By far the most impressive room on any episode of MTV’s Cribs was the home movie theater. Sure, we’re all familiar with the concept of a TV area, but these spaces—complete with rows of recliners, in-wall stereo systems, and (on occasion) popcorn machines—hit differently. The thing is, from a style perspective, they all tend to look the same: The steps are swathed in slate gray carpeting; the boxy seating is made of squeaky leather. Marie Cloud, the Charlotte, North Carolina–based interior designer behind Indigo Pruitt, knew this when she was tasked with creating a theater for last year’s Southeastern Designer Showhouse in Atlanta. Having never tackled one before, she welcomed the challenge. “You don’t typically see this space decked out, but for me, it was an opportunity to throw my sauce on it,” says Cloud. 

The designer wanted it to be welcoming, cozy, and functional, even when there was nothing actually playing on the screen. “It can be a space where you can throw a girls’ night or your family can gather and just catch up,” she says. “The TV doesn’t have to be on for that.”

Re-create Those Old Theater Bones

The curved ceiling and flexible molding that Benecki Homes and Source in Atlanta introduced immediately made the ground-level room feel like an Art Deco theater. The difference is that these walls are high-tech: The speakers are built within them, so you can actually feel the vibrations of your favorite action movie. But Cloud knows that color is a big part of any sensory experience, too. The designer landed on Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal, a paint that reads as either eggplant purple or Merlot red, depending on the lighting. “When you use jewel tones, it adds a sense of ease to your body,” she says.

Pick Your Lighting Mood, Then Find Your Seat

The key to any movie-watching space is being able to take the room from light to dark so you don’t have to worry about harsh glare interrupting the show. That’s why everything in this space is “dimmable by the dial,” notes Cloud. And when the overhead bulbs and brass sconces are turned off, lit-up onyx pedestals and under-stair strips will help you find your way.

Treat the Lowest Level Like a Living Room

When you first walk in the space, you might think it’s just another living area. There’s a custom Brooke & Wilson sofa, a graphic Moattar rug, a round coffee table, and a long console topped with leaning art by David Coleman Jr. propped on top. For both tables, the designer partnered with Hartstone (the company that handled the hardscaping outside the house). “It added an organic element to the space that felt fresh and clean,” says Cloud. You could plop right down on the couch, have a chilled glass of wine, and never think about watching a movie—that’s the point.

As you make your way up the steps, you’ll find two rows of plush black recliners from RowOne that were designed specifically based off women’s input (both from an aesthetic and comfort point of view). “My goal for this room was for it to be an ode to sisterhood, a space for the woman of the house to bring her girlfriends,” says Cloud. “When they described the intentionality behind the research of this chair, I knew that’s what I wanted in my space.”

Carve Out a Hideout Within Your Escape

Did you spot the pocket door at the back of the theater? That’s for when you really want to feel unbothered. Cloud turned the tiny closet into a book nook–slash–general hideout. “We do too much for others, and sometimes we need a little corner to get away,” says Cloud. “Mine is my [clothes] closet, but it’s not as gorgeous as this.”

The post This Eggplant-Hued Home Theater Has a Secret appeared first on domino.

In 2016, photographer Winnie Au and her husband exchanged vows in their Brooklyn backyard. With 60 guests filling the outdoor space, you couldn’t see the cracks in the concrete patio, and no one was paying attention to the spiderweb of old telephone cables near the neighbor’s fence. But as years went by and the couple welcomed their daughter into the fold, they made another commitment to each other: to fix up the backyard. 

They turned to landscape architect Lou Arencibia, whose team immediately tore out the old concrete pad, tediously carrying each scrap to the dumpster on the street. This alone was a huge relief for Au. “Just having our child, I wanted her to have a place where she could play where it didn’t feel dirty,” she shares. Still, the space had more issues that needed to be addressed: There was little sense of privacy and the planting areas around the perimeter had gotten out of control. Ahead, Au and Arencibia reflect on the transformation and share how they made it an oasis for her young family of three.

Break It Down Into “Rooms” 

Wanting to create a functional but still intimate-feeling space, Arencibia focused on segmenting the yard into a series of small “rooms.” This included a cozy seating corner, an herb-slash-veggie garden, a dining zone, and a tool storage area.

The plantings were selected to accentuate each of the zones (and hide the couple’s large black compost bin), as were the hardscaping materials. Arencibia designated sustainably sourced Black Locust wood to the lounge area and bluestone to the main dining space. Crushed gravel and evergreen shrubs like rhododendron springtime define the yard’s borders. 

Pick Plants That Thrive in All Kinds of Weather

The stars are the three multistem Amelanchier Grandiflora Autumn Brilliance trees, which boast foliage during three out of four seasons. “I didn’t want it to look barren and sad all winter,” says Au. 

In sunny areas of the garden, they incorporated low-maintenance flowering perennials and ornamental grasses such as fountain grass, Mexican feather grass, echinacea, and silver Russian sage. In shady spots, they went with autumn fern, anemone, and heuchera tapestry. Arencibia was also able to save an existing magnolia tree that Au had picked out with her parents at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden plant sale years ago. “It has always flourished and bloomed beautiful pink flowers every year,” she says. 

