Luxurious Home Addition and Interior Renovation Project in West Chester, PA
This West Chester, PA home, built in the mid-1980s, had already been through several transformations and upgrades by the time the homeowners decided to put an addition on the back of the house. Since this will be their “forever” home, they wanted to expand the kitchen and update the style, add a new sitting room (with a focus on their beautiful gardens, waterfall and Koi pond), a large covered porch, and a first-floor master suite.
When I was brought into this project to help select cabinetry and finishes, the addition had already been designed and a basic room layout had been provided. After a quick assessment of the plans and getting to know the clients’ needs a little bit better, I was able to make some suggestions of how some small changes in the layout of the rooms would be beneficial, such as reducing the size of the large master bathroom a little bit so that we could make the closet bigger, as well as creating a vanity area with some storage outside of the bathroom.
The builder had strongly suggested incorporating large skylights in as many of the rooms as possible. This became a significant feature which greatly affected the interior. Not only do they bring a ton of natural sunlight into the spaces and make them feel lofty, but the overall lighting is very balanced because of the multiple windows and skylights, as well as supplemental LED lighting when needed.
For the flooring throughout the addition, we chose a medium-toned, gray stained, solid hardwood, which would blend with the existing flooring in the front living room. When choosing the paint color, we decided to use a very light, warm neutral (BM 971-Olympic Mountains), that would serve as a background for all of the things that we wanted to highlight.
Kitchen: We decided to put floor-to-ceiling, 10’ high, 12” deep cabinets on the inside wall of the kitchen for storage of items that were previously stored in “overflow” areas outside of the kitchen. Because the ceiling peaked in this area, we needed to add a rolling ladder so that the top cabinets could be reached. Another feature of the kitchen is the large island which has storage along the back side and a built-up countertop edge to make it look even more grand and substantial. The clients wanted gold to be the theme for accents and lighting, so we found some beautiful pendants for over the island and white marble with gold inlay for the tile backsplash. The client found the modern farm sink which featured gold vertical lines on the front. The quartz countertop also has a very subtle gold color running through it.
Powder Room: I love to do something fun on the walls in powder rooms. We found a beautiful floral paper and installed it on the entire sink wall and above a high “chair rail”. The blue cabinet and faceted gold mirror create a beautiful focal point to this space. The sconces, which have a little bit of rattan wrapped around the stem, and the sand colored herringbone floor tile bring a bit of classic casualness to the space.
Sitting Room: The new sitting room has a modern, elongated gas fireplace, which we surrounded with Perla Venita leathered quartzite and wood paneling. A built-in, frameless mirror reflects the beautiful windows on the opposite wall. We found gorgeous crystal sconces, and loved them so much that we repeated the crystal look in the finals for the window treatments. The sheer window treatments are meant to finish off the space and softly diffuse the light, but not obstruct any of the views. Two sofas are arranged so that either the fireplace or the garden and pond outside can be viewed, and they also create a nice conversation area.
Primary Bedroom: In the primary bedroom, which is adjacent to the sitting room, more lights and finials with crystal carried the theme through as well as layered window treatments. We used the sheers for decoration and daytime privacy if needed, and the woven shades for light control. We designed the long wall to house built-in cabinetry for storage and a place for the television.
The curb-less shower in the primary bath features a dark blue hand painted picket tile and pebble on the floor and shower head wall. Behind the vanity sink we installed ledger stone, which was also used to clad the fireplace in the dining room. The functional medicine cabinets feature LED mirrors which are lit around the perimeter, providing light where it’s needed.
Veranda: Out on the covered porch, the focal point is the fireplace with a television above. The space is long and narrow, so we broke it up into two areas, a dining area and a sitting area. We chose furniture that would be both durable and comfortable. The dining table is a solid resin. A pretty blue fabric is featured on the cushions and trim. Black sconces and ceiling fans provide a nice contrast to the wood beams and ceiling. It’s a great space for entertaining guests or hanging out solo and reading a book or watching tv.
This project was a true collaborative effort, required a lot of attention to detail, and was a pleasure to be a part of. The clients are very pleased with the results and enjoy using the spaces that we created together.
General Contractor: Cottage Industries
"After" Photography: Jon Friedrich Photography
FLOOR/FURNITURE PLAN
