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| By Rex Perry | |||||||||||
| Three Cottage Makeovers | |||||||||||
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| The beauty is in the details when Virginia architect Charles Moore remakes three of his neighbor's homes into charming cottages. | |||||||||||
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1. Mark Stafford Arlington, Virginia Like most homeowners who choose renovation over relocation, Mark Stafford loves his neighborhood, but knew his home lacked good interior flow and curb appeal. He turned to architect Charles Moore to give the house the identity it deserved. The most visible change to Mark's home is a prominent front porch. "I'm a believer in porches as a way to draw attention to the entry and provide a place of shelter," says Charles. "The porch starts a dialog with the street." The rock foundation and square, tapered porch columns are Arts and Crafts details that add context and history. Just inside the front door, the stair posts mirror the shape of the porch columns, pulling the design inside. In keeping with the Arts and Crafts style, Charles designed an open living area with a fireplace on the ground floor and moved the bedrooms upstairs.
2. The Langs Falls Church, Virginia
Anyone can add square footage to a home, but smart renovation adds space where it's needed. Gail and David Lang wanted an open kitchen and dining area. Charles solved the problem with a 45-degree addition to a new space that pushes out the back of their home. "The family room and kitchen should connect, " says Charles. The breakfast nook is the knuckle that ties the two spaces together. It naturally causes you to turn the corner." Although the nook addition is done in a more modern style, it doesn't look out of place because it's tucked within the l-shaped footprint of the home. Charles specified high windows in the nook to obscure a poor view. As a benefit, the Langs use the open wall space to hang their children's artwork. High windows also allow greater flexibility with furniture placement.
3. The Herritys Arlington, Virginia
Deanna and Tom Herrity needed more room for their family of six. The challenge for Charles was moving beyond simply adding room to seamlessly integrating 1,115 square feet of new space. "The key to making a house bigger while keeping it in context with the neighborhood are details and proportion that hide the new mass," says Charles. He added architectural details, both inside and out, that had been stripped from the Herritys' home. New exterior trim between the floors and above the windows add beauty, but also help tie the new spaces together.
Inside, door casings match the style of the exterior trim. To keep a center hall in the master suite free of swinging doors, Charles specified a unique sliding door with exposed hardware. "We could have used a pocket door, but they're always jamming, says Charles. "We celebrated the door and its hardware." The renovation included a new kitchen and breakfast room adjoining a new sunporch on the back of house. The sunporch brings the outdoors in and blends the spaces together.
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| Copyright © 2008 Cottage Living | |||||||||||
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