Let me start by saying, when a past client contacts us to work together again on multiple projects, we are honored! When the client is a retired architect that designed his own home with his architect father and only trusts you to help with the re-design, there are no words to describe how flattered I was!

The newest project our clients wanted to team up on; their kitchen remodel. Kitchen remodels inevitably bleed into other rooms, so we also remodeled the living room and powder room at the same time. The home has a mid-century modern vibe with contemporary elements. We wanted to update the look without losing the charm this architect put into the bones of this home.

Starting in the powder room, we designed a custom floating vanity. The viewable floor space made the room feel larger. We chose light materials, including a unique terrazzo that we crafted the top out of. We happened to be in the stone yard with another client and spotted it in the corner. We knew immediately it was perfect for this spot!

 

 

The mirror was installed on blocking with an applied LED tape. This illuminates the space in a unique way. Lastly, our carpenter built this oak slat wall, mimicking a tried-and-true mid-century look.

Let’s get into some kitchen details. As many clients do, this couple did not think there was too much we could do with the basic layout. However, space planning is my favorite thing to do, and I knew immediately the space could be used better. First things first, goodbye peninsula and hello island!

 

We kept a slab door style and brick shaped tile, to stay true to the architectural styling of the home. The black material on the island is not painted wood. It is a material called Fenix. It is super matte, velvet to the touch, fingerprint-less, and very durable. It’s a perfect option for those who want darker cabinets without the fingerprints and maintenance.

We also chose to keep an integrated wood hardware on the cabinet doors. We upgraded the shape and the material to walnut.

Lastly, this gorgeous living room that lives right next to the kitchen. Fresh paint and the addition of a killer modern chandelier gave this room new life.

I would live here. But unfortunately, our clients are not giving this place up anytime soon!

After seeing the details of the first floor transformation in #TUDORINTHEGLEN REVEAL PART I, are you ready to see the second floor? Of course you are!

The bedrooms received fresh paint and window treatments, and the floors were covered in new wood and carpet. The real jaw dropping changes were in the bathrooms. First up, the sweet little hall bath.

Major take away from our first meeting… they needed more storage!

We added a multi-function medicine cabinet and internal storage accessories to the cabinet to really maximize the space they had.

Storage issue solved! The new fixtures and café curtain helped brighten up this room and give it a more current look.

In the primary bathroom we removed the large tub to make room for a larger shower. We also moved the toilet, because, why is it in the middle of the room in the first place?!

We kept the historical charm in this space, while modernizing it. Tile, finish and fixture selections all have a tie to timeless traditional design. Enjoy the after photos;

Working in historical homes is our passion. Being able to restore some of the charming details while improving the function of the space is our favorite design challenge. Hope you enjoyed your tour of #TudorInTheGlen.

Glen Ellyn has some beautiful historic Tudor-style homes within its borders. We had the privilege to renovate one of them, and the results are perfection! Our design-build team remodeled most of the interior and made some subtle updates to the exterior. Let’s get into it.

How do you modernize a Tudor-style house?

When it comes to Tudor-style houses, their plans are not traditionally known for being open in layout. This home needed a floor plan better suited to the homeowners – a young, active family. Space planning was crucial, as an addition was not part of the project scope. 

Our design team came up with various solutions for moving the walls, openings, windows, doors, and more. We then used our 3D rendering program to communicate these ideas to our clients. They were on board for all the proposed changes, and we got to work!

The First Floor

The back of the house originally consisted of a kitchen, dining room, and sunroom. We reorganized these spaces to create a larger kitchen and dining room, and introduced a mudroom. This is where we made the most impactful changes to the exterior. We added a small landing and a side door near the garage, creating an entrance to the new room. This family will get much more use out of a mudroom and larger kitchen than they ever did from the sunroom.

Working in a historical home sometimes means removing elaborate original molding or architectural details to accommodate remodeling plans. Our design philosophy is focused on preserving the ‘bones’ of the home, and we are very conscious about not losing any of the character in the process. We used original molding profiles for all new molding and added back the wood ceiling beams that were a feature in the original kitchen. 

