Home Design by the Coconut Girl

Most of my work as an architect focuses on home design. Many families with young children are just like mine: desperate!  That is to say they’re desperate for their homes to support their busy lives, not detract from them. Sometimes the solution for clients is an addition or a renovation. Other times, a few new pieces of furniture and some rearranging accomplish the goal of a saner existence. It’s amazing how much better the day goes when you can find your things (mostly), and there’s some beauty around to lift your spirits.

Here are several recent projects for families, including ours.

Before: The back porch had little visual or physical connection to back yard, plus lead paint-a-go-go. The dormers and roof needed overhauling due to to rot and loose shingles.

After: Freshly detailed dormers and roof, and a new screened porch. Kids can run wild in the back yard and still be easily supervised from the house.

When a busy client with two teenagers bought this modern home, she envisioned a calm, clutter-free entry. We replaced the garish color palate with serene tones, and built a custom entry vestibule that bears on the existing steel structure at the storefront windows. The new entry creates a human-scaled threshold between the garden outside and the high, vaulted living room. Spacious cubbies and custom lighting welcome backpacks, boots, and coats.

Before:

After:

Here’s a small project at my house that was on my to-do list for a year. It only took two nights to complete once I got started. I rearranged our master bedroom to make room for an office area. Our bed fit into a cozy niche, but to do so, it had to back up to a drafty, off-center window. I covered the window with a thick comforter, then hung a canopy over the bed that I sewed from IKEA curtains. A Japanese obi belt purchased in Washington, DC added some nice detail at the canopy’s front edge. I supported the fabric by draping it over two closet clothes rods I picked up late one night at Lowe’s.

When this project began, my clients had three children under the age of four–including twins. They craved more breathing room in their living/dining area, and needed two more bedrooms for their growing girls.  The addition contains a new dining room, home office, mudroom, butler’s pantry, playroom and bedrooms–all within 1,000 square feet. Custom casework provides much-needed storage; large windows and recessed can lights give the house a bright, spacious feel.

Before:

After: New dining room, mud room, and bedrooms.

The dining room/bedroom addition is on the right. It was detailed to match the existing construction.

Who needs a mudroom? Holy moly, we sure did for our busy family. Rather than adding square footage, we hit IKEA and World Market for some furniture and storage containers to put in our living and dining rooms. With a few friendly reminders, the kids put their backpacks in the basket, and their shoes in the cubbies. Grown-ups place incoming mail and school forms in the black file boxes until they can be sorted. Bureaus just around the corner hold umbrellas, hats, gloves, and windbreakers. An existing coat closet got a new light, bright paint, and low pegs so family members can hang their own coats.