Window Seats

Window Seat is game/reading nook in a casual dining area 

Reading nook window seat on edge of master bedroom

Window seats are special. They are carved from the edge of a room, either bumped in or bumped outward to create a special zone of space unique from the rest of of the room. The nook they create has a smaller scale where a single person can sit, read, think, or just gaze outdoors. It can feel like a room within a room, and can allow a room to feel more comfortable and be used for a greater variety of functions.

Long seat at Dining Room feature window

I love using window seats in my designs, and many clients ask for one. They are space saving and evoke a homey, hygge sense of comfort. I’ve placed them in bedrooms, as a cozy reading nook. I’ve used them in kitchens or casual eating areas as a built-in seat along one side of a table. (Used in this way, the room can be smaller than if chairs, which need space to slide backward, need to be placed all the way around a table.) I’ve used them in large rooms, like living or formal dining spaces, that may not be used daily or often, so that when one is home alone that large space can offer a personal-sized space in which to feel comfortable. I’ve used them in hallways or foyers as a way to make that space more than just a pass-thru area, by creating a place to sit and stay a while.

Built-in bench seat- or display shelf surface- in Farmhouse Kitchen

The design and construction methods for building a window seat can change to fit the space or use of the seat. Sometimes the seat flips up to access storage space inside, sometimes we have cubbies or drawers that are accessed from the front. We can plan for cushions, lighting, and an angled back for comfort. Bookshelves and woodwork and trim and soffits can all be custom designed so that the window seat is a real architectural focus in the space.

Cubbies below seat and bead board wainscotting accent woodwork

Of course to be called a window seat, it has to have a window- or three windows- which is what I tend to do, as you see in my projects featured here! Next blog post I’ll share photos from projects with built-in seats or benches that are not at a window, but are just as functional and beautiful and also add a certain desirable homey quality.

Farmhouse kitchen table designed with built-in bench seating

Historic Home Update- Farmhouse Kitchen

Bright New Farmhouse-style Kitchen

Sometimes a house doesn't need any additional space added. Sometimes enough square footage is there, it just needs halls/doors relocated to create better circulation, windows added for more daylight and views to the outdoors, raised ceilings for a feeling of spaciousness, and updated fixtures and finishes in hardworking rooms like bathrooms and kitchens. That was what we did in this Historic Home Update. Two narrow rooms combined into a generous, sunny kitchen when we removed the dividing wall and added a new beam.

This is the second blog post about this project. To read the first, and see before photos and plans, click the link below:

cwb-architect.blogspot.com/2019/merry-and-bright

Exterior View from backyard

Formerly the house had no windows to the back yard- (And that is the south facing elevation... where the sun is... you want windows there!) So we cut in a pair of double-hung windows, with transom windows above, centered in the existing gable. That set the ideal placement for the kitchen sink, and influenced the cabinet/appliance layout.

The east side of the room had 2 windows; we kept one and closed off the other so our cabinetry and range/hood could wrap around to that wall. We kept the exterior trim and detail of that window, though, and closed it with "shutters". In addition, adding a wide sliding glass door from the sitting area of the room to the back yard allows the homeowner to enter from their parked car area and connects the new room to a stone patio extending the kitchen and eating areas into the back yard.

Windows and historic lighting make the Kitchen bright

 Historically appropriate light fixtures, materials, and details were used thoughtfully throughout the design. Both interior and exterior window and door casing mimics the existing style so things "blend". The existing house exterior was covered with asbestos shingle siding, popular in the 1950's which needed to be dealt with properly. The design allowed for that material to be removed only at the back wall- where the new windows and double door were being cut into the wall- and left untouched at the sides. (That's one reason why we kept the side window trim and used the "closed shutter" detail there.)

New Hardi Shingle on back wall

Existing asbestos shingles on side walls

Cabinetry has flush panel door and drawer fronts with bin pull hardware. Open shelving, glass door cabinets, crown molding, and the tiled back splash means everywhere you look you see something beautiful. The light fixtures are wall and ceiling mounted and correct for this historic home. (no recessed "can" lights were used - Yay!) The new structural beam was wrapped in stained wood trim and lends some warmth, along with the wood flooring, to the painted wood trim and cabinets. The counter tops are quartz that looks like marble and the appliance layout creates an ideal work triangle.

