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
46 SPRING 2022 The house, built in 1997, "did not seize the opportunity of the breathtaking views, especially from the dining area and lower level basement," Clark says. "The challenge was all about uncovering the possibilities that were already there." She was also itching to switch the home's "horrible green Rhino-Shield" exterior to a warm gray more suited to a beach house. Another exterior update was the expanded deck that helps maximize outdoor living space. Throughout the renovation Clark aimed to create rooms that were more open, lighter, and airier than the original construction and design. Toward that end, she replaced floorboards that "resembled a basketball court" with seven-inch-wide white oak planks. "Much prettier," she says. In the main living area, she demolished the dining room to expose open views of the sea, moved the door connecting the dining room to the kitchen, and expanded the opening between the great room and the breakfast nook. She also renovated the mudroom/pantry area, with adjoining powder room, to boost its functionality. Removing tall bookcases on either side of the cozy dining room's gas fireplace–which also heats the long and spacious great room–was crucial to her plan, as it opened up the whole downstairs while maintaining the charm and function the fireplace brings to both spaces. Her reconfiguration of the kitchen created a better flow into the adjacent breakfast nook, great room, and dining room. Clark, who is not a licensed architect, drew all the plans for the renovation herself. Upholstery and window treatments throughout the home were custom-crafted in "high-end, performance- grade" fabrics. "The sun can do a real number on a house, particularly a house that's on the water," Clark says. "So we used only material that's made to withstand heavy sun exposure. She replaced existing paint colors with lighter, peachier tones, in particular shades of blue that her clients were partial to. A variety of vendors supplied transitional furniture throughout. Bathrooms throughout the house suffered from a "dated" look, so Clark replaced fixtures and added wallcoverings plus accents that lent seaside style. In the master bathroom she replaced an oversize tub with a roomy walk-in shower. And she closed a window at the front of the house to create space for double vanities and a linen closet. When Clark took on the project, the walk-out lower level looked like an unfinished basement. By the time she was done, the home's downstairs included an inviting family room, plus a guest bedroom with adjoining bath, an exercise room, and a private office. All that, she says, proved especially useful during inspire Removing bookcases that flanked either side of the gas fireplace–which opens to the great room as well as the dining room–was essential for the family-style living her clients were looking for, Clark says. northshoremag.com/nshorehome/