Renovations, Remodelling & Makeovers Archives - Page 6 of 8

Narrow House Makeover, Covent Garden, London UK by FORMstudio

This Narrow House makeover project utilized the narrow deep plan of this tall terraced late 19th century building that was ill-suited to its previous use as offices, with escape distances pre-determining the necessity for the centrally located lift and stair core that sub-divided the floor plate into small inflexible work spaces.

This configuration was, we recognised, ideally suited to the creation of residential space though, with naturally-lit rooms of domestic scale located to the front and rear, and support spaces located inboard around the retained central stairs and lift. A use further suggested by the domestic style of the Dutch-gabled brick front elevation.

A change of use was therefore recommended to our developer client, with Planning Consent subsequently granted, contrary to local policy, for the creation of a luxurious 4-bedroom house.

FORMstudio has developed something of a speciality in adding value to unpromising plots by radically rethinking the site’s potential through imaginative, adaptive transformation of redundant spaces.

Subtle changes to the section of the building have created external spaces and allowed natural light to penetrate deep into the plan.

These include the creation of a soaring 6m double-height kitchen/dining space opening onto a small new ground floor courtyard; the replacement of the original hipped roof with an additional split-level studio floor with terraces front and rear; and the creation of an entry courtyard recessed behind a decorative metal screen that echoes the proportions and format of a shopfront on the pavement line.

Redundant storage spaces in the artificially-lit lower ground floor have been given new life as a state-of-the-art cinema and gym; with sophisticated systems throughout the house providing control of lighting, AV, blinds, heating/air con and blinds via hand-held tablets.

New and existing fabric has high levels of insulation and air-tightness whilst MVHR systems, air-source heat pumps and low-energy LED lighting help limit environmental impact.

The retention of the existing passenger lift and adherence to Lifetime Homes standards mean that the house can be a proper family home for all potential occupants.

Fastidious detailing and a limited palette of high quality materials, together with a fire- engineered approach to layout (removing the necessity for lobbies), have helped to create a calm restful interior with a good spatial flow between the 6 floors of accommodation.

The house is now a tranquil oasis of calm despite being located in the bustling centre of Covent Garden. Planters at the ground floor and window boxes to the sash windows have been added on the street elevation to provide vegetation as a foil to the hard materials of this dense urban environment.

As part of the landscaping scheme to the rear courtyard, tall bamboo canes accentuate the height, providing a living green wall that can be enjoyed from the interior spaces through the glass, whilst a water feature in the corner provides calming sound and gentle movement.

The planting to the roof terraces provides year round colour and screening, offering rare outdoor relaxation and entertaining space high above the rooftops with views over the West End of London.

The client was delighted with the result, saying “The house they have designed is spectacular and agents and others have all commented on its brilliant design and have said it’s the best freehold house in Covent Garden. The design was inspired and again the attention to detail was so impressive.”

About FORMstudio

Architecture has the power to transform environments and quality of life.

FORMstudio aims to create places that can be inhabited and experienced by people in a natural and instinctive way. Enjoyable places with a tranquil sense of simplicity, which create a supportive and uplifting backdrop for life.

Individual solutions are developed for clients which are an intelligent, inventive and sustainable response to the complex matrix of issues that shapes each project. Solutions with a lucidity and apparent simplicity which belie their underlying complexity.

Listening, analysis, discussion and clarification are at the heart of an inclusive approach that recognises the fact that some of the best ideas are generated in the space between people rather than by individuals.

FORMstudio is an RIBA Chartered Architects practice based in London SE1. The practice offers a comprehensive range of services from feasibility and development analysis, through to full architectural/lead consultant roles and also interior design/space planning.

For more see: www.formstudio.co.uk
Photo credits: Bruce Hemming Photography

If You Like This Feature, Here Are Other Architectural Homes You May Like:

Choosing the Best Kitchen Flooring for Your New Kitchen

The Best Kitchen Flooring Considerations

Making sure you select the best kitchen flooring that is the right flooring type for your kitchen based on your own specific usage demands, budget and family needs and requirements.

Get this wrong, and your kitchen will look like a nightmare and you’ll end up not adding any value to your home at all.

