Laura Kaehler

Our client wanted to modernize and renovate their weekend home in upstate New York. The renovation was to include full wheel chair access throughout the home, which required the removal of multiple levels of existing structure on the first floor to allow greater wheel chair accessibility to the home.

Key Design Features

To allow wheel chair access throughout, the home was organized into three areas: a large multi-purpose Great Room in the center, a master bedroom wing to the east, and a guest/children’s wing to the west. In addition, a glass and wood space with a bluestone floor and drain was designed to function as a flexible sun room/green house to support our client’s gardening hobby.

To provide maximum views of the Hudson River Valley to the south and west, a 26-foot wide sliding glass door system was designed for the south wall of the Great Room. When fully open, this door system creates a seamless flow from the interior space to the outdoor deck and pool beyond.

To pay homage to the region’s farm vernacular, we used simple materials such as rough-hewn fir posts and beams with metal connectors, and porch roofs made of corrugated tin. Fieldstone was used for the exterior walls and the fireplace in the Great Room.  In place of a gutter and downspout at the front entry, we affixed a rain chain, which gently directs water onto a natural hewn rock.

To allow an easy flow from the Great Room into the kitchen, we detailed the cabinetry to blend into the walls, which seamlessly unites the first floor spaces through color, materials and design. Thus, the slatted fir island and natural walnut counter, rather than the wall-mounted cabinetry, become the focal points of the kitchen.

To integrate “green” and energy efficient features to this renovation, we used reclaimed rough-hewn fir timbers, local fieldstone walls, and local bluestone for the counters, flooring and exterior terraces.

To create a Great Room that can accommodate many different uses and family members cooking, dining, and relaxing, we designed this space with flexible boundaries. This Great Room also acts as a privacy screen and sound buffer between the master suite wing and the guest/children’s wing.