Arizona Gem: Peek at a Contemporary Construction Project

PEEK AT A PROJECT

Arizona Gem: Peek at a Contemporary Construction Project

A recent contemporary construction project has us working on an Arizona Gem. It is the perfect sized house in the perfect neighborhood with the perfect view! The only thing that wasn’t perfect was the style. Our client’s intention was to find her forever home in Arizona. A place where friends and family could visit. She wanted a comfortable and inviting home, but something much more contemporary. A serene contrast to the rich landscape. The house had great bones and the right spaces, so we went to work to give it a contemporary update.

Living Room Demolition

The living room demolition was all about getting rid of the visual noise. With the multiple levels of tiered soffits overhead, and the multiple niches over the fireplace the living room had a lot of visual noise that felt overwhelming and distracting.

Visual Noise

To get rid of the visual noise we started by omitting the tiered soffits and closing in the niches over the fireplace. With the soffits gone, the room feels open and lighter. By eliminating the niches and the raised hearth, the fireplace wall becomes a unified focal point in the room. And by removing the section of wall between the sliding glass doors the room feels expansive and connected to the outdoors.

Dining Room Demolition

The dining room needed simplifying. There is a lot going on in this room and every interesting feature is competing for attention. The asymmetrical placement of the window, the massive dropped soffit, and the large recessed area aren’t harmonizing to create a composition. The ceiling feels oppressive for the size of the room and doesn’t relate to the adjacent recessed opening. The asymmetry of the window is overlooked and doesn’t relate to the placement of the soffit.

Simplifying

By simplifying and getting rid of the dropped soffit we accomplish many things: makes the room feel larger, it complements the height of the recessed opening which now creates the perfect space for a piece of art, and draws your attention to the window that is no longer hidden under it’s mass. When you hire an interior designer you only need to know what the problems are…not the solution. Click here to read more about how interior designers can solve problems and transform your spaces.

Kitchen Demolition

With the open floor plan all of these spaces needed to relate to each other, so the same principles of getting rid of visual noise and simplifying apply in the kitchen as well. We eliminated the visual noise of the walk-in pantry but not the function. The new cabinetry will have a large pull-out pantry that blends in and is accessible.

Scale

In addition, the kitchen felt very chopped up with two islands that were about the same size and under scaled. By getting rid of one of the islands and creating one larger island we were able to simplify the work zones and create an efficient traffic flow connecting the kitchen to the adjacent spaces.

Contemporary Construction

By removing some of the visual noise and simplifying the details we kept the integrity of the home while creating quieter, unified spaces and the contemporary home our client feels comfortable in. Click here to find out how we solved another client's intention of creating an upscale entertaining space at home

Bringing Intention Home

For more than a decade, LiLu Interiors has been designing intentional living environments that reflect the singular values and needs, lifestyle and aesthetics of each individual client. With care, joy and trust, we’ll creatively collaborate with you to design a home that uniquely expresses who you are and how you live. Intentional design, no matter the style, requires thoughtful attention to detail and deliberate choices.
Let’s make life better. Let’s bring your intentions home.