A Home That Grows With You…

The only thing certain in life is change. As time goes by and we enter different eras, our lifestyles, priorities, and needs also shift. Isn’t it good to know then that we can stay in the homes we love, and evolve our spaces to adapt to these life changes?

This Project Spotlight reflects our abilities to extensively renovate a property, taking a well-loved home that is no longer suiting the client’s needs, and making thoughtful design changes that maximize functionality, comfort, and beauty. As this family grew, they needed more space with pragmatic organizational solutions for their busy lifestyle, room to entertain and relax, and updates to reflect their style.

This 1940 center-hall Colonial was reimagined to give a family of four the space and functionality they needed without sacrificing the character of the home they loved. The 1,700 square foot house was expanded with 680 square feet of new conditioned living space, plus a new garage, covered entries and porch. The addition extended 21 feet beyond the existing kitchen and 12 feet from the former mudroom, creating a larger kitchen with an eight-foot island, a dedicated dinette, a light-filled secondary living room with a cathedral ceiling, and a new mudroom connecting the home to a new garage.

Throughout the renovation, the original center-hall organization and existing fireplace and mantel were preserved. New built-ins were carefully designed around the fireplace, while refreshed millwork, wainscoting and cabinetry reinforced the home’s traditional roots. The addition modernizes rather than mimics the original architecture, with clean lines, natural wood, texture, pattern, and purposeful pops of color inspired by the clients’ desired Scandinavian aesthetic.

The result is a cohesive home that feels brighter, more spacious, and distinctly current while remaining appropriately rooted in its 1940s architecture. It’s a transformation that adds long term functionality and market appeal without erasing the character of the original home.

Our clients are thrilled with the results of this large-scale renovation, which allows them to live, work, and gather in their home in renewed comfort and style, no new address required.

 

An Upstairs Transformation that Offers Serenity and Storage

When we tailor our spaces for how we truly live, we can calm the chaos, move about our daily routines in comfort, and find storage solutions for every organizational need.

In this renovation, we transformed the entire upstairs of our client’s home–turning the challenge of low, sloped ceilings into opportunities for creative design. We evolved an existing storage area into a large, serene bathroom, updated the bedroom, and created useful but aesthetic storage in the hallway to make the entire space feel cohesive. 

Our design team worked with the existing structure of the home to find innovative solutions. We used the sloped ceilings to create hidden, built-in storage behind wall paneling, and utilized existing granite counter tops that the client already owned for the bathroom counter tops and a convenient shelf that runs behind the new, luxurious soaking tub. 

We replaced the existing bathroom window with a huge awning window, which lets in gorgeous natural light over the centered bathtub. It creates a striking focal point as you’re walking through the space. The addition of dramatic arches to the doors and doorways help to match the period and style of the rest of the home. 

The entirety of the upstairs is now beautiful, useful, and functional, with ample storage solutions that only increase the design “wow” factor. 

It’s altogether a space that invites rest and relaxation, and maximizes all of the potential in this lovely home.

 

 

Renovating a Childhood Home to Make it Your Own

It’s been said that “you can’t go home again”, but depending on your definition of “home”, that’s exactly what our client was able to do in this very special total home renovation.

Our client had purchased her childhood home and had the goal to make it her forever home, with a view to “aging in place” design so that it would suit her lifestyle for the future.

This project essentially touched every corner of the existing house, so we worked very closely alongside the architects to ensure there would be no structural issues when removing walls or opening ceilings.

We expanded the front porch out, absorbing the existing one to become part of the family room. In doing this, we opened up the vaulted ceiling and removed the wall between the former kitchen and family room, making the space feel so much larger. We moved what was the main staircase to the basement, in order to better maximize the interior space. We were able to utilize a secondary basement staircase from the front entry and guest room to maintain functional access to the newly remodeled basement.

The overall transformation to take the home from our client’s parents’ aesthetic to her own is truly amazing. We created faux box beams at the living room ceiling, which are a cost effective way to create the look of a structural solid beam. We also were able to integrate her functional and spatial goals for each area within a relatively small footprint, while ensuring that this would be a home she could enjoy safely for the rest of her life. The bathrooms, kitchen and living areas were all designed with aging in mind. 

Our client is happy making new memories in a house that was already the setting of much joy and nostalgia.

We were thrilled to be part of this journey home. 

 

A Beautiful Kitchen Renovation, for One of Our Own

We take pride in every project we complete for our clients, but when we do work in a Schrader and Company team member’s own home, that’s something extra special indeed.

This kitchen renovation accomplished all of the homeowners’ goals–improved functionality, more workspace and storage, and an updated aesthetic.

These clients are avid home cooks and entertainers who wanted more counter space for working side by side. The existing kitchen was on the smaller side, so a few layout changes helped maximize the space. We removed the existing cabinetry and counter tops and reoriented the sink in order to lengthen the continuous workspace. We installed a longer peninsula, and increased the bar seating from two seats to three. The peninsula also features a hidden pullout cabinet for extra storage.