Ensure an Edible Garden for Everyone 

The raised herb and veggie garden—now typically filled with tomatoes, basil, thyme, lavender, and peppers—was a must-have for Au. Arencibia made sure the custom-built box was constructed with a deep ledge so anyone who wants to sit and help her tend to the produce (like her toddler!) can do so comfortably. 

Of course, Au and her family aren’t the only ones grabbing a snack out here. Sometimes their dog, Clementine, feels inclined to take a bite of a plant, so for that reason they avoided species that could potentially be toxic to dogs, specifically yew, lilies, crocus, and daffodils. 

Make the Party Invite Only

Before the new wood fence could go up, the yard had to be sealed from other types of neighbors, mainly rats and feral cats. An exterminator recommended running hardware cloth (or steel mesh) underneath the ground around the perimeter to prevent unwanted visitors from digging a personal entrance into the yard. 

Grab the Popcorn

It’s no accident that they didn’t continue the wood fence around the very back of the yard. Au and her family use the brick surface for outdoor movie nights. All they have to add is their portable projector and—voilà!—they’re watching Point Break (the original one with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze) under the stars. “I feel like we’ll be watching something and all the neighbors start watching it, too,” says Au, laughing. 

Go With the (Furniture) Flow

Au’s rule with outdoor furniture is to keep things lightweight. “As a photographer, I’m always thinking about things being able to move around easily,” she says. One wish-list item she gave up on buying? Terrazzo side tables. They’re just too heavy. Instead, her teak and metal pieces can be easily moved out of the way when her daughter wants to run around and swim in their inflatable pool in the warmer months.

Set the Mood at the First Step

With the space coming together nicely, there was one small thing still irking Au: the sliver of concrete at the top of the steps. “I felt like it was a remnant of the old backyard,” she says. “I wanted to find a way to make it beautiful.” Arencibia’s team scooped up some tile from Fireclay, but the scale of the squares looked too big for the teeny patio. So they cut each one down by hand to make a little checkered layout. “On a beautiful day, we like to put floor cushions out on the newly tiled patio and do some seated yoga with my daughter, and we watch the birds together,” says Au. 

The post This Brownstone’s Backyard Welcomes Year-Round Foliage and Hides the Compost Bin appeared first on domino.

“As anyone with small kids already understands: Everything is everywhere,” says Robin Heller, one half of the Baltimore-based interiors firm Surrounded by Color. So when local clients Samantha Williamson and Robert Travieso came to Heller and her partner, Jen Levy, with an aim to overhaul their upstairs quarters and add a new room off the kitchen, the designers knew the brief included camouflaging the happy chaos of everyday family life, too.  

The couple, who has two young sons, wanted a zen feeling, explains Heller: “But they also love art and color, and they didn’t want anything boring.” So the SBC duo got to work on a plan to make over three bedrooms, update the primary bath, relocate the laundry room, and build a smallish but mighty addition from the ground up—all the while incorporating their signature use of saturated hues, inventive patterns, and textural touches. 

The final result? A layered home that balances vintage accents and contemporary comfort—and also gives the family of four plenty of room to grow. “Every time we go over there, there’s a new lizard,” says Levy, laughing. “They’re really living in all these rooms.” Here, the two designers share how they pulled it all together. 

Keep the Kiddos Happy—And Create Coziness

The concept for the children’s bedrooms was straightforward: Make them memorable and cozy. “We went hard in terms of patterns, fabrics, and wallpaper. At this age, kids are creating these visual memories that give a frame of reference for design, which is so cool,” says Heller. The boys, who shared a room during the months-long reno, chose the finishing touches for their bedrooms. They outfitted each one with a reading chair, storage shelves, and a plush rug on top of cream wall-to-wall carpeting. “Wrapping a room conveys this feeling of safety and coziness, like being in a little tent,” she adds.

Less (Square Footage) Is More

The couple wanted to keep their king-size Blu Dot bed—a challenge in a space with a modest footprint that was about to get slightly smaller. Levy and Heller commissioned utilitarian boxes from a local millworker to extend the depth and width of the headboard, fitting them with sleek reading lights and hidden outlets. 

Heller and Levy chose a deep jewel-toned blue paint to create a sense of serenity and separation from the rest of the house. “The ceilings, the walls, the doors—everything—there’s no touch of white or unpainted surface,” explains Levy. “[The monochrome look] makes everything feel softer.”

When the rooms were being reframed, the pair willingly relinquished a few square feet to the bathroom and laundry zone—which took a lounge chair option out of the bedroom layout. Heller insists this is for the best: “Everyone has their own way and style of using a lounge chair in a bedroom—but most people just throw clothes on it. We wanted to help them proactively not have that experience. There really is no room for clutter.”

Turn Utilitarian Spaces Into Design Moments

The closet and the bathroom were both gutted and reframed, allowing the addition of a dedicated laundry room upstairs. “We are both laundry shirkers,” says Williamson. Moving the machines and building out a folding area has already made a major difference, thanks both to the convenience factor and because the design of the space improves the overall experience. 

