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After viewing the home for the first time, our clients saw great potential in this 1950’s split level home in King of Prussia. They ended up purchasing the home after falling in love with the award-winning gardens, but they knew that a remodel of the interior was needed as soon as possible. 

Their new home, also known as Longview Hill, is well-known for its immaculate gardens. First recognized in the 2015 edition of Traditional Home, then the 2016 edition of Grow, as well as several horticultural publications and registered in the Smithsonian Institute Archives of American Gardens, the natural beauty of this 2/3rd acre year-round garden speaks for itself. The gardens consist of four terraces of evergreens, specimen trees, shrubs, and perennials that provide color in all four seasons.

The ultimate goal of the project was to complete a partial renovation of the kitchen and a full remodel of the primary suite. To the rear of each of these rooms are floor-to-ceiling glass sunroom panels overlooking the garden. In order to capture the amazing views and bring more of the outdoors in, our architectural designers were tasked with envisioning the new layout and floor plans of both spaces.

Floorplan Changes for a Partial Kitchen Remodel

Our client's goal for their kitchen was to update the layout and the working triangle. Initially, this kitchen had 2 joining walls, creating an L-shape kitchen. You can see below it was tight cooking quarters! 

While the views of the garden from the kitchen are incredible, the original layout limited the exterior sight lines. In order to capture these views through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, our team needed to modify the layout of the kitchen. Our architectural designers focused on creative design solutions that would shift the focus towards the garden while also creating a more open concept kitchen and dining experience that our clients were hoping for. One caveat was that we needed to retain some of the existing cabinetry… 

Stephanie Hoffmeier, the designer on this project, mentioned, "Designing a partial kitchen remodel can be challenging at times, as there are elements to work around that we aren't changing. When planning a partial remodel like this, we like to discuss how much of the working triangle we are modifying, the lighting plan, traffic flow, and how those elements are impacted by the limitations of a partial renovation."

In the end, the clients proceeded with removing the walls that created the L-shape kitchen. We kept the wall cabinets that bordered the perimeter of the kitchen and added in a new wall of white cabinets for a more modern, bright look. 

The new location of the wall cabinets allowed for enough space for a large island. The island is not only a beautiful focal point of the room, but a great dual-use gathering and work surface as well. "The clients wanted a natural live-edge counter that married the existing wood finishes throughout the first floor with their modern taste. We worked closely with local fabricators to select the perfect live-edge slabs to bring their dreams to reality. The end result is even better than we imagined.” said Stephanie.

The island is large enough to have both designated prep space and dining space. The working half of the island is carefully selected natural stone, and the dining half of the island is a beautiful custom live edge wood. The two tones really achieve the client's goals of bringing the outdoors in! 

Maintaining Character During a Remodel 

The homeowners wanted to maintain some of the original elements of the 1959 home, including a unique and beautifully hand painted tile behind the range. This mural is similar to the one in their primary bathroom. Retaining and honoring the architectural elements that our clients fell in love with when purchasing the home is often a part of our design-build projects. Listening to our clients to understand their goals and wishes, we design projects around solutions to caring for these unique elements.

Jason, from Earthstone Tile Works, was able to carefully remove the existing tile around the hand painted tile and replace it with new natural material: a Anie Selkie backsplash, which is also used around the painted tile in the primary shower as well. We love how this turned out and it feels original to the home, complimenting the detailed tile perfectly.

Working with Bellweather Design-Build

If you are searching for a remodeling partner to improve a King of Prussia, Mainline or Philadelphia home, you should consider a design-build firm. Don’t hesitate to contact us for advice. We’d love to help you design, plan and build your dream kitchen remodel!