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The kitchen is often considered the centerpiece of a home, acting as a gathering place for family and friends for meals, holidays or get togethers, yet also commonly serves as a functional space that allows for entertaining and everyday comfort.

Our kitchen remodeling services range from complete kitchen transformations, where walls and windows are moved to open your space, to simple kitchen upgrades, in which cabinets and counter tops are replaced with new versions. Updated kitchen backsplashes, tiles, and patterns can also be used to change the look and feel of your space and as part of any remodeling project.

Uncommon Placement - Unique Backsplash Kitchen Tile

This Arlington kitchen’s backsplash, in both the coffee bar area and behind the range, is made up of 2x8” and 2x16” glass subway tiles placed in a vertical, rather than horizontal, pattern. It is a unique design element that is a complement to the more commonly used horizontally placed subway tiles in the kitchen as seen on the opposing wall. Beautiful quality design and installation work can be seen here. These design choices add a standout feature in the kitchen but also tie it into a more modern look and feel.

Floral Pattern – Unique Kitchen Pattern

At first glance, this Herndon kitchen’s backsplash is clean and white. Upon closer examination, however, the backsplash design actually showcases a small floral pattern. This unique pattern keeps the kitchen clean and consistent, but also gives it a touch of whimsy. A backsplash design can be as simple or as extravagant as the homeowner wishes, with designs either blending into the background or standing on their own. Either way, choosing a unique tile is up to the customer and their personal likes and dislikes.

Unique Backsplash Color & Design

These Centreville customers’ renovated their kitchen to include an open concept design achieved through the removal of a wall between the kitchen and adjacent dining room. Included in the design was a massive, curved kitchen island that included ample seating options as well as storage and meal prep areas. Most unique of their selections was the choice of this green backsplash tile that showcases dramatic, non-linear white lines throughout. Placing the unique tile on the bar area and behind the range make it so that it’s not overwhelming but is a definite conversation starter.

While all of our kitchen remodels vary in color, design, and shape these kitchens were extremely unique with their tiles & patterns. How did you feel about them? If you’re in the market for a kitchen remodel call us at 703.961.7707 or email us at Hello@MossBuildingandDesign.com.

MOSS was thrilled to host a Fall Home & Art Studio Tour at one of our recently remodeled homes in Great Falls, Virginia. Parinaz Bahadori, the homeowner, is an artist and architect with an art studio on her property - guests were invited to tour the remodeled rooms of the home and also to enjoy a tour of the art studio during their visits.  

Over 70 guests came through the home at designated times throughout the day on Saturday, November 13th to take in the various rooms of the home that MOSS helped remodel with tours given by members of the MOSS design team. You can read more about the overall remodel and see more photos here. After touring the home, visitors were invited to enjoy light charcuterie and fall-themed beverages on their way to the art studio, where they enjoyed one on one time with Parinaz as well as took in the space where she creates her work. Guests were also invited to purchase artwork for sale – not only paintings, but also coasters, paperweights, and more.  

With a shared commitment to charitable outreach and support for the community, MOSS Mission, MOSS’s non-profit 501(c)(3), partnered with Parinaz to purchase two of her paintings that were then raffled off to attendees. Raffle tickets cost $15 each (or $20 for two) with all the proceeds donated to Parinaz’s favorite charities: Project Turquoise and The Arts of Great Falls.   

It was a beautiful day to tour the spaces and help others in the process. To learn more about Parinaz's art, please visit her website at www.ParinazArt.com.  

Our customers loved the location of their Sterling home on a quiet cul-de-sac, close to nature yet also within easy proximity to shopping, entertainment, and more. Yet, they also knew that they wanted their house to be more than just their home, long intending to share their commitment to meditation with the local community within their space. Hence, they decided to explore adding on a room to their home that would serve as a non-profit community meditation center, open to the public for meditation sessions, group meetings, visits with leading lamas, etc. Partnering with MOSS and our designers, who understood the need to create an addition that would serve as the center but could also be enjoyed for other purposes, gave them the end result they desired. With bright light coming from skylights in the tall, angled ceiling (which matches the original structure and flows very naturally), a soothing wall color, warm LVT flooring, and easy access to the driveway and backyard through large, glass doors, the addition is now a respite from daily life, serving its purpose for both the homeowners and those in the community as well.  

Our customers documented the process from the start of construction and shared images with our team. It’s impressive to look at the progression of this particular addition from start to finish. Scroll on to see the before, during, and after photos:  

Before

During:  

After: 

The after photos show the full transformation of the project, starting from the outside view:  

Before and after photos are incredibly powerful and showcase the craftmanship that goes into all MOSS remodels. If you’re interested in receiving an estimate for an addition at your home, contact our team at Hello@MossBuildingAndDesign.com or at 703.961.7707.  

Trends come and go – and with respect to kitchen design, there are a lot of trends you can choose to follow or to ignore. Some kitchen trends, such as a massive island or all white cabinets, have been popular for a while and will likely continue to be so. If you want to be trendy, though, on a smaller scale, and allow room for change if you keep the larger choices in place long-term, your kitchen backsplash might just be the way to stay on or ahead of the trendy curve.  

Our MOSS customers’ style aesthetics range from traditional to contemporary to modern – essentially, the whole gamut! Picking out a backsplash is an especially personal decision as it can provide your kitchen a quiet and soothing backdrop or give it a pop of color pizazz to create a unique look. Whichever design trend you choose to hitch your wagon to for your backsplash, here are some beautiful options that our MOSS customers have chosen for their kitchens for your inspiration:  

Traditional & Simple 

The origin of the popular subway tile design is derived from the use of white tiles in underground passages in dimly lit subway stations – the placement and color of the tiles were helpful in reflecting the most available light. The same can be said for usage in kitchen design. While relatively simplistic in its traditional horizontal layout, subway tile can also be placed in a herringbone pattern or with different sized rectangular sizes to draw and reflect natural and other lighting. These days, there is much more to subway tile than the typical white look and feel – colors range from cool grays to soothing blues and extremely popular today are tiles that are cut to have a slightly beveled appearance, creating interest and movement on walls in addition to providing a bright background. Shown here are a few examples of MOSS customers who chose a subway tile to add simple yet beautiful interest to their kitchens:  

Fun Shapes & Colors  

If a kitchen design is straightforward in its layout and choice of selections, a backsplash can give the space a chance to shine! Choosing a unique and fresh design and color in various spots throughout your kitchen is very trendy, as seen here in these two different MOSS customers’ homes. Why not throw some cool green shades to make your cooking area stand out? Or, if your kitchen is on the smaller side, make the walls stand out like this customer did and have the tile laid in a diamond-shaped pattern? There really is no limit on how you choose to create your backsplash design – and these days, the trend to be unique is very much on point.  

Unique Call Outs 

Similar to above, the trend to add unique and interesting backsplashes that are “call outs” is definitely a popular one. A little bit of interest can go a long way, as shown here in these MOSS customers’ kitchens. It gives the space a bit of a feeling of ‘je ne sais quoi’ while also doing what it is meant to do. What do you think about these unique call outs, especially the placement of each? Adding these special designs is also another way to bring in your design style and tie back to your kitchen décor as well.  

So which way do you go? Do you pick something more classic or something more forward-looking? In the end, it doesn’t really matter – if you love the look for your kitchen, that’s what matters and is most important, because trends can come and go on a whim, but you’ve got to enjoy your home for as long as you’re living in it!  

If you’ve been thinking about a kitchen remodel and have some design ideas already in mind, contact MOSS at Hello@MossBuildingAndDesign.com or 703.961.7707 to schedule your free consultation and get started today!  

May is National Home Improvement Month, but at MOSS, we celebrate home improvement and remodeling all year round! The past year has seen many of our customers spending more time than usual at home, and with that, re-evaluating the space within the four walls they call home. Not only have kitchens, basements and additions been high on everyone’s lists to renovate (for example, expanding the kitchen for more space to eat at home, adding on a home office, and taking the basement from unfinished to cozy family room are all examples of home improvement we’ve tackled this year), but also high on the list? Master bathrooms! A private oasis or retreat from the busy chaos of your home updated to fit your life now? Sign us up! MOSS is highly experienced in renovating all sizes of master bathrooms, from relatively simple remodels to more complicated reconfigurations, and we love to share the results with our audience. Here are several of our recent and most favorite master bathroom remodels:  

Soothing & Traditional Master Bathroom in Ashburn  

Our MOSS customer’s original master bathroom design, while highly functional, didn’t reflect the taste of the homeowners, who were looking for something lighter, brighter, and much more contemporary in look and feel. While the space itself would stay the same square footage and the bath and shower would remain in their original spots, the entire room, otherwise, was gutted and remodeled. MOSS installed new white cabinetry on the dual vanities which have beautiful stone tops, new mirrors, all new lighting, a newly tiled shower stall (created to be larger than the original with space taken from an adjoining linen closet), and, for the homeowner’s biggest “want” - the standalone soaking tub, perfectly placed by the large windows (on which new shutters and matching curtains were installed). 

