Interior Residential

When my clients and their two children were relocated from the west coast to Columbus, they purchased a 1950’s ranch in nearly original condition. They loved the bones of the house, but wanted a more open floor plan that would make the kitchen and living spaces function for today’s lifestyle. The homeowners wanted a clean modern design that would fit with the simple lines of the mid-century modern architecture of the home, as well as highlight their collection of art. They often entertain and wanted to create interconnected spaces that would lend themselves to easy circulation. The homeowners are both creative people and were open to many new ideas and were integral to the design process.

As a design build company that believes in delivering a high quality, creative project no matter what the budget, we were able to meet their needs and exceed their expectations throughout the renovation process.

To open the floor plan, we re-moved several interior bearing walls, replacing them with beams in the attic. We were careful to patch the ceilings in a way that created seamless transitions from room to room. The refrigerator was recessed into the wall of the dining room allowing for significantly more work space in the kitchen.

The walls of the stairwell and door to the basement were removed to create a stronger connection between the two levels. An updated lighting scheme, vibrant modern colors and cork flooring help transform the space. The original kitchen cabinets were painted.

This view of the family room looking toward the kitchen (seen through the door at far left) shows the traditional layout of the home. The fireplace was open to the living room on the other side of the wall, but the stove insert completely blocked the opening. We decided that the fireplace should be the anchor of the entire first floor living space, and people should be able to circulate around it and experience it as a piece of sculpture.

What we did:

• Removed the wall between the kitchen and family room
• Removed the wall between the family room and living room
• Wrapped the fireplace in limestone tile, creating a niche for the T.V. that would allow it to be perfectly flush with the stone façade.

*The client did not want to see any shadow lines in the limestone tiles as the light washed down the wall- adding significant difficulty to the tile setting

• Designed and built the custom bookcase to enclose one side of the stairs matching the color and finish to the floors
• Installed recessed lighting to wash the limestone cladding of the fireplace
• Skimmed the textured plaster ceilings for a smooth finish
• Installed a new limestone hearth to match the one on the other side of the fireplace
• Bookcase and fireplace were installed with minimal or no trim where they meet the floor, ceiling, and walls in order to maintain continuity from one plane to the next
• The ‘Fire and Ice’ fireplace insert lends a modern feel

This is a view (left) of the living room looking toward the family room. The fireplace is open to the family room, although it is not evident in the original layout.

What we did:
• Removed the wall between the living room and family room, inserting beams in the attic and posts within existing walls for support. This set the fireplace off as a stand alone element in the space, allowing for circulation to occur around it.
• Relocated all ductwork and electrical in areas of wall removal
• Built new walls around the fireplace and clad them in limestone
• Patched and skimmed the textured ceilings for a smooth finish
• Removed carpet to reveal oak flooring that had never been finished
• Install new recessed lighting to wash the limestone and highlight artwork
• Fireplace cladding runs floor to ceiling with no trim creating one continuous plane to mimic the simple lines of the home

The fireplace becomes the sculptural centerpiece of the living room.

Passing through the living room into the foyer leads us back to the kitchen. The wall on the left encloses the stairs. It was partially removed and the remaining space (formerly dead space above the stairs) was turned into a pantry.

The homeowner had three glass tiles that she wanted to incorporate into the pantry door which would be lit from within. We designed and built this cherry door for her to accept the tiles as well as other pieces of colored glass chosen by the homeowner. The back lit door can be seen from the street through the kitchen window at night.

The handrail was designed to incorporate the original oak stair rail as well as copper plumbing pipes to complement the copper table that the homeowner had fabricated.

The door to the dining room can be seen in the background.

The dining room needed a cosmetic makeover. We skimmed the ceiling for a smooth finish, removed the plate rail and mirrored wall, and installed the homeowner’s family heirloom chandelier.

We also opened a doorway into the sunroom beyond. This opening was shown on the original 1950’s blueprints. When we opened the wall, the header was already in place!

We fabricated door casing and baseboard here and throughout the renovation to match the simple trim installed in the 50’s.

New flooring was installed in the sunroom to connect it visually to the dining room.

The table can expand into the sunroom to seat up to 16 guests for large gatherings.

Across the hall from the dining room, this half bath/ laundry combination was functional but not pretty.

We relocated the laundry to the basement, installed new plumbing fixtures, porcelain tile floor and lighting.

Clean lines and crisp colors with improved lighting make this an inviting space.