Project overview - Modernizing often means opening spaces up for more casual living and entertaining and/or making better use of dead space. In this re-conceptualized historic Bloomington bungalow, we did all of that, creating a back-of-the-house that is now bright and cheerful and new, while carefully incorporating meaningful vintage and personal elements.

Client description - Like most of our projects, we can't gush about this historic home renovation—a new kitchen and mudroom, ensuite closet and pantry—without gushing about the people who live there. The best projects, we always say, are the ones in which client, contractor and design team are all present throughout, conception to completion - but we don’t necessarily mean literally present. When all parties brings their particular expertise to the table, it forms a cohesive, trustworthy team that is mutually invested in a smooth and successful process. They listen to each other, give the benefit of the doubt to each other, do what they say they'll do. This project exemplified that kind of team, and it shows in the results.

Design solutions - The most obvious change was opening up the kitchen to the dining room, decompartmentalizing a century-old Craftsman bungalow that was originally quite purposefully compartmentalized. As a result, the kitchen had to become a place one wanted to see clear through from the front door. Inset cabinets and carefully selected details make the functional heart of the house equal in elegance to the more "public" gathering spaces, with their craftsman depth and detail. An old back porch was converted to interior space, creating a mudroom and a much-needed ensuite walk-in closet. A new, larger deck went on: Phase One of an extensive design for outdoor living, that we all hope will be realized over the next few years. Finally, a duplicative back stairwell was repurposed into a walk-in pantry.

Outcomes & testimonials - The best result of all: the clients are thrilled. And everyone who went into the project came out of it friends. "The entire process was so smooth!" the homeowner said. "And even though we had a good idea of what we wanted, Susan and her team helped us get everything just right and made it even better than we had originally planned." The extra storage in this Craftsman kitchen's custom banquette has been highlighted in Reader's Digest, highlighting our ability to blend historic preservation with modern functionality.

Photography by Gina Rogers.