In fact buyers (if you ever sell) will need to factor in the costs to replace the flooring that you put in. So, basically, what we’re basically saying here is “Get this right!”

Or if you haven’t a clue, get advice. We’ve put together a comparison of the various types of kitchen flooring that you could buy today, hopefully, to help you make the right decision for your home and family.

Your kitchen is one of the key focal points for your home and therefore, it’s critical to get it right from the outset.

You need to take into account your needs in the kitchen, how will it be used, what sort of foot traffic will it get, how easily cleanable would you like it to be?

These factors along with budgetary constraints will all help to determine the most suitable flooring type for your kitchen.

Then to top it all off, you have to them factor in your style and color preferences, assuming they’re available in the flooring product you decide to go with.

Elaborating on some of these considerations mentioned above.

Your needs – Is your kitchen a place that receives some of the highest foot traffic in your home? Is it a gathering spot for family conversations, or is it simply a place where food is prepared and cooked? Whatever the use of your kitchen, the amount of foot traffic will determine whether or not you need a hard wearing, durable surface, or something less so.

Ease of cleaning – Depending on your time availability, some floor types are easier to clean and maintain than others. Determine just how important it is to you to have your kitchen floor always looking its best. If you don’t have the time available, or the inclination, then go with something like linoleum, or vinyl for an easy to clean solution. Also be aware that the lighter colored floors, or the natural stone type tiles that have uneven surfaces, whilst looking great, to begin with, can present cleaning difficulties or a consistent cleaning demand over the longer term.

Budgetary constraints – Its always nice to have an unlimited budget for doing up areas of your home, however for most of us, that isn’t the case. When it comes to spending money on your kitchen floor, don’t go for the cheapest option that you think might meet your needs, go with one that will keep adding value to your home over the longer term. Sure, it may cost a little more in the short term, but the long-term benefits will have it paid for itself many times over.

Color, and Style – This decision is critical. You need to take into account the overall theme, style, and color of the interior décor of your home. Don’t get too radical in your style and color choices for your kitchen floor. It needs to co-ordinate and blend with the overall feel of your home. So be conservative in your color choices and ensure that whatever color you do decide on, that it compliments and adds to the overall décor of your home.

What types of flooring are available for your new kitchen?

There are a lot of flooring choices for your new kitchen.

So first we’ll highlight to you the basic types of flooring you can choose from and then we’ll elaborate a little more on what their strengths and weaknesses are, to enable you to make an informed decision about what floor type is likely to be best for your kitchen and your own situation;

Ceramic Tiles
Granite tiles, slate tiles, or other natural stone
Solid Hardwood floors
Laminate Flooring
Vinyl
Cork
Linoleum
Concrete
Bamboo

Ceramic Tile

The most common flooring type you’ll see in many homes and one that has been around for ages are your good old ceramic tile which provides a real safe bet for your kitchen floor, and one that will also span most budget ranges.

The options for choice here are endless. If your budget is low, you’ll find something that will fit your kitchen plans.

If your budget is high, you will too. Although it’s not uncommon for some homeowners with extreme budgets to go on a tour (holiday) to Italy and hand select their very own tiles to import.

There are always lots of outlets, and wholesalers that run sales and sellouts all the time, so do your best to keep a lookout for massive in-store reductions off the retail price for a decent order.

You will have to choose from the variety of colors available, the size, the shape and even some that have a pattern.

Selecting the right tile for your kitchen will depend on your kitchen style, whether you’re after the contemporary modern look, or the more traditional, classic style look.

Either way, you’ll need to know to have some idea of your color theme, so you don’t choose a tile that would be inappropriate on your floor.

We Like:

Ceramic tiles are extremely hard wearing and will withstand lots of wear and tear. It won’t matter if you traipse mud and dirt into your kitchen and on to your ceramic floor, because cleaning it is a breeze.

Likewise, any spillages or other accidents that happen from time to time will have little or no impact on your flooring.

The value of ceramic tiles as a flooring make it possibly the most cost-effective flooring type for budget seekers, and if you’re the adventurous type, then you could even experiment with creating your own unique tile floor pattern.

