Kitchen, Sliding Doors & Storage by Komandor. With any good kitchen layout, storage and flow are key. Continuing from last week’s theme…sliding doors can be a great addition to your kitchen or pantry. The main features being the increase in flow and the decrease in clutter in the kitchen. An open cabinet door protruding into your space is always cumbersome. Sliding doors can save valuable space and increase flow in high traffic areas. Not to mention that they are right on trend! Sliding doors can also be used to create a work station with a counter top and extra storage above and below. Food prep and frequently working appliances can be hidden away with the push of a door. Unexpected guests…no problem…with sliding doors a tidy kitchen is always just a slide away!

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Kitchen, Sliding Doors & Storage by Komandor. With any good kitchen layout, storage and flow are key. Continuing from last week’s theme…sliding doors can be a great addition to your kitchen or pantry. The main features being the increase in flow and the decrease in clutter in the kitchen. An open cabinet door protruding into your space is always cumbersome. Sliding doors can save valuable space and increase flow in high traffic areas. Not to mention that they are right on trend! Sliding doors can also be used to create a work station with a counter top and extra storage above and below. Food prep and frequently working appliances can be hidden away with the push of a door. Unexpected guests…no problem…with sliding doors a tidy kitchen is always just a slide away!

While there are many design elements that can be considered “biophilic” that could be incorporated into a space as part of a biophilic program including views of the outdoors (specifically views of nature) as seen through windows and skylights and natural plant life throughout the space, the element that we will focus on in this catalog is biophilic or nature-based wall art. The evidence suggests that photorealistic images of nature can have the same impact and will produce the same benefits as actual views of nature. Click on the next picture to continue reading………..

Kitchen, Sliding Doors & Storage by Komandor. With any good kitchen layout, storage and flow are key. Continuing from last week’s theme…sliding doors can be a great addition to your kitchen or pantry. The main features being the increase in flow and the decrease in clutter in the kitchen. An open cabinet door protruding into your space is always cumbersome. Sliding doors can save valuable space and increase flow in high traffic areas. Not to mention that they are right on trend! Sliding doors can also be used to create a work station with a counter top and extra storage above and below. Food prep and frequently working appliances can be hidden away with the push of a door. Unexpected guests…no problem…with sliding doors a tidy kitchen is always just a slide away!

Kitchen, Sliding Doors & Storage by Komandor. With any good kitchen layout, storage and flow are key. Continuing from last week’s theme…sliding doors can be a great addition to your kitchen or pantry. The main features being the increase in flow and the decrease in clutter in the kitchen. An open cabinet door protruding into your space is always cumbersome. Sliding doors can save valuable space and increase flow in high traffic areas. Not to mention that they are right on trend! Sliding doors can also be used to create a work station with a counter top and extra storage above and below. Food prep and frequently working appliances can be hidden away with the push of a door. Unexpected guests…no problem…with sliding doors a tidy kitchen is always just a slide away!

The owners of this stately Adams Morgan rowhouse wanted to reconfigure rooms on the two upper levels to create a primary suite on the third floor and a better layout for the second floor. Our crews fully gutted and reframed the floors and walls of the front rooms, taking the opportunity of open walls to increase energy-efficiency with spray foam insulation at exposed exterior walls. The original third floor bedroom was open to the hallway and had an outdated, odd-shaped bathroom. We reframed the walls to create a suite with a master bedroom, closet and generous bath with a freestanding tub and shower. Double doors open from the bedroom to the closet, and another set of double doors lead to the bathroom. The classic black and white theme continues in this room.

Kitchen, Sliding Doors & Storage by Komandor. With any good kitchen layout, storage and flow are key. Continuing from last week’s theme…sliding doors can be a great addition to your kitchen or pantry. The main features being the increase in flow and the decrease in clutter in the kitchen. An open cabinet door protruding into your space is always cumbersome. Sliding doors can save valuable space and increase flow in high traffic areas. Not to mention that they are right on trend! Sliding doors can also be used to create a work station with a counter top and extra storage above and below. Food prep and frequently working appliances can be hidden away with the push of a door. Unexpected guests…no problem…with sliding doors a tidy kitchen is always just a slide away!

