Expand As If By Magic
by Lisa Peck, ASID
Wouldn't it be great if you could take your home add water and expand your space like one of those magic sea horses you thought were so great until you actually saved your money and bought one? Well, LiLu can't expand your home with water, but we can take your existing rooms and with a little creative problem solving and wala! More space! And LiLu won't disappoint like those over-promising little monkeys.
Expanding homes and kitchens without actually adding square feet to the foundation is one of the most common request we have run into in recent months. Whether our clients are wanting a new kitchen, media room, game room, gathering space they frequently want to keep to the original foot print of their home but still add value, function and beauty to their lives.
This week we will share a recent kitchen/family room remodeling project we did for a family of five who were cramped in and weary of their dated kitchen.
KITCHEN BEFORE
Main kitchen and in kitchen eating are are separated by a peninsula.
BEFORE
Refrigerator is outside the work triangle and you must cross a main circulation path from the mudroom to the family room to open the appliance.
BEFORE
Our client never sat at the desk and wanted a better display area for artwork.
PORCH BEFORE
A beautiful porch and family room are separated from the kitchen by two steps down.
KITCHEN AFTER
New island allows for in kitchen eating, more counter space and better circulation to eating area and family room. The refrigerator is now part of the work triangle, cook top is on the island.
AFTER
Old desk and refrigerator wall becomes a stand-up desk/serving area plus additional and much needed pantry. The recessed, painted uppers make a great display area.
AFTER
By raising the floor in the family room and porch and eliminating the wall between the kitchen and porchwe creating a new casual eating space and created more connection between these spaces.
Read the LiLu blog the rest of this week for more details on how we expanded this space without adding to the foundation of this home!
