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2020 Washington Metro DC Chapter Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) for Residential Interior Renovation
Our clients wanted to update their kitchen, but they were also dissatisfied with the overall layout of their first floor living space. They wanted a larger laundry room, a more open/eat-in kitchen, a larger formal dining room to accommodate all their dining room furniture, better views of and access to the back yard and a more efficient and better looking home office. They believed they needed an addition to accomplish this, but we reconfigured their existing footprint to create all the spaces to meet their needs. They wanted their renewed home to be practical, livable, and more comfortable. We were able to achieve this within their existing footprint and budget.
Before Kitchen felt closed off; Laundry Room was very narrow; Dining Room was small and claustrophobic. The Study and Family Room were dated. Egress to the back yard was blocked by a large kitchen dining table.
The New Floorplan has much better flow and livability. Traffic flow has significantly improved.
The Before Kitchen was dated and lacked the open concept the clients wanted. OBSTACLES OVERCOME: It is not uncommon for us to find existing conditions that need to be repaired during a renovation. In this home, both the floor and the ceiling were out of level. We had to jack up the floor and completely rebuild the ceiling to fix these issues so that our new work would have integrity.
The After Kitchen is more open, bright and functional. Off-white perimeter cabinets contrast the cherry woodland finish island cabinets.
The Before Kitchen had dark cabinets, old appliances, and out of date colors.
The After Kitchen has a suite of stainless-steel GE Café Appliances. Cream and tan tones create a calming effect. Oil rubbed bronze pulls and lanterns compliment the cherry woodland finish of the island. While our design called for replacing the bay window with this new three window unit; the exterior wall framing was sagging and needed to be completely rebuilt.
Kitchen details increase functionality.
The husband uses a French press for coffee and the wife a drip coffee maker. Before, they had to have all their coffee appliances on the countertop. A new appliance garage helps to keep the countertops clear of clutter.
Kitchen details
The stainless-steel GE Café kitchen range is conveniently located next to the microwave drawer on one side and the pots/pans in soft-close drawers on the other.
The 33” apron front double bowl kitchen sink is constructed of fired clay for durability.
Crystal Cabinet’s dish drawer with a pegboard system of holding dishes in place.
The Before Kitchen peninsula created a narrow passage to the garage door and laundry room. The garage door was the most frequently used door in the home. The clients park in the garage and use it to come and go from the house daily. Therefore, the fact that this area wasn’t working well for the client was significant.
The After Kitchen floor plan demonstrates how reconfiguring the entire first floor layout makes it more practical, livable and inviting; removing walls, reducing the footprint of the laundry room and eliminating the former kitchen peninsula opens up the space.
The old laundry room was very narrow and was the first thing the homeowners saw when they came into their home.
By changing the laundry room to a linear laundry closet, we not only improved the look of that area, but it also facilitated a wider exterior opening to the backyard. The large laundry closet is purposely close to the new larger kitchen island for folding clothes.
The clients wanted better access to the backyard. In the former kitchen, a large dining table blocked the doors.
The new design allows for unobstructed access and view to the rear yard and patio.
The Before Dining Room was small and closed in.
The After Space, that was formerly the Dining Room, is now a “Morning Room”. It is where this empty nester couple eat most of their meals including informal small gatherings with friends. This mixed-use space is also where they read the morning paper and watch TV. This space met the clients’ need of wanting to have an eat-in kitchen in a creative way. Furthermore, the space has created a better traffic flow via a large cased opening to the family room.
The BEFORE family room had enough square footage for comfortable furniture and TV watching; but it was dated and now that the space would be more open to the renewed kitchen and morning room, it needed a facelift. The TV looked diminutive on a small console. The vast wall space above the French doors and below the triple windows created an odd look.
Repainting the room with soft colors and painting the fireplace brick a soft off-white makes the room significantly more inviting. A custom mantel and TV cabinet were designed and built to make the space look more finished and balanced. Adding a transom above the French Doors accessed more natural light and volume; creating a better proportion of that unit to the wall.
The former family room looked disjointed and rather like an “after thought” room.
The After family room is now a room the homeowners are proud to use. The renewed space has lots of new features including a custom built-in for books, storage and shelving for display items.
The family room was closed off from the kitchen and the former dining room; making it dark and impeding traffic flow. A tiny piece of furniture served as a cocktail bar.
Creating a large cased opening from the family room allowed for more natural light and better circulation.
The tiny cocktail table in the family room has been replaced with a beverage area nestled between the Kitchen and the Morning Room. There is plenty of space for storage and refrigeration.
The BEFORE Living room had become a space that was not used for “living” but rather for storage; therefore, not a room the client really needed. This was the view from the front door to the rear of the home; cluttered and visually confusing.
Even though the clients use their formal dining room only once or twice a year, they really wanted to be able to have all their proper dining room furniture in one place; something they had never been able to do. We repurposed the former unused living room and made the space formal dining. This more attractive space is the first thing guests now see as they walk from the foyer to the rear of the home.
The Before Foyer featured a little table with a prized Remington Sculpture. The client wanted to give this art more attention.
To give the art more prominence, we designed and built a custom display stand; the profile matching the profile found in the front door.
The client says that, post construction, frequent guests are commenting that it is the first time they’ve noticed the art! It is the attention to little details that can often make a big difference to the client.
The before Den was an adequate size, but it opened to the foyer and therefore, was the first room guests would see as they entered the front door. The client disliked the paneled look of the room.
Removing the paneling and installing custom floor to ceiling cabinetry (with significantly more storage capacity) made the Home Office imminently more attractive but also more functional.
The former den only had a cased opening that provided no privacy from the foyer. Installing frosted glass French doors solved that problem.
Our clients are very happy that we were able to meet all their needs by repurposing their existing space. The home now functions better for the way they live, is significantly more inviting, and improves circulation. High quality craftsmanship and creative design are present throughout the space. The obstacles that we overcame, correcting the original construction, enhanced the long-term integrity of the home.
Award Winning Remodelers in Northern Virginia – Bowers Design Build has specialized in providing the best overall experience in the remodeling industry since 1990. Bowers Design Build specializes in Northern Virginia Remodeling and Northern Virginia Custom Homes. Our numerous industry remodeling awards have been great, but the true measure of our success has been high marks in overall customer satisfaction
Service areas: McLean, Arlington, Falls Church, Vienna, Oakton, Great Falls, Alexandria, Fairfax County and Middleburg.
Specializing in: Northern Virginia New Custom Homes, Northern Virginia Whole House Renovations, Northern Virginia Kitchen Renovations, Northern Virginia Master Bathroom Renovations, Northern Virginia Interior Renovations, Northern Virginia Basement Renovations, Renovations for Aging-in-Place and Northern Virginia Outdoor Living Spaces.
