1980's Reno
Aclectic Revamp with Garage Addition
A choppy 1980's home turned airy suburban retreat.
"The house had good bones, so all we had to do was reorganize a bit. Create a better flow between the living areas and repurpose them for the family's use."
There were several factors that needed to be considered in the new plan. For example, the family's reutine needed to be considered so that the rooms could be fully customized to their typical uses.
For example, in the original plan the dining room was used as an office so all meals took place in the dining nook in the kitchen. When we expanded the kitchen into the dining nook we needed to relocate the dining area to the original dining room, which in turn, meant that another study space needed to be set up in another part of the house. This would have been impossible if not for the garage addition. By finishing out the garage we were able to get the fifth bedroom and third bathroom that the family needed.
The kitchen was the most important part of the remodel. They wanted a large island for casual dining, an organized pantry cabinet, and two dishwashers. The mud room to the left and a door out to the courtyard were both designer additions to help facilitate the coming and going to school.
In the original the design, the entry way was more of a casual space that received little attention. "It was more a space to kick off your shows, than a place where visiters are receiced." That was another focus of the design. The family wanted to make the house more suited for social gatherings, meaning that the casual functions of the house that normally take place in the main rooms, needed to be moved to a more private corner of the house.
The bedrooms had a fairly simple fix. The first two simply needed murphy beds to make room whenever neccessary and modern furniture to save space. The only other change was the corners designated to hammocks, one of the clients favored design features.
The requirements given by the clients were, two dishwashers, a lot of kitchen storage, another bedroom and bathroom, an office space, and a more open living area.
For the style I wanted something simplistic yet comfortable. A clean, well-lit, pleasant space. However, I also wanted to reflect the family's unique and flexible lifestyle. Which meant making the finer details of the house a bit unpredictable, even bold. I wanted the house to convey a sense of energy and uniqueness, blended perfectly with the order and simplicity needed to feel grounded. The result, a colorful, bright space that supports the family's needs and lifestyle.
