When designers enter an already lovely home, it’s only natural to wonder why they have been called. In the case of this North Shore couple, it was to help relocate some of their beautiful things to a home better suited to this family’s special needs daughter and a full time caregiver. Since the perfect home did not exist, the search was on to find a home with “good bones” on a large enough piece of property to add an apartment with a separate entrance, accessible to the main structure. When a house was found only four miles from their previous home, Tony Musso, architect extraordinaire, and I went to work on the design. After exploring several options, it was decided to create an apartment wing behind the 3 car garage placing it next to the kitchen and powder room. This was actually less costly than finishing the basement and installing an elevator and ramp entries with the added plus of keeping the whole family on one level. Tony’s architectural design transitioned the new addition seamlessly into the existing structure and the landscape artistry and exterior design of Bob Dohne and his amazing team used the backdrop of the beautiful wooded surroundings to full advantage.
The main part of the house boasted well-proportioned rooms, but the bathrooms and kitchen required major renovation. The rest need new flooring, paint, lighting, architectural molding and window treatments before any existing furniture could be re-purposed. My challenge was to place the clients’ existing furniture in their new surroundings as if it was meant to be there. Using my “start from the floor up” method, but keeping in mind the existing dining chairs and window treatments, the goal was to design a color palette where the open floor plan of living room, den, dining room, hallway and kitchen blended together without looking contrived. Warm neutral colors and Benjamin Moore White Dove moldings, doors and wainscot created the perfect backdrop for existing as well as newly selected furniture and fabrics. The bright and cheery kitchen, now opening to a “meant to be used” family room and music room, are accessible gathering places for wheel chair navigation as the family moves easily from the main house to the apartment addition. The view of the spectacular backyard is welcoming and calming at the same time, always lovely no matter what the season.
The creation of this unique and special home was particularly gratifying to me because Tony and Bob, superior architect and landscape specialists, were a joy to work with.
From the homeowners: “We decided it was necessary to find a home that was suitable and adaptable for our needs in a quieter neighborhood. After finding the right house, we looked through over a hundred magazines trying to find the right designs and styles that blended together, would ‘fit’ the house itself, and suited our taste. We found several kitchen and family room pictures that were very appealing and coincidentally were all Natalie Weinstein’s designs. The natural thing to do was to contact Natalie. Natalie put us in touch with architect, Tony Musso, who saw the limitations of our old house, took the existing floor plan of the new house, listened to our needs and came up with a perfect new layout. Every room has function and purpose, so no space goes unused. After the move, we immediately felt at home.”
The main part of the house boasted well-proportioned rooms, but the bathrooms and kitchen required major renovation. The rest need new flooring, paint, lighting, architectural molding and window treatments before any existing furniture could be re-purposed. My challenge was to place the clients’ existing furniture in their new surroundings as if it was meant to be there. Using my “start from the floor up” method, but keeping in mind the existing dining chairs and window treatments, the goal was to design a color palette where the open floor plan of living room, den, dining room, hallway and kitchen blended together without looking contrived. Warm neutral colors and Benjamin Moore White Dove moldings, doors and wainscot created the perfect backdrop for existing as well as newly selected furniture and fabrics. The bright and cheery kitchen, now opening to a “meant to be used” family room and music room, are accessible gathering places for wheel chair navigation as the family moves easily from the main house to the apartment addition. The view of the spectacular backyard is welcoming and calming at the same time, always lovely no matter what the season.
The creation of this unique and special home was particularly gratifying to me because Tony and Bob, superior architect and landscape specialists, were a joy to work with.
From the homeowners: “We decided it was necessary to find a home that was suitable and adaptable for our needs in a quieter neighborhood. After finding the right house, we looked through over a hundred magazines trying to find the right designs and styles that blended together, would ‘fit’ the house itself, and suited our taste. We found several kitchen and family room pictures that were very appealing and coincidentally were all Natalie Weinstein’s designs. The natural thing to do was to contact Natalie. Natalie put us in touch with architect, Tony Musso, who saw the limitations of our old house, took the existing floor plan of the new house, listened to our needs and came up with a perfect new layout. Every room has function and purpose, so no space goes unused. After the move, we immediately felt at home.”