Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1463863
32 SPRING 2022 kitchens team spotted it well before construction commenced. "The husband picked it up from JFK [airport] in a U-Haul to put it into storage here," the designer says. Blackmore reworked the piece, transforming it from a cherry wood monstrosity into a highly functional workhorse that makes just the right statement. "We replaced the ornate base with simple trim, but left the substantial pilasters since they're in keeping with the home's original elements," Blackmore explains. She also shortened the length and tucked a wine fridge into the dishwasher cavity. Alterations to the living room at the left of the kitchen make the most of its access to the bluestone terrace. It's now a sunroom-like haven ideal for entertaining. Base cabinets wrap from the kitchen to provide storage for wine glasses and a surface for mixing drinks or setting out food. "They are huge entertainers," Blackmore says of the couple. "When I first met them, they invited me in for a margarita and I left eight hours later!" The dining table is on the other side of the island, back toward the center of the house. At one end, Blackmore replaced an eighties era bay window with 10-foot-wide French doors. The opposite wall got a makeover too. Blackmore rejiggered the location of the laundry and powder room to enlarge the space and hide the pantry and laundry behind an expanse of elegantly paneled walls and doors on a single plane. The paneled treatment extends into the adjacent sitting room, dubbed the fireplace nook. Here, Blackmore absorbed a small closet next to the refurbished fireplace to create a chic powder room. "We were inspired by jewel-box powder rooms in San Francisco," she says. "They wanted a small space with big impact." Blackmore maximized the scant 32-inch span with a monolithic marble sink and a plain piece of mirror that lets the marble be the star. The most challenging part of the project was figuring out where to put a mudroom. Having sacrificed the only closet, albeit an inadequate one, for the powder room, the team had to get creative. Blackmore refashioned the wall to the right of the entry in the TV room, with simple built-ins for coats and shoes. "People can perch there to watch a football game, but it's really about giving them proper mudroom amenities," she says. Blackmore's solutions serve the home well. There's ample storage, an easy flow, and a timeless aesthetic. Most important, unless hunkered down in the TV room, the glorious harbor is on display. D. Bruce Greenwald, Architect, brucegreenwald.com, Breen Construction, breenbuilt.com, Interior Designer: Habitat Design, habitat.design, Stone Fabricator: ItalMarble, italmarble.com Kohler Purist plumbing fixtures punctuate the custom Carrara Cariabi marble sink in the powder room. The brass sconces are from Circa Lighting. northshoremag.com/nshorehome/