Story and photos by Andrea Beecher
I recently helped a client update their newly-purchased home, a modern 90′s lodge design built by a local architect [a.k.a. quality of finishes was certainly there]. But…tough to know what to do with a home that was born in the 90′s. Most of us have a budget to work within, which means that strategic choices have to be made; best to maximize money while creating the most change and impact. Precisely what I was charged with doing for Sonja and Jason Mitchell. As a designer, one of the most important things to know and recognize is what you can work with, i.e. what you can keep. One helpful tool can be to create a priority list with your client to determine exactly what those things are — this will enable you to make sense of those items you though wouldn’t work otherwise. Big picture should be at the forefront of your mind. It can be easy to fixate on a few things in your space that you hate, but making changes to elevate the overall look can magically improve even the things you disliked. It’s all about context, folks.
In the case of this particular modern lodge, we had to work with solid maple cabinetry. Though it wasn’t necessarily a first-choice finish for the Mitchells, ripping them out and replacing them with comparable quality would have eaten up most of the budget. Instead, we kept them and made some necessarily space-improving changes; we removed some awkward upper cabinets, changed out hardware, and added beautiful glass tile from countertops to ceiling, thereby framing the windows with mountain peak views. Voila. We also made the decision to keep the grey floor tile in the kitchen and dining room, primarily because it was an ideal neutral with which we could easily work. Money saved.
One of the biggest things we did to create more visual impact and open up the space was to remove the half wall on the kitchen landing. We ripped it out, replaced it with a glass railing, and stood back to gaze at the glory. Bonus: the original, white tubular, 90′s steel railing was able to be re-used as the top of the railing. It was ground down to the raw steel and blackened, then glass panels and brackets were welded to fit the space. Talk about a savings and ecologically-responsible options. In fact, the same blackened steel was used to cover the oak mantle, which provided a far superior contrast to the river rock. Another win. Sure, we had some ‘new’ sprinkled throughout the space in the form of wood floors that replaced carpet, re-tiled bathrooms, and some new furniture/accessories. Oh yeah, and the two new chandeliers. Mmmhmm! One over the kitchen island [where there was no light before], and one in the dining room. Both so sculptural, they’re works of art in and of themselves in this open space, and they really make the most of the high ceilings.
Here’s what I’m saying, kids: we could have thrown our entire budget at a few glaring problems, but we had the imagination and the savvy to know what had potential, so we were able to spread our budget far and wide. In that process, we visualized and re-created a space that reflected the new residents. And that, people, is The. Whole. Point.
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