Sliding doors and a preexisting skylight (which extends into the bathroom) creates an airiness when you’re inside. “We can also close it off to hide big piles,” says Williamson. Levy and Heller took a very specific inspiration for the palette. “It felt very Barragán and Mexico City vibes, so we started with Backdrop’s Barragán Cito pink,” says Heller. The ceiling got a teal blue treatment, and Formica countertops in Earthenware complete the effect. 

For the bathroom, Heller and Levy drew inspiration from the rest of the house, the couple’s art collection, and their affinity for mid-century modern aesthetics. They developed the shower wall pattern with the grout in mind, and specified wider lines than typical tile jobs. It raised some eyebrows on-site—but, in the end, turned out exactly as they’d intended. 

“What makes something special is that it’s unexpected and different,” says Levy. “And in the end, everyone comes back and they’re like: ‘Oh, my God, you were right.’” And that wide picture window in the shower, looking out onto the woodsy backyard? It’s become a beloved part of the bathing experience. “It’s clear, which is potentially awkward,” says Travieso. “But it fogs up pretty fast.”

Neutralizing ‘New Build’ Vibes With Texture and Vintage

Local architecture studio Ziger/Snead stepped in to develop plans for the addition. “In that space specifically, we felt strongly that wood belonged in the mix, and we wanted different levels of texture in the room,” says Heller. “It has these beautiful faux plaster walls, big windows, the tile floor—if you took all the soft materials out of it, it could look very ’90s or very new and slick. So our furniture selections make it feel cozy and timeless.” 

Most of the larger pieces were made by local craftspeople, including the white oak round table, lounger, and built-in plywood sofa. Other pieces are vintage: a coffee table that dates to the ’70s; a pair of orange Charlotte Perriand wall lights; and the Bruno Rey chairs, an iconic 1971 Swiss design currently being sold at DWR. Then there is the white electric Malm fireplace, requested by the client. (“It’s basically just a beautiful space heater,” says Heller.) 

The homeowners refer to the new room as a refuge for everyone—overall, it’s Travieso’s favorite aspect of the renovation. “It’s a place where the kids can get some space from us or lay on the couch and read together while we do dishes or whatever,” he says, “But it’s also a place where we can get some space from them or hang out with other people we’ve invited over.” In other words, everyone wins.

The post This Family Traded a Clutter-Catching Bedroom Corner for a Hidden Laundry Room appeared first on domino.

When Jonny, a music producer, and Krystal, a floral designer, took a trip to Inness, a hotel in upstate New York, they took note of the ladder-back chairs surrounding the long communal dining table and the larder pantry painted a rich coat of ochre. This was the vibe they wanted to create in the 1860s cottage they recently purchased in nearby Rhinecliff. They tracked down Post Company, the design agency behind Innes, and asked if they would take on their historic property: It’s one of the oldest preserved houses in the area and measures a mere 1,250 square feet. Post Company accepted the challenge. 

“[Innes] has a lot of restraint and a minimalist sensibility, but through a lens of warmth and intimacy. I think that’s what resonated with them,” says Leigh Salem, one of the partners at the design firm. The couple’s home was the definition of small but mighty. The expansive windows automatically made the interior feel bigger than it is, and there were nooks and crannies aplenty (read: storage opportunities). Krystal and Jonny never expressed interest in tacking on an addition, not even when it came to their primary bedroom in the attic. The bones of the house were perfect as is. It simply needed a luxury resort–inspired twist.

Build a Tempo With Color

There is a rhythm that pulls you through the house the moment you walk through the mudroom door and it goes: dark, light, dark, light. “There’s often an inclination with smaller houses that a lighter palette will be perceived as larger, but we were more interested in creating a language of thresholds between light and dark,” explains Salem.  

The tricky part wasn’t choosing what paint colors to use, it was the fact that Jonny and Krystal were living in London while the renovation was going on. “Committing to an exterior house color without seeing it in person was daunting,” says Jonny. Fortunately, they had friends in the area who kindly visited at various times of the day and in different weather conditions to take pictures and videos.

The mudroom, now lined with closet doors that hide everything from overflow cookware to the washer and dryer, made the couple a little nervous the first time they saw photos of it. “It appeared more orange than anticipated, almost pumpkin orange,” recalls Jonny.

Post Company urged them to stick with the rusty red color (Benjamin Moore’s Tawny Rose), at least until they saw it in person. They agreed and eventually found the photos really didn’t do it justice. “Now it’s everyone’s favorite room because it provides a wonderful contrast,” adds Jonny. As you reach the end of the 4-foot-long hallway, you are introduced to the kitchen, swathed in Soapstone by Portola Paints. When you round the corner up the narrow staircase to the main bedroom, you’re greeted by a moody gray surprise.

Stress Awkward Spaces

Rather than try to open up the low ceilings in the attic bedroom, Post Company decided to call attention to them by covering every surface of the cavernous space in Portola’s textured Dry Ground limewash. “We’re not trying to fool anyone,” says Salem. The only visual trickery is the cabinets tucked within the pitch of the dormer: It’s the couple’s primary closet.

While Jonny traveled back to New York a few times toward the end of the reno, Krystal went six months without seeing the house. Their first night in the home was a bit of a blur (mostly due to jet lag, they admit), but they do remember one thing: lying in bed watching the snow falling outside. “It felt truly magical,” says Jonny. 

