1 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
After
The existing kitchen was dark, which made the space feel tight. The dark cabinets were exchanged with white ones and the wood floors replaced. Black countertops add an element of contrast, and stone backsplash keeps the room from being too monochrome.
Thanks to the addition of Collamore’s “floating mudroom” and the opening up of the divider between the living room and kitchen, natural light flows easily between the kitchen and living room. The added counter space and extensive cabinetry ensures the Chenes’ storage space necessities are covered.
2 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
Before
The existing kitchen was dark, which made the space feel tight. The dark cabinets were exchanged with white ones and the wood floors replaced. Black countertops add an element of contrast, and stone backsplash keeps the room from being too monochrome.
Thanks to the addition of Collamore’s “floating mudroom” and the opening up of the divider between the living room and kitchen, natural light flows easily between the kitchen and living room. The added counter space and extensive cabinetry ensures the Chenes’ storage space necessities are covered.
3 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
After
In order to keep an open feeling between the kitchen and the living room, Collamore created what he calls a “floating mudroom,” which separates the two spaces without closing either off.
“The goal was to give that open concept, and have the better connection between the kitchen and family room especially,” says Collamore. “We had to use some design tricks to make it feel sort of like separate rooms, but still be visually connected.”
4 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
After
In order to keep an open feeling between the kitchen and the living room, Collamore created what he calls a “floating mudroom,” which separates the two spaces without closing either off.
“The goal was to give that open concept, and have the better connection between the kitchen and family room especially,” says Collamore. “We had to use some design tricks to make it feel sort of like separate rooms, but still be visually connected.”
5 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
Before
The living room was originally a garage, converted to a living room in the ’80s. Before Collamore Built got involved, it still looked too much like a garage. The solution was to completely redo the ceiling, open up the connection to other parts of the home and, in doing those things, make the space feel bigger without adding any square footage.
“I really think the transformation of the family room was the most dramatic,” says Collamore.
Collamore says Kathy Chene was more involved in the interior design than most other homeowners he has worked with, and her input on the project was welcome.
“I think what we ended up with was pretty close to what she originally brought to me,” says Collamore. “I think that collaboration definitely made it a stronger project.”
6 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
After
The living room was originally a garage, converted to a living room in the ’80s. Before Collamore Built got involved, it still looked too much like a garage. The solution was to completely redo the ceiling, open up the connection to other parts of the home and, in doing those things, make the space feel bigger without adding any square footage.
“I really think the transformation of the family room was the most dramatic,” says Collamore.
Collamore says Kathy Chene was more involved in the interior design than most other homeowners he has worked with, and her input on the project was welcome.
“I think what we ended up with was pretty close to what she originally brought to me,” says Collamore. “I think that collaboration definitely made it a stronger project.”
7 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
Before
It was time to say goodbye to the green carpeted stairs and matching green walls. Collamore Built added more contrast to the stairs, bringing in the black, white and light wood scheme into the railing and steps. The wrought iron balusters added a classy and contemporary look to the staircase, as well as a secret feature that would have thwarted the famed “pivot” scene from Friends: removable staircase railings.
“When they first moved into the house, they had to cut off the handrail to get their furniture up the stairs,” says Collamore. “Collaborating very closely with the homeowner, we custom designed and built a completely removable stair rail system that meets code. … We made it a real element.”
8 of 8
Photos courtesy of Collamore Built
After
It was time to say goodbye to the green carpeted stairs and matching green walls. Collamore Built added more contrast to the stairs, bringing in the black, white and light wood scheme into the railing and steps. The wrought iron balusters added a classy and contemporary look to the staircase, as well as a secret feature that would have thwarted the famed “pivot” scene from Friends: removable staircase railings.
“When they first moved into the house, they had to cut off the handrail to get their furniture up the stairs,” says Collamore. “Collaborating very closely with the homeowner, we custom designed and built a completely removable stair rail system that meets code. … We made it a real element.”
When Collamore Built Residential Design and Construction got started on Kathy and Rich Chene’s home in Upper Arlington, they knew they were in for a challenge.
The home was built in the 1940s, updated 40 years later, then left alone. The update in the 1980s lacked any real layout changes, and the Chenes knew they wanted to bring the kitchen and living room into the present – which meant opening up walls, changing floor plans and rerouting mechanics.
“The whole thing was just technically difficult,” says Justin Collamore, who co-owns Collamore Built with his wife, Allison. “We redid almost all of the electric on the first floor and also in the family room, we raised the ceiling and created sort of a cathedral ceiling, and we had to do that by restructuring the existing roof from underneath. … It was extensive.”
The project took six months of hard work, but it more than paid off. The home, which won Best of Show in the 2016 NARI Fall Home Improvement Showcase, went from dark and closed off to bright, welcoming and contemporary, with beautiful light wood and white cabinetry.
The transformation also won CityScene Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Award.
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
