Colonial Modern
Entry Foyer, Kitchen, Mudroom & Laundry Room Renovation LOCATION
Centreville, VA | Fairfax Country
STYLE
Modern Colonial
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Halcyon Interiors Co.
CABINETRY
Halcyon Cabinetry Co.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Brian Wetzel Photo
STYLING
Halcyon Interiors Co.
Project Overview
These clients came to us with a 30+ year old Classic Colonial that was in need of some serious renovations and a whole lot of design love in order to make this into a forever home for this wonderful family.
The home is located in an established neighborhood on a lot with many mature trees which are beautiful but can make the interiors feel a bit dark and gloomy so we knew from the beginning that we wanted to let more light in while still embracing the more moody feel created by the filtered natural light throughout the day. We were intentional with all of our choices in order to create spaces that felt modern but did not overly compete with the classic colonial style.
Although the focus of this project was on the Entry Foyer, Kitchen, Butler’s Pantry, Casual Dining area, and the Mudroom & Laundry; we did make a few other much needed updates throughout the home. This ensured that their budget went as far as possible and that we were optimizing the trade services needed to complete the primary areas.
We updated and refinished the fireplace in the great room, refinished the solid oak hardwood throughout the entire main floor and upstairs landing, painted all the walls, doors, and trim throughout the main floor and upstairs landing, updated all of the dated brass door knobs throughout the entire home, selected new ceiling light fixtures; and updated all the air vents, light switches and electrical outlets (because yes even those matter, the details are everything).
Scope of Services
Full Service | Renovation with Full Furnishing & Styling
Interior Architecture & Design, Project Management, Custom Cabinetry and Millwork Design and Elevation Drawings, Space Planning, Lighting, Window Treatments, Textiles, Furnishing and Decor Sourcing and Procurement, Art Curation, and final Installation and Styling to deliver a fully realized space.
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Contents
A Refreshed Entry Foyer
We often add custom wall millwork in many of our designs but for this Entry Foyer our clients wanted to embrace a more minimal modern colonial aesthetic so we removed the chair rail and boxed millwork. We then changed out the stair balusters, refinished the floors and stairs, and painted everything a beautiful warm white with contrasting trim for added visual interest. We completed the space with all new furnishings, lighting, and decor.
Updated Casual Dining
In the Casual Dining area we made a big impact by replacing the three windows with a sliding door that leads to the new deck. The decisions to square off the awkward angles which went a long way to bring this space into the modern era. It was important to our clients to keep the divide between the Kitchen and Great Room but they did not want to completely close it off. After a lot of discussion we decided to keep the pony wall but simplified it by replacing the dated stone top with a piece of solid oak that was stained to match the floor. This room also provides a wonderful view of the refinished great room fireplace. To create a visual flow from the casual dining area and the kitchen we designed an open bookcase on the end of the cabinetry to allow that piece to feel more like furniture at the point where the kitchen and dining area connect.
A Reimagined Kitchen with Storage for Days
The The changes we made in this kitchen were huge and life changing for this family. When we first visited the home we could see that a lot of the clutter they were living with was due to a lack of proper storage. We approached this design with a focus on the interior function of the cabinets. We spent a lot of time getting to know the family to develop a clear understanding of how they live in the space and what they needed from their kitchen. We also cataloged and photographed all of their kitchen belongings to ensure that they would have a place for everything.
The interior systems inside the cabinetry include a large utensil and knife block pull-out, a spice pull-out, trash and recycle pull-outs, pot drawers with lid storage, cutlery divider drawers, a cabinet with a custom tray divider, a tall command center cabinet, and so much more.
Once we felt sure that we addressed all of the functional needs we moved onto aesthetics. This couple loves color and warm rich tones of wood. Prior to the renovation they had a wall in their living room painted a vibrant dark teal, that wall was which was painted the same beautiful warm white we used throughout many of the connected spaces. We decided to bring that color back into the cabinetry in a more elevated way with a slightly more subdued dusty teal and combined it with the gorgeous walnut cabinetry that was the inspiration for the new floor stain color. Finally, We quite literally brought in the light by replacing the small 3’x3’ window above the sink with a large 7’x4’ single pane picture window.
The end result is a completely reimagined kitchen that truly is as functional as it is beautiful!
The sleek and functional workstation sink elevates kitchen tasks and streamlines kitchen chores with interchangeable accessories that slide easily onto integrated ledges built-in into the sink at various heights.
The shelf unit on the end of the island allows additional breathing room between the kitchen and casual dining area while also creating added function with easy to access open storage and a custom Walnut butcher block top.
Small appliances are a necessity in every kitchen but can create excessive clutter and become an eyesore which is why we designed this utilitarian cabinet with a tile backsplash for easy cleaning, and extra outlets to neatly tuck it all away.
An Intimate Butler’s Pantry
The Butler’s Pantry sits between the Kitchen and the formal Dining Room so it was important for us to create a purposeful space where the family can grab a quick drink throughout the day but could also be used for more formal entertaining. Although not heavy wine collectors, these clients have a membership at a local vineyard so they asked for a space where they could store some of the speciality batches they occasionally acquire.
We embraced the lower ceilings and used it to our advantage to create a more intimate by cladding the ceiling and two of the walls in shiplap and completed the look with a call back to the kitchen by painting the entire space the same dark dusty teal used on the kitchen cabinets.
The end result is a cozy pace ideal for daily use and formal entertaining.
A Thoughtfully Designed Mudroom & Laundry
This space was all about function for this family. With a thoughtful design and proper space planning we were able to include a drop zone area for coats, bags, shoes, hats, and more, a cabinet for cleaning supplies, a utility sink that includes a wood insert that turns the entire countertop into a laundry folding station, a pull-out hamper in the sink cabinet, and a functional ceiling mounted drying rack that works on a pulley system.
We balanced all of the function with aesthetics and created complete cohesion throughout all of spaces by wrapping the walls in shiplap as we did in the Butler’s Pantry and again painting it the dark dusty teal used on the kitchen cabinets. In this space we chose to leave the ceiling and the last third of three of the walls white to create a bit more lightness and balance in this small space.
The end result is a beautiful Mud & Laundry Room with ultimate function.“Thank you for everything Shayla.
I’m so glad we got to work together, and with such a beautiful outcome.”
Jessica K. — Homeowner
Before & Afters
