Open & Airy

Our client’s 1950s ranch is typical of many from this post-war genre: humble on the exterior, but possessing great potential and flexibility on the interior. The homeowners asked Feinmann to design a more efficient kosher kitchen and a dining room that would be cozy enough for nightly family dinners while also accommodating up to 14 people for dinner parties. The scope of work also included a new mudroom and small computer desk off the kitchen, as well as a new deck on the rear of the house. The floor plan of the home was changed dramatically, but no square footage was added. The dynamic solution involved removing an existing wall separating the dining room and kitchen and flipping the two spaces, thus creating an open floor plan. The client’s property had a beautiful backyard and in order to bring this asset into focus in daily life, we created a dramatic arcade of windows running the length of this living room. Each room within the space is loosely defined and open, and the “edge” of each room is defined by the raised tray ceiling above, which provides a sense of enclosure. The kitchen is truly the heart of this home. Children can do homework at the kitchen bar or dining room table and still interact with the homeowners’ when they’re cooking. Maple cabinets with a honey finish and oak flooring add warmth to the kitchen and dining room. Highlights of blue add a personal touch and appear as accent tiles in the backsplash, iridescent blue flecks in the ‘Blues in the Night’ granite, colorful blue pendants, and light blue cove ceilings. Photos by John Horner