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As first-time homeowners with two kids, the couple put a priority on function when it came to their home layout. The renovations left them with plenty of room around the margins to insert their style.The process took 15 months. During that time, the Nicholsons built a brand-new kitchen and added a bathroom where the previous kitchen had been. “The old kitchen was in a narrow galley and didn’t offer the space we wanted,” Jane says. “With all the time we spend in the kitchen, we wanted it to be a warm, open space to enjoy each other and company.” The new kitchen was built in a section of the family-rec room that had been added to the back of the house in the late ’70s. The couple expanded it slightly to fit everything into the space while still keeping it open. Wall paint: Dark Harbor, Benjamin Moore; pendant light: Chairish; artwork: heirloomwoven knit by Jane’s friend Sarah Steiger; rug: West Elm; sofa: Hughes corner sectional in Heathered Tweed Granite, Joybird; pillows: Target
The family loves to savor weekend breakfasts in the kitchen. “We all congregate around the kitchen island with messy bedhead, make pancakes and listen to the Verve’s Storm in Heaven,” Jane says.The glass crystal star hanging in the window belonged to Jane’s late grandmother.Backsplash tile: Metro rhombus matte white porcelain mosaic, Home Depot; single-handle faucet in Champagne Bronze: Delta; Alden counter stools: West Elm; chandelier: West Elm; see similar midcentury-style chandeliers
“The newly renovated upstairs is absolutely my favorite. It’s my sacred family space,” Lindy says. “We spend most of our time in the master bedroom or in the nursery playing, sewing, reading or sleeping. Most of our living happens in these couple of rooms.” Lindy made both the wood mobiles and the doll in the crib on the right.Blush pompom bin: Pehr Designs; gray pompom bin: Pehr Designs; cribs: Sniglar, Ikea; Spotlights pendant: Land of Nod; Textures braided rug: Rugs USA; throw blankets: Pehr Designs; striped tassel blanket: Thimble & Cloth; pillows: McGee & Co.; Tilli house pillow: Rowen & Wren
This work bench repurposed as a buffet was found on the property. “It was filthy and easily overlooked as junk, but I convinced my husband to pressure-wash it and it turned out beautiful,” Lindy says. “Most everything in this home is secondhand and refreshed, built or reupholstered by us.” The piece is now used to hold extra dishes. Above it is an opening into the kitchen. Babycat enjoys relaxing on top of it.
Houzz at a GlanceWho lives here: Lindy and Travis Dodge; their 6-month-old twin daughters, Hazel and Norah; and their cats, Babycat, Olive and El GatoLocation: Tacoma, WashingtonSize: 2,794 square feet (259.6 square meters); four bedrooms, three bathroomsYear built: 1912One of the biggest design challenges Lindy and Travis Dodge faced with their fixer-upper was the open floor plan. “My living room opens up to so many other rooms: the entryway, the dining room and a reading study,” Lindy says. “I’ve had to kind of design all rooms as one so that they flowed together.” What she found she needed was more furniture. “I was spreading what I had through three rooms. We decided to add a second sofa facing the existing one to create a closed living room, and create a small sitting room in the study by adding a leather coffee table and two thrift store chairs I reupholstered in linen. This allowed separate rooms within one large room,” she says.Lindy made the sofa throw pillow and the gray striped ottoman.Rug: Safavieh; plants and flowers: Satori Boutique; plant basket: Ross; picture frames: Ikea
The screened porch allows the couple and their family to enjoy the outdoors and expansive views of the woods. “Wherever you are in the house, you can look out the windows for gorgeous framed views of the forest,” Anderson says. “It’s dramatic, contemplative and wonderful.”Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Cedar walls and ceiling treatments bring the exterior’s cedar roof accents inside. The dining room has glass doors that open to a patio with an exterior concrete fireplace. The kitchen lies beyond the dining room.Circulation patterns in the house are highlighted by a rectified porcelain tile floor. Wire-brushed and whitewashed oak floors create tactile and visual comfort underfoot in the living spaces. Skylights throughout the home bring in soft, diffuse light from above. Find oak floors
The entry features a cedar front door flanked by tall glass windows. To the right of the front doors are the main living spaces, including the living room with fireplace. Here, the couple’s dogs, Gordie and Virg, and Phil the cat, enjoy the view. The exterior of the house is covered in fiber-cement siding panels. Clear vertical-grain cedar lines the underside of the overhangs.
