Ada Modern Classic

To renovate or to custom build? That was the question facing a family relocating to the United States from New Zealand. When all was said and done, although the project’s 4,500-square-foot footprint never changed, the stunning results live like a new custom build.

The transformation from a dated and choppy 1999 home to a fresh, open, modern concept home with a Scandinavian influence is nothing short of amazing. Some original elements were preserved: the windows, living room ceiling rafters, internal transom window, and dining room wainscoting. Everything else is brand new.

Rooms played musical chairs: The sunroom became an open breakfast nook; the kitchen transformed into a sitting room; an office became a nursery attached to the master bedroom. Enhancements not in the original floor plan include the additions of a scullery, enlarged mudroom, and a wet room with soaker tub and shower. Second-floor bedrooms once shared a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, but now have separate bathrooms.

Out with the old: bulkheads, columns, built-ins. In with the new: open shelving in unique void spaces, a coffee bar and open concept. The before-and-after photos prove that sometimes, reduce, reuse and recycle applies even to yesterday’s McMansions.