Strategic Relocation: Vaulted Kitchen Addition & Ground Level Suite
Driven by the need for a ground-level guest suite for visiting international parents, this project evolved into a complete reimagining of the home’s shared living spaces. By expanding the footprint, we created a striking, light-filled kitchen that emphasizes the architectural scale while maintaining an inviting sense of warmth - redefining how this family gathers and hosts across generations.
The Starting Point:
Original 1939 colonial conditions prior to the 300 square foot expansion and interior reconfiguration.
Linework perspectives like this one are generated throughout the design process allowing the home owner to visualize the impact as we reshape the space.
This project balanced the expansiveness of the shared spaces with the preservation of the more intimate adjacent rooms, ensuring that the home offers both a sense of grandeur and a quiet place for retreat.
How Did We Achieve the Project Goals?
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A renovation should be an investment that truly transforms how you live, and sometimes that means looking beyond the existing floor plan. If a layout isn't working, we believe you shouldn't force it; renovating "in place" can lead to compromises that don't solve the bigger picture issues.
By choosing to relocate the kitchen entirely, we moved away from the constraints of the original footprint and unlocked the home’s true potential. This strategic move allowed us to capitalize on vaulted ceilings and natural light, creating a high-impact, multi-generational hub that a simple "refresh" never could have achieved. Even better, the existing kitchen footprint was then repurposed to create the ground-level guest suite for the homeowners' visiting parents—solving the project's primary objective.
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The original home felt compartmentalized, consisting of small rooms with cased openings that lacked a clear focal point upon arrival. By selectively removing key partitions, we opened up the floor plan to create an immediate vantage point from the foyer to the new vaulted kitchen addition, improving flow and allowing natural light to bounce throughout the living spaces.
This project balanced the expansiveness of the shared spaces with the preservation of the more intimate adjacent rooms, ensuring that the home offers both a sense of grandeur and a quiet place for retreat.
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The new guest suite was designed for functional independence. By repurposing the original kitchen’s footprint, we created a self-contained area that provides a quiet buffer from the high-energy communal areas. A dedicated exterior entrance allows guests to come and go freely without disrupting the household's daily flow.
Beyond its primary role, the suite is a hardworking part of the home's floor plan. Between visits, the space serves as a practical playroom or reading room, ensuring the square footage is fully utilized year-round.
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A critical component of the kitchen addition was the integration of a full exterior covered stair for the basement. We wanted to move away from the standard, utilitarian bulkhead in favor of a more pleasant and functional egress.
By designing a covered staircase, we’ve created a seamless connection to the outdoors that feels like a natural extension of the architecture. This choice not only improves accessibility but also invites more natural light into the lower level, transforming the basement from a storage area into a truly usable part of the home.
Existing Floor Plan
Proposed Floor Plan
By choosing to relocate the kitchen entirely, we moved away from the constraints of the original footprint and unlocked the home’s true potential.
Phases of Construction
Initial Perspective: The original entryway vantage point, showcasing the restricted sightlines and compartmentalized layout before we reshaped the primary living spaces.
Structural Progress: Interior partitions removed and support beams installed to carry the load from the second story above.
Spatial Transition: Existing exterior wall removed showcasing the new view from the dining room into the vaulted kitchen addition.
Interior Volume: The unified living, dining, and kitchen areas freshly drywalled with new Marvin windows installed
Millwork Integration: Installation of the custom cabinetry and the 10-foot black stained oak island within the vaulted kitchen addition.
Architectural Completion: The new vaulted kitchen filled with natural light and refined architectural finishes
By adding a 300-square-foot vaulted addition, we successfully integrated a private ground-level guest suite while reimagining the home's core. The result is a high-performance kitchen anchored by a 10-foot black stained solid oak island and 48" Monogram professional range, designed for multi-generational hosting. Architectural scale is balanced by intentional details, including the continuous quartz countertop-to-sill transitions and a dedicated beverage station.