We Don’t Like:

Ceramic tiles are unforgiving. When you drop a breakable plate or a glass on to it, it will break 99% of the time.

Likewise, if you lay the tiles on a concrete floor, the lack of flexibility, and the natural movement that occurs in properties over time can cause a tile to crack, and/or the same for grouting, which incidentally, also needs regular cleaning and sealing to maintain a consistent color throughout.

There is often also a cold feeling when walking on a ceramic tile floor barefoot, and there is also the risk of slips when walking on a wet ceramic tile floor.

Costings:

These will vary wildly, but you are likely to be looking at upwards of $3 per square foot (uninstalled)

Natural Stone

Natural Stone, regardless of what type of material they have the major advantage in their natural variation of colors.

It’s true that with natural stone you won’t generally find any two pieces with the same textures, patterns or colors and hence in your home on the floor, it adds a dimension that no other flooring product can provide.

Natural stone is often thought of as either limestone, granite, slate, and travertine.

When using natural stone on a kitchen floor, it does tend to create a rich and elegant look that can instantly lift a kitchen’s perceptible value.

We Like:

Stone floors have built-in natural beauty and because they have been used as a flooring surface for centuries, they have proven to be durable and hard wearing and also require very little maintenance and upkeep.

Like tiles and concrete, they are also cold underfoot which is great for people living in hotter climes.

We Don’t Like:

Stone, being a natural product can be expensive and is not ideally suited for the do-it-yourself type. It is notorious for trapping dirt and depending on the softness of the stone, it can become scratched and chipped.

It may even require regular sealing of the surface to add protection if it is of a porous type.

Costings:

Again some wild variability in pricing, but you can expect to pay around $15 to $30 per square foot, uninstalled.

Solid Timber

There is nothing more naturally beautiful than the warmth and beauty of a real solid wood floor.

With kitchens being places of high foot traffic and high moisture, the choice of a wooden floor can be a good one for longevity and a date-less look.

The caveat here is that the composite flooring materials and the manufactured laminated or synthetic timber look products are not a suitable choice for a kitchen floor.

For this example, we are referring exclusively to ‘solid hardwood flooring’ materials.

When cared for, and treated appropriately, they can last indefinitely.

We Like:

Solid wood planks in whatever material or timber type you choose, will provide you with plenty of choices to do with color and look.

Whether you want a light wood, a dark wood, or a heavily grained wood, there should be a solid wooden floor type to fit your needs, and because its timeless in its look, with a little regular maintenance of sanding and refinishing, you can maintain its great look for many years.

We Don’t Like:

Dents and scratches are the enemies of the timber floor.

When you drop solid objects, they can leave permanent marks in the floor (usually until they are removed by sanding and refinishing) Also any liquid spillages, require prompt cleaning up to avoid damage to the surface.

Costings:

Timber flooring will cost between about $5 and $12 per square foot, uninstalled.

Vinyl

Vinyl seems to have been around for years as a flooring choice and it was also primarily chosen based on price.

The range of choices was always relatively limited and it was never quite a choice that would give your kitchen the fashion edge.

Fast forward to modern times, and we now have vinyl in a sophisticated range of choices of different designs and finishes.

It is available in tiles, or rolls, or sheets and the look now mimics a wooden floor, a stone floor, ceramic tile as well as lots of other options that even include embossed textures that look and feel amazingly realistic to the original.

We Like:

Still, a relatively cheap kitchen flooring option compared with other choices, you can now have the look of other more expensive materials at a fraction of the cost.

Vinyl floors are easy to clean and maintain, and it’s a relatively simple process to patch an area that may have been damaged.

It generally offers a comfortable underfoot feeling and is relatively simple for the DIY’er to install.

Vinyl is a great choice of kitchen flooring for lower value homes, or rental houses, or infrequently used holiday homes.

We Don’t Like:

Vinyl is prone to denting, bubbling and lifting and can even curl up at the edges over time. It can be easily subjected to tearing, or surface damage from dirt and grit which is not repairable unless you patch the damaged area and it is also possible that the look can fade in strong sunlight.

Whilst it is a cheaper option when compared to other flooring choices, the long-term lifespan of a vinyl floor is somewhat limited. You will probably begin to notice obvious signs of wear and tear after about 4 or 5 years.

