Houzz Tour: Creating Smaller Rooms Transforms an Urban Farmhouse
Before and after plans show how dividing up rooms, rather removing walls, made this home work better for the family
The owners of this home in the Rosemont neighbourhood of Alexandria, Virginia, wanted to improve both its style and function. A previous addition to the back of the house had created a family room with too many windows. This left the owners feeling as though they were sitting in a fish bowl. Also, the master suite on the first floor was bigger than they needed. To solve these problems, architect Laura Campbell designed a thoughtful addition to replace the old one.
Before Here is the side of the house prior to the renovation. The old addition is on the left, jutting out from the peaked roofline; the front porch is on the right.
After This is the home from the same vantage point after the renovation. You can see that the rear of the home (shown on the left) has been pushed out further. Laura added a small porch with a door that leads directly into the bootroom; this now acts as the family’s main entrance to the home.
The renovation gave the house a more attractive roofline and a modern farmhouse look. The homeowners and design team think of this as an urban farmhouse, since an urban, walkable lifestyle is important to the family and is part of the reason they chose their neighbourhood.
The owners and design team considered a variety of palettes for the exterior, including grey with white trim and navy with white trim, before ultimately settling on white with black windows. This colour scheme then set the tone for the inside of the home, “so the outside and inside are speaking the same language,” Laura says.
The renovation gave the house a more attractive roofline and a modern farmhouse look. The homeowners and design team think of this as an urban farmhouse, since an urban, walkable lifestyle is important to the family and is part of the reason they chose their neighbourhood.
The owners and design team considered a variety of palettes for the exterior, including grey with white trim and navy with white trim, before ultimately settling on white with black windows. This colour scheme then set the tone for the inside of the home, “so the outside and inside are speaking the same language,” Laura says.
The front porch had both cosmetic and functional upgrades. Prior to the renovation, there was no insulation above the ceiling, which made for a very cold bedroom on the first floor. The builder added insulation and replaced the old ceiling with a new tongue-and-groove one. The building crew also replaced the rotting wood floor with a PVC flooring material and changed the wood porch railings for new ones made of durable fibreglass.
The new porch swing and blue and white décor give this space the lake house feel that one of the homeowners, who grew up in Michigan, wanted to sprinkle throughout the home.
The new porch swing and blue and white décor give this space the lake house feel that one of the homeowners, who grew up in Michigan, wanted to sprinkle throughout the home.
This floorplan shows the porch and ground floor as the house stands now.
Before The home previously had a small hallway, crowded by a coat cupboard. Prior to the renovation, the narrow, steep stairs were a trip hazard, Campbell says.
After Laura expanded the hallway by removing the coat cupboard and extending the wall behind the bench. She reworked the staircase, widening it and adding an extra riser and tread to make it less steep. She also added a new front door.
Thinking of renovating your home in 2020? Find the team you need in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Thinking of renovating your home in 2020? Find the team you need in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Just off the hallway is the small living room. The builder recommended the company that supplied this reclaimed oak flooring, which is used throughout the first floor. Kristin Try added a slipcover to the homeowners’ existing sofa and a Roman blind on the window.
The ottoman in the centre of the room is custom-made. The walls are painted a white (White Christmas by Benjamin Moore) that’s used in much of the home.
This room is at the front of the house and, since the homeowners prefer not to be on display to their neighbours at night, they use the room primarily in the daytime, when lamp lighting and the natural light from the windows provide plenty of illumination. Laura got rid of four recessed lights that were previously in the ceiling. “They drew your eye up and weren’t giving the right light to the room,” Laura says.
The ottoman in the centre of the room is custom-made. The walls are painted a white (White Christmas by Benjamin Moore) that’s used in much of the home.
This room is at the front of the house and, since the homeowners prefer not to be on display to their neighbours at night, they use the room primarily in the daytime, when lamp lighting and the natural light from the windows provide plenty of illumination. Laura got rid of four recessed lights that were previously in the ceiling. “They drew your eye up and weren’t giving the right light to the room,” Laura says.
The living room opens onto the dining room, and beyond it the island area. The doors to the right of the table open onto a patio.
Here’s a closer look at the island, which is in a separate ‘room’ adjoining the kitchen. “The client came up with this idea and floated it with us,” Laura says. “It works perfectly for entertaining.”
In fact, one of the homeowners works in a furniture store and is quite passionate about design, and she was very involved in the design process. Laura and Kristin felt the creative chemistry of the architect, designer, homeowner and builder resulted in a strong outcome. “It created this energetic and devoted team, and we all feel like the collaborations really worked to make the final product a home the client loves and cherishes,” Laura says.
The homeowners store their linens for entertaining on the front of the island (the side without bar stools) and use the island as a buffet when they have guests. The wife also likes to sit on a bar stool there and work on her laptop.
The island base is painted a custom navy colour and has brass hardware. The worktop is Venatino marble, the same material used in the kitchen splashback.
In fact, one of the homeowners works in a furniture store and is quite passionate about design, and she was very involved in the design process. Laura and Kristin felt the creative chemistry of the architect, designer, homeowner and builder resulted in a strong outcome. “It created this energetic and devoted team, and we all feel like the collaborations really worked to make the final product a home the client loves and cherishes,” Laura says.
