A home built on one of Canada's most beautiful lakes posed a design challenge. The home had originally been built almost directly in opposition to natural light and views to the lake. While most opinions were to tear the existing home down, BLDG Workshop worked closely with the client to recreate the home in a way that opened it up and became more fitting to the site.

THE SETUP Client Background: Our clients, a couple who have transitioned into the empty nest phase, have cherished their home for over three decades without undergoing any significant renovations. With a newfound desire to adapt their living space to better suit their current lifestyle, they’ve embarked on a journey to reimagine their kitchen — the heart of their home. Their aspiration is to cultivate a serene, neutral-toned sanctuary on the first floor that seamlessly merges with their family room, ensuring a harmonious and inviting environment. Design Inspiration: The renovation is inspired by the couple’s penchant for soft, calming neutrals, using their cherished family room and the kitchen’s existing tile flooring as the cornerstone for the color scheme. This approach aims to foster a sense of warmth and tranquility throughout. Design Objectives: Harmonize the kitchen with the family room by adopting a soothing, neutral color scheme, ensuring a seamless flow across the first floor. Enhance kitchen functionality with thoughtfully designed cabinetry, providing a designated place for every item and maximizing storage efficiency. Cultivate an inviting and comfortable atmosphere that reflects the homeowners’ desire for a calm and relaxing space. Design Challenges: The homeowners wish to retain the existing kitchen tile flooring and integrate it into a refreshed, modern design. Accommodating a dining area spacious enough for family visits without compromising the kitchen’s open feel or functional layout. Despite liking the current placement of plumbing and appliances, the homeowners aspire for a more open floor plan to facilitate better movement and interaction. The need to amplify natural light in the kitchen, especially around the sink area, where existing lighting is insufficient. Preserving the half-wall between the kitchen and family room, a feature the homeowners want to keep, while ensuring it complements the new design. THE RENEWED SPACE Design Solutions: By choosing a neutral color palette that complements the existing tile, the design unifies the kitchen with the adjacent spaces. The tile’s grout was cleaned and restored, enhancing the floor’s appearance and integrating it seamlessly with the new kitchen aesthetic. The inclusion of a larger island with seating for two, alongside maintaining a substantial dining table, was achieved by optimizing the spatial layout. This allowed for a sociable yet functional kitchen, accommodating large family gatherings without feeling crowded. Minor adjustments to the kitchen’s layout maintained the preferred locations for plumbing and appliances while introducing an ‘open’ design concept. Strategic modifications, such as angling the pantry wall, improved the flow and accessibility within the space. Replacing the garden window with a broader, standard window significantly increased natural light, transforming the sink area into a bright, welcoming space with enhanced views of the outdoors. The decision to keep the half-wall was ingeniously leveraged to define the dining area while maintaining an open connection to the family room. This feature not only serves as a visual separator but also ties the two spaces together through the shared color scheme and design elements. The homeowners are thrilled with their newly remodeled kitchen, which has become a hub of warmth and hospitality. Hosting a wedding shower and a birthday party, they have shared their renewed space with friends and family, who have been equally enamored. This remodel has not only met their functional and aesthetic desires but has also enriched their home with a fresh sense of serenity and joy. The upstairs part of the home is shaping up nicely. Here’s their newly remodeled primary bathroom.

Emily Kolaczek
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Julian Hodges - Featured Project of the Month by Truitt & White This month featured project brings you beautifully crafted gates and entryways from local craftsman Julian Hodges. For over 35 years, Mr. Hodges has been designing and crafting custom wooden gates in Berkeley and the greater Bay Area. His projects mainly feature old growth, vertical grained redwood or western red cedar which is air or kiln dried. The gates are fully mortised and tenoned (male / female joints) and a very powerful epoxy is used to glue the parts together. Wherever a floating panel rides in a dado, drainage is provided in the form of several holes that are out of sight that allow any rain water to be ushered out at the bottom of the gate enabling the gate to dry itself rather than staying damp which otherwise could lead to long term decomposition of the wood. Adding to the unique feel of each gate, Julian creates his own custom hardware from heavy gauge steel, which also provides a pleasing solid sound as it operates. All gates are then finished in a penetrating oil seal which optimizes the longevity and good appearance of the gates. For more information on Julian Hodges' work, visit www.julianhodges.com.

CLOSE-UP VIEW This master bath makeover starts with bare walls that have been floated out smooth over the sheetrock. Then we hand applied a beautiful custom tinted, soft grey Venetian plaster. After two coats of plaster, the walls were waxed and buffed. This process seals the plaster, leaving a long-lasting finish. The finished product is subtle and undeniably beautiful! I’ve included a close-up view of the finish below.

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Detail of our custom craftsman-style paneling. 100% wood.
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There's always room for more storage regardless of what room we are talking about, and the bathroom is no exception. If you've maxed out your linen closet and cabinet space, it's time to add bathroom hooks. While they're mainly designed for towels, these compact storage solutions are perfect for keeping your family’s towels and bathrobes tidy and easy to access. We carry a wide range of bathroom hooks so you can find the design, color, and style that matches your bathroom. Choose your favorite finish, including polished chrome, polished gold, black, and more, and then decide on what shape and style best fits your space. We have basic round hooks and modern square hooks. We even offer double hooks, triple hooks and more, to give you the storage you need without adding an extra installation step.

GROIN VAULT CROSS WITH CROWN MOLDING, LED LIGHTS IN THE CROWN MOLDING AND VENIETIAN PLASTER
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Blackened steel railings and stringer covers.
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