The Mill Road project is photographed and ready for it’s reveal! It’s been a while since I posted the “before” and progress photos of this project, so it’s time to brush up on those, because you’ll have a totally different perspective for this completed home! This 3,700 square foot home was ready for a top to bottom overhaul, including finishing the basement and upstairs (not photographed). Ready for a little tour of the main floor?
THE ENTRY & STAIRS
The entry used to be fairly enclosed, with a cased opening to the right leading to the living room, and a cased opening to the left leading to the dining room. The staircase was all a dark wood, which meant this entry was a dark tunnel of a hallway. A slight adjustment to the floor plan allowed us to completely open the dining room, making it more accessible to the kitchen. I love the hemlock post and beam which gave this space the slightest farmhouse detail…much better than plain drywall corners. We also updated the staircase with a fresh coat of white paint and squared off newel posts, white oak stair treads to match the rest of the new flooring, and metal black spindles drilled directly into the stair trends. Clean and simple.
THE KITCHEN
Moving on to the kitchen! This space used to feel dark and crowded, but the overall layout was mostly functional. Once more, we made a few tweaks like moving the refrigerator the far right and removing a small wing wall. This wing wall was blocking direct access to a much-needed closet, which we widened into a pantry with custom louvered doors. We kept the finishes light and bright in here to maximize the daylight we had, but the client also wanted to bring in some color, so we achieved that with a navy blue island and a patterned cement tile backsplash.
PLUMBING & HARDWARE
This sink and faucet combo is one of my favorites! It’s a beautiful Kohler sink and Danze faucet. We mixed brushed brass and polished chrome metal finishes throughout the home, but we had a “rule” book to keep it feeling consistent. For all plumbing fixtures and bathroom accessories (towel bars, etc.), we went with polished chrome. For lighting, cabinet knobs and cabinet pulls, we used brushed brass. This still creates some challenges as manufacturers have different variations in their brass tones. This meant patience was key when we had to reselect a few items that didn’t quite match the tones we needed! Thankfully we planned these orders ahead of schedule, so despite some returns, everything still showed up before it was needed by the contractor.
CUSTOM PANTRY DOORS
One of my favorite features of this kitchen is the custom arched louvered doors I designed for the pantry closet. I had envisioned these doors while doing the 3D model for the space, but it ended up being something we could not find ANYWHERE. We searched salvage yards and overstock door dealers for something similar, even online! The clients and myself had our hearts set on finding this piece. It ended up being a custom design and a bit of a splurge. Now, it’s everyone’s favorite feature, and I’d have to agree. This is the closet I mentioned above that was cut off from the kitchen by a wing wall. We changed it from a coat closet to gain additional kitchen storage. The hallway had no shortage of individual closets, so we reframed them to create one large pantry, one medium sized coat closet, and a small storage/linen closet.
THE POWDER ROOM
On the opposite side of the hallway is one of my next favorite rooms…the powder room! Is anyone else loving how well-designed powder rooms are becoming? They are now a big priority for many clients! More money is getting set aside for these small spaces then ever before. I absolutely love that people are focused on the public spaces of their homes that they share with their family and friends. Little gems in each residence.
Give me alllll the details on this little space, am I right!? Alright, this is one space that we decided to break our own rule book and do only brass metal finishes. It just didn’t feel right to do a chrome faucet with the brass legs of the console sink. We added a quartz slab on to a brass console sink. It looks beautiful with it’s small grey veins that work perfectly with the black and cream tones in the wallpaper (similar one linked). I’m also fairly obsessed with the towel ring and toilet paper holder, which is a lovely collection from Anthropologie.
THE LAUNDRY ROOM & MASTER SUITE
We’ve got a few more lovely details as we continue down the hall to the master suite! One of my favorites is this transition to thin brick pavers in the laundry room, laid in a herringbone pattern. This was another feature of the home we took some extra time to work out. This meant education for myself, the contractor, and the installers on the best way to do this. We had to keep the transition flush with the white oak flooring. We also had to research installation for lasting durability and avoiding break-down or crumbling. I respect my contractors so much when they are willing to try new things with me. It means all of us can break out of our comfort zones to create something beautiful!
FORMAL LIVING ROOM (LIBRARY)
The living room was a space that the client wanted to feel different from the rest of the house. Overall, we went with the concept of light and bright for the home. But the client was particularly inspired by a library-style room full of colorful bookcases and velvet curtains. A place to cozy up by the fire and read, write, and relax. I was excited to do something bold and different for her!
FIREPLACE & BUILT-INS
In this space, I designed a custom build-out for the fireplace. However, we ran into a few issues by doing so. If we did 12″ deep bookcases, they would be deeper than the fireplace. The fireplace needed an upgrade anyway, so we built it out to a full depth, flush with the new bookcases. We did a hemlock mantel for the fireplace and some more cement tile that coordinated with the kitchen backsplash. The color of the bookcases also matched the kitchen island. They offer tons of storage for the client’s collection of art books, photo albums, and decor.
That wraps up our Mill Road Residence reveal! What’s your favorite part of this unique and colorful home?
Make sure to check out the before images here as well as the progress…it’s always fun to see that transformation! As always, 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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