Other historically accurate features we incorporated included new mullion windows from Pella, William Morris patterned wallpaper in the dining room, and traditional subway tile in the kitchen. However, modern conveniences were not forgotten in our historical preservation efforts. Contemporary appliances, engineered quartz countertops on the kitchen perimeter, and layers of lighting make the new kitchen easy to use.

Front of the house held the formal living room, foyer, family room, and powder room. This portion of the house also saw some walls moving and doorways changing. The formal living room has a large fireplace which we preserved and kept in place. However, we changed the entrances to create one large opening to the dining area. I cannot stress this enough – a fresh coat of paint goes a long way! The proof is in this before and after.

Before:

After: 

The stairway was also gorgeous and just needed a little paint and stain to make it look new. We love it when we can work with homes built with character. Mixing the new with the old? I’m convinced that’s kind of our superpower.

We reorganized the size of the powder room and built a large storage closet right across from it. Then, we added a custom wainscot, William Morris wallpaper, and a marble sink straight from Turkey in the powder room. It is the smallest room – but it may just be my favorite one in the house!

The family room was one of those long, awkward ones that make placing furniture in it difficult. You know the type. But with the help of furniture, lighting, and rugs, we were able to utilize the space for more than just TV viewing.

Next to the large storage closet, we added casual table seating. Call it a game table, reading nook, homework corner – it can be all of these things and more. 

The rest of the room has been transformed into a comfy gathering place for the family to watch TV or enjoy the fireplace. With its access to the large deck, the area becomes a convenient spot to entertain as well.

When a client continually picks the blue option, they earn the hashtag #IndigoAbode. This 1920’s home had some character that we only accentuated with the whole home remodel. We remodeled most of the interior and provided interior design services for furniture and all the finishing touches. There are a lot of rooms to cover so let’s get into it.

The Parlor & Foyer

Sometimes, it’s the smallest of changes making the biggest difference. We did not replace the stair case, we just removed the half wall and replaced the last two steps with a rounded edge at the bottom. This allowed us to add a little balustrade detail that really elevated this foyer.

The idea of a Parlor came pretty early on to us. Previously this front room was used as a formal dining room. We were looking to expand the kitchen, and allow for casual seating at the island. The other side of the kitchen opens to another room with dining in it. Today, most people do not prefer 2 dining areas, one formal one casual. Especially if you are in an older home with limited space. So we removed a wall, created an arched opening and gave more square footage to the kitchen. Traditionally, homes would boast a parlor or greeting space adjacent to the foyer- and I’m on a mission to bring it back! The herringbone wood flooring pattern extends between foyer and parlor, connecting these rooms visually. This seating area is also open to the kitchen making it a cozy place for a morning cup of coffee or an after dinner cocktail.

We have also been informed their pup loves to survey the happenings of the neighborhood and sunbathe from this spot.

We reupholstered some of their existing furniture for this room. They had some really great pieces to work with and they fit so perfectly here. The contrasting navy velvet and herringbone fabric on this sofa might be my favorite.

The Kitchen

The kitchen, or heart of the home as we call it, was a major part of this remodel project. Let’s first bask in how much larger and brighter this space got just by moving one wall…

The other side is just as dreamy!

The ceiling beams are not just decorative. One is a structural header where the wall once was. We added the second as a decorative feature to create some symmetry on the ceiling. A few more shots of the appliances (because I can’t help myself) and we are moving on to tour the rest of the first floor.

Back Entrance

A small space, however I could not skip showing you this floor. Custom color mix of authentic clay tiles. All in a herringbone pattern (are you sensing a theme?).

The Library

It took some convincing, but we really wanted the walls, trim and built ins to be the same color, Benjamin Moore Powell Grey. The clients put their trust in us and the results, stunning! This is the kind of room you want to write your autobiography from or relax and read something off you to-be-read shelf with a glass of wine. With their antique furniture, the rug we sourced from High Point Market (once found I was frantically FaceTiming the client to show them I found the perfect rug!!), and the styling we did on these shelves, this room is 10/10.

