Living Room Rehab and Custom Cabinets 2009

This was a dramatic and complete redo in 2009.  The multifaceted job required a wide variety of skills to achieve the desired effect of creating a space that was elegant, visually exciting and functional.  I did the vast majority of the physical and design work for the project with some creative input from the client and with very limited help from an assistant for some tasks.

I designed the solid wood cabinets on both sides of the original fireplace and built them from scratch to blend in with the 1880's era home.  The cabinet doors were a critical part of the design and they were very difficult to find. The ones we found needed a fair amount of work to restore, additionally many of the construction materials used for the cabinets were reclaimed materials from a variety of sources.  There was a lot of attention given to the details of the cabinets and multiple types of trim, moldings and routed edges were used inside and outside the cabinets.  One side of the Fireplace is 61 inches wide and the other side is 59 inches, therefore every component (curved and straight) is unique, each piece had to be custom cut to fit physically and aesthetically - needless to say there are few true right angles in these old houses which only added to the complexity.   The construction is rather seamless and surfaces were tediously sanded to hide seams and to be smooth to the touch for a pleasant feel.  There are dimmer controlled lights inside both cabinets for an eye appealing effect and six electric outlets in and around the cabinets were added for practical uses - an extra outlet was even added inside the fireplace for a heater.  I installed two new breakers to carry any electric load without issue on the new lines.  The tile is a contemporary design but the style has a nice "old" feel that worked handsomely with the color theme and space.  The mantle cover and accompanying firebox frame was a lucky find as these can be tricky to track down complete and in good condition.  The mantle and the desk have a crackle Faux finish to match an existing vintage buffet (it is on the right side of the fireplace).   The Faux finish effects required multiple layers of paint and many hours of work to achieve, they were clear coated with a non-yellowing acrylic finish to protect the surfaces.

A new French door was added to separate the connecting room, it was stained a deep mahogany.  Nice 7" wide solid wood crown molding was installed and painted 3 colors including a crackle Faux Finish on an edge.  The old carpet was removed from the floor and the floor was sanded to bare wood and refinished with a satin varnish to bring out the rich deep color of the "pumpkin" pine.  A fancier than customary molding was used as a toe strip for the baseboards and was stained mahogany to tie in with the French door - the rich mahogany complements the deep green and maroon trim colors as well.  Stained glass was incorporated in both the transom and entry door; the extra tall window and storm door were tinted to help control heat and add privacy. The exterior of the entry door was painted with a Faux wood grain finish and coated with a clear gloss product, I chose colors to smothly transition between the interior and exterior colors.  A new dimmer controlled Tiffany style chandelier was installed that really livened up the room.  

And of course the walls and trim were prepped, primed and double coated in many instances with Duration paint.   No less than 10 different colors were used in the scheme to get the desired effects, not to mention the primers and 3 different types of clear coats/varnishes - many different brushes were needed.  Some toxic materials where used as the picture implies.  And there were a few areas that needed to be repainted with different colors to make the scheme balance and correct.  Several other unmentioned details were involved to bring the project together. 

The project  began as a simple repaint of a living room with some shelves to be added between the mantle.  However the project grew and then it took on a life of its own as more and more ideas came forth to improve the concept, it required a few months of almost full time work to complete.  The client was patient, trustful, and wealthy enough to afford me the creative freedom, resources and time to produce an awesome outcome; and consequently the client is very happy with the space that exceeded all expectations.

Below are some before, during and after pictures.

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