Reach Peak Bathroom Goals

Previously, when Jonny and Krystal entered their bathroom, they’d find two small freestanding sinks to the right and left of the door and a tub-shower tucked in the corner. To achieve a more comfortable bathing experience, Post Company shifted the shower placement to the center of the room where the ceiling height is the tallest. Then they clad the whole thing in dramatic slabs of Calacatta Rosa marble, mimicking the same level of saturation in the mudroom downstairs.

The central shower placement also lets whoever is in there enjoy the views out of the bedroom window. “When you’re in a more private space, you don’t necessarily have to  close your bathroom door,” Salem points out. Going with two small doors over one large swing one allows for some flexibility without totally blocking the path to the bed.

Not pictured? The bathroom’s moody lighting. There are two matching sconces over the new vanities on either side of the door, as well as a canned bulb that throws light down the center of the shower. 

Push the Kitchen to the Walls

The main design challenge in the kitchen was making way for a proper dining table. Post Company swiftly nixed the peninsula that was bisecting the room and brought in a vintage Belgian table that can double as an island when there aren’t chairs around it.

They continued to elongate the space by adding a stretch of lower cabinets across the windows, which now fall in line with the new bleached white oak floorboards. They won back storage by cladding the wall that leads to the mudroom in floor-to-ceiling cupboards that disguise the pantry, refrigerator, and microwave. 

Pick Overhead Lighting Wisely

Knowing that the petite cottage gets loads of natural light from the large windows (which Post Company simply replaced with efficient versions from Marvin, keeping the openings the same size), the need for overhead lighting was fairly minimal. “We don’t love using recessed lighting, especially in a compact house like this where materials are super-important,” says Salem. For any area that needed an overhead fixture (over the coffee table, above the kitchen sink), they brought in brass and oxidized brass spotlights from Long Made Co. and Roll & Hill that contribute to the home’s newfound patina.

The post Narnia Who? This Cottage’s Attic Doors Reveal a Dramatic Marble Shower appeared first on domino.

When we ask renovators about what inspired them, they often reference an Instagram post they saved or a cool hotel they visited. But Leah Hodson’s bathroom makeover began much closer to home. Er, technically, it began at her old home.

When the U.K.-based DIYer behind @thestanleydiary moved in December, she was especially sad to leave behind her “perfect bathroom,” which was almost entirely covered in marble tile. The best spot in her new house to re-create the look was the powder bathroom: It was a blank canvas—albeit one with lots of quirky ceiling and wall bump-outs. 

The only difference this time was Hodson didn’t want to use actual marble. “I’m not quite ready to take on tiling just yet with two toddlers running circles around me,” she says. Hodson also wasn’t interested in spending thousands of dollars on a bathroom upgrade, so instead of browsing the stone yard, she found herself Googling Calacatta Viola marble–inspired mural wallpapers. Belarte Studio proved to have the most realistic option. “Everyone who has seen it in real life can’t believe it is wallpaper,” says Hodson. 

The Supplies 

• Wallpaper
• Wallpaper adhesive (Hodson used a U.K.-sold product by Anaglypta)
• Wallpaper smoothing tool
• Scissors
• Box cutter
• Wood molding of your choosing
• A level
• Liquid nails
• Clear acrylic backsplash 
• Brass screw caps

Calacatta Marble, Belarte Studio ($6 per square foot)

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Ultra Clear Strippable Wallcovering Adhesive, The Home Depot ($9)

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Step 1: Find the Start Line 

Because Hodson’s mural wallpaper is so bold and the powder room is so small, she felt swathing every inch in the faux marble design would make the space feel minuscule. So as a compromise, she decided to only cover three half-walls and one full wall. Because the back toilet wall was getting the full treatment, she decided to begin there. First, she drew a line down the middle of the wall, so she would know where to align the two seams of the separate wallpaper panels. (Over time, wallpaper can slide and reveal the gaps between sections, and if said gap is situated in the middle of the room, it will actually be less noticeable than if it were off center.) 

Step 2: Paste and Stick 

While peel-and-stick treatments are popular among DIYers, the design Hodson fell in love with requires you to coat the wall first. Using a paint roller, she dipped it into a tray of paste and then rolled the adhesive onto the wall. “I found this gave more even coverage than a brush, which I’ve previously used,” she says. 

Step 3: Patiently Work Around Bump-Outs

The tricky part came when matching the panels on the full wall with those on the half-walls. This is when the sharp box cutter and time-tested rule of “measure twice, cut once” came into play. Hodson made sure to line up the sheets on the pipe box perfectly so the veins in the faux stone looked like they were all one piece. 

The area around the vanity unit gave her the biggest headache. Hodson accidentally cut the wallpaper too short, forcing her to cut a small sliver piece to hide the gap. “Which took far longer than I’d have liked to get right, but I’m glad I did, as it is barely noticeable,” she says. 

Step 4: Give Yourself a Seamless Border

For the surfaces only covered partially in wallpaper, Hodson installed wood molding around the top edge, first using a laser level to make sure the border would be a straight line. Then she applied the wallpaper from the top of the baseboards to the bottom of the wood molding. The trim piece gives your eye a natural end point. 

