The Case Study House
To get an idea of what the interior design process looks like, follow along through this case study project for a full first floor renovation. While there is much more that goes into a project of this size, it provides a good example of some of the main stages of a design project.
The Brief
This house built in the 1950’s has a brick veneer with a timber frame, concrete stump foundation, and tiled roof. The client wanted to modernize her home and renovate the entire ground floor. She loves to cook but didn’t want to feel isolated in the kitchen. Her family of 4 rarely entertains in a formal setting, and they prefers family-oriented occasions.
Must Include:
Open plan design to incorporate the dining, kitchen and living
Powder room
Laundry room - a separate room, concealed behind a floor to ceiling cupboard or incorporated with another room
Study - a separate room, a computer station or incorporated with another room
Changes Not Allowed:
The front entry door must remain in the same position.
Structural walls supporting the staircase are to remain, and the opening is limited to one side only.
The stairs are to remain intact. They angle over the old WC leading to the second level, resulting in the WC ceiling being angled.
Walls in red are structural & have to remain intact.
New Floor Plan
To utilize the light and warmth of the sun the kitchen and living room are situated at the front of the house. The informal, smaller dining space in the kitchen can accommodate up to 6. It helps mom feel included when she’s in the kitchen whether the kids are doing homework at the dining table or hanging out in the spacious living room. Lots of storage is incorporated throughout the house: built-ins on both sides of the fireplace allow for storage and a place to display decorative and sentimental items, cabinets flank the sides of the desk in the study/library, the powder/laundry room includes a stacked washer/dryer that is concealed in a cabinet that matches the linen closet, and the mudroom has lockers for shoes, coats, and bags. The rooms are large with multiple seating areas for the whole family to gather and hang out together or separately in the same spaces. A pathway is accessible all the way around the stairwell so that the powder room is easily accessible from anywhere on the ground floor. The easy path to the kitchen from both the front and back doors make bringing groceries in a breeze no matter where the family enters from.
Reflected Ceiling Plan
A new floor plan requires a new electrical plan. This reflected ceiling plan was designed with function, safety, and ease in mind. The family now has adequate lighting and power supply that is easy to access wherever they are in their space.
Color Palette and Mood Board
Three different color palettes were developed for this project, of which the monochromatic option was chosen. This neutral palette of whites, browns, and black was created to achieve a serene, earthy space that feels warm and inviting. Simply White by Benjamin Moore was used throughout to establish serenity. The darker browns and black were brought in through some built-in fixtures, but mostly as accents to introduce warmth. On either side you can see the alternate color palettes that were created: an accented analogous palette and a complementary palette.
Fabric Selection
For this project, 4 upholstery weight fabrics and 4 curtain weight fabrics were to be chosen. These 8 fabrics were selected to be used for sofas, chairs, cushions, pillows, window shades, and curtains. When making these choices, the way these fabrics complemented and contrasted one another was considered, as well as how they aided in achieving visual design goals. Most importantly, these fabric selections were based on their durability and how the family would use them. The ability to remove and wash a banquette cushion cover relieves stress when inevitable messes are made. Couches in a dark color with a 100,000 rub test rating are going to hide stains and stand up to years of daily use so that they still look brand new when the kids move out of the house. A wipeable fabric on a desk chair makes coffee spills during work quick and easy to clean up so that there isn’t a loss of productivity. As important as the look of these fabrics was, their function and durability were just as, if not more, important.
Sample Boards
These sample boards show all of various the rooms’ inclusions together to convey the design direction and give an idea of how the finished spaces will feel once completed. Seeing all of the sample boards together shows how similar elements are incorporated throughout the entire project to achieve cohesion between spaces, but also shows how each room will stand out with their individual personalities and charm.
Living Room
Dark upholstered furniture, dark cabinetry, and stone veneer were added to make the room feel cozy and inviting. To balance the dark elements, a light-colored rug, some light-colored accessories, and a light wood coffee table were included, and a white paint was chosen for the walls, trim, and ceiling. Custom curtains bring in some charm and warmth, and their heaviness is balanced by double roman shades with a sheer ivory layer behind an opaque tan layer. Brass elements are scattered throughout to establish repetition. The veneer on the fireplace brings in organic shapes and texture. The curtains, rug, stone veneer, and custom cushions bring in various patterns that catch the eye. If entering from the front door/entryway, the focal point of this space is the fireplace wall flanked by built-ins in Mocha Brown by Benjamin Moore. The focal point when entering from the mudroom is the coffee table framed by matching sofas and two accent chairs.
Kitchen/Dining Nook
Dark colors on the bottom half of the room help establish the coziness while at the same time helping to hide messes. To keep the room feeling spacious and offset the visual weight of the multiple light fixtures and dark artwork above the table, the top half of the room was kept a warm white color. Subtly pulling the light color down and the dark color up, the dining chairs are upholstered in a white fabric while the upper cabinetry hardware and some of the light fixtures feature a bronze color. The countertops are a heavily patterned granite that incorporates all of the room’s colors and helps to hide any crumbs that get missed during cleanup. The custom banquette cushion cover is removeable and machine washable, along with the throw pillow covers and Ruggable rug to make for easy cleanup. The Moravian star pendant and table base introduce diagonal lines and geometric shapes. Brass elements are scattered throughout.
Mudroom
This functional space needed to have a big impact as it is the first space the family sees when they enter the home and the last space they see when they leave. A washable rug from Ruggable was a must as everyone tracks the outdoors in. Black metal lockers serve as storage for backpacks, shoes, etc., and are balanced by the same custom curtains and double roman shades that are in the living room. Stained in Minwax’s Walnut, the back door features an arch in the windowpanes which is mirrored in the architectural artwork on the opposite wall. The console that sits underneath is stained in a color that matches the door. The accent chair brings in multiple textures that warm up the metal elements throughout the space. Similar to the other spaces throughout the project, brass is repeated around the room. Rounded lines throughout help soften the dark, angular, and metal aspects in the space.
Study/Library
Because of the work/relax functional balance in this space, a balance of hard and soft was created. Above the desk on the work side, a large medieval inspired sketch of a griffin is juxtaposed against a smaller female portrait study on the softer, lounge side. A curved, ivory chaise upholstered in a fur-like fabric sits behind a round coffee table with rounded legs on the more relaxed side. On the working side, a black, angular armchair upholstered in a leather fabric sits at the desk. Pillows on the chaise bring in black to the softer side, and an ivory tufted lumbar pillow with curved lines sits in the black desk chair. The coffee table sits on top of the bold, angular beige and black rug. A black accent table adds more rounded shapes to the softer side, and it sits in front of an angular brass floor lamp. With walls lined with bookshelves and cabinetry painted brown, black and white were the main focus for the additions in this room.
Material Board & Elevation
This project required custom cabinetry and a full kitchen renovation. An elevation was created for the West wall of the kitchen/dining nook so that the cabinet maker would have the dimensions to build the cabinet and drawer boxes, cabinet and drawer fronts, and banquette seating bench. The material board displays the finishes to be included in this space so that the client could see how these elements would work together before installation.
Elevation
Using SketchUp, all measurements were accounted for in this space to provide the cabinet maker with all necessary information to build the cabinetry and banquette bench.
Material Board
This material board shows all of the finishes going into the kitchen space and how they work together. From top to bottom, you can see the upper cabinetry sample, a paint color that resembles the backsplash grout color, the paint color of the walls and ceiling, the backsplash tile, the countertop sample, the upper cabinetry hardware, the lower cabinetry hardware, the lower cabinetry sample, the floor sample, a fabric sample similar to the dining chair cushions, and a belt resembling the banquette cushion fabric.