To say that our first month in the new house has been exciting would be an understatement. We hosted a 20-plus-guests birthday party for Isabella, we scrubbed floors, washed windows and painted the living room (before and after the party, not during. We were nice to our guests, haha. We read about these paint parties some people throw to have all of their friends help but we were nice and didn’t hand out paint brushes as party favors). We removed fences and replaced doors and went on this crazy schedule of mowing our back yard every five days (because the soil is wet, the grass grows incredibly fast). And at nearly an acre of land, there was a lot of mowing and raking. I know it sounds cheesy but we also enjoyed every minute of this madness! That being said, I have this thing with mess. I don’t know exactly when or how it started, although genetics may play a role because I remember always being like this, but mess gets to me and I can’t think clearly when my home is out of order (which is most days :)))). I need a clean and uncluttered space to be able to do any kind of work. Mess makes me anxious and it’s not pretty 🙂 So, before I could attempt any design plan for our home, I needed to shake the stress of our recent move, relax and let the ideas come.
Now, the plan is still fluid and we’re still crunching the numbers and planning the order of priorities, and are trying to figure out how much we can do ourselves versus hiring out, but by far our favorite scenario involves a little bit of tweaking of the floor plan. We will be tackling the living room and guest room first, partly because these are our main living areas and we have people over often, but also because the rest of the house (with the exception of the kitchen) will need mostly cosmetic changes. To give you an idea, here is a photo of our living taken the day of our move.
The Good: As you can see, the room is a good size and has not one but two (competing) focal points – the fireplace and the large bow window with lovely views of our neighborhood. I like the fireplace and the detailed mantel and I’d like to build the room around them. Behind the only free wall in the room is a small bedroom we are planning to use as library/ home office / guest room. Asking a bit much of a square, 11’ x 11’ space but dreaming costs nothing, haha!
The Bad: Despite the home’s charming floor plan and cozy rooms, there is a disconnect with the beautiful gardens, and between the rooms themselves. There are so many trees and flowers outside and even a lilac tree to the left of the fireplace, so many pretties and no way to enjoy them. We also dislike that the small rooms on the ground floor are disconnected which in turn makes the space feel really small.
The Fix: I’d like to make the floor plan more interesting and the rooms flow better, and this is what we’ve come up with so far. I’ll show you the sketches and explain a little what we have in mind. First the living room. We want to see the lilac tree (OK, I want to see the lilac tree 🙂 ), and all the green in the yard so we’ll add two windows, one on either side of the fireplace. A sofa or settee will be placed opposite, with an ottoman and a cozy pair of chairs on either side of the fireplace.
We’d also like to create a connection between the living room and the small room at the back without losing a bedroom at resale. So we will open the only free wall in the living room with a pair of French doors that will lead to the library. Most of the time the doors will be open, so the living room and library will feel like a larger, more open space but the doors will also offer a quiet space to work, and with roman or bamboo shades, they’ll also provide privacy for our overnight guests. A sofa table behind the sofa with a pair of table lamps and an armoire next to the stairs will provide extra storage for blankets, books and other pretty miscellanea.
What I’m very excited about is the library. It is my dream to have a home library with chic, built -in shelves (think Mark Sikes’ family room or library) and I love the challenge of turning a small space with several constraints into something functional and special. That being said, we are asking many things from the little bedroom at the back. It needs to multi-task as library, home office, TV room and guest bedroom, a cozy nest to cocoon on cold winter nights. And just as I was explaining my darling husband that the large screen TV is too large for the small library and that we need a much smaller one, we found a perfectly fine Sony TV discarded by one of our neighbors in perfect condition. A sign? I think so! That little baby came home with us and the large screen is moving to the basement even sooner than I expected. Yay!!
As for the interior architecture of this little room, we’ll have to close off the existing door into the hallway and add a second window on one of the walls, to increase the amount of natural light and bring in more of the views.
The actual details, like color schemes, textiles, wall treatments etc are still pieces of the puzzle I’m trying to fit together. I do know that we have two options as an overall look. Since the two rooms will be connected, a seamless transition (when the French doors are open), will read as one, interesting space instead of two different rooms. The opposite solution would be to make the living room bright and airy and the library all dark and moody. What do you think? About any and all of this… I’d really appreciate your ideas. At the planning stage, changes cost nothing so if you have any other suggestions, please send them my way! Thanks!! Wishing you all a great weekend!!!
