renovate! : abranowicz home

I have to apologize for the quality of the photos.  This project (another one of my all-time favorite renovations) is from Martha Stewart Living, September 2003.  The only photos I have are directly from the article that I tore from the magazine.  And since the article was photographed by William Abranowicz himself (my all-time favorite photographer) it seems like a crime to put these pictures up in such a quality (or lack there of) but I really wanted to show this project to you and hope that you still enjoy it.

The original house, in Westchester County, NY (just north of Manhattan) was a 1940's ranch.  Not too much to get excited over but they saw the potential both in the house and the property it sits on.

The house, after.  Still a very simple house form, but the richness of the exterior materials gives the it a solid and streamlined feel.  I love the dark window trim next to the cedar shake siding.  Also the new main entrance porch gives you a better sense of the 'arrival' to the home.  I also appreciate that there is not a sea of asphalt in the courtyard in front, just some crushed stone.

Before and after of the garage, turned into the office.  I could work there!

Floor plan.  Another thing I love about this renovation is that they added very little square footage to the existing house, just enough to make the spaces work a little better.

It was this article that sold me on the idea of black cabinets.  Set against the marble countertops, I think it is really elegant but family friendly, still, after 5 years.

Cubbies in the front entry and Danish modern dining table in the kitchen.

The photos hung in identical frames in the hall make it a destination, a place to linger, rather than just a space to pass through.  I love that and the simple light fixtures.  You can find similar ones here.

Living Room.  According to the article, the small jars on the shelf (left photo) contain sand from every beach that the family has traveled to.  A sweet idea.

Master Bedroom.

Home Office of Andrea Raisfeld, Bill's wife.

I see many family dinners out on the screened-in porch!

Credits: All the photos are from the article originally published in Martha Stewart Living, September 2003 and were taken by William Abranowicz.

Comments

[Whitney]

Erinn --

I so enjoy visiting your blog! I love that porch -- such possibilities for memories, aren't there?

My best,

Whitney

[Hooked on Houses]

Gorgeous! I'm ready to move in. -Julia :-)

[bethany]

I'm so glad you decided to post these photos!! What I learned about this was that really good designs are truly timeless. I suppose in twenty years it will appear somewhat dated, but really, I think this home would work just as well in future years. I love the shakes and dark window sills. It reminds me of houses on the North East coast. One thing I wondered was, what do you think about office space attached to a master bedroom? Do you think that's a good idea to locate a work place right next to a resting place? I don't know what I think about it. I just wouldn't want my husband to have his work right next to where we sleep together!

[Design for Mankind]

Erinn--- This is a fantastically beautiful post! Thank you!!!

[Diana @ PleaseSir]

Love the table in the last picture...wonderful!

[erinn]

Whitney, yes such possibilities.
Bethany, I have mixed feelings about the office located right off of the bedroom. But we are actually considering that in our own home. We have a decent sized unfinished space off of our bedroom that we are considering turning into a big home office. For me it is not a problem because I can keep my work space looking tidy and inspiring. My husband on the other hand, is not so tidy. And sharing with him again...we did that for a bit in our old house. Not sure about that either.

Glad you all enjoyed that one.

[erinn]

Yea, the lines on that table are fantastic!

[arie]

wow, i think yours are the good quality of photos...

The ideas are so great, the new room interiors look really attractive..

Thanks for share

[Jamie Shellman]

You got to love the old houses. Some of them are neglected and damaged by time, but when restored their true beauty comes to life. I love the rust colored bricks, it looks so beautiful. This will be so pretty during the fall when there are many fallen leaves around it.