The homeowners store their linens for entertaining on the front of the island (the side without bar stools) and use the island as a buffet when they have guests. The wife also likes to sit on a bar stool there and work on her laptop.
The island base is painted a custom navy colour and has brass hardware. The worktop is Venatino marble, the same material used in the kitchen splashback.
Before Here is the kitchen prior to the renovation.
After Here is the redesigned kitchen. Through the opening to the left you can see a portion of the living room.
The range wall features a custom plastered hood, trimmed with the same boards used for the flooring. “It gives it a European, old vintage feel,” Kristin says. Again, the splashback is the same Venatino marble used for the worktop on the island.
The kitchen worktops are black granite with a honed leather finish that Kristin and the homeowners chose for its looks as well as its durability. The cabinets are Shaker-style and painted a custom white.
The range wall features a custom plastered hood, trimmed with the same boards used for the flooring. “It gives it a European, old vintage feel,” Kristin says. Again, the splashback is the same Venatino marble used for the worktop on the island.
The kitchen worktops are black granite with a honed leather finish that Kristin and the homeowners chose for its looks as well as its durability. The cabinets are Shaker-style and painted a custom white.
This photo shows the view of the kitchen from the dining room. The kitchen window wall features a 90cm butler sink and three vertical windows. Kristin added white enamel Ralph Lauren pendants from Circa Lighting with polished nickel details.
To the right of the sink, a portion of the ceiling juts forward. This ceiling is lower due to a load-bearing beam that helps to keep the home structurally sound. Laura used this beam as a dividing line between zones in the kitchen: to the left is the working area, to the right, storage space. You can catch a glimpse of the storage zone in the photo of the island room.
Walls painted in Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore.
To the right of the sink, a portion of the ceiling juts forward. This ceiling is lower due to a load-bearing beam that helps to keep the home structurally sound. Laura used this beam as a dividing line between zones in the kitchen: to the left is the working area, to the right, storage space. You can catch a glimpse of the storage zone in the photo of the island room.
Walls painted in Stonington Gray, Benjamin Moore.
The new family room is located directly behind the island area and three steps down. This is the family’s primary hangout spot. This room is the replacement for the old family room, which had too many windows for the homeowners’ desire for privacy.
For the renovation, the homeowners had asked for a light-filled home that allowed for privacy and had places to hang art. Laura’s “aha moment” for achieving this balance in the new family room was deciding to bring in light via multiple vertical windows, with wall space in between for art. Kristin selected linen inverted pinch-pleat panels that complement the symmetry of the windows without overpowering them.
To the right of the blue bench is a fireplace with a TV mounted above it. “One client didn’t want a TV in the space and one did,” Kristin says. She worked to make this room’s décor interesting enough that the TV didn’t steal all the visual focus. “We were trying to maximise looking elsewhere, with the windows and beautiful furnishings,” she says.
The blue art on the back wall is by John Robshaw.
For the renovation, the homeowners had asked for a light-filled home that allowed for privacy and had places to hang art. Laura’s “aha moment” for achieving this balance in the new family room was deciding to bring in light via multiple vertical windows, with wall space in between for art. Kristin selected linen inverted pinch-pleat panels that complement the symmetry of the windows without overpowering them.
To the right of the blue bench is a fireplace with a TV mounted above it. “One client didn’t want a TV in the space and one did,” Kristin says. She worked to make this room’s décor interesting enough that the TV didn’t steal all the visual focus. “We were trying to maximise looking elsewhere, with the windows and beautiful furnishings,” she says.
The blue art on the back wall is by John Robshaw.
Directly off the family room is the bootroom. This is the family’s main entrance to the home, accessed through the new side porch.
Most of the furnishings in here are vintage pieces the homeowners had collected, though the console table on the left is new. The door in the foreground leads to a wardrobe the family uses to store coats, scarves and boots.
Most of the furnishings in here are vintage pieces the homeowners had collected, though the console table on the left is new. The door in the foreground leads to a wardrobe the family uses to store coats, scarves and boots.
Down a short hallway from the family room is this cloakroom, which features floral wallpaper, wainscoting and a modern Ferguson basin that looks vintage.
Past the cloakroom is what the family calls the “blue room”, which serves as a small playroom for the couple’s daughter. On the left side of the room is a desk where she keeps her Lego.
On the other side of the room is an area the husband uses when he works from home. The navy console table that displays the art is new, and the shades were custom-made for the space. Kristin created the grey piece of art on the console table. The desks are vintage and were owned already by the clients.
The blue paint gave the homeowner from Michigan a touch of that lakeside effect she wanted.
Walls painted in Newburyport Blue, Benjamin Moore.
The blue paint gave the homeowner from Michigan a touch of that lakeside effect she wanted.
Walls painted in Newburyport Blue, Benjamin Moore.
Before Prior to the renovation, the home had three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the first floor. The homeowners felt the master bedroom was too large.
After This floorplan shows the new second storey. The new master bedroom is smaller than the old one, and Laura added a fourth bedroom and a third bathroom to this level.
