Architecture & Interiors With Meredith Swinehart
When a young family happened upon a neoclassical 1910 Brooklyn brownstone in unusually good shape four years ago, they knew they had found something special. "Even more unusual," says the owner, "it had scarcely been altered in its first 100 years."
The brownstone's previous owner purchased the property in 1964 before passing it on to her son, a stenographer who lived in the house until his death in 2011. He entrusted the sale to a neighbor of 25 years, who declared that the ideal inhabitants "would be interested in maintaining or restoring the house as opposed to gut renovating it." The young family that purchased the 4,100-square-foot home "felt a real pressure to maintain the sensibility and weight of the house as we found it." (Take a look at this Slideshow of the house before its renovation, via WSJ.)
Though they loved the home's "intactness," it presented some challenges —"vividly illustrated the day we moved in, when we found one of our three children handily turning on a gas light fixture."
They turned to close friend and architect Gerry Smith—a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory—to lead the charge. Their brief? A modern kitchen with a wet bar for entertaining (the couple are avid entertainers). A fully equipped laundry room for a family of five (plus dog). A utility room for yard work. An extra powder room in proximity to all the action. But most importantly, said the client, "We wanted these new areas—while not in any sense historically accurate—to remain in keeping with the rest of the house."
Luckily, the existing layout worked well, so dramatic functional overhauls were not needed. Instead, said Smith, the question became: "How do we provide a more modernized kitchen and utility room that still feels like an appropriate extension of the rest of turn-of-the-century house?"
Gerry Smith is available for the next 48 hours to answer any and all questions about the project. Use the commenting tool below and ask away!
Photography by Samuel Morgan Photography.
Above: One of Smith's priorities was to transform the dark parlor floor by adding light—"physically and metaphorically," in the words of his clients. He added a skylight directly above the kitchen to open it up to views of the sky. This opening, along with several others (see below), are "each oriented in different cardinal directions so the natural light in the kitchen changes constantly. On many days, the owners can work in the kitchen without any artificial light until well into the twilight hours."
Above: Smith enlarged an existing window opening to accommodate a new pair of steel French doors sourced from A&S Window Associates, based in Glendale, New York. The wall lights above the single-slab black walnut countertop are Navire Jib Sconces from LA-based Atelier de Troupe. The pantry door, with existing brass hardware, was original to the house.
Above: Smith consulted with color expert Eve Ashcraft on the interior paint colors; she chose Deep Silver from Benjamin Moore for the custom wood cabinets. Except for the pantry handle mentioned above, all kitchen hardware is new. The floor tile is Ann Sacks Luxor Grey, and the range hood was custom fabricated by Superstrata and installed with custom unlacquered brass brackets. The hood is coated in colored plaster to match the kitchen walls, in a very light gray with mica flakes added for shimmer. "We limited ourselves to materials that could plausibly have been in use when the house was built," said the client.
Above: Ashcraft's paint-picking prowess extended to the kitchen drawer interiors, which are painted in Benjamin Moore Teal. Photograph by Jonas Everets.
Above: The kitchen counter and backsplash is Bianco Carrara marble. The chalkboard wall is a 3/4-inch slate stone slab with a chalk rail made of unlacquered brass. "The weekly family dinner menu, chosen by democratic voting methods, is usually displayed on the chalkboard," says Smith.
Above: The shelving above the bar is blackened steel, and the bar counter and integral sink are made of zinc. The stairwell off to the right gave Smith another opportunity to bring light into the space. He replaced a solid wall and door with new glazing, which abuts a bay window in the dining room. "This new opening has a nice dialogue with the dining room," he says.
Above: Smith swapped in steel windows and a door for a solid wall on the basement level. "This was probably the most transformative change; we opened up one of the darkest, most cramped spaces in the house and flooded that space with natural light," he says.
Above: A secondary wall oven is slotted into the lower half of the staircase, which is made almost entirely of cabinetry. The basement level can quickly become catering headquarters for large parties; the cabinetry surrounding the oven is filled with extra wine glasses, silverware, and other overflow entertaining essentials.
Above: The new stairwell glazing brings ample light into the laundry and utility rooms, so there's rarely the need for artificial light during the daytime. The utility room sink is made of marine black phyllite, which is similar in appearance to soapstone. The custom wood cabinets are painted in Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore, and the flooring is French terracotta tile by Ann Sacks in Antique Dark. All the hardware in the basement utility and laundry rooms is new.
Above: The powder room door and hardware is original to the house. The wallpaper is a custom colorway from Brooklyn-based GrowHouseGrow, in a pattern called That Highly Intelligent Clam. The floor is a single slab of Bianco Dolomiti stone from Italy.
Before
Above: The former kitchen, looking onto the backyard. (The blue tape on the floor shows the design mockup before the renovation began.)
Above: A view from the former utility room into the kitchen.
Above: The former kitchen looking into the utility room.
Above: The basement laundry room before the renovation.
Above: The original staircase from the kitchen to the basement.
Above: The transformation of the first floor.
Architect Gerry Smith is available for the next 48 hours to answer your questions about the project. Using the Disqus commenting tool below, ask away!