The Living Room

Moving through the French doors of the library we enter the living room. No walls moved here, but during construction we recovered the fireplace and moved electrical for the tv to sit above the fireplace. The plaster walls were uneven as many old plaster walls are! Instead of using a standard paint, we used a lime wash to keep some texture and conceal some of the flaws. Very interesting process, with beautiful results. We went from red walls to an updated neutral. Check out the before and after;

We kept the traditional feel with the furniture and accessories, but gave it an updated twist. After we installed window treatments and hung art, I barely could remember what this room looked like before. It was such a huge transformation in here, no demo necessary!

The Primary Bathroom

Did I save the best for last? You be the judge. Like most homes built in the 1920’s, the bathrooms are small. So we packed in as much beauty and function we could using the space we had. Let me show you the before so that you can truly appreciate the after;

We found the perfect vintage dresser to refinish and adjust to use as the vanity. A lovely antique mirror and custom wainscot details were added to the walls. Marble, everywhere. We copied the radius arch from downstairs and added it to the shower header. We even added it on top of the shower niche! My favorite part? The hidden shallow closet we added for extra storage with wallpaper inside. Yes! William Morris print wallpaper inside the hidden closet. That will never not make me happy.

We are done here with our tour of #IndigoAbode, hope you enjoyed the reveal!

Welcome to part II of the #ForestEstate project. We have a few more rooms to show you!

In addition to the interior remodel we consulted on some exterior upgrades. We added a new wood front door, eliminated the painted wood pediment and columns in favor of new brick work, replaced the light fixtures, and removed the fake shutters by each window (which is what everyone should do in my opinion).

Back inside, we styled the foyer and added new paint to freshen up the space.

From part I of the reveal, you saw the back half of the house really opened up into one open floor plan. Open floor plans are great for entertaining and utilizing every inch of living space. However, they can be tricky with placement of furniture. Adjacent to the kitchen (also seen in reveal part I), is the family room followed by an all purpose sitting room.

We designed a built-in bench in walnut, same finish as the kitchen island, to span the family room. The piece has a stone top under the fireplace for fire safety, and opens up to storage under the TV. This bench grounds this space, defining it, where walls used to.

We re-faced the existing brick fireplace with a sculptural tile inset around the firebox and a larger format field tile everywhere else. We added a small mantel with minimalist styling. We placed original art by a local artists and a hand blown glass vase. We support local artists and makers whenever possible!

The furniture was selected in neutral tones with pops of color in the accessories and art. An oversized sectional by Wesley Hall with a beautiful art piece by Wool + Timber balance out the fireplace details on the wall opposite.

Next door to this comfy furniture arrangement is a bar/ game center. Custom iron and glass shelves float above a one-of-a-kind natural wood console. The windows, with new textured drapery, and this console help give this sitting room definition from the adjoining space.

What I love about this room is its versatility. After dinner cocktail? Family game night? Conversation with friends? Have a seat! We chose two different chair options, both with bold texture. These dining stools from Verellen might be the most comfortable backless chair I’ve ever sat on! And the blackened oak table adds the element of natural material without taking away from the wood details in the console. This console looks like a piece of art, we did not want to distract from that.

We conclude our tour with my favorite shot of the day (above). So many good elements in one moody, inviting, beautiful photo. This project was such a joy to work on. But truly, hearing from our clients how much they love using and living in their new space is the best feeling of all. We are lucky to have such a rewarding job.

The wet room photos from this project are our most liked on Instagram. For obvious reasons! The story of this project is just as great as the photos.

This client contacted us after deciding to relocate locally from Michigan. We put them in touch with one of our favorite local Realtors, Carrie Foley. We kept in communication and immediately after closing, we got to work on renovations. Their hearts were set on an older home full of character. One thing we run into often with historical homes is the lack of a laundry room and the lack of bathrooms. People lived differently in the past. The good news is there were some under-utilized spaces that we could make better use of.

