The owners purchased the house on a beautiful corner lot, despite its dark, outdated kitchen and an adjacent unfinished, windowless room that was formerly a garage. Their goal was to create an informal living space with lots of natural light and views to the outdoors.  By removing an existing back stair and relocating a laundry room to the 2nd floor, the design creates a new entrance hall with mudroom and pantry and a combined eat-in kitchen and family room with new door and window openings that link the kitchen family room on both sides to private gardens and sunlight. 

The plan incorporates an island with seating and ample workspace, and a wall of custom built-ins that house much needed storage and a flat screen TV.

A former paved parking area is remade into an intimate private garden with new brick and stone garden walls and a fountain on axis with the family room door. A new pergola and garden shed screen the indoor and outdoor living spaces from the adjacent streets.

A new side porch and garden gate use lattice detailing similar to an existing back porch. The garden shed and porch frame the entrance to the garden with matching copper roofs.