Project Reveal

Some projects have one element of design that takes charge and is the boss of the project.  In other words, where every decision you make about the design is based on featuring and applying one chosen element to that decision.  That element with this project was texture.

It was really the driving force behind all the material selections, the way the materials were combined, and something we indeed wanted to feature.  It was something we revisited with the design of every room....how does texture play a part in this space?  

After - Kitchen

Some of my photos are complete on this remodel project.  I still have another photo day to schedule in, but I thought I'd share a few of the areas today.  I've got before and afters of the kitchen and family room. 

Before - Kitchen

I shared a bit about this project HERE in a previous post.  The homeowner had all of the furnishings, art, rugs, etc. and I was challenged to remodel the home to feature all of her wonderful things and show them off in their best light.  She wanted the same warm, comfortable feel that many of her antiques and collected pieces possessed.  As an artist, working in textile and jewelry design, she has quite an eye for detail and most of her things had been acquired while living overseas in Pakistan and Kazakstan.  She has collected the things she loves..... antique textiles, beadwork, woven tapestries, and rugs.  The items this homeowner had were all about texture.

The house was built in the early 90's and the whole thing was mauve, paint, tile, counters, exterior, everything, except for the cabinets which had turned orange over the years.  She definitely wanted a warmer, more rustic feel.  New wood floors throughout warmed up the space as did the warm white paint color that was used on everything, walls, ceiling, mouldings, and cabinetry.  I wanted a gallery-like backdrop for her colorful, textural pieces and the wood floor grounded everything.

After - Kitchen

The kitchen was very dated, with an oddly shaped island. I wanted to get rid of the raised bar counter. It served to divide the kitchen and felt like one side was a corridor and the other the kitchen. With the island at one level, it encourages everyone to come to the center "table". We kept the perimeter cabinets and painted them the color of the envelope to minimize them and draw attention to the new, beautiful wood island.  The antiqued limestone counter on the island has an interesting texture with fossils and shells embedded and just feels wonderful to the touch.  Those slabs came from MCA in Houston and they are called coral reef. The bone limestone backsplash, material also from MCA, blends with the envelope and repeats the material.  I love the way the Visual Comfort Goodman hanging lamps punctuate the light colored space with their simple shape.  We purchased those through Circa in Houston. The Rohl faucets add so much to the kitchen too.  They're in the Tuscan brass finish, a living finish, that will age over time.  Again, some visual texture.  

After - Kitchen

Before - Kitchen island

Before - Island

It was definitely time to remodel.  Could the finishes be any more dated??

After - Family Room

This is the family room, beyond the kitchen.  You can really see her collections here. That suzani tapestry is an antique and she's had it for years.  She didn't do this because it was trendy!

We continued all the finishes in to this space and ripped out the old entertainment center built-in.  I felt it needed the richness and texture of the wood here, so the floor material came up on the wall and provided a stopping place for your eye.  The wood grille panels in the cabinet doors were custom made to repeat some of the texture in the room.

Family Room Entertainment Center

Before - Family Room

Check out the grillework on the cabinet doors below.  Great for airflow to the equipment inside and adds so much interest to the large built-in cabinet.

 cabinetry under construction

The counterstools were custom made, really the only new furniture item.  See the worn, textural, comfortable feel they have?  

I'll save the living room and master bath for another post.  The homeowner has a couple of cats that we did not ignore. You should see the special place we made for them! 

One of the most important ways to get continuity in a project is to have that single purpose, style, goal, element always at the crux of your decision making.  When you wander off, distracted by something new and pretty.....revisit that purpose.  It will steer you in the right direction every time. 

All after photos by Miro Dvorscak