A Fresh Start With Repurposed Materials
SoBo has seen variations of this home model in the Park East neighborhood over the past 20 years. It was a solidly built home from the 1960’s, albeit with some poor remodeling decisions that had been made during its lifespan. The current owners were ready to give the main level a fresh start. They were frustrated with the isolated kitchen and were hoping for a more open layout so they could entertain more easily. Their ideas lined up well with what the area was begging for. It needed space and volume. The walls were constricting and the ceiling height was low.
One of the challenges of opening up an entire floor is to define the spaces appropriately. It can be difficult to define the living room without any interior walls – same goes for the dining room. How do you give a sense of space when it is entirely open? Our interior designer expanded on our initial designs and really refined the feel of each “room,” even though there was only one, using lighting and furniture to set apart the spaces.
The owner was a City employee who worked on the Resource project in east Boulder. She had a passion for repurposing materials and made it clear she would like to do so on her own project. One of my favorite pieces were the pantry doors she found. They were a perfect piece of history that dropped a charming element into her modern kitchen design. We also used some reclaimed barnwood for accent walls near the rear and front entries. They turned out wonderfully.
Reusing and reclaiming materials can be a noble and fulfilling endeavor, but it should be noted that this does not save money…only the planet. It takes an excessive amount of labor to refashion and install salvaged materials. This often offsets any cost savings realized when finding the material itself. It is also fair to assume that your contractor cannot warranty any materials or installation regarding reclaimed materials, which can include things as simple as re-using your washer/dryer or your dishwasher during a project.
The owners wanted to add more living and entertaining space by blending the outside with the inside. They had a vine-covered pergola over their picnic table, but they had grander visions. We more than tripled their patio area by adding a firepit, hot tub zone, and outdoor cooking area. We also added a large window and sliding doors with easy access inside to outside to blend that line.
One of the more subtle investments they made was in the vaulted ceiling. Sometimes it’s hard to promote the value of such an endeavor to a client, since it adds a significant increase to the cost to raise the ceilings in a large room. The impact of this decision, however, is remarkable. It changes the entire feeling of the space to the positive. In the end, they decided to invest in this feature versus a large, but expensive, sliding glass door. We worked with them to find a more budget friendly solution which had the same impact of blending the indoor/outdoor space. Mission accomplished.