Heart of the Home in Skylark Heights

The Challenge

After the empty nest phase begins, families can grow with the addition of grandkids and push the limits of the space for hosting the growing brood.  This mid-century ranch home had a charming eat in kitchen across the front of the home but it was cut off from the rest of the gathering rooms of the house.  It was narrow, pinned to the front of the house by the stairs to the basement.  The homeowners also wanted to keep the original double-sided fireplace if possible.

The Vision

The goal for this project was to increase the size of the kitchen with an island for rolling out cookies with the grandkids.  We also wanted to include enough seating for the family in one space and have a better connection to the family room addition that was added in the 90’s. And of course, everyone’s dream space, a proper laundry room.

The Solution

The Solution:    Our big idea was to completely re-arrange the rooms so the family room addition can be adjacent to the kitchen and dining rooms.  We moved the kitchen to the center of the house, the old dining room and home office space.  The former living room, which was rarely used, became the new dining room. This allowed for the former kitchen at the front of the house to become a smaller formal living room and a much-needed laundry/utility room.

The Results

The Results: Function and Beauty. The size and adjacency of the rooms makes much more sense and there is room for all.  The original fireplace was wrapped in a unifying modern metal surface.  A small formal living room near the front door is a  perfect room to great guests before crossing the threshold to the heart of the home.  The result has led to countless extended family dinners and parties.