Le’t’s start with this landing/ loft at the top of the stairs. We decided to get rid of this dangerous banister and add some walls.

This laundry room could not pack any more style! Using a William Morris print on the wall paper and satin brass fixture warmed this space up and then some.

Now for the Instagram fan favorite, the primary bath. There was a small bedroom that had no closet. It shared a wall with the primary bedroom and opened into the fore-mentioned loft at the top of the stairs. A door way was created between bedrooms to allow access to what we turned into the primary bathroom, and a portion of the loft not being used as laundry was made into a walk-in closet.

A little before and after for you:

There was a structural reason for the inset space in the wall. We took advantage of it by placing a soaking tub into that space, and adding color changing, dimmable LED lighting below to add some ambiance. There was not room for a large shower and tub area, so we created a wet-room, combining both. A floating vanity can create the illusion of a larger room. We also used round mirrors, so that the low wall elevation, due to a slant in the roof, in that area was not so obvious.

This project is brought to you by Zoom. Ha! Zoom meetings made this project possible since we were hundreds of miles apart. I couldn’t be happier with the result of this long distance design process!

cache – noun

1. a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.

This kitchen packs a lot of storage, which is how this project got its name. When we first saw the space there were dark wood cabinets and a half wall with columns separating kitchen from living space. Of course, both had to go. Our client wanted a more open feel and an all-white kitchen. So, we got to work!

We wanted to utilize a little more wall space, so we framed in part of this French door opening. As you see in the rendering above, we planned to install another arched opening, creating symmetry on this wall.

Second up, getting rid of this wall. Which turned out to be no small feat. Additional support was added in the basement, and then a 14” tall steel beam was added that spans the house front to back.

Goodbye wall!

Cabinetry was made locally, so we were able to visit the shop and approve details on the spot. The historic details are beautiful in these all wood cabinets. The saw tooth cut you see inside the cabinet is the adjustable shelf support. Below you can see the cabinets come together in the home.

Now we get to the good part! Showing off the finished product and all of the fun storage features hidden in this space.

Tall cabinets from left to right; refrigerator, hidden beverage center, and pantry. We finished the interior with walnut because it gave it that touch of warmth it needed.

The range wall, hands down, has the coolest feature in the space. Hidden walnut spice racks. These fit in the cavity of a standard depth interior wall. And when I say it took a village to make this happen, I’m not exaggerating. The sliding “doors” are solid quartz material. I may have lost sleep the night before install… but it came together beautifully and was worth all the planning.

We used brass hardware from our friends at MYOH, engineered quartz on the countertops and backsplash, painted white cabinetry with walnut interiors, and white oak floating shelves to bring in the lighter tones of their maple floor. A paneled Sub Zero refrigerator and Wolf dual fuel range are the stars of the appliances here.

We also helped this client with interior design services outside of the kitchen. The runner was sourced from a vintage rug dealer, the living room furniture and bookshelf styling are all courtesy of Ember & Brune’s design team. We specified new stair colors to tie in the millwork throughout the house. When we can be a part of the complete design process, magic happens.

That’s all for #CacheKitchen. I’ll be sharing a new project reveal soon, stay tuned!

Talk about a cliff hanger, I almost forgot to give you part 2 of this amazing remodel. This past year has flown by in the blink of an eye. The English basement in our LakeViewPointe project should not be left a secret. So here you go… part deux!

After wrapping up the main floor remodel, we moved to the basement. This is no ordinary basement though. This basement opens onto a covered patio, just steps away from the lake. With beautiful views and a gorgeous new interior upstairs, this basement had standards to live up to.

First, we took down a couple of walls, opening up the space to allow for better entertaining.

This opened up the space to allow for a game area. The shuffle board, game table and pool table all fit in the new space. Above the shuffle board we designed a custom display unit for the homeowner’s vintage beer can collection. It turned out better than any piece of art we could have specified.