Amazing plans! Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Light and bright in the library or dark and moody, either way fabulous!
Author
Thank you so much, Barbara! So happy to know you’re following along! xoxo, Eva
Sounds like a wonderful plan. We’ve lived in many homes from this era (in fact, I recognize many of the features from your pictures) and they have pretty much always feel less connected to the outdoors. In one, we had a bedroom on the first floor and we converted that into a sitting room, added French doors to bring in light and then had steps leading down to a brick patio we added to the smaller existing one. It made a WORLD of difference in how we used the home and how we extended our living space to an outdoor area. I cannot wait to see what you do!
Author
Thank you so much, Linda! Your idea about a French door leading to a patio out at the back? I’m stealing it! xoxo, Eva
Wow, Eva, great ideas! So excited for you, and in awe of your drawings. You are so very talented and I can’t wait to see the finished rooms!
Author
Thank you so much, Diana! As for the drawings, I wish I were that talented… I had assistance from an amazing app! xoxo, Eva
I like your plan, which will make great use of the space. In your sketch of the living room, is the bow window staying as is, or are you changing it? It’s great to have a library. We made one in our 1892 house in the room next to the living room and it’s always been our favorite place. We made ours with 4 rows of shelves on top with a deeper shelf at arm’s reach which we were able to fit with leftover marble from the kitchen (for drinks, books, pretty things, etc.), and then two larger shelves on the bottom for taller books, like art books. We have a lot of books and still this wasn’t enough. I like your drawers on the bottom of the shelves, but my husband insisted on maximum book storage. I’m glad you found room for a desk. It’s what missing in my house, but the arrangement of the library is perfect and we never wanted to change a thing in it. I’m glad you’re enjoying the process. You’ve given it much thought and it’s going to look wonderful.
Author
Hi, Francine! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. It is much appreciated! About the windows, that is a very good question. Ours are probably original to the house and winters in Western Mass being what they are, I think it would be a good idea to replace them with similar ones that are double or triple glazed. We are meeting with a local company this week to get a few quotes. xoxo, Eva
Dear Eva,
Another very interesting post! It makes me want to get my teeth into something – so I shall do so, vicariously! First of all, my compliments on your wonderful rendering skills. Gosh, I wish I could draw that well! I’m not sure I have fully understood the layout, so please bear with me. I’m sure we’ll be bouncing ideas off each other, which is always fun. In the first photo, have I understood correctly that the front door opens straight onto the staircase? I can’t see how the hall connects with the rest of the house from these photos. And I’m also not sure where you want to put your French doors to connect to your new study/library. So if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick, please forgive me. These are all “before” photos, I assume? I do have some suggestions that may be useful: If you’re going to add windows, I would definitely make them taller than on your sketches – that way, the rooms will feel taller and airier. The same applies to any doorways you may be adding. I would also hang all the curtains and blinds (I think you call them “shades” in the States?) just below the ceiling to create the illusion of greater height. You talk about having French doors (I would suggest making them taller than on your sketch) into your study/library/spare bedroom. If, however, these are going to be open most of the time anyway, and if you have a lot of guests, would it not be a good idea to have sliding pocket doors (solid, classically panelled) so that the space is always open – to ease flow -, except for when somebody is staying? And when the doors are closed, having solid doors would immediately create more privacy for your guest(s). For the sitting room, the idea of the pair of windows each side of the fireplace is really good. However, the mantelpiece is, in my opinion, too tall for the room. It makes the ceiling look low. Could you not remove the top shelf and keep the bolection moulding? I also think you could perhaps experiment with two sofas in an L formation (one where you have positioned it, the other parallel to the window, so that you have a cosy group rather than a single sofa with a couple of armchairs at shouting distance. You can still add a pair of smaller occasional chairs (Louis XVI, of course) to the left and right of the fireplace so that you have extra seating for larger gatherings. I totally agree with the desk behind the one sofa, incidentally – I’ve done the same in my Geneva project. We so agree on televisions, by the way. Mine is hidden behind an upholstered screen (something else I’ve persuaded my Geneva client to do), so banish the huge monstrosity to the basement, well done! I very much look forward to seeing what you do with this house, and to bouncing some more ideas off each other.
Best wishes,
Toby
Author
Hi, Toby!!
