CasaSugar

Before and After: A Cape Cod Makes Way For Baby

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:00:45 -0700

When a family expands, often a just-right-sized home becomes too cramped. This was the case with a family that approached Bowers Design Build, an award-winning firm located in Northern VA, whose work has been featured on HGTV.

The client in this particular case loved the location of their 1920s Cape Cod home, but felt that it was too small. The entire living space was contained on one floor and consisted of cramped rooms, including two bedrooms, a dining and living room, one small bath, and a galley kitchen. While there was an attic space, it was unconditioned and only used for storage.

The firm decided to build the addition so the entire first floor only was used for living space, with a small rear addition to expand the kitchen. Meanwhile, by building up, the lot's yard size could be preserved, and a second story could be used for bedrooms.

To take a complete before and after tour of the home, inside and out, read more.

The new design's facade preserves the look of the Cape Cod from the front, while expanding the home's size in the back. Additions such as a mudroom allow for tidiness, even in the face of a child's dirty boots. Additional storage was added, and the laundry facility was added to the second story, to make this task much easier, given their new baby.

Find out more about Bowers Design Build here.

View 13 Photos ›

Before and After: A Cape Cod Crib in Connecticut

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:00:25 -0800

This Old House recently featured the home of a Fairfield, CT, family who drastically transformed their 1953 Cape Cod home after enduring serious renovations, including raising the roof to add four bedrooms and two baths upstairs. Shown here is the former living room, with busy, antiquated wallpaper and worn oak floors that certainly don't help to make the space feel larger. With a little paint, some floor stain, an overhaul of the fireplace, and a lot of DIY demolition, the Kuryluk family transformed the room into an airy, modern space that's up-to-date and stylish. To see the after photo, read more.

Impressive, right? To see more before and after photos of the home and hear about their renovation, check out This Old House.
Source

Cool Idea: Everything in One Hue

CasaSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:00:42 -0700

Melanie, of the fabulous Etsy shop Plum Cushion, lives in a seriously stylish 1941 Cape Cod in Seattle. The bones of her home are nice, but it's her cool palette and ability to modernize vintage pieces that really make it hip. One of my favorite elements was how she painted her Rococo sconces and mirror and her Chinoiserie console table to match the blue of her walls. Obviously, each piece has an ornate shape that could really stand out if painted in a contrasting color. But they're all so shapely, it would be too busy and competitive if that were the case. Painted to match the walls, her accessories pop and make you give the quaint corner a second look.

This Just In: Ken Paves Buys in Beverly Hills

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:00:36 -0700

Ken Paves, aka Jessica Simpson's hairdresser and other half, has purchased a 2,762-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath Cape Cod-style house in Beverly Hills for $1.9 million. The listing for the property reads:

Perched on top of a ridge along prestigious Mulholland Drive sits this elegant Cape Cod contemporary designed by Robert Byrd. Flooded with natural light and surrounded by breathtaking views, this home has been renovated with the finest attention to detail. The large split-level LR is perfect for entertaining with vaulted ceilings, wet bar and French doors that open to an expansive deck. Other features: 3 en-suite bedrooms, 4 fireplaces, brand new kitchen and baths, and parking for 11 cars.

I think it looks charming, functional, and understated. I'm loving the exposed beams and the bright white traditional kitchen, not to mention the stellar view and outdoor space. I wouldn't mind living there year-round, but then again Paves can always visit his bff in Las Vegas if he needs some time away from Cali.

View 10 Photos ›

Source

And the Winner Is . . .

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:30:43 -0700

Want to know which lucky lady is the second of two winners in my Summer Style Contest? Then read more.

The second winner in the Summer Style Contest is Haze, who launched a major overhaul of her garden and patio in her 1930s Cape Cod-style home in May. In what she calls the "patio reclamation" and "garden refreshment," her husband was "responsible for acquiring the eclectic mix of midcentury pieces that are featured in the space," and she took it upon herself to "refurbish, reclaim, reuse, and repurpose many of these items in order to create a warm and welcoming space with a unique personality." After installing seven pieces of her original modern, surrealist pop artwork, the space took on a gallery feel. The image above shows the lattice she installed along the length of her neighbor's "privacy fence," as well as her refreshed vintage lawn chairs in the garden.

