The once-confined rooms, with their limited natural light and restrictive layout, have given way to a new sense of freedom and connectivity. The space feels inviting, comfortable, and stylish, perfectly reflecting the homeowner’s personality and preferences.
The Challenge: Opening the First Floor with the Structural Integrity that the New Design Required
The homeowners sought a transformative change for their 1970s home, specifically focusing on the first floor. Our clients envisioned a dynamic layout that encouraged fluid movement between rooms, allowing seamless transitions and increased interaction among family members and guests. They aspired to create an open space and inviting atmosphere accommodating their evolving lifestyle needs. With this project, the homeowners aimed to infuse their home with a contemporary touch while preserving the nostalgic essence of the 1970s era, ultimately fostering a harmonious blend of functionality and retro aesthetics.
Our remodeling goals:
- Open up the entire first floor while creating defined spaces
- Expand and contract areas for balanced proportion and functionality
- Remodel the original front dining room into a sophisticated entertaining space
- Reconfigure kitchen cabinets and appliance placement for better flow
The Solution: Utilize a 4,000 lb. 20 ft. Steel Beam to Bring an Excellent Design Plan to Life
With the Right Team, Anything Is Possible!
Our client’s house had undergone multiple changes over its lifetime, culminating in a mismatched first floor. The existing footprint had a large dining room far from the kitchen with an everyday-eating space in between. The entryway felt cramped. It was time for an overhaul. We teamed up with Hoskins Interior Design to help our clients create a design that best suits their needs and vision. The plan called for opening the first floor while creating defined spaces. To open the first floor, we removed walls and doorways and altered existing rooms to suit how our clients wanted to live in their homes.
We transformed the original front dining room into a sophisticated entertaining space. The existing footprint was too big, so we created a passageway from the entry to this new lounge that not only added an elegant look but reduced the square footage of the space to make it more intimate and proportionate to the rest of the home. We added a wall of built-in storage, a dry bar with a countertop for prep and serving, and a dual-temperature refrigerator that holds wine and beer.
The original room adjacent to the kitchen was a cramped space. We opened it up on three sides – removing a wall to the kitchen and widening the entrance to the great room and the lounge. The opening to the great room was now cased in cedar stained to complement the new flooring. This newly expanded area became the dining room, close to the kitchen and naturally flowing into the entertaining space.
All the Details Matter
The original home was built to support the second level; anything we removed or expanded needed to continue this support. Removing the wall between the kitchen and the new dining room required a 4,000 lb. 20 ft. steel beam. Our first hurdle was getting it into the house – steel beams do not bend! We rolled it on pipe up the front sidewalk, spun it around, and pushed it through the double front doors. It took us a tremendous amount of planning and expertise and ½ a day to complete the installation. Challenges like these make us love what we do.
The plan for the kitchen update required that the original footprint remains as is but with reconfigured cabinets and appliance placement. We installed a Wolf steam oven, a Wolf convection range, and a Sub Zero flush-mount built-in refrigerator. We have worked with the specifications of these high-end manufacturers many times, but these new models were fun to figure out.
Our client wanted a ship-lap wood backsplash on the wet side of the kitchen. Wood and water do not mix well, so we continued the soapstone countertop a few inches up the wall to keep cleaning materials away from the wood. The backsplash behind the range area is a stone tile, adding a new texture while complementing the cabinet colors.
Our years of experience with intense planning, on-site problem solving, and attention to exacting detail is why our clients keep coming back to us.
If you are considering a significant home remodeling project, send us an email or give us a call.
