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BEHIND THE SCENES: UPDATING A DC CRAFTSMAN

Updating a home could take anything from a paint job to a new floor plan altogether. But most of the time it’s something in between, as it was with a client of ours who has a lovely craftsman in NW Washington, DC. The 100-year old house already has beautiful bones with large windows and original millwork throughout; however, it was time for some maintenance and updates to improve the home's functionality for modern living.


The client’s goals were to maintain the home’s traditional charm, bring in as much natural light as possible, and offer a welcoming, relaxed environment to their family and guests. To achieve this, modest construction was needed along with paint, wallpaper, and furniture throughout.


Below is the original floor plan. Areas planned for demolition are highlighted, dashed lines.

First floor demolition plan.
First Floor Demolition Plan

We reworked the layout in the kitchen and widened the opening between the kitchen and sunroom for better flow. The kitchen has a beautiful, existing AGA cooker that we are most definitely keeping!


Below is the proposed plan.

DC Craftsman Floor Plan Furniture Plan
New First Floor Furniture Plan

And here is a peek at what we put together for the kitchen.



By relocating the coat closet near the entry, we are able to make the cased openings in the front entrance of the house the same size to create symmetry when you enter the home. The sunroom, the largest room on the first floor, was used for several different purposes and was broken into multiple zones. We are creating a focal point in the room with custom millwork, which will house the TV, provide bookshelves for display (and books, of course), and offer closed storage for games, puzzles, and crafts.

Sunroom custom millwork for a TV with built-in bookshelves.
Sunroom Custom Millwork

Construction kicks off in a couple of months and we cannot wait to share the final results! Here are photos of other finished projects, and in the meantime please enjoy some of our favorite inspiration images for this project.



Let us know what you think! Do you like 'Behind the Scenes' posts and want to see more? If you have specific questions or suggestions, let us know in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by the blog!


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