Costings:

If you shop around, you can probably source some good vinyl options for between $2 to $20 per square foot, uninstalled.

Linoleum

You might be thinking ‘but you just did vinyl, why are you now covering linoleum?’

It’s not uncommon for people to confuse vinyl and linoleum, but the reality is they are completely different products.

Linoleum has been around for quite a long time, originally being developed back in the 1800’s and has sold extensively in either sheets or tiles and is available in a wide variety of colors.

Installing linoleum should be done by a professional installer as almost all practical applications of linoleum is likely to require extensive seams and its wearability over time will likely be based on the base over which it installed.

Linoleum was developed from all natural materials, such as linseed oil, resins, wood flour and the like, however as synthetic flooring started to become popular, it became unfashionable.

Nevertheless, due to its ‘green-ness’ and the fact that ‘retro’ is making a fashionable comeback, the use of linoleum is again on the rise making it a perfect option for people with classically styled cottages or those looking to recreate that mid-twentieth century interior look.

We Like:

Linoleum is a versatile product. Since it is available in practically every color imaginable, it gives great flexibility to the kitchen owner, especially those looking for the boldness of color on the floor.

It can also be easily cut into unique patterns providing a flooring look that is totally unique and personal, plus it is still an affordable option when compared to other flooring types, its durable and hard wearing and requires little maintenance.

If linoleum is well cared for, it will last for a very long time.

We Don’t Like:

Linoleum is a product that can wear and fade in time and with lots of use. Some manufacturers choose to add a protective surface coating before it is sold.

If you look to buy linoleum without such a coating, then you are likely to need to periodically wax and polish the floor. It can expensive to install, and is potentially difficult to work with, hence the need for a professional linoleum installer, and these people can also be difficult to find

Cost:

About $5 to $8 per square foot, uninstalled. Custom colors and patterns add to the price tag.

Concrete

Concrete flooring (as you can no doubt imagine) is probably the hardest and most durable of flooring surfaces.

It has ventured a long way since days of old, when it was only ever on a basement or garage floors, or hidden beneath carpeting or some other softer feeling covering.

Many recent designers have taken concrete under their wings due to its versatility and applied a multitude of personalization aspects to it.

Polishing the concrete provides a beautiful finish that would match the look of many other hard surface finishes.

Colorings or stains are added to provide uniqueness in the final look.

Other ways concrete is treated to provide a unique flooring surface is through surface techniques like acid etching, scoring, or even stamping with interesting or unique designs and styles.

We Like:

Concrete is renown for its ability to remain cool, even in the hottest of weather, making it great for hotter climate areas.

Dollar for dollar it offers the best value when it comes to durability being practically indestructible, it will end up looking just as good after its cleaned up (Assuming it was sealed, to begin with).

Also, should you ever tire of the semi-industrial look of concrete, you can always cover with an alternative flooring surface.

We Don’t Like:

Concrete flooring (as a finished surface) requires professional installation.

It can feel solid to the underfoot and doesn’t have the give of many other flooring types like hardwood.

Being porous, it means you’ll need to seal the surface to prevent stains, especially in the high traffic areas like the kitchen where spillages and droppages are commonplace.

Not an ideal surface for the colder climates if you desire a warm looking and feeling surface.

Cost:

The costs of pouring a concrete floor can vary wildly.

Depending on the overall complexity, concrete floors can cost as little as $2 to $6 a square foot or as much as $15 to $30 a square foot.

Typically, a decorative concrete floor installation will be quite cost-effective, especially if you already have an existing concrete slab that’s ready for staining, polishing or an application of a decorative coating or overlay.

Concrete finishing treatments, such as staining, stamping or etching are likely to range between about $2 per square foot and $15 or more per square foot.

Cork

Cork is a naturally grown product from the bark of a tree and has become particularly popular of late as a kitchen floor material.

One of the recent innovations with cork is that it is now available in a variety of patterns and colors.

For people that like a soft feel underfoot will like a cork kitchen floor.

With it natural air pockets, it provides a softness or spongy feeling that many other floor surfaces don’t.

