Sometimes change happens gradually, or seemingly all at once. For this townhouse in Cobble Hill, it was a bit of both. The owners bought the house 20 years ago and lived on the garden and parlor levels while renting out two apartments upstairs. As their family grew, they expanded to the second floor, but continued to rent one apartment. When they hired us, it was time to make the entire home theirs, complete with a new kitchen, an inviting, family-friendly parlor level and a suite all the way upstairs for their two daughters.
Looking back at these photos from one of our first visits and comparing them to what the home looks like now reminded us of a few things we learned working on this project. Here they are:
No. 1. Sometimes it’s OK to do away with the exposed brick and non-working fireplace (or whatever the detail may be, in your case).
Here’s the kitchen before renovation…
This “before” photo (above) shows a cramped kitchen on the garden level. The brick wall wasn’t in the best shape and the fireplace, as you can see, was used for storage. Even if we had found a better storage solution, the bricks and the fireplace didn’t help us achieve our overall goal, which was to make the kitchen bigger and brighter.
… and the kitchen after renovation!
By removing the fireplace, we were able to reclaim some valuable square footage for more efficient storage: a custom credenza, reclaimed wood display shelves with built-in lighting on the undersides and plenty of white tile on the wall and floor to make the space bright.
No. 2. Resist the temptation to completely overhaul what works. Translation: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Here’s the kitchen “before”…
Compare the layouts from before (above) and after (below).
Suddenly, the light shines in!
Even the cat seems pleased with the white subway tile, white walls and tile on the floor.
There’s very little difference, right? Our clients cook a lot, and the old kitchen layout suited their style perfectly. Sometimes when redoing kitchens the list of what doesn’t work in your current setup overshadows what’s good. Give this some thought and note what you like, particularly on a practical level. It may well be enough to avoid extra work and unnecessary changes.
No. 3. Work with the furniture you already have and love.
At one of our first meetings, our clients told us they would need a new sofa, yet they loved the one they had. The solution was simple: find a new fabric and recover the old one, which was in great condition, albeit damaged with cat scratches! That led us to see what else we could update. It included various antique side chairs they had collected over the years and a beloved tufted armchair that had seen better days. There are plenty of new furnishings, but the ones we reworked add a very personalized layer to the space that may be the reason why their friends have commented everything is “so them.”
Take a good look at this couch and chair because they are going to change before your eyes…
… here’s the chair, which has been beautifully refinished…
… as well as the couch!
No. 4. Ask yourself: “What do I want this room to do for me?”
Prior to the renovation, our clients rarely spent time on the parlor level. “The front parlor was too formal and uninviting. The back parlor was informal, but was more of a playroom and was uncomfortable,” our client recalls. They wanted this floor to be a comfortable place where they could all hang out as a family and entertain. That drove the decisions going forward.
Here’s the old parlor…
and the new and improved look, complete with a sofa from Blu Dot.
There’s a TV in the cabinet to the left.
In the back parlor, a few relatively minor moves helped make the room more lounging-friendly, starting with a comfortable sofa (that one in the photo above is from Blu Dot) and re-positioning the TV on the opposite wall (which is hidden away in the cabinet). New built-in bookshelves flank a non-working fireplace; these helped us minimize the random pieces of furniture for storing books and toys.
There was some major work, though. Previously, there were just two windows in the back parlor, and a section of the room (opposite the fireplace) had two built-in cabinets, that stored old toys. By removing those and adding in a third window, we got more light and space, which adds to the functionality of the room. That change can be seen all the way from the new entryway, where we took down the wall once put up to give tenants privacy.
These old stairs will get a fresh makeover, including the removal of the wall…
Voila! The stairway is freshened with new paint, stain and carpeting and the wall is taken down for a more spacious feel.
The front parlor is elegant, but still comfortable. We updated it with a fresh color palette, swivel club chairs and the aforementioned sofa and side chairs. Built-in bookshelves mirror the ones in the back parlor.
No. 5. Engage everyone…especially the kids!
From our very first meeting, the clients’ daughters participated. We helped them figure out the design direction for their floor, which is decidedly more modern than what’s downstairs. They provided us with clippings from magazines, went on shopping trips, and even came to the office for an afternoon to see us put floor plans together. Changing the environment a child has grown up with — even if it’s for the better — can be a bit unsettling. This helped get them excited about the project, and inject their spaces with features they’d love.
Here’s the kids’ space before the renovation.
Shown here (below) is the area outside the bedrooms. We used the extra-wide hallway/landing to create a lounge, and on the opposite end is the laundry room, which has a perforated metal wall to let in light.
Here’s the kids’ space after. Quite a big difference!
The chalkboard wall was a big hit, too.
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