Thank you so much for your generous advice!! It inspired me so much! Regarding your questions, yes, the front door opens into the stairwell. To the right is our dining room and to the left is the living room with the fireplace at the far end. The third bedroom / library and office is behind the only free wall of the living room. The sliding pocket doors are a touch of genius! I haven’t thought of that and they would make the two connecting spaces truly feel like one!
I also completely agree with your thoughts about the mantel. The fireplace surround is way too high with respect to the height of our ceiling (7′-8″). At the moment, the walls and trim are all painted the same warm white and that helps “hiding” the height of the fireplace a bit but in order to install the windows, the top part of the mantelpiece needs to ago to have enough space for a decent-size window and trim.
Interesting idea about the two sofas in the living room, definitely something to think about! Thank you!!!
xoxo,
Eva
Hi Eva!
Thank you for taking the trouble to reply to everyone individually :-). I am sorry not to have responded sooner, but I was away in the mountains last week, staying with a friend (who incidentally has a lovely old house) and have been busy catching up recently. I’m intrigued to see what you come up with for your house next! And before I get moving, I’m going to have a good look at your most recent posts over coffee.
Take care and best wishes,
Toby
I’m enjoying reading about your new home and how you plan to alter it to make it truly your own. It reminds me of the excitement I felt when I bought my first house. I also have found interesting your comments about Amherst, where I once spent a summer.
You asked for advice, so I offer two suggestions:
1. Keep the library light and airy. If the intention is to unite the two rooms, having two different color schemes seems to defeat the purpose.
2. Vary the depth and height of the bookshelves in the library. I had custom bookshelves made all 12” deep. I realize now that I only needed about four tall and deep shelves for the big art and history books, and that 9” deep shelves would have been adequate for the majority of my books. Those extra inches take up space that would have allowed for more flow in the room.
Jo in Chicago, yes! Eva, I neglected to mention the colours, I so agree with Jo! Keep your library light! Dark and moody is a passing fad (particularly in the UK’s Farrow and Ball camp. It’s depressing!). Your two adjacent spaces will work better together if they’re cohesive… Light and bright – always good 😁
Author
Hi, Jo!! Thank you so much for your tips on designing the bookcases!! I agree with you completely, so much space is wasted and in small homes like ours, it really adds up. Very clever and practical, thank you!! xoxo, Eva
I love your designs, and all the thought that you clearly put into them! The French doors will add such charm, and allow for a nice sense of flow. With your love of entertaining, your library room will offer a place for intimate coversations. Typically, I love moody libraries, but that might interrupt the sense of flow that you are working towards? Luckily, that is something that you can decide on as the process unfolds. I am excited and grateful that you have invited us to be apart of your process!
Author
Thank you so much, Melissa!! You have a point about the dark and moody versus a unified light and airy feel throughout. Thanks for following along and leaving such a kind comment! xoxo, Eva
It’s exciting to go on your renovation journey with you. I’m always up for changes and don’t mind the mess as it’s a means to an end. My husband feels otherwise. Anyway just wanted to add a thought that when you are opening up walls and adding windows to do it the way David Adler the architect would do it and line up your doorways and openings so you can see straight thru from room to room—as best you can. I think the correct term is enfilade In my house, not a David Adler, by the way, I can stand at the front door and look thru the living room, to the family room thru the sliding doors to the porch and to the outdoors. It not only opens up the house, but the rooms end up being used more because there is a easy flow between them.
Author
Hello, Mary! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!! So sweet of you! I am fighting my natural tendencies when it comes to working on OUR home and I’m learning to be patient in getting things done right as opposed to getting them done fast and perhaps committing some errors in judgement for the sake of finishing a project faster to avoid living on a construction site. That being said, I share your point about being mindful when adding windows and doorways as to make things not only practical but architecturally pleasing, both for the inside and the outside elevations. Thank you for reminding that! xoxo, Eva
Dear Eva,
I love the changes that you plan to make to the room that is now a bedroom to a multi-functional space for guests and family to enjoy. Your daughter may like this room to do homework or to spend time with her friends so the choice of furniture should be multi- purpose. The French doors are perfect to create a more open floor plan and to add light. Thank you for sharing your challenges with us as you and your family make this beautiful home your “own.”
Jane
Author
Dear Jane,
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! Making a comfortable living space for our little one and her many friends, both human and canine, is a priority! Thank you for pointing that out! xoxo, Eva