Kenneth House Sauganash

Full Gut Rehab in Sauganash. Finished pics to come soon. These were taken prior to full completion. The cedar ceiling and oak top have since been stained. As with many of our projects, it's crucial to get our owners in as soon as possible. So, even without full completion, the owners moved in. Not everything had found a home yet in these pics but we really wanted to share the project with you. 

Apologies for the stuff out. We really wanted to share this one.

The kids bathroom. Lots of color!

This view would not have been possible in the original home. We removed an entry vestibule and opened up the walls. This required new structure here and in the basement, but it was so worth it. A new white oak stair leads you up to the second floor. The kitchen is actually now in the location of the old dining room, while the dining room became the family room. 

More Than a Face lift, Lincoln Park

We've been touching many rooms in this Lincoln Park home over the last couple of years and are still going as we fine tune furniture selections, artwork, and interior details. But, here are some photos of the progress.

The old kitchen was ready for an update. New cabinets with additional detail echo some of the style already in the home while other selections add a new dimension. Re configuring the kitchen to keep it a real focal point creates a sense of drama in the space and intention to the design. An enlarged opening between the kitchen and the dining room and living room make the overall layout more fluid. 

BEFORE pic of the kitchen. We typically like to get rid of those dust shelves above the kitchen cabinetry. To the left, a small opening to the Dining room was practically unusable.

Picture of the space before the pendants came in. 

The Pendants installed.

View toward the new family room built-ins before the pendants came. A low wall was built to back up the sofa.

An enlarged opening to the Dining and Living Rooms allows you to see the window at the other end of the home. Increasing depth, light and flow.

Range and tile detail. 

Detail at the butcher block walnut top of the media cabinet. A great stage for kids.

Other portions of this project have included a redesign of the playroom, painting throughout, new carpeting, pillows, rugs and furniture. We are looking forward to sharing finished pictures of the rest of the home soon!

Better In Blue Park Ridge

I can't believe how long it's been since we've blogged! WAY TOO LONG!
Well, we are back on it and happy to share some projects in various stages. This project, "Better in Blue" is completed and while we don't have finished photos yet, here are some that are close.
In this project, the goal was to create a modern kitchen that fit with the aesthetic of the owner as well as maximizing storage and light. We reduced the size of the existing window to add storage space. We also pushed a pulled walls to allow for a wall of cabinetry and enough room for an island.
Opening up a the wall between the Kitchen and Dining Room greatly increased the relationship between the 2 rooms. Minimal cabinet hardware was used to keep it sleek while 2 tones of blues adds detail to the flat slab cabinetry. New stainless appliances enhance the look and using a 42" hood over the 36 inch range allows the tile backsplash to have more impact in the space.
The transformation is amazing and unique. Great projects come from having a great team. This project is a true example of this. Patience, perseverance and a willingness to be bold and exciting. We truly appreciated working with these incredible owners.

Before Pic of Kitchen.

Who's that guy hiding behind the island!? Oh, he's sealing the floors.

We pulled the volume of the kitchen box out into the hallway. Instead of hiding this move, we decided to accentuate it by using tongue and groove white oak boards to wrap the space and pull it into the kitchen. The owner decided to replace the existing cork flooring during the project when it was clear the sun bleached floor could not be sanded. New gray stone tile makes it's way to the entry, lines the front of the fireplace hearth and moves into the new kitchen.

 A new bathroom was a priority. We still wanted to use fun color and rich materials in the new bathroom. Wrapping walnut cabinetry around a new medicine cabinet maximized storage space and a long sink with 2 faucets will hopefully keep shoving to a minimum between family members getting ready for school.

Before pic of bathroom

Before the handles were installed.

Park Ridge Modern: Kitchen and Bath Renovation

While the Basement of the "Tiki Project" has been put on hold, we've been asked to design the kitchen and first floor bathroom renovation of the same home in Park Ridge. This small and unique single story 50's modern home was designed and built by the grandparents of the current owner and maintains the original character.
While materials have not been finalized, tones and concepts are being explored while the pricing stage occurs.
Initially we thought walnut would work for the cabinetry, but after exploring the project in 3d computer renderings, we were attracted to a painted flat front modern cabinet design. The cabinetry would have 2 tones and reflect a 50s modern blue.
Currently we are showing a cement tile floor although we are exploring many pattern and tone options.  If we go for pattern on the floor, we'll most likely look at a simpler backsplash tile. With a simpler floor, we'd probably be recommending more pattern and detail with the backsplash.  We like to explore all these options.
A major move in the kitchen will be opening it up to the Dining area. Having the large rear windows in view will allow us to reduce the size of the kitchen window and provide more upper cabinets.
Another significant move is shifting the north wall of the kitchen out about 9 inches from the current wall. We then will line that wall with full cabinetry that protrudes 9 inches into the kitchen, giving us 18 inch deep cabinetry where previously there was only a small in-wall cabinet. This essentially doubles the storage in the kitchen.
The new island will not have seating at it since the Dining Room is directly adjacent and maximizing storage is critical.
Outside the kitchen, we intend to line the walls with 4 inch white oak tongue and groove planks. The light wood echoes the tones of the fireplace and blends nicely with the existing cork flooring.

