Before/After Houses
BEFORE Washington rancher: The kitchen’s original layout didn’t seem practical to Benton. It was closed off entirely from the dining room and had a small breakfast nook as its only eating area, so the flow from cooking to dining was broken. Valuable potential counter and cabinet space had been lost in making room for the breakfast nook.
AFTER Hollywood: The new home includes a wraparound deck and balcony that link both floors to the outdoors, and a landscape that includes a new, smaller pool and a raised spa. The guesthouse, which doubles as Rhys’ ceramics studio, was built on the site of the original single-car garage. Behind the guesthouse, Rhys nurtured the property’s old redwood tree back to life, watering it and trimming dead branches.
AFTER Hollywood: The great room, part of the kitchen and dining space, overlooks the backyard and pool deck, as well as the small guesthouse. Hollywood: Fleetwood glass walls slide open into pockets to allow unobstructed access to the outdoors. Rhys created the blown-glass objects on the coffee table.
Hoboken NJ AFTER: The two-story modern addition to the back of the house ties into the original home with the use of brick, and includes an exercise room at the garden level and a kitchen on the main level. The windows are a commercial storefront system by Kawneer. The architect left part of an old fire escape on the top level as an architectural element
AFTER concrete everywhere #2: The home is located on a very busy street with many passersby, so some protection from the sidewalk was needed. The couple’s solution was to plant a tapestry hedge along the west side of the home, to act as a natural fence. A vibrant Chilean firetree anchors the corner of this drought-tolerant hedge.
AFTER Washington rancher: With more space, Benton was able to build a walk-in shower and add more natural light with windows.
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