Haze wins a $500 Crate and Barrel gift card for her entry. Congratulations!

Missed yesterday's winner? See who won here.

Summer Style Contest Entry: Haze's Slate Garden Gallery

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:30:00 -0700

We're in the thick of the Summer Style Contest, and I've received some wonderful submissions revealing your personal Summer styles at home. One creative reader, Haze, launched a major overhaul of her garden and patio in her 1930s Cape Cod-style home in May. In what she calls the "patio reclamation" and "garden refreshment," her husband was "responsible for acquiring the eclectic mix of midcentury pieces that are featured in the space," and she took it upon herself to "refurbish, reclaim, reuse, and repurpose many of these items in order to create a warm and welcoming space with a unique personality." After installing seven pieces of her original modern, surrealist pop artwork, the space took on a gallery feel. The image above shows the lattice she installed along the length of her neighbor's "privacy fence," as well as her refreshed vintage lawn chairs in the garden. To see her patio up close, read more.

Have you entered the Summer Style Contest yet? All it takes is sending a photo of your Summer style at home to my TeamSugar inbox or the Su Casa group, for the chance to win one of two $500 Crate & Barrel gift certificates! Show me your Summer style!

This Just In: Nicole and Joel are on the House-Hunt

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:00:00 -0700

According to Real Estalker, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden took a gander at a three-bedroom, two-bath Cape Cod-esque home in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday. The traditional style home is all kinds of precious and fit for a family of three with a small yard, pool, flagstone deck, new kitchen, carrera marble baths, gorgeous dark hardwood floors, french doors throughout, and lush landscaping. Can't you just see Harlow splashing around in that yard one day? Oh, and it's walled and gated, so it's paparazzi-proof! The asking price is $1.649 million, just a bit more than they paid for their humble NYC abode. I know it's probably staged, but I'm really loving the décor, especially how the series of frames on the shelf in the bedroom is used as a headboard. I was also a bit surprised at how good the modern furnishings look in the living room, even though the architecture of the house is traditional. I for one think it's adorable: quaint and private with all the fixin's. I'm a little turned off by the placement of the living room fireplace, though: doesn't it look odd?

There are more photos where these came from, so read more.

View 21 Photos ›

Source

Steal of the Day: Fleur-de-Lys Window Boxes

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:15:32 -0700

I was just looking out my bedroom window the other morning and thinking about how a window box would improve the view. And since I'm also a fleur-de-lys fan, this Smith and Hawken window box offers me everything I could possibly want in a flower box - including a reduced price tag. These sturdy steel Fleur-de-Lys Window Boxes ($119-$159) would look great wherever they were placed, whether in a New Orleans Creole or a Cape Cod beach cottage. But wherever you put it, geographically, make sure to fill it with beautiful blooms.

A Handsome Recycled Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:00:28 -0800

I love stories like this. Family moves into huge, inaccessible home. Family can't deal. Family moves to smaller, more central home that is within walking and biking distance to stores and schools.

The Lessner family built a 5,000-square-foot house, and then within nine months sold it and moved into a small, Cape Cod–style house. The house needed major renovation, and they went with an architect who could provide a green design while keeping the house's traditional look. The 13-month renovation began with a six-week deconstruction. The family used many of the original features and donated anything they couldn't use to Habitat for Humanity.

For green details and a gallery of photos, just read more
Green upgrades included energy-efficient tankless water heaters, additional insulation, a dehumidifier (that cuts down on use of air-conditioning), Energy Star appliances, photovoltaic solar panels for the roof, and nontoxic paints and surfaces. Many of the house's materials were salvaged, including tiles in the kitchen, hardwood floors, and windows.

View 5 Photos ›

Source