FEBRUARY 2023 RETAILOBSERVER.COM
37
Grandparents Getaway
This garage and carriage house were repurposed
as an ADU living unit for the owners' parents to keep
them close. The dramatic change in use required
beefing up the structure, bringing sewer, water and
gas to the outbuilding to make it habitable after a
tedious approval process from the city.
The owner was also responsible for many of the
interior finish and furnishing decisions in collaboration
with the architect.
Both parents were still ambulatory, but the home
needed to have a zero-step front entry, zero-step
shower, lever handles and wide doorways and aisle-
ways to future-proof it.
There is a loft space above, set up as a den with a
powder room, accessed via a gentle stair with
handrail for their use. It was deliberately designed as
a straight run so that should they need it in future, a
stair lift could be installed.
With limited space, it was decided to forego a
breakfast or dining table and provide low stools at the
island for the two of them.
To assist their visual acuity, generous windows
were provided as well as a pair of skylights over the
entire space.
Faux box beams house downlights, pendants and
LED uplighting along the top, all on dimmers. The
glass-front cabinets have interior LEDs.
The design theme was Transitional Farmhouse,
with traditional touches like the mullioned windows,
wide-plank wood-look floors (LVT), and white oak
base, tall and island cabinets. The overhead box
beams are rustic knotty wood.
For extra comfort, there are both a forced air system
and an under-floor electric radiant heat source
throughout, in addition to the ample insulation.
SECOND PLACE / SPECIALTY KITCHEN
Douglas Walter, CMKBD
Doug Walter Architects
Photo: Philip Wegener — Philip Wegener Photography and Video
