Tranquility on Treeknoll
In order to achieve the client wish list of a more functional floor plan and more linear feet of hanging space, the program included four zones: 1. An “open-concept” style closet system with wardrobe cabinetry; 2. A walk-in wet room with freestanding tub and shower; 3. Separate his and hers vanities; 4. A separate toilet room.
Have you ever walked into a space and thought, “This is gigantic! But there’s so much wasted space?” That was our first impression of this master bathroom and closet when we saw it. A large “dressing area” in the middle of the space along with an angled garden tub collectively took up half of the available square footage in the room. A good-sized walk in closet was under-utilized with a minimal organization solution that only occupied two walls.
Original blueprints of the master bathroom. The large garden tub and walk-in closet take up almost 1/2 of the entire square footage of the room.
Large garden tub with decking around.
The vanity and “dressing area” on the floor plan.
Another view of the “dressing area” on the floor plan.
In order to achieve the client wish list of a more functional floor plan and more linear feet of hanging space, the program included four zones: 1. An “open-concept” style closet system with wardrobe cabinetry; 2. A walk-in wet room with freestanding tub and shower; 3. Separate his and hers vanities; 4. A separate toilet room.
Rendered floor plan showing our proposed layout.
By proposing an open concept closet system, we gained the space that typically would have to be created to build walls around a walk-in closet in addition to the floor space one would need to be able to walk around in their walk-in closet. In the wet room area, we had plenty of space to add a large freestanding tub in addition to a large shower area. The area is closed off adjacent to the shower head with a clear glass shower enclosure and open on the side toward the closet and hers vanity. Separate his and hers vanities, provide more countertop space for getting ready. By placing her vanity in the middle of the floor plan, we created a natural barrier between the front area of the plan and the rear “wet area” and were able to maximize counter space for both vanities. Each vanity was completely custom, tailored to the needs of each spouse, designed by us and fabricated by Western Custom Cabinetry.
A few elevation drawings for the project.
Demo complete; you can finally see just how much space you have! In this case, a lot!
Framing and pluming going in.
Floor to ceiling tile going in. This nook is where the tub will go.
Vanity wall tile. We love the lemon shape of these tiles!
Medicine cabinet from Robern features internal lighting and amazing storage.
Looking from the shower to the “his” vanity. The countertop expends into the void and open shelving above allows for additional storage.
The materials palette in the space is a tranquil mix of neutrals and clean lines, complimenting an architectural lighting package. The “hers” vanity was the perfect location for an accent tile, where we added a white marble decorative tile in a lemon-shape. A cluster of pendants hangs to the right of the hers vanity, while the rest of the lights in the space are either recessed or a simple double ended sconce
Materials palette for the project.
Her vanity.
His vanity.
Standing at "his” vanity and looking into the wet room.
The open closet system continues around the perimeter of the space.
Because the design provided ample storage space, hidden by the mix of clean lined, neutral materials - this master bath became a calm and organized space to start or end the day. Ah, tranquility.
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Cramped Kenwood kitchen updated for a young family
The original kitchen in this Kenwood home was a little dark, a little crowded, and a whole lot of not functional for a family of 4. The lack of countertop space was forcing this homeowner to use a moveable butcher block island every evening for prep space, but the lack of space around that prep space was forcing the client to move the island out of the space after prep was done since there wasn’t much space to get around or through.
The original kitchen in this Kenwood home was a little dark, a little crowded, and a whole lot of not functional for a family of 4. The lack of countertop space was forcing this homeowner to use a moveable butcher block island every evening for prep space, but the lack of space around that prep space was forcing the client to move the island out of the space after prep was done since there wasn’t much space to get around or through.
One corner of the kitchen as demo began. The opening to the left of the door is where the homeowner kept their moveable, butcher block island.
The opposite corner of the kitchen as demo began.
The solution was to remove the wall between the existing kitchen and a less-used formal dining room, doubling the footprint of the kitchen. From there, we opened the newly created kitchen to a previous formal living room, creating a comfy, cozy, and open concept on the first floor. To create this almost 18’ opening, we added an LVL for structural support and recessed it as far as we could.
Removing those walls made a HUGE difference! The new footprint of this soon-to-be kitchen is massive.
With the kitchen now open to the front of the house and in the back of the house—wherever you are, you can almost always see the kitchen—we created an L-shaped kitchen to create a good working triangle and vent the cooktop to the exterior. The 10’-6” island creates the perfect prep space or gathering space for kid meals or gathering with friends. Since we had white perimeter cabinets and a navy-gray stain on the island, we added Cambria to both the island and perimeter cabinetry to keep things cohesive.
Countertop install day!
Once the kitchen remodel was winding down, we began to address the front living room. We kept things simple but sophisticated on the large rug (which is almost the inverse of the quartz countertops) and dark sectional. We added pops of interest by reupholstering a set of funky 1980s chairs in a chartreuse velvet and added two layers of graphic sheers on the window treatments for both privacy and fun.
The result is a first floor that feels open and inviting while fulfilling the functional and aesthetics needs of a young family.
Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography
Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography
Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography
Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography
Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography
Photograph by Brooke Mullins Photography
Unfinished to Entertaining Haven: a Treeknoll basement
In this previously unfinished Anderson basement, the goal was to create a warm and inviting space that was suitable for all ages—young, old, and everyone in between. Programmatically, the basement needed to house a variety of spaces, an open living area, a wet bar, workout area, a full bathroom, storage, a bedroom, and an open office area.
Overall shot into the main living space of the basement. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
In this previously unfinished Anderson basement, the goal was to create a warm and inviting space that was suitable for all ages—young, old, and everyone in between. Programmatically, the basement needed to house a variety of spaces, an open living area, a wet bar, workout area, a full bathroom, storage, a bedroom, and an open office area.
Basement programmatic plan.
A few before photos of the unfinished space.
In the open living area, the homeowners wanted a central gathering spot for socializing. In this space, adjacent to the wet bar, the homeowners wanted several TVs for game days or watching movies, a ping pong table, a fireplace, and a modular sectional. The modular sectional can be arranged into double day beds for relaxing or broken apart and rearranged to accommodate a larger group.
Main living area facing the tv and fireplace wall. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
A variety of spaces make up this basement, from a ping-pong game area to comfy seating. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
The modular sectional, shown here in a u-shape, can be reconfigured to accumulate a variety of guests and their lounging needs. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
Flanking both sides of the dark fireplace and TV wall are Modular Arts panels, glass reinforced cast rock with a plant-based core, adding an architectural component to the clean lines throughout the remainder of the space.
Elevations showing the Modular Arts locations.
Construction crew installing the Modular Arts panels.
Modular Arts walls flank the fireplace and TV wall, and provide contrast both in color and texture. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
The L-shaped wet bar provides ample storage and serving space. A custom corner unit trimmed out in birch contrasts with the white cabinetry and quartz countertop while also providing a unique display area. White penny tile with white grout above the countertop reads as a wall texture instead of a backsplash and compliments the Modular Arts on adjacent walls.
L-shaped wet bar with custom corner open shelving. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
Another view of the wet bar. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
We love how this basement turned out! Keep scrolling for a few more views of this comfy, cozy basement and sound off in the comments!
A full bathroom is around the corner from the wet bar. A simple, neutral palette compliments the remainder of the basement. {Photography by Olga Polo Photography}
A view from the main living space, through the eat-in area, and back into the workout room.
A detailed shot of the sectional.
Close up of the eat-in area adjacent to the fireplace.