Nathan and I are thinking about staying in this house and renovating it pretty immensely. My idea would be to make the current kitchen into an entry, since we always come in through the backdoor. It would be a place to drop our shoes, our bag and coat; to store things we may need–blankets, outdoor gear; a place to do laundry and store laundry supplies. I imagine a built in bench, with storage underneath, cabinets to store things, and a wall with hooks for each person’s coats and bags. Also, a pantry for the kitchen. Here are some images (**click the first image to see all photos and notes about each image**).
This image shows one design of bench seating that could work as well as what it might look like if we put the washer/dryer in this space. I also like the windowed door – so much nice light! While there’s no personal nooks for things, there are still hooks, and the bench might serve as storage for those personal daily items.
What I love about this are the separate nooks for each person’s belongings they may grab on the way out the door. Shoes. Bags. Coats. Books. The pantry could potentially be the cabinet on the left in this photo.
More bench seating, lots of cabinet/storage, and hooks for personal effects
Then, from the entry way (which is where our current kitchen is), you could take a left into the hallway where the bedrooms are (there is currently a spice cabinet in that space, which I’d want removed, the adjacent wall removed, and opened up that “walk way” opened up. Or, you could walk straight through into the kitchen (where the current dining room/playroom is). The two walls creating an entryway from this room into the living room would be taken out — possibly replaced with a supporting beam, to open up the kitchen space to the living room. And the french doors opening to the deck, currently in the dining room/playroom, would be replaced with a wall of windows, and the french doors would be moved to the new dining room space (east side of the living room), where they could open on the deck.
Back to the kitchen: I imagine it open, maybe with an island, or maybe with a large bar counter for informal eating. I don’t really know what the layout would look like, but I imagine it to be open and much roomier than it is currently. New appliances. Soft-closing cabinets and drawers, cabinets with shelving that pulls out; and maximizing space in general. Here are a few images of the layouts that I imagine (not necessarily design/colors/style):
This layout would work with our current floor plan. Where the window is in this photo is where the French doors currently sit. But if we couldn’t take out the walls from the current dining room to living room (due to them being load-bearing or whatever), this type of layout would work.
Again, if we couldn’t remove the two walls from the dining into living rooms, this is another layout that could work – where the breakfast bar is open into the living room. Where the sink and window are in this photo is where the French doors are currently in our home.
This is another potential layout, where one wall (on the right) is removed, but the wall on the left stays. The kitchen still opens into the current living room (which would become the dining room on the east side of the LR).
Again, the current dining room looking into the current living room. I really like that this includes the informal breakfast bar, and is open enough that folks could visit from the other room. Obviously, neither room would be as large as these two rooms show to be.
Again, in our current floor plan, the French doors are where the window and sink are in this photo. I love this. I love the white cabinets and window frames, you get the pretty morning sunshine. YOu have a gas stove top on the breakfast bar – I’m a big fan of that.
So, that would be the main renovation. I would also like to add insulation into the walls of many rooms. I would like to replace all the bedroom, closet and bathroom doors to white five-panel doors; new energy efficient windows with white craftsman/period window trim; new carpet in the appropriate spaces; new white French doors off the new dining room; and eventually a wrap-around deck. I’d also like to paint the house a darker blue, and landscape the yard. Upstairs, Nathan wants to build a small veranda off the side of the master bedroom with a place to sit and look at the lake. The bathroom up here needs a reno as well, and I wouldn’t mind updating the skylights and/or give them new, fresh window trim. Here are some ideas for window trims and doors:
I am not fond of “barn door” style doors, but if this one looked good in both spaces, I’d use this as a bathroom door.
Another version…
I love this frosted glass pocket door. So clean.
I do like this design, but I prefer the next design.
This design is my first choice for all bedroom doors.
I like the frame on this one, not the window design.
So, this would be the main renovation. I would also like to add insulation to the rooms. In addition, I would like to replace all the bedroom, closet and bathroom doors to white five-panel doors; new energy efficient windows with white craftsman/period window frames; new carpet in the appropriate spaces; new white French doors; and eventually a wrap-around deck. I’d also like to paint the house a darker blue, and landscape the yard. Upstairs, Nathan wants to build a small veranda with a place to sit and look at the lake. The bathroom up here needs a reno as well, and I wouldn’t mind updating the skylights and/or give them new, fresh window frames.