For the nursery, Ales brought in gender-neutral gray with accents in mint green and coral. She wanted a place for the child to take naps and read books when she grows out of her crib, so she had a daybed built into the bay window. Now it’s the focal point of the room. A whimsical Caitlin Wilson fabric covers the daybed.More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
For the main living space, Ales wanted a piece of art that was both striking and meaningful, so Emr found a large-scale painting titled Take You With Us by Austin artist Elizabeth McDonald Schwaiger. The artist is known for subtle Catholic references in her work, and this particular piece resonated with the homeowners because its composition resembles that of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
The living room, however, was designed around a rug — one from Turkey that the family brought from their previous house. Ales layered it over a larger sisal rug to scale up the look. The fireplace surround and adjacent half wall are covered in the same stone used on the home’s exterior. Ales designed the media console, adding drawers to hide kids’ toys and bordering it in wood to match the kitchen cabinets.
This photo gives you a sense of the first-floor layout: Every room has its own identity and is distinguished by the judicious use of half walls, but the overall floor plan is open.Open Plan Not Your Thing? Try ‘Broken Plan’
Ales added color in the room with a quartet of bar stools covered in performance velvet slipcovers. The fabric is made to withstand stains and roughhousing, and slipcovers make for easy cleaning.
A half wall that demarcates the kitchen and dining room also doubles as a buffet and serving bar. “If it wasn’t there, the space would feel too open,” Ales says. For the custom cabinetry, the designer chose a modern flat-panel door style.Slab-Style Cabinetry Offers Flexibility and Value
Photos by Merrick AlesHouse at a GlanceWho lives here: A fun-loving family with three young kidsLocation: Austin, TexasSize: 3,788 square feet (352 square meters)Designer: Christen AlesDesigner Christen Ales started working on her clients’ new home before she’d even met them. She had been working with a builder, selecting the lighting and finishes for a fresh, modern spec home. When a couple with three children bought the home, they were so impressed with the finishes that they brought in Ales to decorate the entire house. Ales’ goal was to create a minimalist but warm look with clean lines and wood elements, adding meaningful art and colorful fabrics to bring life to the spaces.Here, the open kitchen leads directly to the backyard pool area through a set of sliding doors.
8. Zone with contrasting colors. This open-plan living room and kitchen are neatly divided without the need for walls, thanks to a clear change of floor material and wall color. The deep inky blue of the living room creates a den-like space that feels warm and inviting, while the white walls of the kitchen beyond offer a bright and airy contrast. Switching from warm wooden floorboards in the den area to industrial-style concrete in the kitchen area further reinforces this division of space.
2. Get a winter gardening fix. If you love to garden, why not try your green thumb on a little indoor winter gardening? A sunny window or a few grow lights are often all that’s needed to raise a flat of fresh lettuces or sprouts to add to your winter salads.It’s also a good time to start planning for some cool-season crops for your outdoor pots and gardens.Warm Up a Greenhouse for Winter
Select Your First Team MemberWhen hiring your first design team member, you can start with a builder, architect, designer, design-build firm or remodeler, depending on your needs and priorities. If you already know a contractor whose work you like, he or she will probably have a list of architects and interior designers to recommend. That is also true if you start with other pros. You also can use Houzz’s directory to find individual professionals, see their past projects and read client reviews. Narrow your list down to your favorites and then interview a few people. Ask for — and check — references, and drive out to see past projects. Also, see how it might feel to work together — make sure you have a rapport with the professional. You should find out whether they listen and whether they are good communicators, says Jon Dick, an architect with Archaeo Architects in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who has been practicing 30 years and worked on more than 100 homes. “Their design ability is very important,” Dick says. “But it’s also a long-term relationship. They’re going to ask pretty personal questions and know a fair amount about you.” You should follow this same basic process with an int...
The new master bedroom on the second floor is also part of the 10-foot addition at the back of the house. The large windows overlook the backyard. A high window brings in additional light without sacrificing privacy. Wall color: Classic Gray, Benjamin Moore
A central stairwell leads to the second floor and the home’s three bedrooms. The railing’s combination of dark-stained and white-painted woods creates a stylish contrast. The laundry room lies through the open door.Where to Put the Laundry Room
The 10-foot addition along the back of the house allowed the kitchen to expand from a galley style to a more open space that includes a walk-in pantry and wall oven. The kitchen backsplash is white gloss ceramic wall tile. Solid white Caesarstone tops the island. The couple’s dog, Stella, tops a barstool. Learn about top kitchen counter materials
The new addition allowed for a great room at the back of the house that includes the living room as well as a new dining area that opens to the kitchen. New French doors lead to the backyard. The black-painted windows we saw on the exterior are painted white on the inside. Most of the furniture throughout the home is new and contemporary in style, purchased for the remodel.