Tall Storage Cabinet next to Refrig

Beautiful Details add Charm

Powder Room -Bead Board Wainscot

Historically Sensitive Lighting

I couldn't be more pleased with this renovation. The new kitchen, half bath and second floor bathroom and laundry area (moved upstairs to be next to the bedrooms) make such an improvement to the house, while complimenting it's historic nature. The flow and function of it is better. It feels so new, so improved, bright and large, that it can be difficult to believe no additional space was created - just rearranged and redesigned to the maximum benefit.

New House Next to the Lake is Ready for Summer!

Front view - with "popped up" space across back of second floor

Just in time for the family to come enjoy their vacation home on the lake, it's all finished for Memorial Day weekend. Here are some final pictures with the lattice enclosing underneath the new screened porch, the exterior painting all done, and the interior plumbing and cabinets installed. This family homestead is transformed!

Lake side view with new deck and screened porch

West side view- showing new First Floor Bedroom Addition

From repairing mundane, invisible but appreciated items, like recessing a steel support beam into the living room ceiling and installing a new septic system- to creating usable, beautiful new spaces- like a much larger screened porch and kitchen work area - to creating more sleeping spaces with a bit more privacy and a bit more air/light/view toward the beloved lake - to all new renovated bathrooms, refinished floors, and light fixtures & electrical service.

New Pantry Room view from Kitchen

New Pantry Room view toward Kitchen

New Ceiling in Living Room & Door to Bright New Bedroom

New First Floor Bedroom

Renovated Bathroom #1

Front Porch - repaired roof and connected to new Bedroom

This project combines a mix of keeping the old and traditional, while embracing some new materials and methods as well. Check out the old wood door leading into one of the bathrooms (on right side of pic above). Old site-built plank doors like that one were kept and reused inside- like leading into the new first floor bedroom from the living room. The exterior siding is a very traditional white-painted shingle style, with dark green trim while the railing system for the screened porch and deck is a stainless steel cable type (chosen because it would obscure the lake view the least).

Finishes at the Family House on the Lake

Repaired Front  Porch Roof//Ceiling

The Family House on the Lake has been getting interior finishes and once winter is over and the snow melts, the exterior finishes -metal roofing and cedar shingles on walls- will be installed. Here are photos of the progress including new spaces & renovated spaces, interior spaces & exterior spaces. Check out that lake view from the screened porch!

Flooring & Bead Board Ceiling in New Screened Porch

Flooring & Bead Board Ceiling in New Screened Porch

New First Floor Bedroom

Second Floor Bedroom - now with upper bunk windows!

New Ceilings in Existing Rooms replace sagging plaster

New Larger Shower!

 

Refinished Floors Upstairs

Flooring and Paint in Pantry/Mud Room

Blue House update

First Floor Kitchen space is opened up to Office with beam in ceiling

New Master Bedroom with vaulted ceiling and sunset windows

Work has been progressing at the Blue House next to the School. The windows were installed, as well as rough electrical and plumbing. Then insulation was placed in the cavities of roofs and walls. (Remember all walls also have continuous insulation integral with the sheathing, which is great for better air sealing and reducing thermal bridges.) Exterior trim was installed around windows. Interior sheet rocking of walls and ceilings happened. With that surface applied, one can really see what the rooms will feel like! Next is shingle siding, flooring, painting, finish electric/plumbing, and interior cabinetry! (and the new screened porch those french doors will lead to!)

Back elevation

Site of the future second floor laundry and Master Batrh

Sheet rock on wall in Dressing Room / Walk in Closet/ Master Bathroom

Kitchen! Ready for cabinetry and flooring

Sunny Master Bedroom

NHND to the Pond- Interior Finishing

Interior Doors and Trim Installed, Shelving for Closets, Wall Paint

At the New House Next Door to the Pond the interior finishes are just about done. The staircase is built and installed, all hardwood and tile floors are installed and finished, walls and ceilings are painted, window and door trim is installed and painted or stained, and cabinetry and built-ins are in. Last will be plumbing and light fixtures - then the new homeowners can move in!

Here are some photos:

Cabinets for Built in Desk- in Office Room looking at Pond

Tile & Bead Board Walls and Cabinetry in Bathroom

Built-in Window Seat and Bookcases in Bedroom

Staircase (and efficient HVAC unit)

Kitchen Cabinetry and Counter Tops

Tile Foor, High Wainscott Boards, Built-in Bench, and Cubbies in Mud Room Entry

Living Room - Stone at Wood Stove

Open Railing with Craftsman-Style Newel Posts

Site-Built Doors to Access Storage

Wood Ceiling in Screened/Sun Porch

Bead Board Ceiling and Final Trim at Posts & Beams in Back Yard- Frame View to Pond