This guest room is above the kitchen and was changed to accommodate the kitchen’s new range extractor hood vent. Workers needed to fur [build] out the wall to make room for the duct. Kristin used the indents created on either side of the bed for recessed shelving. The shelves are made from the same reclaimed wood as the flooring downstairs.
This room and another bedroom were the only rooms in the house with the original flooring in good enough condition to preserve. As part of the renovation it was refinished.
The homeowners already had the bed linens shown in this photo; they selected and purchased the artwork with Kristin’s input.
This room and another bedroom were the only rooms in the house with the original flooring in good enough condition to preserve. As part of the renovation it was refinished.
The homeowners already had the bed linens shown in this photo; they selected and purchased the artwork with Kristin’s input.
This is the bathroom between the guest bedroom and the daughter’s bedroom. A door on either end leads into the two bedrooms. (The door shown here leads to the guest room.)
The vanity unit is custom-built with a custom paint. A bench seat covered in indoor/outdoor fabric provides a place to sit and chat while getting ready for the day. The mother and daughter spend time together here quite often, Kristin says.
The countertops are made from a remnant piece of engineered quartz. The floor tiles are marble. Since the window in the space is new, “we could place it exactly where we wanted it to work with the inside,” Laura says.
The vanity unit is custom-built with a custom paint. A bench seat covered in indoor/outdoor fabric provides a place to sit and chat while getting ready for the day. The mother and daughter spend time together here quite often, Kristin says.
The countertops are made from a remnant piece of engineered quartz. The floor tiles are marble. Since the window in the space is new, “we could place it exactly where we wanted it to work with the inside,” Laura says.
Beyond the bathroom is the new bedroom for the couple’s daughter. The dormer gives the room “the character this owner wanted,” Try says. It was also a practical solution that worked with the City of Alexandria’s height restrictions. “At the edge of the room it’s only 6 feet 5 inches,” she says. “It goes up quickly.” At the highest point the ceiling is 10 feet 8 inches.
The floral wallpaper on the accent wall is removable, so it can be swapped as the girl grows and her tastes change. For now, the built-in bench seat serves as toy storage, but eventually it may serve mostly as a reading space.
The walls are a soft pink. A relaxed Roman blind and a floral pendant complete the look.
Walls painted in Silky Smooth, Benjamin Moore.
The floral wallpaper on the accent wall is removable, so it can be swapped as the girl grows and her tastes change. For now, the built-in bench seat serves as toy storage, but eventually it may serve mostly as a reading space.
The walls are a soft pink. A relaxed Roman blind and a floral pendant complete the look.
Walls painted in Silky Smooth, Benjamin Moore.
The new master bedroom features reclaimed barn wood beams from the same company that provided the flooring for the main level. The walls have soft grey paint (Shoreline, Benjamin Moore).
The furnishings in this space are all new. The white linen blinds are custom-made with a grey border. The rug is from Caitlin Wilson. The homeowners found the art (by Mary-Catheryn of Copper Corners) at an art fair in Michigan.
The furnishings in this space are all new. The white linen blinds are custom-made with a grey border. The rug is from Caitlin Wilson. The homeowners found the art (by Mary-Catheryn of Copper Corners) at an art fair in Michigan.
This long space allowed room for a walk-in shower that would create a spa-like feel.
The bespoke vanity unit is 2.4m long and was designed to look like a piece of furniture. It’s made from oak with a distressed finish. The hexagon floor tiles are marble, as are the tiles on the shower partition, the skirting boards and the vanity unit countertop.
The walk-in shower’s metro tiles are 10 x 20cm, which was surprisingly hard to find in navy, Kristin says.
The bespoke vanity unit is 2.4m long and was designed to look like a piece of furniture. It’s made from oak with a distressed finish. The hexagon floor tiles are marble, as are the tiles on the shower partition, the skirting boards and the vanity unit countertop.
The walk-in shower’s metro tiles are 10 x 20cm, which was surprisingly hard to find in navy, Kristin says.
Prior to the renovation, the basement was unfinished. This is the floorplan after the remodel.
The basement now contains a finished rec room, bathroom and laundry room. This photo shows the rec room. The clients figured this space could be a good teenage hangout spot when their daughter gets older. The husband uses it as a TV room when he wants to watch golf or a game. The room also doubles as a second guest room, and to that end the sofa contains a pullout bed.
The flooring, just visible beneath the rug, is commercial-grade vinyl acrylic tiles laid out in a gingham pattern.
The flooring, just visible beneath the rug, is commercial-grade vinyl acrylic tiles laid out in a gingham pattern.
Here is the laundry room, which is also in the basement. The homeowners wanted this space to be attractive, since you see it when you come down the stairs. This space features the same vinyl floor tiles as the rec room.
General contractor: Harry Braswell
Tell us…
What do you like best about this home? Let us know in the Comments section.
General contractor: Harry Braswell
Tell us…
What do you like best about this home? Let us know in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple with a daughter
Location Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Size 3,664 sq ft (340 sq m)
Designers Laura Campbell of Laura Campbell Architecture and Kristin Try of Gingham & Grosgrain
“After” photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg Photography