January 2025 - LUXE AND LUCID

The new year inspires all of us to make changes in our a) relationships, b) career, c) diet, d) all of the above in service of a better life. As an interior designer, “new and improved” is my modus operandi. My own home has had me knee-deep in renovation since purchasing it in 2022. To describe it as a fixer-upper is an understatement. It was in a tragic state of disrepair when I took ownership with the last “improvements” having been made circa 1975. Not attractive and just the way I like it. The uglier the better. Give me good bones and a hideous interior because I will shine that baby right up and turn it into the beauty it was meant to be.

The Kitchen

Before

An awkward configuration of cabinets (desk next to oven?), laminate counters and linoleum floors are just some of the kitchen’s highlights. The unnecessary bulkhead, small window and contrasting upper/lower wallpaper application make the room appear shorter than it is.

After

The larger scaled, Tecate tiles expand the space and speak to the Spanish Colonial architecture. The raised-panel cabinetry flanking the stove is symmetrical and starts at the ceiling. It’s painted in a cream color that coordinates with the subway tiles, plaster hood, and adjacent trim for a quiet, consistent envelope. I installed a tall casement window with flanking sidelights where the short window used to be to let in more light and heighten the room’s proportions.

Before

Apparently symmetry and alignment were not priorities for the previous owners. Note, the sink and window placement! Clearly the haphazard layout needed to be reinvented for the 21st century. To do this required one important subtraction (hint: look at the lower left cabinet) among numerous others as well as one subtle, but important addition.

After

The first step in reorganization was the removal of the radiator that took up the entire lower cabinet to the left of the sink. Eliminating it gave me the flexibility to move the refrigerator. In lieu of the radiator, I added in-floor heating to this space and other “back of house” rooms. Other features subtracted for good measure included the ceiling fan, jimmy-rigged side-by-side windows, stovetop, and double-swing door to the dining room.

The quietly significant addition is the full height cabinet at the right that conceals the microwave, my small appliances, as well as the trash/recycling below. I loathe clutter, so tucking away miscellany keeps me sane. I added a charming new arched window [directly] above the sink. There are several new arched elements introduced throughout the interior born from an overhang at the front of the house with a recurring-arch detail.