There are cabinets and furniture - dated and generic in style, function and materials. And then there are custom cabinets and furniture, created to serve you and your home for a lifetime.
Designed by Santa Clarita's finest contractors and loved by your SCV neighbors, these kitchens are proof positive that its the most popular room in the house for a reason.
Selecting our favorite photos from 2009: difficult. Borrowing key design tips from the collection: easy.
Red. It's the quintessential color of romance. And, in the home of Billie and Don Hubbard, it whispers sweet nothings in both bold and shy forms.
The cranberry-shaded velveteen fabric that envelops classically-styled chairs in the formal dining room is touched with an Old World addition of handpainted scrolls. An upstairs bar sparks with a bright burst of fire engine paint, a dramatic contrast to the cool black granite that defines the space.
When Ruben Haynes, an interior designer by trade, purchased his Tesoro home five years prior, he knew he wanted the space to radiate the elegance of Europe while still being a comfortable place to relax and entertain.
A Pro's Guide to Affordable Holiday Home Improvements that can be Finished in Two Weeks or Less
Shelley Hann has style, and she's not afraid to flaunt it. The philanthropically-involved SCVian is known as much for her occasionally ostentatious fashions as she is for her good works.
Self-guided Tour on October 18 Showcases 10 Designer Kitchens to Benefit Michael Hoefflin Foundation
photography by Ted Dayton
Maya and Jim Carr's Woodlands home exhibits a refined attention to detail, making it an exquisite example of interior home improvement at its finest.
When you own a premier home furnishing and decor store, people expect your personal abode to impress. The Woodlands home of Don and Billie Hubbard, known to many as the proprietors of La Via Bella in Stevenson Ranch and the online retail store Laviabella.com, does not disappoint.
Cheryl Henson describes her family as "bicoastal." And while the family does have homes both here and in New York, the term is still markedly inadequate - at least when one takes the worldly decor found in their nearly-5,000-square-foot Valencia house into consideration.
Cheryl Henson has lived in Santa Clarita for 25 years, but judging by her impeccable taste, she'd be equally comfortable a continent away.
The meticulous design of the finest French gardens has made a new home in the SCV. Here, Cheryl, along with her husband Tom and son Aaron, can relax amongst some of the finest outdoor accents Europe has to offer.
Here's an understatement: John and Debbie Miller enjoy living in Valencia's Summit. You could say that it was love at first sight. The couple camped out in front of the sales office for a full week when word hit that the then-newly-built homes were available. Since then, they've lived in three homes in the popular Santa Clarita development.
Having access to Santa Clarita's most impressive homes is both a blessing and a curse. With such a plethora of gorgeous scapes, it's hard to choose a favorite. The task of selecting the "best of the best" is not an enviable job. Now that the heavy lifting is behind us, though, you stand to benefit. Pick your passion - whether it be Old World, Tropical, or something in between - and discover new ways to update your own space.
Michael Georgio, a CEO with Gothic Designs and Management, has extensive experience in the field of landscape and maintenance contracting. Perhaps that's why his own 4,200-square-foot Bridgeport home is so meticulously groomed.
The three-bedroom Tuscan house, which also includes a home gym, five bathrooms and a game room, is exceptionally appointed. His designer was given the task of creating a masculine space that honored three things paramount to Michael Georgio: his family, his faith and his culture.
Candy canes, reindeer, Santa Claus and snowmen are the traditional icons of an American Christmas. Wrap them in shades of red and green and you have a holiday palate that can easily be found in 95 percent of decorated spaces across the nation.
But the home of Terri and David Slone and their dogs, Snowey and Foxey, is different. Their Mediterranean abode found on Tournament Players Club's 18th green called for a markedly more elegant take.
"Custom" is rarely the theme of a home; more often, it's simply an adjective used to describe particular characteristics. However, in the case of Kim and Randy Andrews' 7,000-square-foot house in Valencia's The Woodlands, it just might be the most apropos summary of the expansive estate, which holds five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a home theater, a gym, a wine cellar, a home office - and the couple's three teenage boys.
Frances and Cary Talbot make up one lucky couple; the pair manages to book four to six romantic getaways a year. But that still leaves 46-plus weeks of what otherwise might be a hum-drum home life.
"Mediterranean" is a frequent word too-often deployed when describing newer SCV homes. But a tiled roof and stucco'ed exterior does not a Mediterranean home make.
Light a candle, close your eyes, breathe deeply and take a mini vacation to the destination of your dreams.