For renovation of an historic 4,600 sqft home built by the first licensed woman architect in the United States, we worked in a tactical way to open up the flow between spaces, and to create a haven for two scholars. On the ground floor, we removed a series of walls to expand and connect rooms. The 19th Century trim details, as well as storage areas, a butler’s pantry, and closets from another era were critical to preserve. We cleared out other relics such as a back servant stair, which enabled a direct connection between the family room and kitchen, as well as created first floor powder room. The resulting renovation maintained a beauty of the details, moulding and original casework, meanwhile brightening and creating a contemporary space for scholarship, living and hosting guests. Caroline was Project Manager of the job while at Maryann Thompson Architects.
Removing the wall between the breakfast nook and the mudroom opened up the space to allow more light in.Classical trim details meet a contemporary opening of spaces.By removing a wall, we opened up the entry into the family room, thus creating a much more open sequence of spaces and spreading light throughout the ground floor. In the re-design of the ground floor, by removing the back servant stair, we opened up a passage-way between the family room and kitchen, as well as built a new powder room. The built-in bookshelves are designed to fit book compilations exactly.
By removing a wall, we connected the butler’s pantry to the dining room, resulting in a much more open layout. The carpenter used leftover wood from original cabinetry to construct a new end-piece. Traditional wainscot from the butler’s pantry now provides a rich new wall for the dining room, We worked together to design the finishes of the powder room. A theme of gold unifies the fixtures, tiles and wall finishes. I hand-painted the gold wall with a combination of copper, gold and bronze-tinted paints. Constrained within the confines of a historic structure of the 19th Century house, the powder room was tiny but needed to be significant. We used reflective surfaces to irradiate light and thus make the space feel bigger. Powder Room wall has bronze-leaf glass tiles with herringbone tiled marble floor.The redesigned new entry stairs and repainted front door tied together a historical home with a contemporary sensibility.
Caroline James Architectural Designer 