We moved the kitchen to the opposite side of the room to provide a better overall layout with more cabinets and continuous countertop space. Cabinets were placed under clerestory windows, allowing them to act as a light shelf and exponentially increasing natural light in the space. We removed the dropped ceiling to open up the space and create more evenly dispersed natural light. New appliances were installed, including a separate cooktop and wall oven to accommodate different cooking and baking zones. We implemented a warm Pacific Northwest material pallet with quarter-sawn oak cabinets, and added neutral yet sharp finishes in black, white, and chrome.

We had the pleasure of working with the new homeowners to design further improvements to the house necessitated by their growing family. We added a porte cochere, a family-room, and increased the ceiling height in their master bedroom. These improvements augmented our design work previously completed in 2008, and the house continues to be a blend of traditional old-house details with modern, contemporary furnishings that perfectly suite a family with young children.

We had the pleasure of working with the new homeowners to design further improvements to the house necessitated by their growing family. We added a porte cochere, a family-room, and increased the ceiling height in their master bedroom. These improvements augmented our design work previously completed in 2008, and the house continues to be a blend of traditional old-house details with modern, contemporary furnishings that perfectly suite a family with young children.

Ryan Theed Sophisticated contemporary porch featuring clean architectural lines and premium sustainable materials. The Gold's Residence porch creates a sheltered outdoor living area that seamlessly extends the home's interior comfort to the exterior, with thoughtful design elements that frame mountain views while providing protection from the elements. This well-appointed space exemplifies the project's commitment to sustainable luxury and connection with the natural environment.

This immaculate home has increased square footage and value due to the new carriage house and additions. In order to keep in step with everything this prestigious home currently has to offer we have incorporated the carriage house. The carriage house has additional space in back through the double doors and we have matched the exterior of the main house perfectly with cedar shakes and exterior corresponding brick. Be sure to notice the custom carpentry on the ceiling, columns and crown molding as you view the picture of the beautiful breezeway. No detail will be left unnoticed as friends and family walk along the custom concrete creation from the carriage house to the main house. The classic new entryway is so welcoming as you enter the main house though the wooden framed glass doors continuing up the stairs to the main floor.

Caesarstone thin cut counter tops, Gray marble island from Country Tile in Beverly Hills. Walnut cabinets with white uppers. Gray glass tile vertically installed. Clients wanted drawers for easy organizing and a slick modern look.

The layout of this early 90’s home was adequate for the husband when he was just living there. However, now the family of three and their loving cat live there together; the space quickly became confined and inadequate. The Clients contacted us to discuss what their options may be to help the home feel more spacious. After a few weeks of design and engineering, we went to work on opening up the first floor to increase the size of the rooms while creating continuity with the adjoining rooms. A once tired and confined layout became a spacious, comfortable, & aesthetically pleasing space to live and entertain.

Like many Minneapolis homes from the 1920s, the original kitchen footprint was simply too small to accommodate the needs of its current homeowners. An earlier addition added square footage, but was poorly constructed and was not well integrated into the original space. The new layout included a 24” deep cantilevered addition to the back of the house that increased the footprint and allowed the kitchen to be unified into one continuous room. With the added space and the newly created arched opening to the dining room, enough space was created to include a spacious island for prep-work and family meals. The project included fully custom cabinetry with inset doors, marbled Cambria countertops and a flashy blue BluStar range. Period appropriate lighting fixtures, cabinet hardware and classic subway tile further integrate this stunning kitchen into the surrounding home.

This immaculate home has increased square footage and value due to the new carriage house and additions. In order to keep in step with everything this prestigious home currently has to offer we have incorporated the carriage house. The carriage house has additional space in back through the double doors and we have matched the exterior of the main house perfectly with cedar shakes and exterior corresponding brick. Be sure to notice the custom carpentry on the ceiling, columns and crown molding as you view the picture of the beautiful breezeway. No detail will be left unnoticed as friends and family walk along the custom concrete creation from the carriage house to the main house. The classic new entryway is so welcoming as you enter the main house though the wooden framed glass doors continuing up the stairs to the main floor.

Timeless materials such as soft green tiles, wood cabinetry, warm brass fixtures and black accents were combined with modern functionality to create a calm and spa -like retreat in this main bathroom renovation.

We had the pleasure of working with the new homeowners to design further improvements to the house necessitated by their growing family. We added a porte cochere, a family-room, and increased the ceiling height in their master bedroom. These improvements augmented our design work previously completed in 2008, and the house continues to be a blend of traditional old-house details with modern, contemporary furnishings that perfectly suite a family with young children.