At the Intersection of Art, Architecture & Design

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We took a plain vanilla condo just a few years old and turned it into a color-filled, comfortable, clean-lined space with flexible living spaces to make life manageable in a small space

I’m in the design process for 3 jobs where a small house has the front door opening directly into the living room — without access to a closet or any other means of transition from outside to inside. In each case, the client wants to create a foyer but without adding significant, if any, space.

This is a great galley kitchen for a small home. It’s got 2 9 ft counters with a sink on one side and a 36″ cooktop on the other.

Yesterday’s article covered the major elements that make color palettes work in architecture using a home with a bold, bright color palette. This home uses the same conceptual elements with a more somber palette of grayed-greens, deep wine, and a touch of creamy yellow. This home also features two elements that weren’t as apparent in the other home: The effectivness of Darker Transitions and moving from Dark to Light as daylight increases.

This article explores what makes a color palette work. In this home, I’ve used several bold colors but none overwhelm. Read about the 6 elements I use in color design.

This home uses a bright, energetic palette without being overwhelming. Let’s look at how the use of color sets the stage and creates visual boundaries. The only place red is used is on the column dividing the kitchen from the breakfast area. The column is necessary to hide a structural support, a waste stack and ductwork. The deep red marks the transition between the working Kitchen and the sitting area of the breakfast room.

We often relocate kitchens in houses that originally had small galley kitchens in the back of the house. For this 1914 duplex in Washington, DC that wasn’t possible — both for reasons of budget and space. Instead we popped part of it into the dining room.

This remodeled Tudor revival home in Silver Spring MD features
an open floor plan that helps a very modest house “live large”.
The original floor plan was busy — with small rooms running
into each other