Golden Road Residence: Project Reveal

It’s complete! Are you ready to see the before and after? It’s funny how once you’ve been around the “after” results for long enough, you forget how dramatic the change was. It’s always fun to look back at the original photos of a home. Here’s a quick look at them below.

the outdated “before”

Oak cabinets, oak floors, fluorescent lights, and an awkward entry point in the back corner that directed you right into another wall. This same doorway was the focal point of the front entry, and it wasn’t a pretty sight line to have. We decided to close that off and rearrange a few of the main appliances to get better focal points in both spaces. It makes a huge difference! The photos below show essentially the same views as the “before” photos, just a little closer up:

cozy & custom

When I think about this project, I think of a warm home filled with real and authentic finishes. These are materials like reclaimed barn wood floors, blue pine ceiling planks, large river rock, and neutral, earthy color tones. I love how the appliances are tucked away and don’t appear flashy or distract from the coziness of the space. The “flashiest” parts you will find are in the smallest of details! For instance, heavy iron cabinet hardware, a custom metal backsplash, or the custom wood beam light fixture. We teamed with Dare Designs for many custom pieces, but you can find a similar beam chandelier here. Each small part works together to create a whole space that is a stunner in the most welcoming way.

redefining home for a new family dynamic

The kitchen wasn’t the only space renovated in the home. Nearly every room in this house was transformed in major or minor ways. This was a couple who was ready to reclaim their space after their children had all moved out of the home. Empty spaces were being assigned new functions, and finishes were selected to better reflect their style. The couple had to decide between moving to a new home or renovating the one they had lived in for so long and raised their kids in. I’m so happy they chose to stay, because we were able to incorporate sentimental parts of their family life into the design, such as the wall where they documented their kids’ growth, and later, all of their kid’s friends as well!

The river rock and metal tree in the photo above frame the mass quantities of written growth markers from the family and their friends. Much of the custom wood and metal work in the home, including the stair railing and handrails were completed by the talented duo at Dare Designs.

unique amenities

There were very unique spaces in this home that were great “first-time” experiences for me. The first one was a hidden man cave. This space was outfitted with fireproof walls, a cigar ventilation system, custom gun storage and an antique reloading bench. It also had really cool doors, including a locking safe door as well as a salvaged ship door leading to additional storage. The second space was an outdoor kitchen, which was so perfect for this couple who loved to entertain. They had already invested in landscaping for their backyard. Adding an upper area for entertaining, grilling, and lounging was a fun investment as well. The covered area under the deck had a large fireplace and TV area, and a U-shaped kitchen with a great setup for barbeques and parties.

I’m so happy for this family’s home to be complete for them to use and enjoy each space! This project offered so many unique opportunities for design. The clients’ and all trades involved played an important role in bringing such interest and craftsmanship to the home. It’s always an enjoyable process to watch it all take shape! If you’d like to see where it all started, check out the post Golden Road Residence: Demolition.

If you like what you see and have a project of your own that you would like to discuss, we’d love to hear from you! Check out our services and let’s chat!

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Golden Road Residence: Progress Update

There are so many areas of this home to cover! Many are still a work in progress. So I decided to share the other spaces that are moving right along. These include the laundry room, office, and man cave.

THE LAUNDRY ROOM

The laundry room was a fun farmhouse space that needed to provide serious storage and functionality into a small space. With some creative space planning and custom cabinetry, we were able to fit in all the amenities the clients wanted. This included two dog kennels (in each corner), a dog-washing station, a built-in desk, and cleaning supply closet.

THE OFFICE

The home office was primarily for the husband, who wanted that rustic cozy style carried into the space. We looked at unique finishes for the cabinets and even cooler pieces such as a desk top made of bullet-proof glass. Ah, the progress pictures are just so dark, unfortunately! Since this space is not included in the final project reveal (lighting was nearly impossible), I will share a few images of it here!

THE MAN CAVE

This next part of the project, the “man cave,” is one that is so unique and I was thrilled to do the designs. The client had an opportunity of several small unused storage spaces in their home that we reworked to make one large man cave/hidden gun room. The drywall is up and locking safe doors are installed, including a unique ship-door which leads to a fire-safe space under the stairs. It will provide storage for important documents and family memory keepsakes. We continued to utilize Dare Designs for fabrication of the pieces in this space. This included custom cabinets, gun racks, and a metal focal wall.

AN OUTDOOR OASIS

And finally! As the interior wraps up, the outdoor spaces begin claiming our focus. Summer is around the corner, so the outdoor kitchen and sitting area have started construction. The kitchen will include a sink, grill, under counter refrigerator, and bar seating. The sitting area will have a large fireplace and TV, perfect for outdoor relaxation and entertainment. Large stone work matching the interior spaces will bring some cohesiveness to the interior and exterior spaces, which is always important!

I came by what seemed like a few days later and look how cute and inviting this outdoor oasis has become! This is a family who loves to entertain and will open their entire backyard up for play and gatherings. What an awesome design for them to really be able to utilize the space they have and offer their guests the best!

