How a Designer Turned a Cramped, Dated Area Into a Perform…


For Dwelling of Drennan founder Rebecca Bridges, renovating her own 1970 Colonial-model property in Rock Hill, South Carolina, was a correct spouse and children affair: “The home was designed by architect Milton Sadler. Coincidentally, Mr. Sadler is the exact architect that intended my husband’s childhood household,” states Drennan. To increase a further layer of style kismet, the builder she tapped, Jeff Williamson of Southern Builders of York County, is grandson-in-legislation of the properties unique builder, Charles Okey, Jr.
Additionally, Bridges and her spouse experienced presently lived in the house for 10 several years when they embarked on their reno—so, suffice it to say, the workforce carried a deep knowledge of the residence. “From the moment we toured this property, my spouse and I the two felt at house,” says Bridges. “The common structure, red brick exterior, and classic components reminded us each of the properties that we grew up in.” In essence, “the bones were being fantastic.” When they 1st moved in ten several years ago, Bridges and her partner undertook slight beauty alterations, updating paint and fixtures. But, immediately after a decade in the house and the addition of 3 little little ones, it was time for a far more important overhaul. The intention? Preserving the soul of the home when updating it for the family’s life-style (goodbye, dark cramped rooms good day, storage and multifunctionality!). Go through on to see how it went.

HB: How comprehensive was the undertaking?
RB: Our renovation incorporated one whole facet of our dwelling: the breakfast room, kitchen area, powder room, laundry, and mudroom/again entry. It was absolutely gutted. We eradicated the wall involving the breakfast space and kitchen area to open the two rooms and additional a cased opening to the present “desk” region of the kitchen area to generate a bar passthrough, between the new, greater kitchen area and our present den. We also widened the back entry hallway by 18” to accommodate far more storage and room for our household.
HB: What was the inspiration for the new layout?
RB: On the area, there experienced been a several updates with refaced cabinetry and paint to the places we ended up renovating. Even so, the inside of all of our cabinetry was original. There had been no adjustable shelves, only 12” of clearance concerning the countertop and upper cabinetry (only a mini coffee pot would in good shape!), the again entry was cramped for our expanding family… and I really, definitely needed to open the kitchen area into the current breakfast space to make a extra relaxed, open consuming location for our relatives. We did not employ the breakfast space or desk region of our kitchen in advance of the renovation, so I knew I required to make people spaces, particularly, more useful for our family’s demands. I wanted a traditional, white kitchen area and for the renovation to come to feel as although it have been original to the household … but enjoyable and filled with color!
HB: How did you achieve that?
RB: I chosen timeless finishes (brass and chrome), incorporated smaller doses of black accents (selection, tile on the back again of the island), and picked neutral stone counter tops. We stored the molding and wainscotting styles constant with the present finishes of the property and we were being blessed to match the hardwood flooring to the first flooring throughout the initial flooring. The flooring is rather distinctive and holding the flooring reliable was my husband’s only ask for throughout this complete project—we wanted to match the original, beveled pink oak and white oak flooring, laid in different widths. We were equipped to do just that, and it turned out beautifully! You can rarely convey to wherever the new meets the old—and that is precisely what we needed. Both of those in my skilled do the job and own lifestyle, I adore color! It is apparent in the course of all my initiatives – and in a dwelling surrounded by adult males (my partner, 3 boys and even our male canine!), pink is my absolute favorite shade. However, I know a small bit of pink can go a long way in our property. I selected to include shade —and my preferred, pink—through textiles and components. “Voyage en Chine” cloth by Manuel Canovas and “Arty” wallpaper by Pierre Frey had been prolonged-time favorites of mine. I realized I wished to incorporate these textiles into the spaces, and they guided the overall coloration scheme for our venture.
HB: Did you experience any unforgettable hiccups, issues, or surprises during the task?
RB: The most important challenge all through our renovation was dwelling in the household all through the venture with three modest children in the time of Covid and at-household mastering. Yet another obstacle was the quantity of time that the renovation took because of to delays. As a designer, I realized to choose/get things ASAP to stay away from delays… but some were being just inevitable. When the kitchen area was taken down to the studs and I walked in, I understood right away that we *desired* a bigger window for the area. As an alternative of waiting 6+ weeks, at ideal, for a new window, we additional sidelights to the authentic window rather and attained all over 20” of light. I consider it appears to be as while it has often been this way, in particular once I experienced the builders incorporate trim to the sidelights to mimic the existing lintels of the initial window.
HB: In which did the bulk of the price range go?
RB: Considerably of our price range went to cabinetry, countertops, and appliances. Our cabinetry was custom made produced by a trusted tradesman, Jack Massey of Jack’s Cupboard Store, that I have labored with for years. We created each drawer, cupboard bay and insert with each other to make the most of our new space. Though marble is my favourite stone material, it would not be the very best choice for our relatives and 3 minor boys. Marble etches and is pretty porous and I understood stains had been inescapable. As a substitute, we selected a galactic white quartzite for the countertop. Quartzite is a natural stone that is tough, hard and has attractive veining, like marble. It is a pricey materials, but one particular that I am incredibly happy that we chosen for all locations of this project.
All our appliance picks are panel ready and fully integrated, so they blend in seamlessly with the cabinetry. Our refrigeration is from SubZero and our dishwasher is from Miele. I had my heart established on a LaCornue array. They are beautiful, legitimate operates of artwork and I understood it would be a best focal stage to our normally neutral kitchen area. The Cornue sequence features a double oven, so I beloved that I did not have to sacrifice this present element in the reno with this assortment. Our new assortment is the workhorse of this reno! I under no circumstances realized the variation amongst electric cooking vs. gas and I will in no way be able to go again now.
HB: How did you preserve money/Do-it-yourself/get crafty?
RB: In addition to the window option, we made use of leftover, authentic hardwood flooring as the again portion of our fall zone in the mudroom/again entry. We stored the in general footprint of our renovation the very same, only taking away one wall and pushing out the entry hallway width.
HB: What are some of the most unique structure things in the place?
RB: I selected to include a bold use of shade in our move-as a result of bar place. It is a compact place, connecting our kitchen and den, and it’s a single of my preferred components of our reno. A single side is normal counter depth, but the other side is slim and was earlier deemed unusable. My partner is in the beer business enterprise, and I saw that this slim spot would be great to property his reserves, steins and glasses. I did not want to sacrifice our substantial pantry, so I saved the footprint of this location typically the very same, but dded a cased opening to the bar pass by means of to make definition in between the kitchen (I wanted this place to really feel like a individual home). My partner gave me carte blanche right here and I did not maintain back again with my use of incredibly hot pink cabinetry and colorful wallpaper. We additional an undercounter refrigerator, exclusively for my husband’s exclusive beer assortment, and glass cabinetry on the uppers to exhibit our distinctive collection of eyeglasses, steins, and antique biscuit jars. I balanced out the bold bursts of colour and pattern utilization with basic white cabinetry, warm wooden tones, and shades of blue, and black and white in the other spots of our renovation.
You Could Also Like