Looking west from the threshold between the den and the living/dining room (between what used to be the living room and the dining room/kitchen)
Looking northeast from the corner shown in the first picture
The new cooking area is where the old kitchen table used to be.
The new fireplace--this is in what used to be the dining room. The hallway to our bedroom is on the right. We store wood in those little boxes under the seats.
I'm leaning against the new corner sink to take this photo. 
We still have the Frank Lloyd Wright windows; now they flank two groups of plain windows instead of being all in a row. 
Here's the new den/old living room. I guess we should take out the newspapers.
This is taken from the left corner of the photo just before.
And from the right corner
The window seat and door to Christian's new room/old den-guest room are on the left.
The new deck is made out of ipe wood.
I feel very, very lucky to live in the house of my dreams (not the childhood dream where I fantasized about living in a Fotomat booth; the dream I had after I discovered the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts & Crafts Movement). It is modest-sized by today's McMansion standards, about 2,000 square feet. But it's the perfect size for us and suits our needs exactly.
Anyone contemplating building a new house or renovating an old one should read Sarah Susanka's The Not-So-Big House; it influenced our design tremendously. Patrick gets all the credit for figuring out the new 'flow' of the downstairs. He also gets all the credit for financing the project; thanks, honey!
*I'm not quite sure what Ted Geisel was up to when he wrote There's a Wocket in my Pocket! It's my least favorite of all the Dr. Seuss books--nowhere near the caliber of The Sneetches or The Sleep Book, for example. But I do like the last line.
6 comments:
oooooooh! I've been waiting for these, and they did not disappoint. I've gone through them carefully to really understand the new flow, and I love it, Luisa! The colors, the light, the layout, it's all very livable, inviting, and warm. Great job. The new bookshelves, however, do not seem to hold all the books that you had in the old den...are more still being housed in Christian's room?
Built-in bookshelves. Sigh. That's my dream.
What a beautiful home you have there. I live in my dream home, too (a 50's style ranch!) - bigger doesn't always mean better - it just means you have to clean more. The people that own the McMansion's that only have 3-4 people living in it can have it!
It's freakin' beautiful! And it looks much bigger than 2,000 sq ft. If I ever need a renovation, remind me to yell at you. I'm a design idiot, but I know what I like when I see it.
Gorgeous, I'm ready to come over and read a book. It looks so inviting and cozy. I picture myself sitting down with a tea and chatting with you -- well, after I check out the book collection and see what prescription drugs you have in the medicine cabinet...okay, not really...
Jenna, there are actually almost exactly the same linear feet with the new bookshelves as there are in the old den/C's new room. I think the angle of the photo is deceptive.
Of course, there still isn't enough shelf space. I'm trying to figure out where else we can fit another built-in.
B&P, built-ins were my dream for about 16 years of marriage. They are just as wonderful as I had imagined they would be.
Amanda, EXACTLY. The architect asked me whether I wanted to add another bathroom, and I about took her head off saying, "Are you CRAZY? Voluntarily add another toilet to scrub? No thanks."
Annette, I'm always here for you.
RJL, come on over; I'll make the tea while you check out the library. But you won't find any prescriptions at all, I'm happy to say, except for some Retin-A and James's inhaler. ;)