At the Intersection of Art, Architecture & Design» Outdoor Rooms – At the Intersection of Art, Architecture & Design

Curb-Appeal: A 2-Week Make-Over

Jackie Braitman — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:56:28 +0000

A back porch Welcomes Clients and the Neighborhood

I live down the street from a 4-Square built around 1915. It’s at a prominent intersection and is zoned commercial. A string of non-descript businesses have leased space there. The house wasn’t a blight on the neighborhood but it didn’t add anything either. Then “The Still Point” a well-respected holistic spa took up residence. First they built-out their interior; then they moved on the exterior. In the course of approximately 2-weeks the outside of the building when from non-descript to warm and welcoming. Thoughtful paint, lighting, furniture and decoration turned a cold, inward-looking structure into a nicely scaled building that beckons the neighborhood into its doors.

AFTER - Main Neighborhood View

BEFORE - Main Neighborhood View - Courtesy of Google Earth

The, above, After and Before pictures are the view from the main intersection. A new, wide stairway from the back porch welcomes visitors. As seen in the introductory image, outdoor drapes help create an intimate space while ceiling fans, furniture and potted palms help make the space intimate.

A Closer View of the Back Stairs

AFTER - View of the Front of the House

BEFORE - Front of House

The front porch (see After and Before, above) received a slightly more formal but equally inviting make-over. The line of semi-flush light fixtures – while providing more light than is strictly necessary – creates an extremely attractive rhythm. The door, made prominent with black contrasting paint, is no longer over-emphasized.

Notice that they also cleaned up the various phone and cable lines coming into the house so that they no longer distract from the front porch.

Carpeted Front Steps

Porch steps were carpeted in a deep forest outdoor carpeting to avoid the slipperiness of painted wood. A water feature near the front door, providing a welcoming auditory break from the street.

Welcoming Front Porch

The mocha and crème color scheme brings out the subtle colors of the roof and highlights the architecture much better than did the former white, dark grey and red scheme. The more subtle palette also contrasts nicely with the black powder-coated furniture and lighting fixtures. Our eye likes contrast and texture and the new palette caters to these preferences.

Other than the back steps to the porch, there were no structural changes, but now the building is a part of and beckons to the neighborhood rather than standing apart.

4 Rules for a Spectacular Garden

Jackie Braitman — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Folks often stop and remark on my garden. It’s fairly young – going on 3 years – with lots and lots left to do. But by thinking through the 4 rules, below, the garden feels much more mature than its years.

This "Devil Man" has guarded my gardens for the past 12 years as it did my Mother's for almost 30 years

1. Think Style & Maintenance before Digging or Buying Plants
Sun versus Shade; Formal versus Casual; Modern vs. Traditional; Symmetrical vs. Balanced, Summer vs. Spring, Alfresco Dining vs. View From the Window,
High Maintenance or Self-Caring, Dogs & Children vs. Delicate Plantings, Food Production vs. Views.

These are not all mutually exclusive but just like any home remodeling project – you need to start with your goals, lifestyle, and aesthetics. Your answers will dramatically change what you plant and where you plant. For example, the classic boxwood will rarely look as comfortable in a casual garden than a formal one. And self-seeding annuals and perennials will make a cottage garden dramatically easier but will be the bane of a gardener who wants order. Pressure-treated lumber works well in a casual garden as does irregular flagstone but concrete, painted wood and regular flagstone are more suited to a very modern garden.

The Decking, Fence, Walls & Stone River were installed Before Plantings

2. Think Structure before Plants
Structure refers walks, decks, patios, pergolas and other built items often referred to as “hardscape”. It also refers to plants and the planting structure.

Three examples: First, think about planting on a hill. Somewhat counter intuitively, your yard will feel more balanced if the plants get taller as they move up the hill. Recognizing this requires you to select the plants you’re going to use before buying or planting any of them.

Second, also counter intuitively, breaking up a small (or large) garden into separate (but visually integrated) areas will make it feel larger. In all gardens, the area will feel larger and more balanced if you think structurally about foreground, mid-ground and background. Start with this structure before you start planting. For example, I installed a low (36”) fence inset from the sidewalk on my very small front yard in order to make it feel larger. If I had decided to do this after I planted, I would need to remove and reinstall plants.

Third, installing patios and other “hardscape” disturbs roots. Ideally, you want to plan and build all your structures before starting you planting – or leave at least 8-10 feet so that you won’t need to disturb your roots while building.

