Undertaking a major renovation at the same time there isn’t anywhere to escape is not for the faint of heart. That said, our family certainly cannot be alone in realizing we needed to change some things when suddenly we weren’t able to just dash out to a restaurant when things were hectic. Having a whole household home morning, noon, and night, there are aspects of many of our homes that just aren’t cutting it for the all day, every day needs of a family.
One evening I was frying squash blossoms and had the kitchen junk drawer pulled open to hold bowls for dredging and breading to transfer them easily to the stove top, and we knew it was time to finally get the ball rolling on creating a functional kitchen.
At Harmon Builder’s recommendation we engaged Tuscan Blue Design to come up with a plan to make our 1920s bungalow work for a 2020s family. Having worked with Harmon Builders for a number of previous projects, we knew Mel, Paul, and Jason and their always amazing subcontractors were the people we trusted to handle our home. In the past we’ve left it in their hands while we were out of town. This time we were comfortable with the knowledge that they would be safe and conscientious with the risks posed by a global pandemic.
The plan—which has turned out to be an amazing transformation—ended up gutting the original first floor of our home. That left us very limited to our addition, also built by Harmon Builders, and also spending a lot of family time in the basement. We fashioned a makeshift kitchen from a few small appliances, which prepared us to be even more appreciative of what was to come.
The patience and flexibility were absolutely worth it. Combining our dining room and kitchen into a large open space created an area for a large island with table top seating around the end, a casual sitting space for a sofa, and a lot more storage. Doing this took space away from what had been an awkward front room that we didn’t spend time in because it had become constantly cluttered with bags, shoes, and sports equipment from coming in and out for typical daily activities. With regular activities disrupted, some of the stuff was never leaving, either.
To remedy our organizational challenges, Meredith of Tuscan Blue designed an entry with a bench seat next to armoire-style storage cabinets across from the front door. Built in shelving surrounding the windows on the side wall with a sitting nook between are paired with comfy chairs to make a small seating area that is visible from the kitchen. This created an inviting space that will one day be useful for entertaining. We can’t wait to be able to have friends here again to enjoy our beautiful and comfortable redesign.
Stay tuned for more details on this project, from the practical construction choices to the beautiful design.
Thank you to Harmon Builders and Tuscan Blue Design for the amazing results.
By Melanie Smith-Bell