Careful thought was put into every organizational feature. Our clients love their soft-close drawers for storing plates and bowls, the spice rack, the bookshelves for their cookbook collection, and their beautiful walnut custom coffee hutch, which looks like a standalone piece of furniture. The hutch features flipper doors, lighting, and a display cabinet. 

The white quartz counter top, cabinetry, and tile back splash contrasts beautifully with the walnut elements like the hutch and hood. Our clients are especially appreciative of Brooke Weinert’s expert guidance throughout the project in making selections and creating a cohesive design.

Our clients love their kitchen, which functions perfectly for their lifestyle, and allows them to entertain in their home in style and comfort.

Building an Oasis…

Our homes are often a reflection of our values, and how we hope to spend our time. For clients who love to entertain and host large gatherings filled with food, friends, and fun in the sun, this Project Spotlight will serve as a major inspiration.

Our clients wanted their home to be an oasis for hosting friends and family. That meant upgrades to the kitchen and dining room, to improve functionality for both cooking and entertaining. The large island, top of the range appliances, and bountiful storage provided by our custom cabinetry make it a dream kitchen to work in, alone or with many sous chefs at hand. The coffered ceilings in the dining room create a classic look with an open and inviting feel. The additional cabinetry and countertop match the selections in the kitchen, and provide storage and workspace, as well as a cohesive aesthetic.

We also transformed a screened-in porch into a three season room, making it suitable for additional months of use throughout the year. The views of the picturesque property through the new windows and the wet bar make it an ideal spot to hang out and relax with guests.

The clients’ outdoor property is truly enhanced by the new decking and sleek modern railings, which will stand up to tough upstate weather conditions. To maximize their enjoyment of their beautiful pool, we constructed a free-standing building with room for changing in and out of swimsuits, and storing pool supplies. Our clients worked with Brookside Nursery for their elegant landscaping and patio enhancements, and a local pool company to complete the upgrades to their outdoor space.

Our clients love their renovation and the ample opportunities it provides for making many fun memories with loved ones, all throughout the year.

 

 

An Extensive Renovation That Feels Like a Brand New Home

Some home improvement projects simply feel like an upgrade. And some feel like a transformation so dramatic, its hard to believe the “Before” and “After” reflect the same home.

In this Project Spotlight, we’ll go behind the scenes of an extensive, multi-room renovation that is fresh, updated, and modern.

This project included the remodel of our clients’ kitchen, first floor bathroom, laundry room, family room, and the primary bedroom on the second floor. The homeowners were ready to update the décor and also create more kitchen space for better functionality during family gatherings.

We partnered with an architect to consult on the structural changes involved in the project, particularly for the removal of the bearing wall between the kitchen and dining room.

Our design team did a wonderful job of pulling all of the materials and colors together, which created a cohesion between all of the many renovated spaces.

The transformation is nothing short of spectacular, and our clients are absolutely thrilled with the end result.

This Project Spotlight beautifully highlights the many possibilities renovation allows for clients who love their home and their location, but want to revamp their living spaces to better fit their lifestyle and design preferences.

It’s all doable, and we’d love to show you how! Reach out to us today if you’re ready for a new reality in your existing home.

A Luxury Bathroom Transformation

Few rooms in the home are subjected to as much use as our bathrooms. They serve an essential function, but when done right, they can be luxurious retreats that help us relax and unwind. We want them to be beautiful, well-maintained, and fit to meet the specific needs of our lifestyles.

In this Project Spotlight, we’ll look at a bathroom renovation that achieved all of those goals for the homeowners. It was an extensive project, and the stunning result was well worth the effort.

The clients wanted an updated unique and luxurious bathroom. This necessitated a full redesign of the existing space. To accomplish the redesign, the room was gutted to the studs, interior walls were removed, and the door opening relocated.

Reimagining a space and relocating mechanicals (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, etc.) is always a challenge and requires careful coordination. 

To accomplish the desired luxurious and updated aesthetic, our designer worked with our client to select Kohler’s Purist wall mounted fixtures in Kohler’s Vibrant Brushed Bronze projecting out of the tall, quartz backsplash. By placing the generously sized shower behind the soaking tub, the design allows both features to stand out. In addition, the large niche in the shower was inlaid with hand-made tiles designed to capture light and enhance the beauty of the project. The vanity and tub front were made from a naturally finished walnut, adding a natural touch to the style of the space. Every knob, handle, and clip were specified with the same brushed brass finish of the Kohler fixtures. Gorgeous custom cabinetry adds valuable storage and a show-stopping centerpiece to the room.

Our clients were given the bathroom of their dreams, and couldn’t be happier with the end result.

If you’re ready to turn your bathroom into your favorite room in your house, give us a call to explore the possibilities.

