Nature and Appropriateness:

The owner approached Southern Evergreen with a beautiful vision of what their 1980s Prairie style condominium could be. The condominium complex is located in a historic district and is adjacent to a contributing structure, but the condominium's architecture has no historical value and it is classified as "Prairie" architecture because it exhibits deep eve overhangs that help provide a "low" roof form. The interior of the home was appointed with trim and finishes typical of 1980's middle to high-end residential architecture including MDF painted crown molding, complimenting base and chair rail, and a tray ceiling and full wall mirror in the dining room.

Design process

The design process was close and collaborative and was performed almost entirely with 3-d computer models and hand sketching. The creative process concentrated on unifying design principles, research and implementation of sustainability and energy conscious technologies and incorporation of form and function devices. This unique relationship resulted in extensive, honest, and challenging debate of the entire design and build process.

The 1st goal was to preserve and enhance the precious natural daylight that was available and open up the space for entertaining. Early in the design process the owner, architect, and interior designer understood that much of the non-historic interior details would be removed and replaced with minimalistic and contemporary design elements - the team took the "less is more" approach. Additionally, the owners wanted to introduce materiality and elements of craftsmanship that would incorporate the Prairie Style architecture that was absent from the interior of their home.

Budget:

The 2nd goal was to design and perform construction within the confines of a carefully managed budget while incorporating the owner's program. Those criteria included extensive design ideas as well as appliance, cabinetry, interior finishes, and lighting specifications. It was understood early on that the significant portions of the budget would be spent on design, demolition, and new cabinetry. The design and budgeting process made it clear early in process that the original parti of the home had to be left largely intact in order to reduce plumbing and HVAC demolition and rough-in costs. This "recycling" of the existing parti also reduced the need to replace significant structural components.

Scope:

The 3rd goal was to significantly control or eliminate demolition and refinishing dust. The owner lived in the home throughout the entire construction process. VOC and IAQ were very important components in scheduling demolition and selecting interior finishes.

Demolition included removing select interior walls and widening doors, removing a tray ceiling, and salvaging wall mirrors in the living spaces along the north side of the condominium. This opened up interior spaces to the existing perimeter windows and created the open plan that was desired for entertaining. The circulation space along the south side was also reorganized to improve function and day lighting opportunities.

This significant demolition work was supplemented by the subtle use of brighter colors, use of natural maple and cherry 5/4 trim and contemporary cabinetry, and the restoration of the dark stained white oak flooring with a natural lighter wood finish. Hollow chore, 3 panel arched doors were removed and donated to Habitat for Humanity and replaced with solid maple, flat panel doors similar to the kitchen cabinetry. Finally the 1st floor bathroom was renovated to match the new finishes in the kitchen.

Design:

The work started in the kitchen in the North West corner of the condominium. The architect removed the kitchen cabinetry, doors, and interior walls that separated it from the formal dining room to the east and den to the south. The interior bearing wall between the kitchen and the den was replaced with a 9' expanse of maple and frost glass sliding doors on recessed ceiling and floor tracks. When all three sliding doors are positioned to provide privacy to the den, the glass borrows late afternoon light through a new set of exterior sliding screened doors in the den. An additional set of exterior sliding screened doors in the kitchen provide additional late afternoon day lighting and an undisturbed view of the private rear patio.

New cabinetry was designed and installed to take advantage of the kitchen's existing. The kitchen's design includes two distinct work stations with both 34" and 42" heights to accommodate the owner's significant differences in stature. One owner is left handed, the other, right handed; so careful consideration to functional details was given to resolve those issues.

Extensive care was also given to the location of recessed LED lighting over the new eat-in bar and peninsula style island. Recessed under cabinet puck lighting illuminates hundreds of intricate glass backsplash tiles. Electrical outlets and all switching were removed from the backsplash and relocated, out-of-site, to the underside of the wall cabinetry. The monotony of a 8' long bank of 42" tall, flat, full overlay maple wall cabinets was interrupted by a pair of 3' long, 4" thick cherry shelves that hover over, and provide task lighting for, the large kitchen sink.

Natural maple and cherry wood finishes were mixed at the sink and the island to exemplify the contrast in the wood species' natural tonal qualities. This use of the contrasting design motif was repeated in the other areas of the home.

The dramatic removal of the interior walls allowed the kitchen and the dining room to function as one cohesive entertaining space that features additional LED lighting for illuminating wall art.

A cased opening between the dining room/kitchen and the living room was also widened to allow the entertaining space to flow into the living room, around a new fireplace mantle, and terminate at a massive window seat on the east side of the living room.

The existing marble and MDF trim flanking the existing fireplace were replaced by two more four inch thick cherry shelves that were "stretched" from left to right and appear to hover above the new maple plywood and tile fireplace surround. The architect repeated the use of mixed cherry and maple tonal qualities as well as the form of the kitchen shelves to help visually transition from the maple laden kitchen to the cherry window seat.

The low, long window seat, lowered ceiling, and two flanking book cases frame 3 existing windows that face due east toward mature deciduous trees and the morning sun. Deep drawers, devoid of hardware, provide much needed storage under the window seat. A 2nd cased opening adjacent to the window seat was widened and made taller to allow more borrowed light from the entry foyer to flood the living room.

Select walls, doors, and the existing utility room were removed from the corridor facing south in order to provide additional storage, a fully conditioned "dog room" for the family's treasured Chocolate lab, and built-in shelving for the alarm panel, thermostat, cell phone charging and computer networking utilities.

The new storage and dog room are adorned with naturally finished maple plywood and are hidden from the corridor by 3 more frost glass sliding doors. A 3rd cased opening and a hollow chore door were removed to borrowed light from the living room on the north east and the 2nd floor stair to the east. Even more day light was ushered into the corridor from the den to the west by replacing a 2nd hollow chore door with one last frosted sliding glass door and frosted transom.

The den features a Murphy style foldaway bed surrounded by natural maple and features built-in book shelves that repeat details from the window seat, fireplace mantle, and kitchen cabinetry. Recessed LED lights supplement the borrowed light from the corridor on the east and the afternoon light from the kitchen on the North West.

The owner, architect, interior designer, and contract feel that the project has been a complete success in its implementation of the design ideas employed to accommodate the program. The owner has expressed their fascination with the way light scatters through the large deciduous trees on the east side and filters through the open plan, reflecting leaf patterns on the walls. Likewise, visitors have a strong emotional response the aesthetic appeal and the quality of the spaces that have been created. Owners of adjacent condominium units revel at the transformation of the space - it is setting a precedent for other remodeling efforts in the community. The owners now have a contemporary design that is appropriate to the existing building elements, remains compatible with the historic and vernacular architecture of the neighborhood, and provides an experience that is unique to the architecture of the condominium at a reasonable cost.