Check out the final reveal of the entire home right here…Golden Road Residence: Project Reveal!

Golden Road Residence: Finishes

Today I’m sharing a progress update for the Golden Road Residence because finishes are almost all in! The kitchen cabinets are installed and it has become a domino effect of progress for the space. The house has made leaps and bounds within the month! Unfortunately, the current lighting situation doesn’t do this space justice, but pictures were needed regardless!

RECLAIMED WOOD FLOORING

Let’s start with the beautiful wood floors! First, reclaimed barn wood flooring was installed to replace the original hardwood in the home. It provided the client with the rustic look they had dreamed of. She mentioned seeing bird poop and other “authentic things” on the planks before they were sanded down. The flooring was sanded, holes filled, and had multiple coats of stain to darken it.

STAIRCASE & METAL WORK

Next, the new stair railing was installed! It was a custom design using reclaimed railroad ties and thick rebar. This was all built and designed by a talented woodworking and metal duo called Dare Designs. Behind the staircase, we decided to add a focal wall of blue pine (“beetlekill”) that would match the kitchen. However, we had to get a little creative because the clients had measurements of their kids on the edge of the wall. So that was incredibly important to preserve! In the end, the clients decided on a curved edge as well as a custom metal railing to look like a tree! The pictures don’t show it with the “trunk” just yet. I loved working with someone with such unique and artistic taste! And shout out to the fabricators that did anything we dreamed of!

CUSTOM CABINETRY

Okay…let’s talk about these kitchen cabinets. Custom to the MAX! The armoire-like piece shown below is a custom pantry cabinet design. This piece is huge and every bit of it is amazing. The island has end drawers with glass fronts. Inside the drawers, a panel sits a few inches back, creating a display nook. The finish of the cabinets was custom as well, selected with a specific wood species, distressing and worm holes, custom color, and glaze finish. This was an incredible process to watch, from the samples we received to the end result!

COUNTERS & BACKSPLASH

From this point, we ended up changing a few things. The wood shelf below the apron sink was too “polished” for the space, so it was switched out with a more rustic piece. In addition, the island butcher block was also custom, but ended up too dark for such a large piece. It was changed for a lighter one with more grain showing. It blows me away how much wood and texture is in the space, but yet it all works together. Overall, the space definitely has that rustic charm, but not too busy. A few things that helped with this was using a very simple dark gray quartz counters from Caesarstone and a dark tile backsplash. The balance of light and dark as well as textured and non-textured finish selections is hard to strike, but I think it was done well in this kitchen after all!

STONE & MISC. FEATURES

Finally, the build-out for the range was framed out, stone was placed, and the custom metal backsplash was finished. On the inside of each stone column, we had room to do metal built-in shelves (difficult to see in the photo, but so cool)! Last, the custom light design came to fruition! This has been our most requested piece on other projects when clients have fallen in love with this light and want something similar in their home.

There are a few other spaces in the home coming together as well, including the office, laundry room, man cave, and outdoor kitchen. Jump over to this post to see what the rest of this beautiful home looks like…Golden Road Residence: Progress Update.

Golden Road Residence: Demolition

The Golden Road Residence clients were partially through a master suite remodel when they reached out to me. They wanted help for pursuing renovations of the rest of their home and I was excited to help! Since contractors were already on-site, I barely finished the design plans before demolition started happening! Because of this, I didn’t get true “before” photographs, besides these few that the client sent me. But WOW! How did we get from this to the final reveal!? Here’s a behind the scenes look at the Golden Road Residence.

Demolition Begins

The picture below shows the kitchen stripped of the original cabinets and wood ceiling. I usually like to keep wood ceilings in homes. Unfortunately, because we removed the fluorescent lights, we decided to pull the wood out and replace with something different. In general, this stage of demolition is my favorite. Seeing the space cleared out and having a big open room is the first step in feeling the new design come to life.

Framing the New Space

Next, in the back left corner of the room, you can see the new framing that closes off the second entry point to the kitchen. During the design phase, we looked at several floor plans that left this space open. Ultimately, we decided that the best plan was to close it up. By doing so, it allowed us to use the back wall as a balanced focal point and add additional storage into the space. In this photo, you can also see the start of new finishes installed. We added blue pine (“beetlekill”) to the ceiling with recessed cans to replace the original fluorescent ceiling lights. Last, little tweaks in other areas of the home offer a custom feel yet provide a lot in the sense of functionality. As an example, this nook would eventually host a new media center with storage.

New Opportunities for an Old Basement

The basement, which started as several awkward spaces, was re-framed to divide the space into more functional rooms. This includes a recreation space, a family movie room, and a hidden “man cave.” This special room also has fun features planned, such as an old submarine door leading to a fireproof area to protect family documents and memories.

Interested in seeing the finishes added to the space? Click here for the next progress update and view the most beautiful reclaimed barn wood floors and custom cabinetry. If you just want to get to the final reveal, the post is here!