And of course, plants grow. You need to think about the mature size of plants when planting shrubs and trees. While they’re growing you can fill in with annuals or self-seeding or spreading perennials. For example, in the border garden depicted in the images 2-4 below, I purposefully planted several rapidly spreading perennials (a mum, a euphorbia, and a Caryopteris) to help take over the large swaths of former lawn while the shrubs and other perennials could establish themselves. I’m now starting to pull out (and either move or give away) the excess as other plants come in. With this strategy, the area looks good and I have less weeding to do in the garden’s early years.

Plants Grow over and around Fencing & Walkways; Notice Also Different Leaf Types

3. Think Foliage before Flowers
Flowers on trees, shrubs and perennials last only weeks while foliage is visible and prominent all year – or for 7-9 months depending on your zone. Between foliage color, texture and form, you can create dramatic vignettes without any flowers at all. When you think foliage, you can also more easily create a year-round garden rather than one that looks terrific only 1- 3 months of the year. Also consider what works in your climate and sun exposure. There are lots of plants that wilt or mildew in Washington DC’s hot humid summers. Similarly, there are plants that do well in Washington’s shade but will burn-up or become diseasedin the sun. For example, Euonymous is a wonderful plant for the Shade but will become overrun by scale in the sun. On the other hand, many plants will look scraggly or fail to bloom without enough sun. Unless you want a lot of work, think about what works in your climate and sun exposure.

Variations in Foliage Form and Color Can Substitute for Flowers

Notice How the Rocks and Fence Also Add to the Drama of the Vignette

Foliage Variation is Just as Important and Dramatic in the Sun

4. Now Decorate Your Garden!
A decorated garden can fit within any style. Rocks, Found-Objects, and Sculpture are wonderful foils for plants. And they make your garden truly one-of-a-kind. And you can re-decorate your garden just as you do your home. Enjoy!

Rejects From My Glass Studio Help Decorate the Garden As Faux Fungus Forms

Bath Tub Ducks Migrated to the Rocks Around the Pond

Stained Glass in the Garden

Abstract Art - Notice the Layers of Foliage Interest

Photo Taken by chris5aw — see her photo stream on Flickr

Color, Structure, Foliage and Art is Equally Vital in the Modern Garden

Photo Taken by Aimee Quiggle, See Her Photo Stream on Flickr

7 Tips for a Backyard Getaway

Jackie Braitman — Sun, 09 May 2010 19:26:13 +0000

Garden Room with Tree Canopy Ceiling & Landscaped Walls

1. Walls & Ceiling:

If you only remember one thing, remember that outdoor rooms need walls and ceilings just like indoor rooms. We crave a sense of intimacy and protection when we sit and relax or when we dine. The walls and ceiling don’t have to feel constraining – sometimes we only need a hint – like the combination pergola/bench in the image, below, combined with a privacy fence and plants or plants alone. [Read more about this outdoor room by Braitman Design]

A ceiling can be as simple as an umbrella (image below) or the canopy of a tree and the suggestion of a ceiling from a pergola (like the image above). [Read more about this outdoor room by Braitman Design]

Garden Rooms Needs Walls & Ceilings

: Garden Rooms Need Privacy

2. Privacy: Garden Rooms feel best when they feel private. Privacy can be fairly complete like the garden below where stucco and concrete wall fully block views by neighbors. Or they can be slightly more porous, like the garden room above and to the left, where shrubbery largely blocks views and the open fence defines the border.

Private Patio Photographed by Erica Marshall

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erica_marshall/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

3. Extension of the House: Have you ever noticed how often exposed decks off the 2nd floor are largely unused. It’s often because they feel separated from the house and they usually violate rules 1 and 2, above. Through use of more refined materials and by creating walls, ceilings and privacy a deck or patio should feel like an extension of the home – a garden room beyond the living room or family room.

Stone Terrace acts as Extension of House

The metal balusters in the railing above, feel much more transparent than wood. The porcelain flooring feels more like indoors. Shrubs (not visible in this picture) will mature within abut 3 years to provide greater sense of privacy. In the short-term, annuals hanging from baskets in the summer will help solidify the walls during the months when the owners want to be outdoors.

Glass doors should invite you out to the garden room beyond. The two images below show how glass doors off two different rooms beckon the family onto a private patio at the front of the house.

