Thankfully, we were finishing this project right as the “shut down” started and our clients were able to settle into their new home to spend time with their family. It is so rewarding to make such a huge change in their lives and make their home function better for them. This project involved every room of their house getting an update. When we first met, the clients had been looking at selling their home to get something a little newer and a little bigger. They actually called me over to consult on some “refreshes” to get their house on the market. The problem? They LOVE the location of their home and they didn’t really want to move. The neighbors are forever friends and their girls are happy and settled there. So, we talked about some things we could do to make it feel bigger and, of course, make it prettier and updated in the process.
One of the biggest complaints was that the kitchen felt really tight. The island was very close to the sink and the range making it impossible for two people to be cooking together. The fridge impeded the walkway with the doors open and kids sitting at the island. Cue the custom cabinetry! We had smaller custom cabinets built for the island and were able to gain several inches on each side of it. We kept the end panels at full depth and created a little area for the stools to tuck in.
Once the function was improved, we moved on to the design. The kitchen really had no focal point or “story” so that’s what I focused on. Our clients are not fond of cabinets going all the way to the ceiling so we were able to save most of the uppers. We shifted them around and designed the beautiful hood and the custom cabinet to the right allowing us to use floating shelves in the corner. Since that spot was initially one of the pinch points, adding the shelving there lends a feeling of space. I love that the color variation on the subway tile adds depth and the polished nickel faucet and hardware really warm up the room while still keeping it crisp. We created this palette that feels classic and timeless and pulls through the entire home. I chose to repeat that gray-green island in an office and used it on the cabinetry in the powder bathroom.
The old flooring was a mix of skinny maple planks in the kitchen and carpet in the living room but cut DIAGONALLY across the room (why do builders do this?). We said goodbye to that and ran a gorgeous warm engineered hardwood throughout the entire first floor and carried it upstairs into the hallway. We installed beautiful new carpet on the stairs and bedrooms and everything got a fresh coat of paint. The stairs were a pretty dated look but by painting them, we were able to create a cohesive vibe that doesn’t distract from the all of the new details we incorporated.
The fireplace had this boring beige tile and a stained mantle in the same color as every.other. finish in the house. Honestly, we couldn’t’ demo that fast enough! We went with this really pretty stone in warmer colors to add another layer to the living room. We had this custom white oak mantle created and stained it to match the flooring. With all of the new lighting in the space and the lighter color palette…their home now feels so much bigger and it’s beautiful to top it off. They were a dream to work with and we are so happy for them to enjoy their new home.