The front door (in the background to the left) opens into updated and open interior spaces. “The clients have a clean, sleek aesthetic,” Thein says. The living room features custom built-in shelving for the TV and media equipment and objects collected during travels. The team stained the new white oak floors throughout the house to match the home’s original floors.What to Ask Before Installing a Hardwood Floor
Photos by Andrea Rugg PhotographyHouse at a Glance Who lives here: A professional coupleLocation: Edina, MinnesotaSize: 3,000 square feet (278.8 square meters)Builders: Jackie Thein and Barak Steenlage of Anchor BuildersThe owners of this house in Edina, Minnesota, loved its location, but they wanted more living space and a fresher look inside and out. Now a 10-foot addition along the back (which you can just see on the right side of this photo) has made room for an open living and dining area, a larger kitchen on the first floor and an expanded master suite on the floor above.The new exterior features a new cedar front porch, siding and black-painted windows. To give the siding more interest, builders Jackie Thein and Barak Steenlage used a combination of siding styles. Board and batten runs vertically on the exterior of the second floor while horizontal planks cover the exterior’s first floor. A small section of the exterior directly above the new porch features white shingles for additional texture and a nod to traditional Cape Cod style.Windows: Marvin
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December: Holiday items and decor. With so much going on around the holidays, it’s wise not to expect too much of yourself when it comes to clutter-clearing. That said, with all of the new gifts coming in, it does make sense to do some paring back to preserve balance in the house.Give away holiday ornaments and decor that you did not use this year, or that you no longer loveToss broken ornaments and strands of lights that no longer workExchange or give away gifts you received but know you will never use, and do not like — don’t keep things out of guilt. The one exception to this rule may be hand-knit sweaters. The knitter will never forgive you; that’s just how it is.Habit to cultivate: Tell friends and family who ask (in advance of the holidays) that you and your family would prefer gifts that are experiential or edible. Most people honestly want to give you something you will like, and are happy for the guidance.MoreCan Tidying Up Result in Life-Changing Magic?9 Exit Strategies for Your ClutterNeed help getting started? Find professional organizers in your area
October: Dining room and entertaining supplies. With the big holidays coming up over the next few months, October is a good time to get ahead of the curve and sort out your entertaining arsenal.Get rid of worn-out and stained tablecloths, placemats and napkinsCount your dinnerware and serving pieces and consider whether you have enough, too much or too little for the amount you entertainGet rid of decor, table linens and serving pieces that you don’t like or that no longer fit your lifestyleHabit to cultivate: Just like creating a wardrobe with lots of pieces that work together, think of creating an entertaining wardrobe that you can mix and match, rather than having lots of distinct sets of dishes.
“After” photos by Lisa Konz PhotographyKitchen at a GlanceWho uses it: A busy family that loves to entertainLocation: Cumming, GeorgiaSize: 170 square feet (16 square meters); 10 feet by 17 feetDesigner: Kat NelsonThe redesign of this home started in the kitchen. “My clients wanted a wow factor when you walk in the front door and see this kitchen,” says interior designer Kat Nelson. “Their extended families live nearby, and they wanted a fabulous entertaining space,” she says. Wide open to the family room, the new kitchen set the tone for other remodeling and decorating projects in the house.
The main bathroom is modern and functional. Although it wasn’t renovated for Alison and Cotugno, it’s in line with the style of the rest of the apartment. The owner’s passions again make an appearance through photos and posters on the walls. A deep and spacious shower is finished in a pearly tile mosaic that Cotugno immediately fell in love with. Faucets: Flaminia
Photos by Paolo FuscoHouse at a GlanceWho lives here: Irene Alison, Marcello Cotugno and their dog, ZazieLocation: Tor Pignattara area of RomeSize: 1,615 square feet (150 square meters), plus a terrace of 431 square feet (40 square meters) Architect: Matca StudioCotugno and Alison, pictured, had lived in the buzzing Pigneto district of Rome for years and didn’t want to leave the neighborhood. However, when they decided to move from their old apartment, they had trouble finding a new home in the area.
Getting started: Turbocharge your decluttering. If you’re feeling inspired and motivated by the new year, take advantage of that energy and spend a few weekends clearing clutter throughout the house. Making noticeable headway will help motivate you to keep up the decluttering effort in the coming months. Try to get the other members of your household onboard — but if they are not interested, don’t try to force it. Hopefully they will see the positive changes happening around the house and change their tune!Habit to cultivate: Keep an empty reusable bin in a closet, and use it to corral items you plan to give away.
The Nicholsons believe a home shouldn’t feel too fussy. “We love to think of it as a place that is full of love, laughter and thoughtfulness, and always open to the unexpected visitor,” Jane says.
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