What do you do when the neighborhood is perfect, the street is ideal, but the house needs major work? You transform your traditional home to accommodate contemporary living.
In order to accommodate their two daughters’ dolls and an architect’s drafting table, the basement was the first project to be tackled. With a few design decisions, it was converted to encompass an architect’s office, a children’s playroom, a powder room, a laundry room, and a storage suite. Built-in desks and bookcases now accommodate media and provide a generous workspace, and the overall design style integrates these rooms with the main floor.
Like most pre-WWII Homeland houses, the kitchen was completely out of sync with modern life. The space was cumbersome and cramped. To create a larger kitchen, the mudroom was relocated to the side entrance of the house, and the breakfast nook and old mudroom were combined to create one large, eat-in kitchen. Special features of the new kitchen include a professional-grade, stainless-steel, seamless counter with an integral sink, specialty lighting and ceilings. To harness the joy of outdoor living, the existing deck was replaced with an expansive, multi-level stone patio that can be accessed by French doors from both the kitchen and the dining room – a great asset to the family’s frequent impromptu summer parties.
One decision that provides constant delight was adding a fish pond directly outside the kitchen doors. The family enjoys the view year-round, and in good weather they open the doors to let in the outside.
Every house should reflect the narrative of its inhabitants’ lives. Thornhill Design Studio ensures that our designs respect the historic nature of the home, while reflecting the contemporary lifestyle of its owners.