Glass Doors Beckon You to Garden Room Beyond

Doors Off Adjacent Sun Room Also Open Onto Patio

4. Outdoor Kitchen: An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a conveniently located grill or can be extensive with built-in sinks and refrigerators and grilling centers (like the patio, below.

Outdoor Kitchen by Artistry in Concrete

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31040074@N08/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

5. Shady Spots and Sunny Spots:

If your deck or patio faces south or west, remember to include ways to shade a sitting or eating area. In the image, above, an arbor shades the dining area from harsh western afternoon sun

6. Add a Water Feature or Fire Pit:

Water — especially running water — can transport you away from your urban or suburban spot to someplace far away. It can drown out the noise of cars and neighbors. Similarly, the crackle of a fire can also bring your heart to distant vacations.

Fire Pit Beside PatioA Patio Retreat with Pond

http://www.flickr.com/photos/montanaraven/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In the backyard retreat, above, notice how planted a berm behind the pool provides privacy from the neighbors while also providing the height needed for a small water fall. The table placed close to the pond provides a sense of separation.

7. Lighting. Be creative about lighting your backyard getaway. Lighting could be as simple as porch lights (below).

Porch Lights Are Inviting

Or you could use elaborate and creative fixtures to create a festive, inviting nighttime tableau (below).

Inventive Patio Lighting

http://www.flickr.com/photos/secret_canadian/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

For More Ideas:
http://www.remodelingcenter.com/decks/platform-deck-design-ideas/
http://www.remodelingcenter.com/decks/deck-solutions/create-a-backyard-getaway/

Living Outdoors in Mosquito Weather

Jackie Braitman — Fri, 07 May 2010 10:00:41 +0000

Have you noticed that you don’t get bitten in a strong breeze when you’re outside in the summer in mosquito country? Well, I often duplicate this experience for clients using outdoor fans. While not one of my designs, the pergola, below, is a perfect example of what I mean.

Three Ceiling Fans Help Deter Mosquitoes

The pergola, above, was built by Artisan Specialties in Columbia, South Carolina, but it’s quite similar to ones I’ve designed for a clients. The powerful ceiling fans, close together, will provide good coverage to provide cooling breezes and to keep mosquitoes and other biting insects at bay.

What conditions do you need for a fan to work? You need a very strong stream of air — if you don’t like air blowing on you, this solution isn’t for you. I like the design, above, because you’re getting wind from all sides of the table. The fans need to have strong motors and large blades. You also need fairly open conditions. Ceiling fans won’t work as well on a front porch that’s surrounded by shrubbery or covered by vines. The plants provide a place for the insects to hide and protect themselves from the breeze and have only a short flight to get to your skin — especially your feet and legs. In this setting, an oscillating fan or box fan blowing across the sitting area — at about 30-36″ off the floor — will provide better protection.

I was intrigued to also see the stand-mounted “ceiling” fan that fits in most umbrella holes by Backyard America.

Stand-Mounted Fan

I can also recommend the OFF!® PowerPad® Lamp and Lantern. I’ve found the product effective when I use 2 to 4 lamps — that fully bracket a sitting area on a porch, deck or patio. I was convinced the first time when 3 of us were enjoying my patio without getting bitten. One minute all was calm, then the repellant had burned off and all 3 of us started getting bitten. As soon as the candles and pads were replaced, calm returned.

Mosquitos love me and I get huge welts with every bite and I live just outside buggy Washington, DC. So I’ll keep looking for ideas that work. If you have any to share, please contact me.

A Sense of Place

Jackie Braitman — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:50:00 +0000

A New Front Porch Welcomes Family and Visitors

A gracious, comfortable front entry — the neighbors who have been closely observing the year-long inside and outside renovation of this 1940’s Colonial in a close-in Washington DC suburb — remark most often about the transition to the front of the house. A neighbor across the street enjoys a more peaceful, relaxed morning coffee — she says sitting in her breakfast room now feels like she’s across the street from a park. Neighborhood kids ask if they can play on the oval of grass at the top of the steps — rather than play in their own expansive back yards. It’s all about a sense of place.

Full View of House and New Entry Stairs

Gone are the unsafe front brick steps — at only 30 inches wide and with treads that varied in width and without a handrail — the wife’s mother gave a big thanks. Gone also is the trip-step in the middle of the front walk — that I personally tripped over at least 3 times. New brick steps were moved about 6 feet down the wall to create a curved walk in approaching the house and a more gracious division of the front entry garden. The steps are now 4 ft wide and are taller to fully tackle the grade. The bottom of the steps and the handrail curve to welcome visitors.

