A Perfect Addition

By: Keith Pandolfi, This Old House magazine (Page 4 of 4)

Enlarge this image Photo: Karen Melvin

A view from the breakfast room shows how the kitchen's new cherry millwork complements the 100-year-old oak board-and-batten wainscoting in the dining room.

Photo: Karen Melvin

Designer David Heide suggested making the addition two stories, with the mudroom and breakfast room downstairs and an expanded master suite upstairs, so the bumpout would be in keeping with the house's naturally boxy configuration.

Enlarge this image Photo: Karen Melvin

A view of the kitchen and adjacent mudroom from the breakfast room. A leaded-glass accent window above the mudroom lockers and two oval windows in the breakfast room help bring in natural light to brighten the wood-lined interiors.

Enlarge this image Photo: Karen Melvin

An interior window in the kitchen (seen at right in photo) looks through the mudroom and another window that overlooks the backyard so the couple can keep tabs on their kids while they prepare dinner or do the dishes. All the new cabinet doors have a beaded molding that creates an interesting play of light and shadow.

Enlarge this image Photo: Karen Melvin

A backsplash of 1-by-2-inch multicolored slate tiles complements the slate farmhouse sink and the granite countertops. The new island is fitted with roll-out recycling bins. Curved brackets that support upper cabinets and burled-wood veneer panels on the oven hood are period-appropriate flourishes.

Enlarge this image Photo: Karen Melvin

The mudroom is packed with floor-to-ceiling cabinets for outerwear with special compartments for shoes and boots. The easy-to-clean porcelain tile floor is laid like a rug.

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Secrets of Seamless Renovations

Minneapolis designer David Heide is often called upon to design modern renovations and additions that don't contradict a period house's original style. Here are some things to keep in mind if you'd like to do the same.

+ ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: School yourself on your house's history and architecture. Look at, or read up on, similarly styled houses from the same period for ideas; local house tours also can be a good source of inspiration. If you want to add a porch, for instance, look at period porches in the same style to see how they're done. "Get a handle on what kind of house you have and what the prevailing aesthetic principles are so you can work in the language of that style," says Heide.

+ SCALE &?PROPORTION: Don't let that new addition dwarf the rooms you already have. After all, a modern, 800-square-foot great room will look silly tacked on to a 1,500-square-foot bungalow. Also make sure the scale of your windows, entryways, and ceilings don't contradict the ones found throughout your house. Says Heide: "Your house will tell you how high the ceilings, doors, or windows need to be."

+ APPROPRIATE FINISHES: A good renovation usually means introducing modern elements such as more elaborate cabinetry, hardware, and lighting. If you don't have time to scour salvage yards for period-appropriate versions of these things, be sure the ones you buy make sense in the context of your house. "Avoid stylistic trends,"?says Heide. "Don't use Tuscan-style hardware or fixtures in a Colonial-style house. They have nothing to do with each other."?