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Paul Kelley Architecture
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Pro Spotlight: Revamp Your Home Without Losing Its Charm
A Napa architect explains how to update a house while preserving its character
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Who: Paul Kelley
Where: Napa, California
In his own words: “I want my clients to be able to close their door and have a nice space they can retreat to. That’s my goal for every space.”
Updating your home doesn’t have to mean ditching everything and starting from scratch — it’s a remodel, not a blank slate. Paul Kelley, the owner of Paul Kelley Architect in Napa, knows how to strip a home down to its studs and give it new life without sacrificing its existing charm.
Where: Napa, California
In his own words: “I want my clients to be able to close their door and have a nice space they can retreat to. That’s my goal for every space.”
Updating your home doesn’t have to mean ditching everything and starting from scratch — it’s a remodel, not a blank slate. Paul Kelley, the owner of Paul Kelley Architect in Napa, knows how to strip a home down to its studs and give it new life without sacrificing its existing charm.
Building a passion. Growing up, Kelley found himself drawn to architecture. “I loved building things and watching construction sites,” he says. “I told myself, ‘I want to build houses in the Napa Valley when I grow up.’ My career manifested in that very moment.”
Exciting times. “‘Napa style’ used to be an older term,” Kelley says. “It’s really changed. There’s no longer something you can just point to and say, ‘That’s quintessential Napa.’ It’s an exciting, eclectic environment.” People are coming from all over to purchase homes from an older housing stock, Kelley says. “It drives up real estate prices, but it also creates a desire for a higher level of design.”
Are you ready to refresh your home? Kelley reveals how to bring it into the present without ditching the charm of the past.
Are you ready to refresh your home? Kelley reveals how to bring it into the present without ditching the charm of the past.
1. Open Up
An open floor plan will add flow and a modern feel, Kelley says. “Spaces that were once separated are now being combined to give a sense of openness,” he says. “Your challenge, though, is not to lose the identity of individual areas. You don’t want to feel like you’re lost in one large room with no definition.”
Because a client in the St. John’s area of Napa liked to entertain, Kelley opened up the space. “The rooms were all separated,” he says. “The stairs in the middle of the house dissected the entire place.” Kelley defined individual areas by using elements such as lighting, wall treatments and color. “It’s livable and great for entertaining,” he says.
See more of this project
An open floor plan will add flow and a modern feel, Kelley says. “Spaces that were once separated are now being combined to give a sense of openness,” he says. “Your challenge, though, is not to lose the identity of individual areas. You don’t want to feel like you’re lost in one large room with no definition.”
Because a client in the St. John’s area of Napa liked to entertain, Kelley opened up the space. “The rooms were all separated,” he says. “The stairs in the middle of the house dissected the entire place.” Kelley defined individual areas by using elements such as lighting, wall treatments and color. “It’s livable and great for entertaining,” he says.
See more of this project
2. Work With What You Have
Consider the elements you’d like to keep during a remodel. “People are so often in a rush to redo their homes that they overlook the character that already exists,” Kelley says. “You can still keep a bit of the history with a modernized plan or overlay. That makes it even more modern.”
Some clients in Calistoga wanted to restore elements of their run-down barn to build a secondary office and yoga space. “It was on its last leg,” he says. “We took it apart and salvaged the wood for the interior.” Kelley also used the old roof inside with new rafters. “We put a new roof on top and created a kind of corrugated roof sandwich,” he says. “If there’s something interesting that can be adapted, it makes it fun to work on.”
See more of this project
Consider the elements you’d like to keep during a remodel. “People are so often in a rush to redo their homes that they overlook the character that already exists,” Kelley says. “You can still keep a bit of the history with a modernized plan or overlay. That makes it even more modern.”
Some clients in Calistoga wanted to restore elements of their run-down barn to build a secondary office and yoga space. “It was on its last leg,” he says. “We took it apart and salvaged the wood for the interior.” Kelley also used the old roof inside with new rafters. “We put a new roof on top and created a kind of corrugated roof sandwich,” he says. “If there’s something interesting that can be adapted, it makes it fun to work on.”
See more of this project
3. Reinvent a Space
Don’t feel restricted to your current floor plan. “When you have a space that is set up in a certain way, it doesn’t need to stay that way when you remodel,” Kelley says. “You can reconfigure a space without adding to the footprint of your home. You can remap the whole thing.”
When clients in Napa’s Lone Oak area bought their Victorian farmhouse, the ground floor was separated from the apartment on the second floor. “We decided to connect the two floors and reconfigure the whole space,” Kelley says. He designed an open-plan ground floor and a master suite on the floor above. “I hate to call it a remodel, because it was really more of a re-envision. They were able to utilize the whole house in a way they hadn’t thought possible before.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Paul Kelley and examples of his work, visit Paul Kelley Architect’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Don’t feel restricted to your current floor plan. “When you have a space that is set up in a certain way, it doesn’t need to stay that way when you remodel,” Kelley says. “You can reconfigure a space without adding to the footprint of your home. You can remap the whole thing.”
When clients in Napa’s Lone Oak area bought their Victorian farmhouse, the ground floor was separated from the apartment on the second floor. “We decided to connect the two floors and reconfigure the whole space,” Kelley says. He designed an open-plan ground floor and a master suite on the floor above. “I hate to call it a remodel, because it was really more of a re-envision. They were able to utilize the whole house in a way they hadn’t thought possible before.”
See more of this project
More: For more information on Paul Kelley and examples of his work, visit Paul Kelley Architect’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Paul was the principal architect and president of Lail Design Group in St. Helena for more than a decade; he... Read More
Review by Jill Levy:
I can not say enough wonderful things about Paul Kelly! He is truly talented and is able to translate what his clients want into amazing architecture. He gets the Napa Valley lifestyle; Open floor pla...More
We are so excited about our project and working with Paul is a real pleasure. He is so knowledgeable and has graciously helped us through the beginning stages. We are very comforted knowing he is leading the project.
LOVE the barn redux, especially the "office/library". So conducive to productivity & creativity - all in a comfortable, relaxing space. I'd spend hours in there while time flew. I need a barn!