Gone also is the 1970’s vestibule — a response to the 1970’s energy crisis. The homeowner complained of having to set groceries down on the concrete stoop, open the vestibule door, move the bags of groceries into the vestibule, open the front door and only then bring the groceries into the house. Now she simply sets them on the generous bench right beside the front door. She also sits on the bench to chat with neighbors, read the mail, or to observe the neighborhood children at play.

Before Picture (courtesy of Google Street View)

The history of this house is a story of several separate additions that responded to the needs at the time. Visible in this before photo are the vestibule that was added to the front of this modest brick colonial just outside Washington, DC, during the 1970’s energy crisis — this was a common response to the crisis. It might have helped with heating bills but in almost every other way this add-on was an inconvenience. Also visible is the addition to the left side of the house — a side porch converted to a small room. This addition while providing nice light, is of a completely different style from the rest of the house.

The roof of the addition was lowered to meet the roof of the new front porch at a hip. The porch is only seven feet wide but these changes greatly help the proportions of the house. A new front door and a high-end full view storm door provide the energy savings of the old vestibule. The new porch, new walk and steps dramatically change the sense of welcome and grace as you approach the home.

Low maintenance plantings provide year-round interest. Early spring interest is provided by a fragrant, flowering Carol Mackey Daphne at the curve of the front bed just as you arrive at the front door. Later spring interest comes from flowering shrubs, summer interest is created by a variety of ornamental grasses and a lavender crepe myrtle in a place of prominence, fall interest comes from the changing colors of the ornamental grasses, and winter interest comes from the bark of the crepe myrtle and the red berries of the nandina. A mix of foliage color and texture adds year-round appeal. A day’s maintenance spring and fall are all that’s required. [That's, of course, after more frequent weeding as the plantings take hold and the deep-rooted weeds, persistent weeds are eliminated.] Well-placed, aged western Maryland boulders help ground the plantings to create a natural look.

The facade was made made more transitional (and less colonial) by removing the shutters, replacing the aged aluminum siding with fiber cement siding, balancing the long windows on the addition with patio
doors on the other side. The grey tone of the siding and new wood-replacement white window trim replace the need for shutters to create architectural interest.

Concrete Was Grooved & Acid-Stained

We used concrete for the porch to eliminate the need for future maintenance. An acid stain was used to create an antique amber color and blend the porch into the landscape — it coordinates with the cedar-colored Trex used on the back deck. Before acid staining, the concrete was scored on a diagonal to create the look of large tiles with a solid border. The window well was covered with a glass and concrete paver panel created by Circle Redmont. The panel is set into the concrete and still provides good light into the basement.

The front bench — in addition to providing visual interest, a place for packages and to sit – hides the gas meter and the electrical service. The gas meter is hidden in the right leg of the bench. The column hides the electrical service except for a window to view the meter.

Front Bench Hides Utilities

Front Bench Recycles Flagstone Removed from Hearth

Ceiling Fans on either end of the porch provide mosquito-free future seating areas.

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Idyllic Backyard Retreat

Jackie Braitman — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:51:34 +0000

Enjoy Al Fresco Dining

For this modest home in Silver Spring, Maryland, we created an idyllic outdoor retreat with strong indoor-outdoor connections. Shown above is the al fresco dining room — with walls of foliage and cedar — in the fence and pergola. The room’s ceiling is suggested by the open cedar rafters off the house, a cedar pergola and an umbrella. The flooring is Trex decking at grade level. We created a curved stream of river rocks to blend the decking into the landscape – see below. The back of the yard is anchored by a large maple tree and an existing shed. A simple curve of grass ties together the beds, the gravel and the decking. A new curved stone wall encloses the parking pad — keeping the car out of the living area. The car that’s currently parked on the pad is almost invisible. Lower stone retaining walls replace old timber retaining walls.

Decking Integrated Into the Landscaping

Stone Wall to Hide Parking Pad with Stone Retaining Walls

Focal Point Connects Indoors & Out - Stool for Cat to View Territory

There is a strong connection to each of the rooms that enters onto the garden room — the kitchen, the dining room and the media room. The river of gravel helps create a strong focal point from the kitchen/breakfast area door. The thoughtful homeowners keep a low table by the window so their cat can lounge while keep on eye on his territory.