An eco-friendly product, the look of cork on a kitchen floor isn’t for everyone.

It can be a practical floor for cooks or chefs that spend long hours standing, but aesthetically, it is a floor type you either like or loathe.

We Like:

A flexible product that is most often laid in tile forms.

A natural shock absorber, it provides great underfoot comfort and is more forgiving when glasses or crockery are dropped onto it.

It holds the warmth and is also a great sound absorber.

Because of its makeup, it is also naturally resistant to mold or mildew.

We Don’t Like:

If exposed to grit, or dirt, it can become scarred or easily marked, hence regular cleaning is required.

Cork must also be regularly sealed with polyurethane.

Generally, self-forgiving to hard items dropped onto creating small dents or marks, major damage would often require the replacement of a tile. It pays to keep some spares when first installing cork.

Also, it can be prone to fading over time.

Cost:

General costs for cork will be about $2 to $12 per square foot, uninstalled depending on what you select, although the average often works out around $6-$8 per square foot.

Laminate

Constructed of four layers of material fused together: a melamine wear layer, a high-resolution photo, a dense core board, and a melamine backing layer, a laminate flooring surface is ideal for people who want a particular ‘look’, but either don’t have the budget to extend to the ‘real thing’, or want less maintenance.

Laminate floors require specifically designed underlayment to serve as a moisture barrier and muffle sound, but it can even make a laminate floor sound more like hardwood when walked on.

Kitchens that have frequent spillages, or kids and pet traffic will suit the durable surface a laminate floor can provide.

A laminate floor is often made to look like hardwood or tile, and it also often comes at a lower price.

The surface is usually resistant to stains and marks and is simple and easy to clean up.

Unlike the original hardwood floors upon which its looks are often based, it doesn’t get better with age, and its unable to be sanded.

However, visually, when it comes to some of the better options available today, it can be a challenge to distinguish a high-end laminate from the real thing.

We Like:

A laminate floor looks good and requires very little maintenance, usually just a sweep and a damp mop. Some versions of laminate flooring make it easy for a DIY installation. Costs generally are moderate.

We Don’t Like:

Even though ti can look like the real thing, if it starts showing its age, it has to be replaced completely. It doesn’t give the depth, or texture of the original product that it is based on, and it has a much shorter lifespan than its counterpart as well.

Cost:

About $2 to $4 uninstalled, but for a typically average house, you could expect to pay between $5 to $8 per square foot, installed.

Bamboo

Bamboo flooring is actually a type of grass that gives the appearance and look of a hardwood floor. Bamboo is such a hardy plant, and bamboo flooring is no different.

Quite a dense product, it will withstand a busy active family lifestyle in a kitchen.

However, being a natural product, and like any hardwood floor, the same care needs to be applied in regards to preventing scratches and dents from accidents.

The subfloor for bamboo must be super smooth otherwise the bamboo floor is likely to show the imperfections.

Bamboo is susceptible to moisture and so its vital a waterproof underlay be installed on top of a concrete slab.

Bamboo is able to be laid in horizontal strips laid flat which shows off the rich grains of the bamboo.

It can be woven or stranded (This is the hardest) whereby the shredded bamboo is compressed with a resin creating an exotic and stunning look.

A vertical style which features the strips turned sideways provides a very modern look.

Naturally a blonde color, the material is able to be stained different colors or pressure heat treated which caramelizes the bamboo’s sugar content to produce a natural warm brown color.

We Like:

Due to its rapid growth, it is a sustainable flooring product for green building choices.

It contains most of the benefits of a hardwood floor such as low maintenance, and great look, but bamboo also provides a much more gentler underfoot experience than the hardwoods. It also works out a little cheaper than its hardwood counterpart.

We Don’t Like:

Limited range of color choices when compared with other woods. It can warp in high humidity environments, so may not be suitable for all situations. Quality control needs to be paramount when choosing bamboo flooring, since most of it is imported, and the quality of the product can vary

Cost:

Expect to pay around $4 to $9 per square foot, uninstalled.

Return to Home Page

Sunflower House Renovation Project, Mexico

Edificio Córdoba-Reurbano, Sunflower House Renovation Project, Mexico
Colonia Roma Norte, Ciudad de México.

