Design Journal - New 2nd Floor Plan

2nd Floor After

The second floor of the addition is smaller than the first floor. I created a bathroom and closet space for the master bedroom above the new family room. There will be a cathedral ceiling with a high window above the new kitchen space.

2nd Floor Before

Design Journal - New 1st Floor

Like most families with young children, we spend a lot of time around the kitchen - making meals, eating snacks, & doing homework. Our kitchen was really only suitable for one person to cook, and I wanted more space for the kids and their friends to hang out. The addition will allow an expansion of the kitchen and extra living space for entertaining.

First Floor After

First Floor Before

Design Journal - Our First Renovation

The idea for the first renovation was to open up the interior and bring the living spaces together. Bedrooms had been added to allow a rental unit on each floor, and we wanted to bring the house back to its single family roots.

1st Floor Plan - Before

I removed a wall between the living and dining rooms, and added windows and glass doors to bring in the lovely wooded views. I moved the kitchen to the center of the house, so it could become part of the other living areas. I opened the foyer back up to the rest of the house to create a more formal entry, and I moved the pantry and bath areas adjacent to the side entrance.

This design is all about curves. I wanted the interior spaces to open up and flow inside the rectangular form of house. I wanted to subvert the rigidity of the typical house plan to create spaces that were visually interesting. And I tried to bring the idea of the curve into all of the details that I designed - from the bar top, to the archways, and even the shelves in the kitchen.

1st Floor Plan - After

2nd Floor Before

The 2nd floor of our house is actually pretty roomy (it was a 2-bedroom apartment when we bought the house.) The only things missing are a master bathroom and more closet space. The house is a cape, so the ceiling slopes from 8' to 2o" in all of the bedrooms. The bathroom and office have dormer roofs, so have full ceiling height.

Before

This is the 1st floor plan of my house - a weird cape code built around 1920. It was divided into three apartments when we bought it in 1999 . We lived in and renovated the first floor while the existing tenants still lived upstairs. In retrospect, not the smartest thing for an architect working in another state and a first year tenure track professor to embark on. But, it was a labor of love, and with the help of friends we made a great place to live.

Ten years later, we and our two daughters are outgrowing our home. So naturally I'm doing what any architect would - adding on instead of looking for a larger house.

Below is a view of the dining room from 2002 - not long after we finally completed the first floor (and our first daughter was born.)