Backyard "Before"

Above and below are a set of before and after shots. In the after shot, I’m standing right next to the shed that you can see in the before shot. While the new deck is only about 2ft deeper — it feel much more expansive because we’ve raised it to grade level and merged it with the surrounding landscape. We changed the roofline of both side and back existing additions and joined them with open rafters to create more connection to the landscape. We shortened the driveway and isolated it from the landscape with a 4ft high stone wall. The dirty white aluminum siding was replaced with a silver/grey fiber cement siding. This makes the window trim standout and helps give the facade definition. We used square structural fiberglass columns that match ones used on the new front porch to create architectural interest and continuity. The columns further define the outdoor rooms.

Back Yard "After"

Enjoy the gallery, below, with additional custom details.

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

Entry Gardens To Define Your Home

Jackie Braitman — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:42:28 +0000

A Blank Slate - Existing Front Yard

This article is about how garden design effects the “feel” of your home. An entry garden can make a home feel more or less formal. It can make an imposing home feel less or more imposing and it can make a modest home feel more or less modest. As you look at the computer renderings think about how one approach makes the home feel more or less welcoming, more or less prominent, closer or farther away. The rendering tools I use are similar to the tools that some hair stylists or plastic surgeons use to help clients see what they would look like with different hairstyles or features. Landscaping is a big investment in time and money — seeing the result before you start can help make your decisions more confident.

Please note that the purpose of these renderings is to choose the basic approach and not to select particular plants. The plants in the renderings are simply representative of size and shape.

My client is looking to refresh the curb appeal of her home prior to an event that ls planned in about 1 year’s time. The above is a rendering of my client’s current front yard. The yard is bare with the exception of a dying, deciduous magnolia, a young volunteer wild Cherry, and a couple of foundation shrubs on the left side. A 3 foot high slope is also largely bare. Shade from the canopy of large oaks in the city “strip” and in adjoining yards provides too much shade for grass on the right side of the property. My assignment is to suggest some treatments for the hill and for the yard. They already have permission from the City to remove the dying magnolia and they are thinking of moving an accent tree to the right side to take advantage of the little bit of sun that reached the front yard. The wife’s tastes run to informal gardens while her husband’s tend toward the more formal and classical so I did renderings of both approaches. Plus both higher and lower walls plus a rock garden to handle the slope up from the sidewalk. The house, a colonial revival built 1913 is on a prominent street in Takoma Park Historic District in Maryland.

Center Walk; Low Wall

The first approach is to leave the center walk and to build a low stone wall to handle the slope — leaving room for a rock garden in front.

Entry Garder: Center Walk; Higher Wall

In the second alternative, we again, leave the center walk but tame the slope with a higher wall. Notice that the second approach is a more formal treatment than the first. It appears to bring the house closer to the viewer because of the foreshortened mid-ground. However, the “arrival” comes sooner and in 2 parts. In the first approach, arrival doesn’t occur until you step onto the porch. In the second approach, the first arrival occurs at the top of the wall when you enter the entry garden, then a second arrival occurs when you step onto the porch.

Since we rarely see homes from dead-on, you can view the options from the left in the gallery, below.

In the next alternative, we make the entry garden — and the home — much less formal by replacing the straight, center sidewalk with a curved sidewalk.

Entry Garden - Curved Walk From Side, Mid Wall

Notice that the house looks less imposing and actually smaller when we change the walk to a curved walk starting from the left front corner. I take informality a step further, below, by replacing the upright magnolia with a weeping cherry.

Entry Garden - The Weeping Form Brings Down Apparent Height of Home

The shape of the tree not only adds additional informality but further brings down the apparent height of the home. The following two images depict the same side view as we’ve seen, above. I also included a view from above since the change in the walk dramatically changes the
sense of the entry garden. Again, the wall and distinct levels creates 2 separate arrivals. The curved walk provides a more elegant entry garden with more sense of intrigue since you can’t see everything at once. The asymmetrical approach also creates a greater sense of space and privacy from the street.

Curved Walk as Viewed From Top

There isn’t a right answer to this problem. The homeowner needs to think about which approach is more comfortable for them. Either of the front sidewalk options preserves the importance of the home to the streetscape and the formality of the home. The informal option fairly dramatically changes the feeling of the home — making it more personal and less public. Each approach is right for different owners.

