DESIGN BUILD ENHANCE
A Soft Place to Land
After years of working toward a lifestyle, and almost 12 months of loving in a construction zone, the homeowners finally realized their dream together. What took place was a total gut and remodel of the first floor that included moving the front door, revamping both sets of stairs, a whole new primary bath, a flip of the kitchen, a pantry where a laundry room had been and a whole new laundry room addition. It was a lot of work, a little angst, and a vision worth fighting for!
BEFORE
Open and Airy
This condo was originally built in 1976 and was the height of fashion bathed in 1980's mauve. A long kitchen with a swinging butler's door was closed off from the dining and living room defined by a hallway of bifold cladded closets. The space was segmented and lifeless. We took down the closet wall and door to the kitchen, opened up the area at the sink and created sight lines from the centered range to the newly featured electric fireplace. A fresh and clean palette creates a modern, sophisticated space.
BEFORE
A Room with a Better View
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This 1980's house sat in a park-like setting and had only one window from which to view it. Well, that is all changed now! Not only were we able to add the beautiful views, we increased the work flow and storage, lightened and brightened. And we never disturbed the existing beams or messed with the soffits.
Now the space is beautiful from every view. |
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The New Girl in Town
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After raising four children and getting them launched, this single-mom homeowner decided to downsize and simplify so she purchased a 1970s condominium. The problem was, the new condo didn't reflect the her new hopes for the future. We came in, listened to how she wanted her new life and style to be, and created a look and layout that would reflect this new phase.
We opened up the old space to create a giant-room feeling and suited it with an island to match the new look. One end of the island is a dining and entertaining area while the work triangle of the kitchen is preserved at the other end. The island, space, and workflow is big enough for when the whole gang is home, but intimate enough for spending a quiet night. The space is now open, fresh, light, sophisticated, yet cozy. And best of all it's a new look for a new phase in life |
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Song of Sunshine
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This kitchen is the original to a house that was built in the '90s. Admittedly, it wasn't the oldest or most dated of kitchens but for the homeowner it didn't strike the right tune. It was very dull, cramped, visually noisy, lacked any focal emphasis, and had no harmony. It was off key and out of tune!
To bring this diddy around, we first opened up the window to fill the space with light!. Then we created the riff by trading in the disjointed small island and dinette table for a generous island. This gave the room its "hook" as well as tons of seating and storage. Along the refrigerator wall, we cleaned up the visual noise with the fluid lines of deep storage solutions. Finally, we added the emphasis a focal point over the cooking area by trading in her cooktop for a dual-fuel, slide-in range and custom stone hood. The homeowner has a kitchen that's in tune with her lifestyle and vision. I guess you could say it's at the top of the charts! |
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For the Cow Boy and Girl at Heart
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Sometimes the true inspiration for a space comes from who the clients really are deep in their hearts. The owners of this center-hall colonial just didn't seem to match their house. Oh sure, the space was cut up and horrendously decorated, but the true inspiration was the client's love for the horse world and their down-to-earth lifestyle. They wanted to tackle their master bath first. Immediately, I blew out the walls of a space that was segregated into three little rooms; a dressing room, a vanity/tub room, and a shower/commode room. Using the supply and waste lines locations of the tub I was able to build them a custom shower area that better fit their lifestyle. The old vanity was replaced with a footed, drabe green painted, shaker vanity with lots of storage. Jumping on the old shower supply and waste lines, I was able to add a second vanity to this master suite and mirror the new one in the orignal location.
The real magic came from the use of materials. I didn't want this to come off a "gitchy", over-the-top horse and barn motif but a space that spoke of an earthy naturalness. I chose materials that had a irregular, organic feel, like slate, and juxtaposed them against a containing grid and strong vertical lines of porcelian wood tile. The palette is intentionally simple so as not to overwhelm the strong saturation of the natural materials. The simplicity of line and the scale of the shapes are all designed to complement the pungent earthiness of the well-chosen materials. Now they have a room that "feels" like them, and allows them to interpret that as they enjoy the room for years to come! |
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