Most households are chaotic with a unique movement of life throughout the spaces of the house. The key to success in this renovation was organizing the spaces to make them flexible so they could provide a warm social community as well as seclusion when needed. The social area of our client’s house had many obstructions preventing them from easily enjoying each other’s company without being cumbersome. Their favorite spot in the house is in front of the fireplace in the living room. Unfortunately it was cut off from the kitchen, the social center of the house, creating a great need for an open informal gathering space. Much like a kaleidoscope has changing patterns depending on light reflecting off of the moving objects, surface textures inside we found that the members in this family continually need to brake or reestablish connections creating new patterns as they move between and use the social spaces in their house.

The structure of this family is comprised of unique individuals that like to be near each other but not necessarily working on the same things. The family has two growing boys who want personal space, and parents who want to maintain family connectedness. We worked to create tenuous connections between rooms by overlapping sightlines and circulation paths. By a step or two, one could see into the next space to make eye contact or hear what’s happening without feeling hampered. Family members can also completely focus on their own activity by retreating into the cozy sections of the room outside the main flow.

This family of cerebrals also needed an environment that was calming with plenty of visual interest. We worked closely with the mom, a talented textile artist, to establish a neutral palette with vibrant punches of color. We layered in pattern with subtle movement such as the hand-tinted plaster around the fireplace and a rich chocolate concrete floor. These surfaces act as canvases to capture the light and shadows that pass through the trees and windows. The family wanted to be grounded by nature but felt it equally important not to feel like they were living in a fishbowl. With large windows and high ceilings to capture light and views, we kept the spaces from feeling overwhelming by sloping and curving the ceilings. We also made spaces feel more comfortable by having a focus such as the fireplace in the living room or built-in diner bench in the kitchen. The soothing effect of light and shadows playing off the soft plaster surfaces of the fireplace, warm gray walls or the rich brown concrete floor is balanced with the boldness of the ceilings and flashes of color beyond the terrace.

We achieved a similar effect on the screened porch where we surround the family with window openings but provide warmth with espresso colored siding and a custom curved wood ceiling. Patterns in the ceilings act as a subtle indicators establishing zones of rest or activity. The kitchen’s bold relief ceiling pattern signifies the change from the passive relaxation of the den and living room to the hub of activity encompassed in the kitchen and breakfast room where the family catches each other up on the latest news.

Changing light and patterns are the focus for a kaleidoscope, in the renovation there is a similar pattern of playing with focusing in, out, and through. In the living room focus moves from the reflections of flames in the fireplace, to the dance of natural light moving across the walls, to fully turning to the light filtering through the branches and leaves outside. Yet these points of focus can easily become background when conversation, a good book, or family takes center stage in the space. The same flexibility can be found in the other spaces: kitchen, breakfast room, den and porch. Through use of light and shadow, connection and separation, the greater space fluctuates with the individuals as they see fit to define the family pattern in the moment.