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build

You Can Landscape Now for Tomorrow’s Garden Room

Jackie Braitman — Fri, 22 May 2009 22:20:33 +0000

Side Wrap-Around Porch at Dusk

I moved around a lot during the 1980’s and the first thing I thought about when I moved into a new home was how to connect the indoors with the out of doors. This was well before the craze for outdoor living — but then again, I spent 5 years in Southern California in the late 1970’s where the weather invited everyone outside year-round. The Porch, above, is an eastern version of California living with a deep roof to cool the house in the summer and comfortable seating to talk with neighbors [It's an addition to a 1905 home in the Takoma Park , Maryland historic preservation district that we remodeled in 2005.]

I’m sitting in another home just a few blocks away. It was built in 1917 and I’ve been here just about a year. And I’m frustrated beyond belief that I don’t yet have the money to build the addition in the back that will connect me to the out of doors! My response is to spend most of my spare time working on the landscape — so when the remodeling is completed I’ll be living in a much more mature landsacpe than if I waited.

BEWARE – DO NOT LANDSCAPE WITHIN ABOUT 8 FEET OF THE PLANNED REMODELING OR ADDITION. If you landscape and plant before remodeling, everything will just get trampled. But for most of us, there is still a lot of room to work on the foreground or background that we can work on years in advance.

My Home After 1 Year of Planing

So I’ve spent my time in the front and the back rear of the year. In the front, I’ve put in a low fence so my dog can be outside with me but that doesn’t say “keep out” to the neighbors. I’ve stained it a blue/grey — a color that tends to disappear into the landscape. I’m planting on both sides — often the same plants — to further fuzzy the line. I’ve created an inset at the front gate — a 6 foot by 3 foot inset — to further welcome visitors. It’s almost like a small foyer. Concrete stepping stone — meant to look like rock — connect the new paver parking pad with the house and help create a more naturalistic planting area. I’ve planted 7 trees in the front — 1 zelcova and 6 tall crepe myrtle that will eventually grow to create archways over the walkways and entryway.

The "Before"

In the back, I’ve planted 12 trees — 6 overstory trees including 3 River Birch, 2 Red Maples, 1 Willow Oak and 6 understory trees including 2 Dogwoods, 3 Purple-Leaf Plums, and a Stewartia. In addition, I’ve planted probably 15 shrubs. I’ve also created a mid-ground and back-ground by adding a swale and berm. The berm is held back with a “wall” of very large logs. The swale and berm help control run-off on the slope and keep water on my property. Even after only a year, I’ve created a sense of privacy that will only increase as the years go by. I’m also creating welcoming shade that will cool my home and my life.

Background Plantings

As I started Planting

Opening a Galley Kitchen Part 5

Jackie Braitman — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:12:32 +0000

Rendering of Proposed Kitchen Remodel

This is the 5th article about taking an isolated kitchen in an older home and making it the center of today’s activities. While not strictly a galley kitchen, the kitchen in this 1930’s home is isolated from the rest of the house. Plus the house is isolated from a beautiful, deep wooded lot. My clients asked how they could make the kitchen the center of the home plus achieve greater connection with the outside. The aggressive mosquitoes of the Silver Spring, MD neighborhood has kept the family off the deck for the last several years. So, this proposed remodel, lets the family feel like they’re outdoors while still in the comfort of their home. The family is quite cost-conscious so we have proposed several things to keep costs down:

In order to save money, we left the kitchen and it’s plumbing in place. All appliances are in their original location.
We removed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room and have essentially removed the back wall of the house. We’ve transferred the load to a series of columns and beams.
Since the proposed addition has bath or kitchen in it, the costs are driven by the choice of finishes. Even so, we propose a stone veneer to further increase the feeling of being outside.
3 steps down to a new stone terrace further ground the space to the outside.
All 3 sides of the proposed addition are glazed — floor to ceiling. Operable windows will let in cooling breezes. The wooded lot will shade the house.
The proposed addition is essentially the same footprint as the current deck. Additional footers will be needed, but the construction will be post and beam so as not to damage the root
system of the close-by trees.

This is the Existing View into the Kitchen

Rendering of View From Front Door

Existing View From Foyer

Proposed New Floor Plan

Existing Floor Plan

Unlike the other homes in this series, the proposed remodel expands the existing footprint. However, by opening the house fully, we’ve created the same type of “first-floor” great room that we’ve done in the other remodels. Discrete areas are open to each other and allow full interaction and yet perserve the sense of intimacy and the ability to engage in separate activities while being together. The proposed remodel fully integrates the kitchen with the rest of the house and integrates the house with it’s surroundings.

