Flipping the floor plan Bounded on one side by the main staircase and on the other by an exterior wall, their existing kitchen was laid out as a galley with a peninsula at one end. The footprint was a bit too wide to function well as a galley and a bit too narrow to accommodate... Read more »
At this home, prior renovations resulted in a cramped kitchen and oversized three-quarter bath, while leaving the laundry in the basement. The original small dining room had become a small family room, and the dining room had been relocated to a large, open space between the kitchen and the garage. The route to the dining... Read more »
Speaking of that oil tank... These clients were eager to go fossil fuel free. A landscape architect and residential designer passionate about sustainability, they were determined to make their home as efficient, comfortable and low-carbon as possible. A large chimney lay at the center of these problems. Converting to heat pumps allowed us to remove... Read more »
A peninsula divided the kitchen into spaces: a galley work area on one side and a storage area on the other. Each of these was too small to be fully functional, and an underutilized hallway closet protruded into the storage area further compromising its utility. A laundry closet at the back of the kitchen impeded... Read more »
Rethinking the floor plan The kitchen opened directly onto a bedroom, compromising both spaces. Designer Josy Raycroft’s ingenious solution was to swap the location of the bedrooms with the dining and living rooms. She closed off the opening between the kitchen and the dining room, and between the dining room and the living room, turning... Read more »
The kitchen was cramped, dark, and isolated from the adjacent dining room as well as the back yard. The half-bath off the kitchen was too small and too public to get much use. Insufficient insulation and old, inefficient mechanicals made for hot summers, cold winters and high utility bills. While such frustrations are typical for... Read more »
An open but cozy living and dining space served multiple functions. It housed the owners’ extensive library. It was where they hung out, watched TV, and ate their meals. It was also the main thoroughfare. When it was just the two of them, the space could easily accommodate these various uses. But when their kids... Read more »
At one end of the suite was a cramped and outdated bathroom. At the other end was a leaky old door leading to an underutilized and hard to maintain exterior balcony. That end of the bedroom was very difficult to keep comfortable in the winter, and it wasn’t just because of the door: inadequate insulation... Read more »
Our solution... While we always strive to meet our clients functional needs by reconfiguring existing spaces, in this case we saw no alternative but to add on. Dividing up the living room wasn't an option, both for structural reasons and because the owners wished to preserve its openness. And there was no way to fit... Read more »
While such problems are common in older homes, it was somewhat surprising in this case, as the house had been gut renovated by the developer our clients bought the house from. While many critical upgrades had been accomplished during this renovation, including new HVAC systems, roofing and siding (and our clients had also insulated the... Read more »
Flipping the floor plan Bounded on one side by the main staircase and on the other by an exterior wall, their existing kitchen was laid out as a galley with a peninsula at one end. The footprint was a bit too wide to function well as a galley and a bit too narrow to accommodate... Read more »
At this home, prior renovations resulted in a cramped kitchen and oversized three-quarter bath, while leaving the laundry in the basement. The original small dining room had become a small family room, and the dining room had been relocated to a large, open space between the kitchen and the garage. The route to the dining... 
Speaking of that oil tank... These clients were eager to go fossil fuel free. A landscape architect and residential designer passionate about sustainability, they were determined to make their home as efficient, comfortable and low-carbon as possible. A large chimney lay at the center of these problems. Converting to heat pumps allowed us to remove... 
A peninsula divided the kitchen into spaces: a galley work area on one side and a storage area on the other. Each of these was too small to be fully functional, and an underutilized hallway closet protruded into the storage area further compromising its utility. A laundry closet at the back of the kitchen impeded... 
Rethinking the floor plan The kitchen opened directly onto a bedroom, compromising both spaces. Designer Josy Raycroft’s ingenious solution was to swap the location of the bedrooms with the dining and living rooms. She closed off the opening between the kitchen and the dining room, and between the dining room and the living room, turning... 
The kitchen was cramped, dark, and isolated from the adjacent dining room as well as the back yard. The half-bath off the kitchen was too small and too public to get much use. Insufficient insulation and old, inefficient mechanicals made for hot summers, cold winters and high utility bills. While such frustrations are typical for... 
An open but cozy living and dining space served multiple functions. It housed the owners’ extensive library. It was where they hung out, watched TV, and ate their meals. It was also the main thoroughfare. When it was just the two of them, the space could easily accommodate these various uses. But when their kids... 
At one end of the suite was a cramped and outdated bathroom. At the other end was a leaky old door leading to an underutilized and hard to maintain exterior balcony. That end of the bedroom was very difficult to keep comfortable in the winter, and it wasn’t just because of the door: inadequate insulation... 
Our solution... While we always strive to meet our clients functional needs by reconfiguring existing spaces, in this case we saw no alternative but to add on. Dividing up the living room wasn't an option, both for structural reasons and because the owners wished to preserve its openness. And there was no way to fit... 
While such problems are common in older homes, it was somewhat surprising in this case, as the house had been gut renovated by the developer our clients bought the house from. While many critical upgrades had been accomplished during this renovation, including new HVAC systems, roofing and siding (and our clients had also insulated the...
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