Bright & Contemporary Master Bathroom in Herndon 

While incredibly beautiful, our MOSS customer’s historic Herndon home lacked a master bathroom.  MOSS worked closely with our customers to create the master bathroom of their dreams out of their home’s second level “bonus” room, which was attached to their master bedroom. Transforming this room into a bathroom required a great deal of design, layout and behind the scenes effort as it was not originally ever intended to be a bathroom. All associated plumbing for the bathroom had to be run upstairs, through the floors and walls, for example.   

The new master bathroom is a welcoming, bright space with a large walk-in tiled shower, a free-standing tub next to a window that allows in soothing natural light, and a gorgeous vanity repurposed from a beloved piece of furniture. The master bathroom’s floor is the original hardwood, treated to be able to withstand water. The overall feel of the bathroom is one of peace, relaxation, and rejuvenation. 

Stunning & Spa-Like Master Bathroom in Vienna 

It’s not an official spa, but this Vienna master bathroom remodel certainly feels as if it is! The instant you step foot into the space, with the large corner shower with rainfall showerhead and deep, standalone, soaking tub on one side, the long, bright white countertops and dark vanity cabinets along the other, and the uniquely designed overhead lighting fixture above, you truly feel transported.  

Our MOSS customer chose large tile rectangles for the master bathroom flooring. To match, and carry on the luxurious feeling of the flooring, the same tile was used on the walls behind the tub and in the shower to create a wainscot look and feel. Bright white bathrooms with touches of muted neutrals are very trendy these days, and our client chose to do this as well, but add in a contrasting dark color with the vanity cabinets. Our MOSS customer supplied the unique chandelier that dominates the room as well as the soaking tub and other plumbing fixtures. Overall, this master bathroom is truly a retreat from the everyday, much like a spa is an escape from reality. 

Private & Stunning Master Bathroom Retreat in Centreville  

When their master bathroom needed an update, our Centreville customers returned to MOSS to do the work. MOSS had previously remodeled their home’s kitchen, family room, and four-season room. The master bathroom was the original in layout and selections, and our customers knew they wanted a remodeled spa-like and functional space for themselves that included other particulars including a private water closet, storage, a soaking tub by the window, and more.  

By closing the upstairs hallway linen closet and moving the shower from an opposing wall to the newly found interior space and adding a tall cabinet inside the master bathroom to house linens and towels, the issue of storage was solved. Moving the location of the shower and removing the original corner, Jacuzzi tub (which was not used very often) and replacing it with a standalone tub that is better placed gave our homeowners much more functionality to their master bathroom and created space for the water closet. To boot? The selections and colors are bright and beautiful, and the original skylight was able to be retained to give the bathroom an incredible amount of natural light. The overall result? Crisp and enjoyable, beautiful and relaxing.  

Is your master bathroom showing signs of needing a little TLC? Now might be the perfect time to begin a remodel – celebrate National Home Improvement Month with MOSS and not only improve your master bathroom, but also the quality of your life. Contact MOSS today for a free master bathroom consultation at Hello@MossBuildingandDesign.com or at 703.961.7707.  

Favorite Kitchen Island Pendant Lighting  

Lighting is, clearly, important for basic functionality in your home. And while very practical and a key part of any kitchen remodel that MOSS Building & Design undertakes, it has become more and more obvious that deciding on the ambient kitchen lighting, particularly that which is over the home’s kitchen island, is a specific and crucial design choice for our customers. These days, we’re finding that pendant lighting is almost the “finishing touch” on a kitchen design – helping to complete the full package or to add a little extra something special to the space, and our customers are fans of a wide range of pendant lighting options. It’s hard to choose but below are several of our favorites:  

Modern & Contemporary 

These two kitchen remodels were part of larger interior remodels, bringing both homes from a more traditional look and feel to an updated modern and contemporary design. The pendant lighting over the kitchen islands reflects the designs that are overall minimalist in feel with respect to color choices and clean lines.  

Traditional & Soothing  

These kitchen pendant lights nod to candelabras, in a way, with the more traditional look. With that, they bring a soothing sense of calm to the kitchens that they light up! 

Simply Fun!  

Looking to liven up the space with a fun set of pendant lights? These are two of our favorites – they look relatively simple yet have interest worked into the glass and the shape.  

Kitchen island pendant lighting is a highly personal decision that is, luckily, an affordable way to amp up the practicality of your room’s lighting yet bring some character and life to the space as well. There are so many choices on the marketplace that you can browse through to narrow down your decision. Remember, it’s your home so whatever you choose is a great decision! Have you been considering a kitchen remodel? Contact MOSS for a free estimate at Hello@MossBuildingAndDesign.com or at 703.961.7707.