Link to: Opening a Galley Kitchen Part 1
Link to: Opening a Galley Kitchen Part 2
Link to: Opening a Galley Kitchen Part 3
Link to: Opening a Galley Kitchen Part 4

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Buildd

Darken Your Entry To Open Up Your Home

Jackie Braitman — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:38:38 +0000

Deep Taupe In Entry Foyer

Think how much more ordinary this home would appear without the deep taupe color in the foyer. When you arrive you enter a compressed area — an area of calm and enclosure that marks a resting point in your trip from the street up the walk to the home. The white trim and artwork help animate the deep tone. But the foyer is only a pause in your journey, not its completion. You are drawn toward the lighter tones in the living room (and even lighter tones in the dining room in the background). The living room — a lighter grayed-taupe — is almost creamy against the deep tone. Contract — in color or tone — is an effective way to emphasize the purpose of spaces and the natural journey through a home. Using a deep, contrasting tone in the entry is a technique I often employ in selecting a home’s palette. In this home, my client wanted a feeling of serenity and calm and was partial to beige — and in fact had used it throughout the home previously. I chose more complex tones of taupe and greatly varied the tone from room to room adding a creamy yellow in areas with more sunlight. In this article, I’ll show you 6 different examples of how effectively this technique works in creating a sense of arrival and journey through your home.

Deep Grayed-Green in Foyer & Darker Wine Transition

In the example, above, the foyer was a quite large room complete with stone fireplace. I used a deep, grayed-green for the foyer itself with a much lighter grayed-green with a touch of yellow in the living room (foreground) and a still lighter gray-green with a touch of blue in the family room (background). I left the deepest tone (a deep wine color) for the small transition between the foyer and family room and again between the mud entrance and the kitchen (not shown). The deep wine transition to the family room creates a subtle message to visitors that the space beyond is private family space and visitors are instead drawn to the closer brighter area of the living room.

Dark Charcoal Accent Wall

For the entry of this next home, the client wanted more light and we couldn’t use a skylight. So I chose a light taupe for the walls to create a lighter space and instead I selected a single wall — the wall leading to the private bedroom level of this split-level — to create a striking deep-charcoal accent. In this quite modern remodel, we used large-format porcelain tile for the charcoal accent. The accent would be almost as effective using a deep paint tone. And, in fact, we first painted the wall a deep charcoal so that I could demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique to the homeowner prior to investing in the cost of the tile. Since the main entryway color is light, I used a reverse technique to welcome visitors into the living room; In the living room I used a darker tone of the hallway color (see below). Like in the second example, the dark charcoal is a gentle, unspoken message that the main way lies in a different direction. The living room presents a more even use of tones and therefore is more soothing than the stark color contrasts in the entryway.

Darker Living Room / Lighter Entry

As in many modest older homes, the home, below, lacks a distinct entryway. Even in these cases, a deep, contrast can still make sense. In this case, I’m differentiating the passageways — up the stairs, toward the powder room and coat closet — as clearly subordinate to the much brighter living room. The living room’s plaster walls (not shown in this photo) are a soft mauve color that coordinates with the deep mauve of the secondary spaces. If woodwork in a house is going to be painted, I always paint it the same color — usually a cool or warm white depending upon the palette. As shown here, I also mix painted and stained wood in a home. As discussed in the previous article about this stairway (link), I also frequently paint the risers of a stairway as an inexpensive way to increase their architectural detail and interest.

Deep Taupe Accent Wall

When the palette is bright to begin with, I’ll use an even brighter or more intense tone in the entry. In this home, below, bright orange for the ceiling of the patio entry and a deep red column marks the entry in exactly the same way as the deep neutral tones do in the previous examples. (Read more about this color scheme)

Brighter Palette Calls For Brighter Accents

When the main palette contains very deep tones, like this basement media room, below (see article), I will often use a contracting light tone in the entryway. In this case, I bring a slightly deeper tone of the yellow from the kitchen down the stairs into the basement. I also use a mixed slate palette with light reflective tones in the backsplash of the kitchenette. The yellow, tans and grey of the slate and entry wall contrast beautifully with the deep charcoal of the walls and grey ceiling. The reverse approach has the same effect of a transition in your journey and a welcome to a cozy, intimate space to relax.

Deep Living Tones Call For Lighter Entry

All images courtesy of Braitman Design/Build