| It’s a great feeling to see how people’s lives change as their home does. A lovely couple in Suffolk County, living in a condo community, called for advice. The husband’s elderly parents had recently passed away and the funds from the sale of that home was now theirs. For them, it was a windfall – but not necessarily to be spent on decorating. They were amenable to a feasibility study. Did their condo community warrant a major renovation or just a face lift? How long did they plan to stay in their home? How much money should they allocate from available funds? The best part of this job for our design team was the confidence and trust these clients placed in our total plan. The proposed renovation consisted of a kitchen and baths redo and a relocation of the master bedroom and closet areas, as well as removing half walls at the stairway and replacing them with an iron bannister and wood railing. Redefining the space plan to maximize the quality of life was priority, after which the style of furniture and color scheme was determined. Custom built-ins in the living room were the answer to re-orienting the room for better socialization and traffic flow. The one car garage which had previously been turned into a small den now became an office for both husband and wife, as well as a cozy T.V. watching space for their daughter. We also removed a portion of the wall between the foyer and kitchen and created a seating area/storage island which allowed for a more open feeling in the entry. Additionally, we relocated the upstairs hall bath doorway to fall within the daughter’s bedroom creating a “suite” since the only other bedroom upstairs was the master. The redesign was extensive, but turned every negative of this unit into a positive. The clients were troopers, living through the construction which was done one floor at a time with good humor and understanding. The end result, despite their pre-knowledge of everything to be done, amazed them. More amazing was the sense of calm and peace that now reigns over this household in the newly organized and redesigned home. Here's what the clients had to say: " We were able to see and feel a difference in our home. It became not only a more beautiful space to live in, but became a "greener" space, becoming far more energy efficient by remedying glaring insulation issues and ill-fitting windows that created drafts in various rooms both upstairs and down. After all the extensive renovations, our home is now one of peace and calm. It is truly a dream come true! |  |
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