Step 5: Protect the Splash Zone

Even after refreshing the tired-looking vanity with a no demo hack involving precut fluted MDF and liquid nails, Hodson was left with a problem: preventing the wallpaper behind the sink from becoming damaged by moisture. 

Cue CutMy. She took the brand’s 6mm acrylic sheet (it came precut and predrilled) and made a backsplash, complete with brass screw caps that cover the drill holes. The invisible barrier allows the faux stone to still shine through. 

The post This DIYer’s Powder Room Is Covered in Calacatta Viola Marble—Or Is It? appeared first on domino.

Nicholas Potts wants to get something straight: History, at least as far as design is concerned, is far from boring. “There’s a popular misconception that anything having to do with history is somehow ‘safe’ and ‘proper,’ and that color was either muted or nonexistent,” he says. 

When the architect and designer met a young couple who had recently bought a 1930s home in Washington, D.C., he was pleased to find they thought the same way. “The house is very much of the 20th century, with everything from Tudor to Colonial Revival to Arts and Crafts elements throughout,” Potts says. The owners, who work in the tech industry and now have two children, sought to lean into the space’s history with crisp detailing and colors that would have been considered modern when the house was originally built. 

That sentiment is particularly clear in the kitchen. And while Potts revamped the layout to be fit for everyday life in 2024, he pulled material references from the past to ensure that the home gladly felt its age. After all, if everything old is new again, then how can any of it be boring? 

Make Pasta Night Part of the Plan

Although this house was first built sometime during the Great Depression, the kitchen got an overhaul around the year 2000—and everyone agreed that the builder-grade renovation was far from ideal. “It was as if it were done only to expand the square footage, without putting any thought into how that [space] was actually going to be used,” says Potts.

There were no sight lines into the kitchen from the rest of the house, and for some reason it was a step down from the back door. The floor plan was too narrow for an island but too overloaded with cabinetry. Potts simplified the layout by working from the outside in, moving a nearby powder room and adding a central hallway so that the newly elongated kitchen had a generous spot for an island. “It was crucial that whatever my team and I did prioritized function, but the main reason behind the island was that the owners requested an unbroken surface for their tradition of rolling out pasta,” Potts says.

Calacatta Macchia Vecchia, a marble with strong gold-pink markings, would best underscore their pasta-making station as well as the rest of the countertops and backsplash. Going with a herringbone pattern for the wood floor brings some much-needed structure to the fluid-looking stone.

Use a Color That’s as Fresh Today as It Was Yesterday

Back in the 1930s, cleanliness in the kitchen was top of mind for people, but that doesn’t mean they proved it to guests with an all-white palette. They still embraced color. “Bright, fresh pigments were popular at the time, so we embraced this period-appropriate coloring,” Potts says. 

They chose Farrow & Ball’s Cromarty, a “nearly pure” seafoam shade, which is simple at its core but can be applied in a dramatic way. How exactly? Potts drenched the room in the hue, using it from the ceiling down to the lower cabinets. Even the range hood got a splash. The designer paired it with similarly crisp cabinets that have a hairline-thin edge frame. “This detail would be at home in the 1930s but seems just as cool today,” he says. 

Be Hyper-Strategic About Storage

It’s not that Potts thought the owners didn’t have enough cabinetry in the original kitchen, it’s just that the layout was all wrong. It’s easier to stay organized when things aren’t so spread out. “If there’s any opportunity to add a full wall of shelving, I’ll take it,” Potts says. “Over the years, my team and I have discovered that full-height storage is an incredible bargain in a small footprint.” 

The extra-tall cupboards were the perfect addition to the dining area by the bay window. “That corner was too wide when it was empty, so full-length cabinetry activates that wasted space,” Potts says. Finally, the family’s stand mixer and grilling tools have a cabinet to call home.

The post Don’t Call It Sage—This D.C. Kitchen’s Seafoam Cabinets Bring the Drama appeared first on domino.

Olivia Ellis’s mother was the first one to say, “Don’t you dare touch that front porch.” Ellis, who runs a radio station, and her husband, Isham Randolph, a documentary filmmaker, were about to begin renovations on their Takoma Park, Maryland, home, and right away she reminded them of the beauty of having a front yard. “For [my mom’s] generation, porches were so important. They were used to interact with their neighbors,” says Ellis. She took her mother’s advice (sort of). 

When the couple brought on Colleen Healey and Acadia Contractors to transform the house they’d called home for nearly a decade, they did technically get rid of the existing front porch. But just to the left of it, they built a new one and absorbed the old veranda into the interior to create a sunken mudroom. What seemed like a small shift brought the new porch closer to the sidewalk by another 3 feet or so. The proximity to the street hasn’t gone unnoticed. “Sometimes I’ll look out and I’ll see neighborhood kids sitting on the porch just chatting. They feel very welcome,” says Ellis.

The Layout Before

The Layout After

Scooting the porch over a few feet was just one of many clever moves. Using the grandfathered footprint as her guideline, Healey expanded the 1,700-square-foot house by another 700 feet, adding a little onto each side of the home until they reached their limits. “We couldn’t even go another 2 inches, that’s how close we were to the back of the property,” she says. Here’s how they made the most of the new layout.

