Today I submitted my first renovation project for my Interior Design Course and I am very excited to share it with you.
The story
My (fictitious) client has a young family and wants to modernize her house. She loves to cook but doesn’t want to feel isolated in the kitchen. She has guests over for lunches and dinners very often but rarely entertains in a formal setting. She wants to renovate the house starting from the ground floor and hasn’t decided what style of furniture she wants, the existing furniture is traditional in style. She wants also to technologically update her kitchen and the entertainment systems.
My changes
After analyzing her current floor space, I have noticed that the ground floor has too many rooms and they isolate her from the rest of the family and guests when she is cooking. My first suggestion is to remove some of the walls on the right side of the house and transform it in a modern open plan: kitchen/dining/living areas integrated in one large space.
My client lives in Switzerland and because here is very cold in winter, the whole house has underfloor heating. The floor which I choose for most of the rooms on the ground floor is wood except the bathroom which has tiles. Because I am a feng shui follower, I checked the bagua colors which apply to each room and tried to find elements to match it.
After (I have changed the project to metric scale)
Open plan
My client is looking for an informal area where she can cook and interact with her family and guests at the same time. Therefore, the best solution for her home is to create an open plan kitchen open to the dining and living areas. This change creates a seamless flow between kitchen and entertaining areas.
Kitchen
I chose the L-shaped unit and placed it against the wall for more work space. Because of the number of windows, all storage units are in the counters. However, the new pantry located near the kitchen provides additional space for storage. This family enjoys hosting events at home for their family and friends and for this reason, I recommend a large American refrigerator equipped with an ice dispenser.
Dining
The dining area contains a large table with 6 chairs, a kids’ chair and at least 1 meter space for maneuver behind each of them. The child’s chair has its own storage space when it is not being used. I decided to add one window between the dining and living space for balance. A large plant was placed in front of the window and it makes connection with another one placed in the living.
Living
I used a corner sofa as a room divider. The focal point of the living area is the flat TV hanging on the wall and I added to it a media unit with integrated audio equipment and external audio boxes. There is also a coffee table centrally in front of the sofa and a rug to make the ambient cosier. A large plant was placed on the corner of the room, near two windows, to give life to the space and make it warmer.
Entrance and hallway
At the entrance I placed a wall-hung coat rack and a couple of baskets beneath it where the family can hang their coats and place their shoes when they arrive. I have also added a console table on the right wall, towards the living room, and a mirror so all residents can check themselves for one last time before leaving their home.
Laundry
Moved to the left side of the house, the laundry is now located where it used to be the kitchen. In addition to the sink, wash and tumbler machines, I added a counter, where she can keep laundry and cleaning products, and an open wardrobe to hang clothes after they are ironed. I have also added an additional space for a sewing machine which is her hobby and open shelves to keep fabrics and sewing accessories.
Office/guest room and bathroom
I closed the room which used to be the dining area and designed an office/guest room with an en-suite bathroom for guests. Although there was no window previously on this part of the wall, a bathroom needs natural light otherwise the humidity will bring mold to it. Therefore a small window was placed on the wall for ventilation proposes.
I believe that guests feel more comfortable when they have some privacy and independence; therefore the guest bedroom is located on the ground floor.
Because nowadays an office space is required at home, I converted this room into guest/office space. The room is large enough for a work desk, chair and a closed bookcase which can also be used to store office supplies and guest accessories. A comfortable sofa bed was chosen for this room to be used by guests sleeping over. The colors I would use here are a bit cold (blue and beige) and I chose them based on the feng shui bagua as well as the purpose of the room: work and sleep (calmness).
The dog
My client has a dog and his downstairs bed and feeder were placed between the kitchen area and laundry room and near the French door which was added on the back of the house for more light in the open space and better access to the outside space.
Outdoor space
In Switzerland people try to stay outdoors as much as possible during late spring, summer and early fall, therefore an outdoor dining area was added to the backyard. I chose the back side of the property for more privacy. A wood deck area was added and outdoor dining furniture placed. A BBQ grill was placed near the kitchen and on the shadow. I added a large patio table with chairs and a large parasol protects the family from the sun when they are eating outside. Sun bath chairs are also available as well as a kid sandbox.
The goal of my project is to modernize the ground floor and make it warm and friendly. An open space will give my client more contact with her family and guests when she is cooking and also more informality to the house. I tried to use as much space as possible and would choose warm colors (such as yellow and red) and elegant elements to decorate it.
I used Floorplaner for my project and really enjoyed working with it. Right now I am already planning to use it to redecorate my entire home 🙂