The building is located in the Colonia Roma, a historic neighbourhood in the central sector of Mexico City.

La Roma developed in the 19th century as one of the first extensions of the city centre, with an orthogonal grid of large houses inhabited by the upper classes of the city. With the emergence of suburban life in the 50s, la Roma decreased its population throughout the second half of the 20th century, getting to its worst with earthquake of 1985.

Due to the location of la Roma in what once was Lake Texcoco, the subsoil is highly muddy, so seismic waves are amplified; thus, during the strong earthquake of 85, la Roma was one of the more affected areas of the city: many buildings collapsed, and many of those which resisted were abandoned by its inhabitants because of their structural damage or because of the fear that the buildings would not resist another earthquake.

The neighbourhood became deeply deteriorated, with high levels of insecurity and abandoned buildings, until its recent re-emergence as one of the most active areas of the city, filled with art galleries, small restaurants, cafés and young people occupying again its streets and public areas.

The project builds on the initiative of the Urban Recycling start-up; the initiative is challenging: build housing on a listed building of historical value, without any parking area –in a city where the car is the king-, and incorporating commercial area in the main floor, in a culture where such condition is typically associated to the reality of the lower social classes, and not understood as an indispensable element for building urban quality.

ReUrbano identifies an old house of historical value that was abandoned after the death of its eighty year old occupant and engages us to transform it into a housing building.

The project will have 9 apartments of various sizes and configurations, as well as commercial area in the upfront façade. The project forces us to confront the value of architectural form within the urban grid, as well as that of heritage and ways to intervene it. We seek for a discrete project, and we are overseeing to respect the spatial structure (and the essence) of the existing house.

The project maintains almost the overall existing building, beyond the dictum set by the local preservation instances, which establish that only the façade needs to be preserved. We believe in the value of the structure that builds up the façade, as well as in the interest of its current spatiality, and are confident on its possibilities despite the occupancy increase.

The existing building occupies the majority of the plot, although there is a ruin of a service area, independent of the actual house, at the rear of the plot. The project is based on a detailed analysis of each of the existing elements, looking forward to generate a different reality – more consistent with the new economic and social reality-, but in harmony with the original building: past and present coexisting, respecting and creating a new reality built up of two architectural typologies which respond to two different historic moments.

The project is structured through an outdoor sidelong corridor; the existing courtyard that provides entrance to the original house is replicated at the rear back, and therefore the two main cores to access the units are now related to each of those patios.

The addition to be built on the back of the house – replacing the old service area-, draws this second patio and has the form and materiality of the existing house, although it uses current technologies: the addition is clearly identifiable by a professional, but provides a continuous reading to a distracted eye.

The project also grows in height, both within the existing building and by the addition of two new floors to the old house. Digging 1.5m below street level, and building a series of intermediate levels inside the house, the

CADAVAL & SOLÀ-MORALES

www.ca-so.com

Interior of the existing house transforms from its original single level to up to 3 levels at some points. To highlight horizontality, the façade of the first floor to be built on top of the existing building is fully glazed, in order to lighten up the weight of the new addition, as well as to differentiate the original building of the new intervention.

The very top floor of the addition, is constructed with air and architecture: a succession of terraces and built volumes modifies the perception of the overall building’ height and slims the project, to appear as a chain of small towers and not as a continuous solid.

Materiality is key to the project. The original house is built in brick, material that has also been used in addition at the back of the building. The first is a living rough material, full of identity and history; the new differs from the original by small details, ranging industrial production to the way how walls are perforated: they are small subtleties that allow reading the difference, but that through their likeness build a single entity.

The volumes on the upper level have their own identity, both by the material itself, and by the colour (black, not white, to help lighten the weight of the addition). The materials enhance the generation of unique spaces, with great personality, designed for standard families, with changing needs that are also standard: rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms build up unique spaces, intricate with the old and the new structure, ready to be appropriated by individual and different lifestyles, which come up with the new inhabitants.

Project Data:

Name of the project: Cordoba-ReUrbano Housing Building Real Estate concept: ReUrbano
Name of the Office: Cadaval & Solà-Morales.