Use Skylights Outside, Too

Ellis and Randolph made a serious departure from the neighborhood when they decided to add expansive windows to the front of the house. “People in D.C. don’t do that,” says Ellis. But she didn’t mind standing out on the block—she told Healey to go for it. “Creating all that light has really changed the way we live and our well-being,” she continues. “We don’t technically have that much more space, but it feels like it.”

Situating the new covered porch right in front of the large dining room window would have sacrificed a lot of the natural light they were craving indoors, so Healey suggested adding two skylights to the exterior overhang. “My rule with skylights is always twice as many and twice as big, because they make such an impact,” says the architect. 

Behold the Power of the Moody Exterior

Originally, the plan was to keep the exterior white. Changing up the color of the house would be less jarring for everyone involved—neighbors included. But as the interior updates got under way, it felt strange to Healey and Ellis to hang onto the past. They let go of being the boxy white farmhouse on the street and went all black. 

Randolph raised a concern about heat gain in the warmer months, but Healey reassured him that all the energy-efficient upgrades they had made (adding solar panels on the roof, replacing the insulation) would more than make up for it. “We ran some calculations, and in the end we think the heat gain in the winter may actually be more beneficial than having to keep the home cool in the summer,” she explains.

Divide the Mudroom With a Step, Not a Door

Before, when you entered the house, you’d find yourself smack-dab in the middle of the living room. “The kids would put their backpacks right there on the ground,” recalls Ellis. Now, a sunken mudroom smooths the transition between the front door and the living area, allowing the family to hide jackets and sports gear in floor-to-ceiling stained-ash cabinets and shoes inside drawers underneath a window bench. 

Pull Inspiration From Your Past

With Ellis originally hailing from Texas and Randolph living in Mexico for a period of time, the couple has a sweet spot for desert-inspired design. When it came time to paint their ground level, she recalled a blush pink color they’d come across while staying at the Ignacia Guest House in Mexico City. “It was definitely the first time we’ve painted a whole floor (walls and ceilings) a color that wasn’t white,” says Healey. She advised them to keep Benjamin Moore’s Raleigh Peach to the first floor only; that way, she adds, the color would create more of a moment than if they would have continued it upstairs. 

In the kitchen, they laid down reddish orange porcelain tile that looks like authentic Saltillo you’d find in the Southwest (these cost less and are a lot more durable than the real thing). “This is the first time I’ve ever done a renovation and it feels like my skin,” says Ellis. “These are elements we’ve always been drawn to in our lives.”

Before moving to Mexico and eventually the greater D.C. area, Randolph grew up in Seattle. A storm doesn’t stress him out—it brings him comfort. “Rain is a big part of his life,” says Ellis. What was once a deck is now a screened-in porch where he can sit during a shower and listen to the drops pitter-patter on the roof.

See the Sky at All Times

During the addition phase, Healey stretched the couple’s bedroom until it essentially took up the full length of the back of the house, with the bathroom at one end and the closet at the other. This left them with a long, narrow space that’s only 10 feet at its widest point.

Fortunately, the pitched ceilings make up for the quirky footprint. Healey turned to skylights once more, this time sandwiching one at the intersection of the ceiling and wall—one of her favorite tricks. “You get a merging of wall and sky and it really connects you to the outdoors,” she says. In some projects, she’ll hang a mirror all the way up there to really elevate the shadow play. 

The large windows that face the back neighbors can be fully (or partially) covered by top-down, bottom-up shades, offering Ellis and Randolph some privacy without shrouding views of the treetops. “It feels like we could be living anywhere on earth. We could be living in a jungle,” she says. You know your reno was all worth it when you feel like you’ve moved to a completely different place.

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When it came to overhauling the poorly optimized kitchen in her East London home, architect Mel Bax knew she wanted a luminous, garden room–style extension with arched windows. She spent two years between paid jobs fine-tuning its proportions. But the interior? Mel conceded that she needed help. “Architects think they can design everything, and yes, if I’d wanted a plywood kitchen I could have done that,” she explains. “But I wanted it to be cozy and warm and fun; I was scared about it just being a box at the back of the house.”

Enter neighbor and newly established interior designer Laura Parkinson of Palmer & Stone. Parkinson had used Mel on her own structural renovation, and the pair’s skills naturally jelled, with Parkinson’s awareness of flow and furniture planning enhancing Mel’s designs. Looking at Mel’s initial blueprints, Parkinson’s first suggestion was to move the run of kitchen cabinets to the opposite wall, allowing for a clear view of the striking windows from the moment you enter the space. And she had plenty more careful considerations up her sleeve. 

Work the Mood Into Your Plans From the Get-go

Mel was so on top of her planning that she knew how long her dining table would need to be before construction started. This allowed Parkinson to plot exactly where task and accent lighting would go, with each being on individual circuits. “Creating little moods and nooks is something Mel and I felt strongly about,” says the designer.

Music was also important to Mel and her husband, Bev, but not wanting to hedge their bets on a potentially temperamental, integrated sound system, they opted for synced-up Alexa speakers. One often sits on the tiny shelf in the dining corner, but on quieter nights it houses a scented candle. 

