Built in the 1940s, this bungalow in the heart of Rhinebeck had lovely bones, but had undergone decades of choppy renovations resulting in an inefficient floor plan, vinyl siding and windows, and dated finishes. The rooms were small, dark, and closed off from one another, and the spaces weren’t suited to the modern young family who came to us seeking a renovation.
The vision was a home that embraced light and a sense of spaciousness, without sacrificing the modesty and coziness of a classic mid-century bungalow. Rather than build an addition, which would have compromised the house’s existing massing and negatively impacted its historic neighborhood, we carefully adjusted the floor plan to create more functional spaces within its existing footprint.
On the first floor, we opened interior walls to create a double-parlor, a kitchen that opens onto the dining room, and a new mudroom. We also annexed unnecessarily large closets to provide much needed storage space to the kitchen and introduced a playful motif of arches. These adjustments extended sight-lines throughout the house, which improved daylighting and created a sense of expansiveness without introducing an anachronistic open floor plan. Similarly, on the second floor, we wholly reinvented the floor plan to create a primary bedroom with an ensuite bath, two secondary bedrooms, and a secondary bathroom.
The project included new heat pump HVAC system, new insulation, new windows with adjusted proportions, new interior trim, new millwork and surfaces, a new roof, new siding and exterior trim, and a mixture of new and refinished flooring. We also helped our clients select and source a mixture of modern and vintage light fixtures, appliances, paint colors, and wallpaper, resulting in a cohesive palette throughout the house that celebrates its historic character while rooting it firmly in the 21st century.