Langdon and Jamie started the design process, visiting the showroom and sharing with us their long-awaited plans to redo the main level of their 1959 tri-level home. We learned that they both were nearing retirement from science and engineering careers and were looking forward to spending time in their home after they retired. There are orchards and vineyards on the property that they farm. The couple wanted to capture views of the land from the kitchen, dining and living room, open concept space, they hoped could be achieved by removing a sightline blocking wall that was between the kitchen and living and dining rooms. It is a working farm so the design needed to be practical and have durable easy-care flooring and finishes. Transitional styling and more modern and updated layout will accommodate family and friend gatherings along with daily meal preparation.
The Plan:
During the initial site meeting, the homeowners told us they wanted to open up the space by removing the wall between the kitchen and living room. We could see a dramatic transformation that would include a beautiful and far more functional kitchen that would allow them to enjoy the view outside and become a great space for entertaining their friends and family.
A trip up into the attic and a consultation with a structural engineer, revealed that we could remove the center wall without using a below ceiling beam. Structural reinforcing of the existing site-built trusses would carry the load and eliminate the need for a beam.
We completely redesigned the kitchen to include an island with cooktop and room for seating, a cabinet for the oven and microwave, lots of drawers for convenient storage and an amazing amount of counter area for food prep and workspace. There is also a small appliance storage garage and a countertop wall cabinet and a base cabinet with rollouts below that serves as a “pantry”. We used a wood look porcelain tile for the flooring which extends into the laundry room and powder bath. The wall between the original kitchen and living room being removed and the areas opened up have made a huge difference in how the homeowners feel in their new space. The natural light comes in from both the front and back of the house and allows them much greater views of their orchard and the surrounding landscape.