TIKI BASEMENT

Tiki and mid-century modern. These terms help define our starting point for our most recent project in Park Ridge. However, this basement remodel will reference these terms while connecting it to contemporary lifestyles. The project is currently in pricing, so we hope to soon have pictures that show these renderings turning into reality. Our thought on this one? Have some fun in your design! Don't be afraid to use color and materials to enhance your space.

View from the tiki room looking out on to the rest of the space.
Wood selections, crisp details, color tones and lighting will all contribute to the tone of the design.

The new home office will be connected to the rest of the basement but accessible through a private hallway. 

Relocating the tv and keeping and creating a mixture of closed and open storage will help organize the space.

Music is very important to this family so a dedicated Music Zone has been created. 

We had planned on having "Tiki Island" shown in the foreground, but this concept has been put on the back burner for now. We are still hoping to incorporate tiki lighting and wall coverings though.
A display wall will help organize and highlight the art of the each tiki piece.
The current design has more display cubes for the tiki than shown in this rendering.
Lighting in the ceiling will also highlight the art.  

Some pre-final completion shots of this Gut Rehab project in Roscoe Village. This project takes a 3 flat brick building and converts it into a single family home. Follow the whole project on our Facebook Page. 

www.facebook.com/mpinkdesign

Update from Adler Barry Project

Although we have not yet taken final photos of this kitchen renovation project, here are a couple rough shots of the completed project. 

Kitchen Cabinets Arrive! Barry Renovation

Cabinets are here! The cabinets have arrived at the Barry site and are being installed. They look beautiful. The uppers and full height cabinets are a light gray while the lower cabinetry is a stained walnut. More pics to come in the next week as the cabinetry gets set into place. The notch in the wall to the right will have a little niche above the sink. We are looking forward to sharing more pictures soon!

KENNETH GUT RENOVATION

We are currently in the pricing phase of a large renovation on Kenneth in the Sauganash neighborhood. The first and second floor plans will be altered including removing the existing kitchen and swapping it's location with the existing dining room. Here are a couple of preliminary computer renderings that show the new spaces along with the corresponding photos of the current home. Other portions of the home will be renovated including the redesign of the Master Suite.

Existing Dining Room will become new open Kitchen with a large island. 

View to the West in the new Kitchen space, formerly occupied by the Dining Room.

View of the existing kitchen. This room will become the family room with a view to the new Kitchen beyond.
The wall between the two spaces will be removed. 

View from the new Family Room into the new Kitchen (formerly the Dining Room).
This will allow for a large mudroom access directly off of the new kitchen space as well as a view to the backyard. A wood soffit will line the ceiling separating the two spaces and lead you to the basement, no longer disconnected from the first floor. 

Closet Addition Nearing Completion.

The closet addition to our previous mudroom project is almost complete. The closet system went in today. This project filled in an unused porch area located above a mudroom addition we designed a few years ago. The owner wanted the new addition to be modern and sleek and stand out from the existing house. Dark stained cedar siding ties the new portion into the previous addition. We ended up removing and replacing some of the lower siding with the dark boards as well to pull it all together. More pics to come (without the large van). Once fall hits, the new facade will be very visible as it is currently veiled by foliage. 

Mostly veiled by foliage, the new cedar infill sits above the mudroom we designed a few years ago. Fall will bring a much more visible facade exposing the two windows. The East window serves the closet while a North facing window is over a small desk area off the master bedroom.  

The vertical wall flanking the doors entry was changed to the cedar to help tie the two floors together. 

The main conceptual idea behind the design was to carve the corner of the building out to represent a response from the noisy school nearby.  

The view from the driveway approach. The narrow trim around the new window provides a small shadow line around the new widow. The windows on the second floor of the addition relate to those below. 

 

Jackson Basement River Forest

This project was completed last year and made it to the facebook page, but never to the blog. A basement in need of renovation and full of program. This basement is only about 1,000 square feet, but includes a large living room, an office, a full mini-kitchen with a refrigerator and sink, a sewing station, a storage/work room, a full bathroom with walk-in shower, a large laundry room, a guest room and tons of new storage. The ceiling height was raised by relocated pipes above to the sides of the room. A costly endeavor, but well worth it. The hand carved limestone fireplace and use of dark wood accents on light colored walls and doors echoes the elements of the Tudor style home. 

View of the space before the renovation. Low ceiling due to unorganized pipes and conduit. The space lacked storage, lighting and organization.  

After shot from the same location. A narrow bar in the foreground provides a back to the sofa and defines the spaces without fully closing them off. 

Opening the office nook up on two sides allows the room to feel open while maintaining the option of privacy. On the left you can see how the placement of a new large egress window in the laundry area provides natural light in the living space. 

A window formerly covered up was uncovered and replaced with a frosted awning type window. 

Lots of varied storage helps to organize any space. Couches are by Mitchell Gold.