Aesthetic Upgrade
What do you do with a home that has a two story living room separated from the kitchen by a solid wall and is similarly closed off from views to the spacious back yard?
That was the challenge posed by the owners of this 90’s era builder home during design discussions to provide greater connectivity, open the public areas to exterior views, and update the look of their home to complement their contemporary art and furnishings.
First, the wall separating kitchen and living areas was removed entirely. In its place, a large freestanding island with countertop height seating and a new cooktop now delineates the two rooms. A large rectangular light cove drops down from the ceiling above. Spanning the kitchen and jutting slightly into the living room, the double sided light cove becomes the defining element in the newly unified space. LED strip lights on both sides of the cove provide gentle up lighting at nights or while entertaining. Iridescent glass tiles in the kitchen backsplash cover the entire wall, extending around the corner to the pantry/drop off area and finishing at the underside of the ceiling furr down.
Dark, espresso-stained alder cabinets in the kitchen contrast nicely with clear-coated MDF paneled walls at the dining room and in the stairwell, where the panels alternate with discretely illuminated recessed art niches. Special attention to detail was required in order to prewire and align the lighted niches with the organizing grid of the MDF panels.
The living room fireplace was removed and replaced by a 12’ wide by 8’ high sliding patio door, opening the view to the backyard, where a new trellis provides shade for both the refurbished deck and the renovated breakfast room, whose wall framing was reduced to the absolute minimum in order to maximize the size of the windows and connection to the exterior. In the dining room, alder cabinetry dies into an MDF paneled wall on one side and a glass fronted display cabinet on the other. The small powder bath has been updated with a zebra wood cantilevered counter supporting a blue glass vessel sink.
The home’s upper and lower levels are unified by a new Brazilian mahogany floor which is continues up the stair. On the second floor the space recovered from the double height living room is now an open TV/media room with a loft-like feel and a view to the exterior. A bedroom at the front of the house has been converted into a shared office space with all new maple cabinetry and plentiful bookcases. The hall bath on this floor was also updated with new finishes, tile, maple cabinets, and plumbing.
The aesthetic upgrades to this house weren’t limited solely to the interior. On the exterior, the original builder beige siding and trim color has been replaced with a dark warm grey color that complements the existing brick and stands out from the standard suburban color scheme of the adjacent homes.
The final result is an artistically designed, carefully detailed home that provides a fitting backdrop for the owners art and collectibles. Just because you live in a nice neighborhood, doesn’t mean you have to blend in.
That was the challenge posed by the owners of this 90’s era builder home during design discussions to provide greater connectivity, open the public areas to exterior views, and update the look of their home to complement their contemporary art and furnishings.
First, the wall separating kitchen and living areas was removed entirely. In its place, a large freestanding island with countertop height seating and a new cooktop now delineates the two rooms. A large rectangular light cove drops down from the ceiling above. Spanning the kitchen and jutting slightly into the living room, the double sided light cove becomes the defining element in the newly unified space. LED strip lights on both sides of the cove provide gentle up lighting at nights or while entertaining. Iridescent glass tiles in the kitchen backsplash cover the entire wall, extending around the corner to the pantry/drop off area and finishing at the underside of the ceiling furr down.
Dark, espresso-stained alder cabinets in the kitchen contrast nicely with clear-coated MDF paneled walls at the dining room and in the stairwell, where the panels alternate with discretely illuminated recessed art niches. Special attention to detail was required in order to prewire and align the lighted niches with the organizing grid of the MDF panels.
The living room fireplace was removed and replaced by a 12’ wide by 8’ high sliding patio door, opening the view to the backyard, where a new trellis provides shade for both the refurbished deck and the renovated breakfast room, whose wall framing was reduced to the absolute minimum in order to maximize the size of the windows and connection to the exterior. In the dining room, alder cabinetry dies into an MDF paneled wall on one side and a glass fronted display cabinet on the other. The small powder bath has been updated with a zebra wood cantilevered counter supporting a blue glass vessel sink.
The home’s upper and lower levels are unified by a new Brazilian mahogany floor which is continues up the stair. On the second floor the space recovered from the double height living room is now an open TV/media room with a loft-like feel and a view to the exterior. A bedroom at the front of the house has been converted into a shared office space with all new maple cabinetry and plentiful bookcases. The hall bath on this floor was also updated with new finishes, tile, maple cabinets, and plumbing.
The aesthetic upgrades to this house weren’t limited solely to the interior. On the exterior, the original builder beige siding and trim color has been replaced with a dark warm grey color that complements the existing brick and stands out from the standard suburban color scheme of the adjacent homes.
The final result is an artistically designed, carefully detailed home that provides a fitting backdrop for the owners art and collectibles. Just because you live in a nice neighborhood, doesn’t mean you have to blend in.
Project Year: 2012
Country: United States
Zip Code: 78731
