Our clients wanted to replace an existing suburban home with a modern house at the same Lexington address where they had lived for years. The structure the clients envisioned would complement their lives and integrate the interior of the home with the natural environment of their generous property. The sleek, angular home is still a respectful neighbor, especially in the evening, when warm light emanates from the expansive transparencies used to open the house to its surroundings. The home re-envisions the suburban neighborhood in which it stands, balancing relationship to the neighborhood with an updated aesthetic. The floor plan is arranged in a “T” shape which includes a two-story wing consisting of individual studies and bedrooms and a single-story common area. The two-story section is arranged with great fluidity between interior and exterior spaces and features generous exterior balconies. A staircase beautifully encased in glass stands as the linchpin between the two areas. The spacious, single-story common area extends from the stairwell and includes a living room and kitchen. A recessed wooden ceiling defines the living room area within the open plan space. Separating common from private spaces has served our clients well. As luck would have it, construction on the house was just finishing up as we entered the Covid lockdown of 2020. Since the studies in the two-story wing were physically and acoustically separate, zoom calls for work could carry on uninterrupted while life happened in the kitchen and living room spaces. The expansive panes of glass, outdoor balconies, and a broad deck along the living room provided our clients with a structured sense of continuity in their lives without compromising their commitment to aesthetically smart and beautiful design.

Upper West Side | Agile Renovation

Bolster

Renovation details in a pre-war apartment on the Upper West Side
ニューヨークにある高級な広いミッドセンチュリースタイルのおしゃれな廊下 (緑の壁、無垢フローリング、ベージュの床、格子天井、白い天井) の写真

Weiss House

Flavin Architects

In the early 50s, Herbert and Ruth Weiss attended a lecture by Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius hosted by MIT. They were fascinated by Gropius’ description of the ‘Five Fields’ community of 60 houses he and his firm, The Architect’s Collaborative (TAC), were designing in Lexington, MA. The Weiss’ fell in love with Gropius’ vision for a grouping of 60 modern houses to be arrayed around eight acres of common land that would include a community pool and playground. They soon had one of their own.The original, TAC-designed house was a single-slope design with a modest footprint of 800 square feet. Several years later, the Weiss’ commissioned modernist architect Henry Hoover to add a living room wing and new entry to the house. Hoover’s design included a wall of glass which opens to a charming pond carved into the outcropping of granite ledge. After living in the house for 65 years, the Weiss’ sold the house to our client, who asked us to design a renovation that would respect the integrity of the vintage modern architecture. Our design focused on reorienting the kitchen, opening it up to the family room. The bedroom wing was redesigned to create a principal bedroom with en-suite bathroom. Interior finishes were edited to create a more fluid relationship between the original TAC home and Hoover’s addition. We worked closely with the builder, Patriot Custom Homes, to install Solar electric panels married to an efficient heat pump heating and cooling system. These updates integrate modern touches and high efficiency into a striking piece of architectural history.

Upper West Side | Agile Renovation

Bolster

ミッドセンチュリースタイルの廊下 (白い天井、ベージュの床) の写真

廊下をリフォームしてみませんか？バリアフリーのためのリノベーションやニッチスペースを使った収納の設置など、ミッドセンチュリー廊下のリフォーム・リノベーション事例写真の中から、あなたの希望や条件にぴったりのデザインアイデアを見つけてください。廊下はスペースとしての認識が低いかもしれませんが、実は家族が日常的に行き来する重要なスペースです。また、玄関ホールは家に出入りするために必ず通る場所。さらに、玄関ホールに収納の場所を確保したり、廊下に趣味のものをディスプレイしたりと、使い方次第では有用なスペースにもなります。空間と空間をつなぐだけではない廊下に玄関ホール。その有効活用に今日から取り組んでみてはいかがでしょうか。

廊下をデコレーションしてみよう！

窓もなく、ただまっすぐ伸びる廊下はどことなく殺風景。そこで、お気に入りの写真や絵画、アートを飾って、ギャラリーのように廊下をおしゃれに仕立ててみましょう。賃貸などで壁に穴をあけられなければ、額に入れた作品を床に置き、壁に立てかけておくのもおすすめ。また、廊下の角や玄関ホールなど、邪魔にならないところにスツールを置いて観葉植物や花瓶を置くのもいいですね。スペースが取れるようであれば、廊下に机やいすを置いて書斎のような使い方にするのもいいでしょう。いずれにせよ、廊下に物を置くようであれば、特に夜、足をひっかけないよう、足元灯の設置は必須です。

廊下と玄関ホールのバリアフリー

家族の介護が必要となったときに、一番に考えるのは廊下や玄関ホールなど家のバリアフリー化でしょう。廊下はリビングやダイニングほど施工費用をかけていませんし、明るさも広さも新築時にはあまり重要視されていないことが多いですが、暗くて狭い廊下では高齢者の転倒事故が起こりやすく、危険な環境になっている家も多いのです。バリアフリーのリフォームを施すことで、部屋と廊下の境となる敷居などの段差をなくし、手すりをつけ、窓からの採光や、照明・足元灯で明るくし、広さを確保することなどが叶えられます。手すりであれば簡単に取り付けやすそうと思われがちですが、使う人の背の高さに合わせなければ補助にならなかったり、手を滑らせる原因となりますし、取り付けが甘いと体重をかけたときに大変危険です。専門家に相談しましょう。また、お住まいの地域によっては行政からバリアフリー化工事のための補助金制度があるので、調べてみるといいでしょう。