Pick a Color That “Pings” in the Sun

Mel really wanted the new windows and exposed steel beams to pop—and what better way than with an unexpected splash of color? Bev was all in, telling her, “If we’re doing color, then we’re doing color.” Out came Mel’s RAL chart.

They settled on Ruby Red (Ral Color 3003) for all the steel, and Farrow & Ball’s Rectory Red on the millwork, which complements the Setting Plaster on the ceiling and baseboards. “Bev wanted to go even brighter, but it really pings when the sun shines in. It’s a good one to live with,” attests Mel. 

Get Artsy With Your Open Shelves

It was Parkinson’s idea to break up the run of storage cupboards that hold the family’s coats and shoes with a unit of open shelving. But it was Bev who suggested making the ledges heart shaped. “The builders said it looked like a bum or boobs—we’ve had a few comments,” says Mel, laughing. There is more open storage for table linen and toys along the shapely openings of the built-in dining banquette, which provided another opportunity to get playful with color. 

Mel’s favorite detail is the pantry cupboard with reeded glass doors. “It’s intentionally shallow so we can instantly see what’s in there,” she says. “When we were moving, we found things that were five years out of date because they’d been shoved to the back.”

Chop While Watching the Game—Then Put It Away

With Bev being the cook of the house, his top request for the kitchen was a TV to keep him company while he preps food at the island. The trick was not making the room look like just another lounge area. Parkinson’s charming solution was to disguise the wall-mounted monitor behind a handmade patchwork cover by Lizzie Scarlett.

The custom textile features the birth flowers of the couple’s two young daughters. It’s a personal touch that keeps the kitchen far from feeling like a soulless extension.  

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Near the center of San Francisco, the steep hills that surround Cole Valley are lined with colorful Victorian and Edwardian homes that have stood for generations. When two Midwestern transplants moved to the compact neighborhood a little over a decade ago, they fell in love with its many beautiful views, but it wasn’t until 2021 that they purchased a home in the area on an enviable perch. 

Aside from a coat of paint and a newish stove, oven, and refrigerator, it was clear the previous owners hadn’t done much to spruce up the kitchen since the Summer of Love was still a fresh memory for the city (yes, we’re talking circa 1967). For designer Rachel Seldin, principal of Seldin Design Studios, the glaring issues were the room’s lack of charm, countertop space, and storage. “And the predominantly white and gray cabinetry blended in with nondescript, bulky appliances,” she points out.

The couple requested a space where the architectural details on the exterior of the home (and frankly throughout their neighborhood) were reflected in the interior, from push-button light switches to the antique brass hardware. Here’s how Seldin reimagined old-world features for a modern address.

Create an Even Better Layout by Making Tiny Moves

The owners didn’t have an issue with the existing layout of the kitchen. In fact, with the sink conveniently located next to the dishwasher, and the refrigerator and oven situated diagonally from one another, you can move about the space efficiently. And yet the appliances were all just a few inches from their ideal spots, cutting down on precious countertop space.

Seldin swapped the 30-inch-wide stove for a 36-inch version and centered it along the wall, allowing for around 18 inches of prep space on both sides. She also increased the size of the fridge-freezer to 42 inches and pushed it 12 inches to the left so it aligned with the end of the countertops on the opposite wall. The result? There’s a lot more room to chop veggies and roll dough. 

Another benefit of keeping the appliances (mostly) in their familiar places was that the budget didn’t have to include any changes to the water and gas lines. Instead, Seldin could direct those funds to more fun features like solid brass cup pulls and custom roman shades in the dining nook. 

Lower the Ceiling If the Right Hood Calls for It

When Seldin and her clients were first discussing the changes they wanted to make in the kitchen, they all agreed to shine a spotlight on the range hood. Prior to the renovation, it was integrated into the cabinetry on the half-wall near the doorframe, and the trio agreed that pulling it out and making it a feature in that corner would be more worthwhile. The only problem? The nearly 11-foot ceiling was so tall they’d need to add a soffit for additional support, which would result in a boxy look. 

“We pivoted our approach, opting to lower the entire ceiling by a few inches,” Seldin says. A lower profile made it possible to have a stand-alone hood as a streamlined focal point, while also making the area feel cozier. The ceiling still feels so tall that the family barely notices a difference.

Add Historic Details in a Classic Palette

Seldin and the owners were on the same page when it came to the color palette, deciding that the kitchen’s long footprint didn’t exactly call for stark white cabinets, which could actually make the room feel cold and uninviting. Plus the goal was to bring the Victorian aesthetic indoors, so Seldin and the couple went with Stormy Black soapstone countertops alongside creamy white lower cabinets (painted in Strong White by Farrow & Ball) and dark wood upper storage that coordinates with the floors. Incorporating a handful of glass fronts lent an apothecary-like touch. 

Even the backsplash’s swooping shape behind the sink provides a wink to history and a layer of texture. “The gracefully curved backsplash not only adds an element of elegance and uniqueness, but also harmonizes with the overall aesthetic,” says Seldin.

Incorporate the Breakfast Nook by Copying Curves

The breakfast nook had already been a part of the kitchen by the time Seldin was asked to refresh the room, but it seemed disjointed. “That area felt empty, despite having a table and four chairs,” she says. To make the nook feel a part of the kitchen, Seldin built a custom bookcase using the same wood stain, countertop stone, and brass detailing as she did throughout the rest of the kitchen.

