Old Dairy With a Magical Courtyard (17 photos)
When interior designer Beth Dadswell and her husband first saw the Victorian-era dairy that would eventually become their London home, it was damp, dangerous and inhabited by foxes. Despite the collapsed roof and broken glass, however, the couple could immediately see the structure’s potential. “I was...
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom (18 photos)
So you’re ready to remodel that bathroom. Congratulations! As you probably already know, you’ve got some tasks ahead of you. Even with the help of a professional bathroom designer and a general contractor who will take care of the construction and installation, a lot of the mental work inevitably...
New This Week: 4 Ways With White-and-Wood Kitchens (10 photos)
Using a palette that focuses on white and wood elements is a reliable approach to creating a stylish and inviting kitchen. White brightens a kitchen, which can help with tasks like chopping, and promotes a light and airy atmosphere that’s welcoming to family and guests. And wood brings in visual warmth...
Visit a Texas Backyard Designed for Lounging and Playing (one photo)
In this episode of Houzz TV Live, landscape and pool designer Randy Angell gives a virtual tour of his client’s backyard in Plano, Texas. Angell updated the once-empty rectangle space to include zones for lounging,...
10 Edible Greens to Plant Now (13 photos)
In most climates, leafy greens such as lettuces, arugula, spinach, chard and mustard greens grow best planted in late summer or early spring, where the plants thrive in the warm daytime temperatures and cool nighttime ones. In mild-winter areas, or with the help of cold...
Kitchen of the Week: Old Farmhouse Inspiration and a New Layout (14 photos)
When these homeowners in North Raleigh, North Carolina, saw what design-build firm Clearcut Construction had done for their friends’ kitchen, they hired them to help with their own. The firm’s owner, Richard Ryder, came up with a functional layout, personalized storage solutions and a style that suited...
Your Fall Home Maintenance Checklist (11 photos)
Fall is a good time to take care of big home repair projects before shorter days (and in many areas, ice and snow) make outdoor work too difficult. And if you do live in an area with cold winters, take some time this fall to boost energy efficiency throughout your home and prevent damage from winter...
8 Ideas to Give Your Yard a Boost for Fall (9 photos)
As we stay close to home this fall and grapple with changes to routines, our homes and gardens can offer more than shelter. A pot of brightly colored flowers on your porch can help lift your mood and brighten your street. Setting up a badminton net or hanging a swing gives kids a place to burn off some...
10 Ideas to Make Every Day at Home a Little Better (10 photos)
When imagining how you can improve your daily life, it’s normal to think big: outfit a new kitchen, redesign the bathroom or extend the loft. But little changes — like giving yourself a future present or creating a “done” list — can go a long way too. Check out these suggestions for more happiness right...
Tour a Designer’s Cozy Colonial-Style Family Room and Kitchen (one photo)
In this episode of Houzz TV Live, interior designer Sara Hillery takes viewers inside the kitchen and family room in her Dutch Colonial-style home in Richmond, Virginia....
Bathroom of the Week: An Old and New Mix for Teenage Girls (4 photos)
A complete third-floor renovation of this Shingle-style San Francisco home included this bathroom, shared by two teenage girls. The girls and their mother worked with interior designer Sabrina Alfin to come up with a style that was classic, fresh and befitting the traditional architecture of the home....
6 Nordic Design Trends to Watch in 2020 (11 photos)
“What is the big Nordic design trend of 2020?” This question was asked countless times during the 3 Days of Design show, which sees Nordic design aficionados flock to Copenhagen, Denmark, every year. Usually held in the spring, the event was postponed to Sept. 3-5 this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The...
The...
A Remodel That Puts Sustainability Front and Center (19 photos)
Leanne and Scott Thompson are passionate about sustainability. The couple has set out to show, through architecture and education, how it’s possible to live well without damaging the planet. They engaged Altereco Design to renovate their 100-year-old worker’s cottage in Melbourne, Australia, and created...
How to Get Started on a Landscape Redesign (9 photos)
Whether you are starting from scratch or are reimagining the outdoor space of somewhere you’ve lived for years, getting started on a landscape redesign can feel like a daunting task. The prep work that you do upfront — maybe even before you start contacting professionals — can streamline conversations...
See How Lighting Gives These Bathrooms Their Spa-Like Feel (12 photos)
My clients are always asking for a master bath that feels like a relaxing spa. After all, such a peaceful, pampering environment makes a great setting in which to prepare for the day or unwind from its stressors. People often are surprised to learn that one secret of designing a luxurious bathroom is...