Keep exploring kitchens, including:
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | 
Share on Facebook | 
Share on Twitter
Kitchens With Julie Carlson
It makes so much sense: kitchens concealed behind accordion doors, sliding doors, cabinet doors—anything it takes to keep the clutter out of sight when space is tight. Here are five we've been admiring recently.
Above: The Tivali Kitchen from Dada in Italy is tucked behind folding doors.
Above: A minimalist kitchen in an apartment in Cadaques, Spain, designed by Fracesc Rifé Studio.
Above: A concealed white kitchen by Boffi.
Above: All appliances are concealed behind full-length oak cabinet doors in this kitchen by Danish company Kobenhavns Mobelsnedkeri.
Above: Vertical folding doors in a kitchen by Poliform Varenna.
Above: Kitchen appliances and necessities are hidden behind a series of doors in this apartment in Australia by Jason Gibney of Tobias Partners.
Above: A kitchen tucked in an Ikea unit via Masseria Alchimia.
Above: A small kitchen concealed behind slatted doors in a musician's apartment in Basel, Switzerland, designed by Buol & Zund. Photograph by Michael Fritschi via Arch Daily.
Above: French architect Olivier Chabbaud concealed an entire kitchen behind folding doors in this country house.
Above: The Hidden Kitchen by German company Warendorf has an electronic panel that lifts at the push of a button.
Above: A Sao Paolo kitchen concealed behind doors via Casa de Valentina.
Above: A small kitchen concealed behind folding doors in a project by Gray Organschi Architecture. Photograph by Mark Mahaney via Dwell.
For more inspiration, go to Kitchens and Small-Space Living. Getting ready to redo your kitchen? Read our Remodeling 101 posts.
And don't miss Michelle's Domestic Dispatches on Gardenista, including 10 Mistakes to Avoid When You Remodel and My Dirty Secret, or How I Learned to Live with a Marble Backsplash.
This post is an update. It originally ran on October 22, 2012, as part of our Small Living issue.
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
DIY & Remodeling With Margot Guralnick
Like us, San Francisco blogger Caitlin Long of The Shingled House regularly turns to Commune Design of Los Angeles for a dose of inspiration. Perusing images on Pinterest from the firm's recent book, Commune: Designed in California, Long noticed window treatments that looked exactly like the upgrade her light-blasted bathroom needed. The hands-on remodeler—Long is a RISD grad in furniture design who blogs about family life and household improvements—whipped up her own burlap version.
Start to finish time for three panels: five hours. Total cost per panel: less than $20. And Long assured us, "Anyone could do this project: Burlap is surprisingly easy to sew. It takes a seam very easily (although you will be covered in lint by the time you finish)." We're ready to give it go.
Photography by Caitlin Long via The Shingled House.
Above: The (nearly) finished trio of panels hang from hardware store tension rods. They cover bathroom windows in Long's Cole Valley, SF, house, which she and her husband built with Thompson Studio Architects. For privacy the shades are mostly left stationary, but can be raised at the corners. They're shown here temporarily pinned up (see below for final rigging).
Intrigued by Long's teak tub? Go to DIY Household Teak, our post about how she refinished her bathroom.
Materials
Above: "It's important that the burlap be heavyweight and 100 percent cotton," Long says. She also advises ordering a color swatch "because there are a bunch of variations in colors from more tan/brown to tan/gray. I used the most humble version of fabric I could find."
Before
Above: The burlap panels replaced thin muslin shades that, writes Long, "were (like me) looking a little tired. The muslin had torn in a few places and recently got a little blue marker on them (who even knows how that happened). And they had shrunk so much from washing that they didn't even fit the windows anymore." Long wanted to replace them with sun-filtering panels that would cast a more flattering light when she looks in the mirror. "The brightness of the sun from those windows is really unforgiving. Yes, I changed those curtains because of vanity!"
The Inspiration
Above: Commune Design's Elsinore Street project in Echo Park, Los Angeles, has simple shades that can be draped to the side. See more of the firm's work in Expert Advice: Breaking the Rules with Commune Design and An Exotic Tiled Kitchen in LA.
The Details
Above: "The weave is very open in this burlap, so instead of a zigzag stitch on the edge to prevent fraying, I used a fairly tight straight stitch, and I used a one-inch seam instead of a standard half inch." Go to The Shingled House for more details.
Above: Long initially planned to install a hook as a way to suspend the panels; instead, as a final touch, she added a brass rope cleat.
Above: She weighed down each shade by inserting a wooden dowel in a sleeve along the bottom, and sewed on a brass ring in the bottom middle using turquoise topstitching thread.
The Results
Above: The panels can be suspended in different ways, including this rakish angle.
Above: Long's verdict: "I'm very happy with the results: This room still has plenty of light, and boy am I looking better."
There's more to see: Long won the 2014 Remodelista Considered Design Award for the Best Amateur-Designed Office Space. Take a look at her Backyard Shed-Turned-Home Office and go to Design Sleuth to learn about the room's portable camp stove.
Inspired by Long's industriousness? See our catalog of DIY Projects for more ideas, including DIY Copper Pipe Curtain Rods for $35.
More Stories from Remodelista
Forward to a friend | Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar