West Island, Fairhaven, MA
Without question, this is one of our most favorite project to-date. We had the pleasure of working with the clients previously on a smaller-scale project in their cottage – some new furniture, new wall décor, area rugs, etc. – just some small tweaks and finishing touches. Not long after we finished up that project, they purchased a piece of property down the street for future new construction.
I prayed they would reach out so we could work together again.
One day, I was sourcing at the Boston Design Center, and I found the most adorable wallpaper with Seagulls and thought, if they call me, this would be perfect in the powder room. Manifesting. A few months later, I got the call.
Upon project kickoff, the first step was to review the architect’s pre-construction plans. The goal here is to test the plans and to make sure that once furniture is installed, the flow, traffic and sightlines are optimized for home’s functionality and comfort. Below highlights some of the small tweaks we made once the furniture floor plan was established.
1. A significant adjustment we made was to remove large double sliding glass doors in the living room and opt for large windows instead. The space was simply not large enough to accommodate additional entry points and traffic patterns, and who wants folks walking up from the beach with sandy toes and landing directly on their new living room area rug. Less than ideal. Instead, directing traffic in and out through one door in between the kitchen and dining areas allowed for more seating in the living room and a larger, more unifying area rug.
2. The washer and dryer was originally located in the closet right in the main part of the bedroom (2a.), but we moved into the large primary closet and farther away from the main part of the bedroom – quieter laundry days and also more efficiency in putting laundry away.
3. The walk-in pantry was removed (I know these are trending…stick with me…). We replaced what would have been a solid block of walls and a plain box in the middle of the first floor with a beautiful wet bar, which provides additional storage and an excellent flow for guests when entertaining. The bar is also an interesting, warm focal point in between the dining and living room with a lot of visual appeal.
4. Behind the new wet bar, there is space for a potential, future elevator that would open up into the hallway area near the powder room.
5. Island views. We rotated the kitchen island to allow for a view out the window while sitting.
The tweaks we made were small, but impactful and really helped to optimize the livability of the new home.
Proofing the construction plans is only the first step, of course.
With materials selections, kitchen and bath designs, furniture design, area rugs, lighting, paint colors, architectural details, etc. there are so many decisions and considerations with new construction projects, and we were so fortunate to be able to work on this project with a pair of our favorite clients.