Project: Eduardo Cadaval & Clara Solà-Morales.
Collaborators: Olivier Arditi, Catherine Nguyen.
Structural Engineering: Ricardo Camacho.
Construction Company: Eugenio Eraña, Juan Carlos Cajiga. Location: Roma District, Mexico City. Mexico.

Área: 2200sqm.
Studio Web: www.ca-so.com

CADAVAL & SOLÀ-MORALES

Photos: “Miguel de Guzmán www.imagensubliminal.com”

Overlook Road House by Robert Gurney Architect

The Overlook Road House project began with a typical post-WWII developer spec house in an established northwest Washington, DC neighborhood.

Having undergone a series of renovations and additions over time that incorporated varying styles, details and finishes, the existing house was ultimately composed of disjointed interior spaces.

Although the existing spatial arrangement was largely kept intact, the new design integrated expanses of glass, opened up the spaces and organized them more efficiently.

Overlook Road House Before -Front — Overlook Road House Front Before

Larger extensions, including a new entry space, a screened porch pavilion, and a second story office, provided spaces that were requested by the owner, and afforded further opportunities to allow natural light to penetrate the previously dark interiors.

In the redesign, all openings, millwork and the majority of windows and doors extend from floor to ceiling in order to minimize the impact of the existing 8’ high ceilings. New interior finishes include beech, FSC Rosewood, aluminum, glass and limestone.

Changes to typical developer houses in desirable neighborhoods are inevitable. While this comprehensive renovation project incorporated significant additional space, the goal was to add a new layer to the existing fabric that respects both the scale and material palette found in the neighborhood.

Architect

Robert M. Gurney, FAIA, Architect
5110 ½ MacArthur Blvd, NW
Washington, DC 20016
p.202.237.0925
f.202.237.0927
[email protected]

Project Architect

John Riordan, LEED AP

Location

Washington, DC 20016

General Contractor

Added Dimensions, Inc.
7527 New Hampshire Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912
p.301.270.0935
[email protected]

Interior Designer

Therese Baron Gurney, ASID
Baron Gurney Interiors
5110 1/2 MacArthur Blvd NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 244-6883 (ph)
(202) 237-2787 (fax)
[email protected]

Landscape Designer

Kevin Campion
Campion Hruby Landscape Architects
26 South Street,
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
(410) 280-8850 (ph)
(410) 280-8852 (fax)
[email protected]

Engineer

Anthony Beale LLC
8634 Tuttle Road
Springfield, VA 22152
(202) 669-2272 (ph)
(703) 923-0075 (fax)

Photographer

Anice Hoachlander
Hoachlander Davis

Photography

5185 MacArthur Boulevard, NW
(202) 364-9306 (ph)
(202) 364-9337 (fax)
[email protected]

Completion Date 2013

Overlook Road House Before -Rear — Overlook Road House Rear Before

Doehler Loft Apartment, Brooklyn, NY by SABO Project

Doehler Loft Apartment is a recent renovation by SABO project in which a Brooklyn, New York loft located in a former die casting factory built in 1913 was completely gutted

After a 1980’s residential conversion, all concrete columns and ceilings were concealed. The removal of most partitions and a vast 4’ dropped ceiling presented the opportunity to reveal the authenticity of the building as well as dramatically expand the space.

Under the reclaimed 12’-0” ceiling, a new 7’-8” datum is defined by the height of a series of new partitions, custom cabinets, walk-in closet, glass enclosures and a new mezzanine.

The vertical combination of opacities and transparencies manages privacy while bringing natural light to every single space. The new connections between rooms establishes a continuum that seem to expand each space beyond it’s limits.

Storage is maximized throughout the kitchen and bathroom with the use of matt white handleless panels that contrast with the materiality of the concrete.

In addition, a custom built-in collection of wood containers stretches from the kitchen to the bedrooms while integrating stairs, display shelving, lighting and a home office.

The bathroom was designed around a diamond shaped ceramic tile that determines all dimensions including the apartment’s new datum. No less than 3 colors and 9 shades are combined in bold graphic patterns and gradients that wrap seamlessly around the walls and floor seemingly flooding the space.