 

Design Trends We’re Loving Lately…

We asked our brilliant in-house designers Brooke Weinert and Kara Woitkoski to share some of the best recent design trends they’re seeing in the industry today. This thoughtfully assembled list can help inspire and guide you as you look to make selections for your own home projects.

As always, Brooke and Kara are here to help bring your interior design visions to vivid life!

  • Larger Fixtures (in lighting & hardware specifically):

Larger Light Fixtures and hardware with texture or complimentary colors are huge right now. They’re being used more as statement pieces, which we love!

  • Textures (in backsplash, countertops, cabinet doors, etc.)

We’ve seen a decline in true square edge backsplash tiles and a rise in tiles that are handmade or look handmade, bringing in more character and texture with perfectly imperfect edges. It brings a much more natural and welcoming feel to any space. We’ve also been seeing more interest in mesh or metal panels in cabinet doors to bring a more interesting and detailed style to their homes. 

  • Color in Cabinetry

We have seen a lot more color being introduced in cabinetry, which is so much fun! We’re seeing a big increase in “natural” colors, like stone, slate blues, tonal greens, etc. While we love a classic white kitchen, it’s such a fun opportunity to work with color more frequently. This year specifically, we’ve had multiple clients who want to steer away from an all-white kitchen, saying it doesn’t feel “warm or homey” enough for their preference. With our recent clients who do want white, we’ve use other tones to support and bring warmth to the space; be it a wood island or two tone cabinetry to make it more interesting and welcoming.

  • Command Centers

Almost all of our kitchen projects lately have requested a “drop zone”, better known as a command center. We think with getting back into our normal, pre-Covid routines, we’ve also gotten back to our old ways, which means everything ends up on your kitchen counters! We don’t love that, so we like to design a designated area for all the little things from chargers for your phones, to organizing mail. We’re doing our best to help families stay more organized and keep their clutter out of the kitchen.

  • Tile and Wood Alternatives

While loving the look of tile flooring, people are wanting lower maintenance and more wallet-friendly options. Luxury Vinyl Tile (or Plank), known as LVT or LVP, has become extremely popular. They can give you the look of tile without the grout, while being much more forgiving on your body and joints. They can also replicate natural hardwoods, without worrying about scratches, water damage, or seasonal movement.

  • Natural Countertops

While we love the virtually zero maintenance quartz countertops, we have recently (surprisingly) seen a big comeback of natural stone countertops. Despite the fact that they require more maintenance and care, our clients have been consistently steering towards granites, soapstones, and even quartzites! They are made from the earth–a snapshot of a moment in time–and each slab is completely unique and one of a kind. That is tough to beat!

 

A Dramatic Renovation That Feels Like a New Home

A well-planned and well-executed renovation can sometimes be so dramatic, the end results feel like a completely different home!

In this Project Spotlight, we take a look behind the scenes of an extensive remodeling project, covering two floors and multiple rooms.

The goal of the renovation was to create spaces that better worked for the family and their lifestyle. The clients had outgrown the existing space, and they wanted to update the aesthetic in the kitchen especially.

We renovated a large portion of the first and second floors of the home. On the first floor, we renovated the kitchen, mudroom, dining area, and parlor. On the second floor we removed the master bedroom and master bathroom. This space was rearranged to create two bedrooms and a main bathroom. We then removed the roof from the existing garage and created a new master bedroom suite.

The kitchen/mudroom space was opened up to create a better flow. The transition of each area as well as the finishes that were chosen are spectacular.

The difference between the original and finished spaces is nothing short of amazing. It almost feels like a different house altogether.

Our clients are so happy with their renovated home, and we are beyond gratified to know the project came together in such a satisfying way for everyone involved.

 

Creating Major Curb Appeal

A beautiful front porch is the stuff homeowner dreams are made of…

We love to picture ourselves enjoying a hot cup of coffee and the morning paper from a comfortable chair, surveying the neighborhood and greeting friends, or decorating for the seasons with flowers, pumpkins, or twinkling lights. Your front porch is your home’s first impression, and we all want to maximize our curb appeal.

That’s what we did for our clients in this Project Spotlight, who wanted just the right front porch to blend seamlessly with their lovely log home.

The clients wanted an update for both aesthetic and functional reasons. They wanted to make sure that the new structure did not take away from the look of their log home, but needed a front porch they could enjoy with ample room for seating.

Integrating the new finishes with the log siding was important in this project. The home featured a relatively new brick sidewalk that the clients also wanted to keep. We recessed the stair tread to allow the brick walk to remain, while making sure the porch floor was deep enough to allow for the usable space the homeowners needed.

The combination of the stone column bases, wood trim and ceiling, and the tongue and grooved composite flooring all work together beautifully.

The end result looks like a part of the original design, and is allowing our clients to enjoy their home in a brand new way.