Before and During: Upstairs

The second floor of the house contains three bedrooms and one full bath. 

The renovation plan for the upstairs is to refresh the space and to add a new heating/air zone for the upstairs (the current central heat and air is insufficient and necessitated use of two window units, which will be removed). All of the floors will be refinished to match the floors downstairs. All of the walls and built in closets will be painted, so existing wallpaper (which is found in the hallway, the bathroom, and one of the bedrooms) will be stripped and repairs to the plaster will be made where needed. All of the light fixtures (which are crystal and brass) will be removed, cleaned, re-wired, and re-hung.

The layout of the upstairs will remain the same. In the future, an en suite bathroom may be added above the sunroom to serve the bedroom on the right in the above diagram. A small laundry room is also planned.

I did not take any photographs of the upstairs prior to the furniture being removed and commencment of work.  Below are a few photos of the rooms with work underway:

Top of Stairs:  The silk wallpaper (which matched what was in the foyer downstairs) has been removed.  Also, the new thermostat for the new upstairs central heat and air zone that has been added.

Bedroom One:  The cornice and window coverings have not yet been tossed, but wall preparation is well  underway. 

Bedroom One Closets:  The closets and dressing areas serving this and Bedroom Two are surprisingly functional given that they were built over fifty years ago.  The built-in shoe racks, drawers and hanging rods afford the same amenities that a modern closet organization system would afford.

Bedroom Two:  The wallpaper and carpet have not  yet been removed.

Bedroom Two Dressing Area:  The window air conditioning unit will  be removed now that the upstairs' heating and cooling systems have been upgraded.  Note the shoe storage on either side of the desk!  In the future, this area will likely lead to an en suite bathroom and new walk in closet.

Bathroom:  The Bathroom's original fixtures and tiles are still in great shape.  A new medicine cabinet, sconces and a bathroom exhaust fan will be added in the renovation. 

Child's Bedroom - This tiny and cute room has historically been where grandchildren stay when visiting. 

Before: Photos of the Interior

The house was last refreshed in about 1980.  At that time, the living room, dining room and foyer were all redecorated.  These areas' neutral palette (mostly off-whites) and exquisite finishes (i.e., silk wallpaper and drapes), high quality fixtures (e.g., the crystal chandelier in the dining room), and beautiful molding translated into a rather timeless look.  Also at that time, the den, living room and sunporch received new color schemes through upholstery and area rugs, all of which are also rather timeless. 

But with several decades having passed and general modernizations needed, it's time to refresh the house and prepare it for a new era of beautiful living.  In addition to the major structural changes to the kitchen, breakfast room and sunroom, all of the wall to wall carpet throughout the house will be removed and the underlying hardwood floors exposed and restored, and all of the walls and trim will be painted.

So without further ado, beloware some snapshots taken of the home's interior. Unfortunately, these photos were taken after the house's furnishings were in the process of being cleared in anticipation of renovation, so they do not show off the home for being as beautifully furnished and arranged as it was. So please try to overlook the boxes, clutter and voids where pieces once sat!

The Foyer - A foyer greets you upon entering the home.  To your left is the formal living room; to your right is the formal dining room; straight in front is the staircase to the home's second level and the hallway to the informal living areas of the first floor (the den, a master bedroom, and the kitchen).  The silk wallpaper will be removed because of renovation needs (i.e., the front hall closet door, pictured below, must be moved a few feet in order to provide access to a new powder room planned in place of the closet and an adjoining pantry).

The Formal Living Room - The living room features significant molding on the walls and around the ceiling.  The main focal point is a fire place.  Other features, which cannot be seen in the photographs below, are a built-in bookshelf immediately to your left on entering the room and a large, permanent mirror on your right, which is framed with an elegant molding matching.

The Formal Dining Room - The dining room room features a crystal chandelier and extensive molding.  The silk wallpaper in this room will also be removed due to wear and tear.

The Study - Beyond the dining room is a study featuring grass cloth wallpaper.  The wallpaper will remain but will be painted in the renovation due to its discoloring over the years.

The Sunroom - The sunroom features a hand-painted cornice, floor to ceiling glass sliding doors, two skylights, and a terra cotta floor, and a brick wall -- originally an exterior wall to the house -- with windows into the kitchen and breakfast room.  This room will be radically changed in the renovation:  among other things, the brick wall will be removed and the room will be combined with the new kitchen, new windows and doors will replace the existing sliding doors, a new, heated, travertine floor will replace the terra cotta floor, and a new ceiling with recessed lights will replace the wood ceiling.

The Den - the den features pine paneled walls, pine built in book cases, and a pine paneled ceiling.  It will remain largely untouched in the renovation.

(sorry for the image quality; this was taken right after the area rug was removed)

The Kitchen - the kitchen features black Formica counters, a vinyl floor, white appliances, white cabinets, and a stainless steel sink.  The primary light in the kitchen is an overhead flush mount fixture.  There is one door leading to the sun room, and a window overlooking the sunroom.  An arched, open entryway leads to the adjoining breakfast room.  There is also a pantry.  One unique design item of the kitchen is a white and green trellis patterned wall papered ceiling, which is from the same pattern as that of the breakfast room.  In the renovation, the entire wall separating the kitchen from the sun porch will be removed, and a column placed in the corner photographed below.  The sink will be in that corner at an angle, on an L shaped island overlooking the sun porch and garden beyond. 

 

The Breakfast Room - the breakfast room is the primary place used for casual dining in the home.  It features a wall of built in cabinets, some of which have glass fronts.  It also features a flower chandelier.  In the renovation, the breakfast room space will be combined with the adjoining kitchen for a larger kitchen area by tearing down the wall with the arched doorway in it.  The corner wall (where the television is in the below photograph) is the location of the new range and hood.  Most of the wall separating the breakfast room from the sun porch will also be removed.

The Bedroom - the first floor master bedroom features a chandelier, two windows and an accent wall of silk wallpaper.  Unfortunately I do not have a great photo of the bedroom, but provide the following to give  you a rough idea of what it looks like.  The wallpaper will be removed in the renovation, and the entire bedroom painted.

Before: Floor Plan

Prior to renovation, the floor plan of the house had remained unchanged for decades.  For the most part, it was a very functional and fluid layout that lended well to entertaining.  One could enter the front of the house and do a complete loop of the first floor without ever seeing the kitchen, so it lended well to staging formal parties.  Also, it contained ample storage space.

The layout had its problems, however.  Notably, the kitchen was tiny, with very little counter space.  It was also dark:  the sunroom -- which was added after the home was constructed -- limited the kitchen's natural light.  Also, the kitchen was essentially sealed off from the rest of the first floor, preventing the cook from any social interaction with others while preparing meals.   Families today do not desire kitchens that are so separated from living spaces.

The breakfast room adjoining the kitchen was well used (most meals were consumed at the breakfast room table on a daily basis), but not very functional.  It was a small space, and maneuvering around the table was difficult.  It also benefited from little natural light because of the sunroom.

Another problem with the floor plan was that there was no powder room on the first floor.  If ever the bedroom was in use -- as either a master bedroom or as a guest bedroom -- guests would have to infringe on the privacy of the person/persons using that bedroom or walk upstairs to use the restroom.