Sadly, the designer couldn’t trick out the bench with hidden storage (it houses the baseboard heaters), but she did give it a half-moon silhouette, similar to the backsplash behind the sink. “It facilitates a smooth visual flow, ensuring that even if the table and chairs are removed, the nook could stand alone as a beautiful reading area,” she says. Although, let’s be real, when you’re sitting in that window, you’re looking out onto the hills, not down at a book.

The post With a Good Layout in Place, This Kitchen Reno Was About Gaining More Counter Space appeared first on domino.

Jessie Randall isn’t afraid to admit that she couldn’t have redesigned her Bridgehampton, New York, kitchen alone. Sure, as the founder and creative director of fashion brand Loeffler Randall, she knows the perfect proportions for a puffed sleeve and how long to make the strap on a leather cross-body bag. But as for where to orient her stove? She needed to call for backup. 

Luckily, help found her: Interior designer Zoe Feldman happened to be seated across from Randall at a dinner party in Washington, D.C., one fateful evening last year. Over text the very next day, Randall vented to Feldman: She had hated her black counters for nearly a decade and was stumped by the vastness of the adjacent dining area. Feldman started to envision how they could make the space more her. “I have a very strong sense of what I like, which is why I’ve been reluctant to get involved with a designer, but I could have never come up with this kitchen without Zoe,” says Randall.

Working alongside Randall’s contractor, Phil Pape of Pape Construction, Feldman’s first piece of advice was to make the kitchen more prominent by expanding the island and relocating the appliances. “She was like, we’re moving the stove,” shares Randall. “I didn’t even know you could do that.” Read on to see how they brought the fashion designer’s long-awaited kitchen to life. 

Define an Open-Concept Space With Textured Floor Tile

There was no question that the existing kitchen floors were banged up. The dilemma was, if Randall were to replace one section of boards, would she have to replace the ones that span into the living room, too? “All of a sudden, I could see the numbers ticking up to something very scary,” she says. Feeling inspired by a trip she had taken with her design team to Marrakech years ago, she decided to redo the cooking zone in checkered zellige tile from Mosaic House. The large-scale pattern is white and sky in 4-by-4 squares; the border is Dama Corner in white and green.

Not only did opting for a fresh material create a natural sense of separation between the kitchen and the rest of the house, but by adding a border, it made the addition of the extra-large island look intentional. “I love that it’s so imperfect,” Randall says of the inherent undulations and color variations in the tile. Other than a handful of pieces that shattered when they installed the fridge, it’s held up nicely. “I love the way it feels under my feet—it’s nice and cool in the summer,” she adds. 

Don’t Judge a Paint Color by Its Name

Originally, Randall’s plan was to swathe her new cabinets by Unique Kitchens & Baths in subdued French Gray. “Then I just had this epiphany: no, I need a crazy green kitchen,” she says. After many panicked calls to her designer, Randall committed to a different Farrow & Ball hue: Pea Green. “Which I don’t think is an accurate representation of what the color is,” she points out. The shade is much brighter and crisper than the soupy yellowish shade that automatically comes to mind when you hear those two words. Wanting details in the millwork, like the scalloped trim along the island, to be the star, Feldman suggested saturating the knobs in the same color, too. 

Let Your Wardrobe Inspire Your Walls

Long before she hired an interior designer, Randall took a stab at adding some charm to the space by wallpapering the inside of her glass upper cabinets. When Feldman came into the picture, they took things a step further by covering all the walls in a print from the Loeffler Randall x Temple Studio collaboration, which uses florals from her brand’s ready-to-wear collection. “The quality paper it’s printed on…it looks like it was hand-painted on the wall,” says Randall. 

Stitch Together a Cozy Kitchen Sofa

Even when there are no beach snacks to prepare or barbecues to host, you’ll still find Randall in here. “I don’t really go in my living room,” she says. Instead she likes to lie down and relax in the kitchen atop a modular Sixpenny sofa, and she’s usually got company. “My dogs get up there and they chew everything,” she adds. To protect the piece of furniture, she made a removable slipcover out of two king-size Les Indiennes bedspreads. She also DIYed the fabric skirt underneath the sink out of Svenskt Tenn fabric she picked up in Sweden. 

Hang More Than Just Pots 

Accessorizing a kitchen to Randall means having her entertaining ware out on full display. There is a dedicated rack for her ever-growing plate collection, spanning pieces by Kaneko Kohyo, Pomelo Casa, and Carolina Irving & Daughters, as well as one for all her taper candles. Randall scooped up a slew of colors from Danica Design Candles in Maine, knowing she’d be burning them (almost) around the clock. “My friends and I were in Copenhagen last June and even during the day in the summer, they would have candlelight,” says Randall. “It was a lightbulb moment for me: I had never considered using candles during the day.” Even lunchtime feels special thanks to this addition.

Get the Look

Pea Green, Farrow & Ball

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Scallop Sconce, Nickey Kehoe ($525)

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Watercolor Floral Mist Wallpaper, Temple Studio (Price upon request)

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Aged Brass Ionian Tap, deVOL ($1,200)

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