Piedmont Remodel

A socket was cast in the custom concrete serving counter on the kitchen peninsula so the bowl would have a permanent place (but could be removed for cleaning).

There was a wall that ran on a line at the back of the new sink that was removed to allow the desk and kitchen areas to communicate.

Intended as the main food preparation area with a prep sink, adjacent cutting board, open shelves for the most used items. Countertop materials vary as according to intended use: granite at the sink, butcher block for cutting and also at the sitting area for its warmth; a decorative concrete backsplash/shelf to keep food from wandering. Cabinets: rift Red Oak base with Lacewood drawer fronts, Curly Maple and /Wenge at the sink.

They also serve as the door pulls. Wide door pulls also serve as towel bars.

Here you can see the back-painted glass used as the full height backsplash at the stove, and the stainless steel counter at the dish sink across the room.

Looking from Dining Room: the new stove is in the same approximate location, with the new peninsula where the refrigerator is. These are metal cabinets probably original to the house.

Looking toward the new banquette from a door in the wall that was removed to open up the space.

New banquette with new shoji in a wider door opening to the Dining Room

Maple top, turned curly Cherry wood leg, Rift Red Oak seat

Flat sawn Red Oak was cut, turned and glued back together to achieve the rift grain pattern in such thick material.

The line of the cabinets was continued into the Dining room in order to expand the sense of space.

The door on the right was closed up and the door opening on the left widened and fitted with Shoji.

door to Kitchen from Dining Room

Shoji door pull

Shoji door pull

Lower Floor. Behind these doors is a massive brick pit barbecue. It was large enough to put the TV and other equipment in without have to demolish it.

The pattern on the surface matches the lattice pattern of the shoji across the room, which is used to divide the space.

Four shoji doors divide the large entertainment space into two spaces, one of which can be used as a guest bedroom. The pattern repeats on the Entertainment Cabinet across the room.

The original request of the client was to have a water feature, but after mush discussion over a long period, we decided that this was impractical. However, I designed a symbolic water feature: the “pool” of river stones is bridged at the door with precast concrete tiles I cast for this spot, with a meandering "stone “trickle” across the patio out to a real water feature.

Note the careful alignment of materials and the use of textures to reinforce design elements.

slightly askew for a variety of ledge areas.

[Quickie Polaroid in the days before digital]

A new fireplace surround in Italian plaster, struct of to suggest stone block enhances the existing firebox. A new curving cast concrete hearth in white accentuates the horizontal dimension of the room. The oak floor has been stained black.

The original room divider between the Entry and the Living Room, has been extended, resurfaced with vertical grain Hemlock and refitted to be more efficient in its storage.