Rochester Residence

Thirty years ago, when this home was originally built, the trend was two-story family rooms witha bridge. The client purchased this home and asked what could be doneto make the space quieter and more inviting. The exterior could not be altered, so windows had to stay. The design team took existing quirky half-round windows and used them to its advantage. The new barrel vault ceiling made the round top windows relevant. The curve of the ceiling brought the room down to a more comfortable scale. Most of the space of the bridge was closed off, leaving just a projecting balcony detail. The lower portion of the bridge was closed off slightly with sliding door panels to allow for an option to close the space off completely or keep it open for entertaining. A new fireplace wall and facing were done to bring an additional dramatic focal point to the room. Furniture, flooring, and window treatments were all updated. Now the space is an inviting, central focus of the house .