Custom metal display unit for the client’s vintage can collection.

Custom wine room designed to mimic an ice box.

Behind the pool table we designed and built a temperature-controlled wine room. This was designed to mimic an ice box, complete with replica vintage hardware. This was a fun space to engineer with our craftsmen. Worth every detail!

We did not stop there… A bar area was built to replace the outdated one. Large open areas can be a challenge when it comes to defining spaces and adding focal points. For the bar, we created a custom ceiling application for the lighting. This detail on the ceiling helps define the space without closing it in.

This bar is PACKED with thoughtful details. To name a few; Built in keg refrigerator for easy pours of your favorite beer. Freezer drawers to keep frosty mugs. An ice bin to make bartending easy for anyone slinging drinks. My husband, Mike McCoy, is a graphic designer. He helped us come up with a logo for this clients’ bar. The client had dubbed it the ‘Walloon Saloon’ after the lake’s name. You can see it above on the beer growler.

Across from the bar is coziest sectional you will ever sit in, placed in front of a fireplace and TV. We opted to cover the floors in a custom mixed epoxy after the client saw something similar on the floor at a local brewery. This gave us the freedom to mix woods in other features, including the wood look tile on the fireplace face.

Can we also talk about architectural elements? The basement had beams and soffits like most basements do and we wanted to address these during the remodel, so that they felt seamlessly incorporated in the new style we were bringing to the space. Hand scraped and antiqued wood was applied to the structure with additional metal brackets for the look of authenticity.

There is so much to share about this project! Three more things I want to share; office, bathroom and staircase upgrade. The office was a bedroom that we transformed into a work from home space and guest room, thanks to the sleeper sofa. We added a sliding door to the patio for easy access to sunshine breaks. The desk and coffee table we commissioned from an artist who specializes in epoxy. We worked with her on a variety of options to come up with these stunning pieces.

The bathroom got a face lift too, incorporating a vintage dresser transformed into a vanity and a custom poured concrete top.

Last, but not least, a new staircase was needed to connect this fully remodeled home. Millwork, including stairs, molding, doors and windows are truly the bones of your home. These elements should tie in your style and architectural design throughout. We used metal again along the wall and the railing, with wood stairs and a stacked stone on each side to bring it all together. We accented these features with built in LED lighting.

Thanks for hanging in there, I know this was a lot to share at once. Hope you enjoyed hearing more about this home’s transformation. I’ll try not to wait a whole year before sharing our next project reveal. -Brandie

We wrapped up a house remodel last Summer and I’ve been dying to share it with you! The project was being held by a national publication for an editorial, however they changed their mind earlier this year, so we gave the publishing rights to a local magazine instead. All of that to say… I can finally spill the tea on this project!

This project was completed in 2 phases. First, we started with the main floor. The layout for the most part stayed the same. However, every room was updated. Ember & Brune was hired for the remodel, as well as the furnishings and styling. Here are some before and afters of the first phase:

Skittles truly was the cutest model in the photo above. What is also great in the photo is the “skylights” we created. During the remodel the clients really wanted to add skylights to the family room. This home is on a beautiful lake so adding natural light to give it a more open feel was priority. However the trusses were not going to allow for large skylights. So, we engineered dormer style windows in between each truss which lets in a lot of light and created a nice exterior feature to the lakeside elevation of the home.

Before:

During construction:

And After:

Yes, we also built a new deck and spiral staircase.

More before and afters of the staircase, hall bathroom, laundry room, and master bathroom:

Quite the glow up! Using black can be scary for some, but I think this project proves that black can be used in light and bright spaces too. For this project we incorporated black cabinetry, black marble tile and black metal on as an accent on the stair rails, mantle and furniture.

Phase 2 of the project was the English walk-out basement. Including a bar, pool table, vintage-styled wine room and more. Stay tuned!

Until Reveal: Part II, I leave you with this view of the lake from the primary bedroom. I wouldn’t mind starting my day here every day.