4 Stylish Yards That Include Play Areas for Kids (12 photos)
The following four projects prove that if you can stretch your imagination, it’s possible to incorporate even the bulkiest play areas — like play structures, trampolines, climbing walls, slides and more — into an outdoor space while still keeping the overall landscape design as a beautiful, natural space...
How to Conquer Kitchen Counter Clutter for Good (13 photos)
That vast expanse of open kitchen counter probably looked appealing when you first moved in or remodeled. But over time, what you’d hoped would be a wonderful space for baking, homework projects and long chats over wine with friends has become a magnet for clutter, with layers as complex (though perhaps...
What to Do in Fall to Get Edible Gardens Set for Spring Planting (10 photos)
Early fall is a bountiful time in the home vegetable garden. It’s harvest season, when armfuls of tomatoes, cucumbers...
Patio of the Week: Petite Pool Enhances a Toronto Backyard (7 photos)
A Toronto family’s desire to have a contemporary outdoor getaway at home, where they could relax and enjoy being outside, inspired the renovation of their backyard. Before the redesign, the 1,450-square-foot backyard fell short; it featured little more than overgrown shrubs,...
How to Make Your Home a Happier Place (11 photos)
We spend so much time in our homes that it’s important that they bring us joy. Follow these inspiring ideas to spread a little happiness in your home.
New This Week: 9 Fantastic Fireplace Design Ideas (9 photos)
A fireplace offers a lot of design opportunity in a living room. It’s a reliable focal point around which to arrange furniture, and its details — the surround, mantel and hearth — create many possibilities for adding style and interest. Here, design and building pros share what makes these nine fireplaces...
Move Over, 3-Zone Kitchen. Meet the 5-Zone Kitchen (8 photos)
When designing a new kitchen, many of us have the “three-zone” rule firmly fixed in mind. But what we want from our kitchens nowadays is nothing like what homeowners sought 70-odd years ago, when the concept of the kitchen triangle originated. Open-plan and connected spaces top many kitchen wish lists...
Your Healthy Houseplant Checklist (11 photos)
Healthy green plants add a refreshing organic touch to any room and help boost your home’s air quality. Whether you’re a houseplant newbie or have tried to keep houseplants happy with mixed results in the past and want to do better, this guide is a good place to begin. You don’t need many supplies to...
Bright, White and Open Kitchen for a Michigan Family (17 photos)
Like many families, Michael and Danielle Gutelli and their young sons spend most of their time in their kitchen, dining and living areas. So after five years of living with a floor plan that significantly divided those spaces, the couple, who run design-build firm Clark...
10 Smart Organizing Tools for Getting Kids’ Spaces in Shape (10 photos)
Are your kids’ rooms bursting at the seams? Getting a few smart systems in place will ensure that spaces look good long-term. Ahead are 10 simple but effective organizing tools, plus tips on how to use them.
Apr. 7, 2020
New Decorative Metal Accents for Tried-and-True Mouldings
Mouldings have been a Designs of Distinction ® product for decades. We offer mouldings in various sizes & styles – ranging from decorative Base Mouldings to Crown Mouldings, to Light Ready Light Rail Mouldings ® . We’ve introduced dozens of hardwood moulding insert designs – including inserts like Bijou, Infinity, and Baroque, and Classic Revival. […]
Read More
Apr. 2, 2020
Brass Gallery Rail – your guide to an inexpensive way to update your Kitchen & Bath
Our new Brass Gallery Rail components provide an inexpensive way to achieve a luxury look. Manufactured from solid polished brass, you are able to completely customize how you want your new Gallery Rail to look, and where you want to install it. Versatile Design & Style The Brass Gallery Rail can fit almost any design […]
Read More
Apr. 1, 2020
New Bun Feet!
We’ve been working hard at Designs of Distinction to bring more high-quality furniture components to the market. Cue, bun feet with pre-installed 5/16″-18 hanger bolts. As usual, our bun feet with hanger bolts will come unfinished & hand-sanded to perfection – ready to stain or paint right out of the box. Uses for Bun Feet […]
Read More
Mar. 25, 2019
Small Spaces: Unique Uses of Wood Brackets
When you live in a small urban apartment, like me, often times the apartment does not come with much overhead lighting, and if it does come with overhead lighting, it’s overbearing fluorescent light from the 70’s that provides no ambience or hygge.
Read More
Jul. 4, 2018
New Cut-to-Size Decorative Grille Program!
Take advantage of Designs of Distinction’s cut-to-size decorative grille program! No minimums and quick-ship! Our beautiful steel grilles are hand woven in 8 styles and available in 6 finishes. Builders, designers and manufacturers can now specify the exact opening size of their door panels and receive the pre-cut panels, ready to install
Read More