RISSAY_ARCHITECTURE | CONSTRUCTION

Complete Audio Immersion

It is time to change how you listen to music in your home.  No more having different devices that can’t communicate with each other.  No more plugging your laptop into the speakers in your office, then turning that off and settling for what’s in your CD player when you move to living room.  More and more often people are opting for multi-room audio systems.  Today, we’ll be telling you more about Sonos, the best multi-room audio system we have encountered yet.  We have installed it in several of our projects and more people keep requesting it.

Sonos is a truly customizable multi-room system.  You can simply have two rooms/zones or up to 32!  It is entirely your choice.  With its wireless capabilities (you also have the option to hardwire) it is extremely easy to add more zones on at a later date if you choose to expand.  Essentially, Sonos allows you to play music on every zone, either all at once or one zone at a time.  You can have a rock song playing in your living room, classical in the kitchen, and radio in the bathroom at the same time, all from one control.  You also have the option of having all the zones playing the same song at once, so you never miss a beat while moving throughout your home.  The Sonos control is extremely user friendly with its LCD display.  It is easy to navigate and highly intuitive.  You can also download a free app for your iPhone, iPad, or PC.  The control of your audio is nearly endless.

The music options compatible with Sonos are also nearly limitless, as you can play any song on your computer, network attached hard drive, over 100,000 free radio stations, shows, podcasts, as well as music subscription services, such as Rhapsody or Pandora, as well as any other external audio source.   The Sonos system has several different “Zone Players.”  They can be tied into any existing audio equipment you have, utilizing your existing speakers or you can get a completely stand-alone Zone Player, which includes a 5 driver speaker system (5 digital amplifiers, 2 tweeters, 2 mid-range drivers, and 1 subwoofer.  The stand-alone Zone Players are perfect for rooms that you don’t want to add new built-in speakers to. 

Sonos is truly a phenomenal multi-room audio system.  It will forever change how you experience audio in your home for the better.  You’ll never want to part with it and with its wireless capabilities, you won’t ever have to, as you would be able to pack up the entire system and bring it with you if you ever move.    With the ability to effortlessly add on additional zones over time, it’s easy to get started with a simple starter bundle.  I guarantee though, once you try it, you’ll be hooked and want to expand Sonos to your whole house.  Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have!

Do You Enjoy Entertaining?

How many of you enjoy having guests over and entertaining?  With the holidays quickly approaching, I’m sure even more of you are preparing for such an occasion in your home.  More often than not, your guests will end up congregating into the kitchen at one point or another.  It’s inevitable.  Why not have an open, inviting kitchen, not only to maximize efficiency in cooking, but to maximize interaction with your guests.  Our client on Delancey Street came to us looking for just that.

As soon as you walked into the home, you had two options: enter into a narrow, 17 foot long hallway straight ahead, or navigate through a narrow 2 foot opening on the right between the hallway and breakfast bar to enter the kitchen.  Regardless of choice, the entry was a highly congested area that needed resolved.  The long hallway was awkward and seldom used.  It also visually made the kitchen much narrower.

The wall separating the hall and kitchen will be removed, widening the kitchen by three and a half feet, but more importantly, it will visually open up the entire first floor.  The perpendicular breakfast bar, which only sat two and greatly restricted circulation will also be eliminated.  Where the wall used to be, we will have an expansive peninsula able to seat 4 people, with 8 feet of additional base cabinets.  We will also have additional seating for two by the window.    Not only will we have seating for 6 in the kitchen now, but a great flow between the kitchen, dining, and living room allowing all guests to interact at once. 

Even with a full house, it will be a highly functional kitchen with room to navigate.  It will feature GE Monogram appliances, as well as wonderful Greenfield Cabinets with soft close drawers and pull out trays.  Classic soapstone counters will be installed, as well as a charming Herbeau farmhouse sink.  For now you can view the renderings we did for the client below, but be sure to check back as we complete construction on this project before the new year!

Wine Cellar- Photo Album

Please check out the Wine Cellar's Photo Album!  In it you will find all of the drawings, renderings, and completed photos of the Wine Cellar!

Are You Ready For Winter?

Cold weather is upon us, my friends.  It’s inevitable, it comes every year.  Now it’s time to address it head on, as we did with one project located on Delancey Street.  One of the biggest culprits for letting in cold air is your entry door, both when it is open and closed.  First we replaced the entry with a new solid core door, weather stripping, and door sweep.  We also switched which side the door hinged, since previously when the door opened it allowed everyone to see clear through the whole house and even the rear yard.  Now with the hinges switched, you can only see the party wall and the staircase, which is by front of the door.  Much more private.  That was just the beginning.

The homeowner wished to add a vestibule, thus eliminating any gusts of cold air entering the living space when the entry door was opened.  Living in a large city, such as Philadelphia, how often have you double parked while you brought items, such as groceries in, leaving the front door open between trips?  How much heat is lost while getting the stroller up the stoop and in the front door?  We wished to eliminate all of this, while preserving the style and integrity of the home.  Your typical drywall partition would just not do, and would feel claustrophobic with the vast 10 foot ceiling.  We created a stunning 5’x5’ vestibule using custom, divided lite, stave core doors.  Given the temperature differentiation in a vestibule, stave core, is your best option, especially in this application with 10’ panels.  It is created from many smaller blocks of wood, much like a butcher block, thus it is much more rigid and unlikely to shrink or warp than your typical lumber.  For the door hardware we used top of the line, Rocky Mountain Hardware.  Even the side panels are operable with hidden soss hinges, which allow easy cleaning of the glass and beside the cabinets.  Within the vestibule itself, we installed electric radiant heat under new ultra durable porcelain tiles.  Radiant heat is a good option, which we consistently recommend, to heat any new tile surface, such as in a vestibule, bathroom, or basement. 

The combination of the new entry door and heated vestibule create the perfect buffer between the outside elements and the interior living space.  Other places where you might wish to address in preparation for the winter (as well as the summer with heat gain/AC loss) are your windows and insulation, all which Rissay can help you with.  Let us help you stay warm this winter season!

(Photo 1: Before,  Photos 2-4: After)

 

 

Open Floor Plan Dilemma

While open floor plans are very popular (and rightfully so), they often leave a homeowner asking one question: How do I create different spaces within, that have a true purpose and function.  This client, a young couple in their 20’s, that reside in a lovely home in Society Hill had that exact question.  The space itself had the potential, and they had already choosen wonderful furniture for the space as well.  The inherit problem being there was no differentiation between the spaces.  They wished to have the first room upon entry to be the casual TV room, while the room beyond would function as the formal sitting room for entertaining by the warm fire.  The two rooms flowed together seamlessly with no variation in texture, design, or aesthetics.

The simplest, but possibly the largest impact on the space was the new cased opening.  It physically denotes the change from the casual to the formal space, while still visually connecting the two rooms.  Within the formal sitting room, we really wished to appeal to the homeowners’ transitional style.  Custom wainscot panels were installed throughout the room creating an air of elegance.  Above the wainscotting you will find a luxorious grass cloth wall covering.  As for the fireplace, it received a new, custom mantle, as well as a Calcutta Gold Marble surround and Black Absolute hearth.  To your left as you enter the space, you will notice their new one-of-a-kind drybar that we designed and built 100% in house.  It features LED lights inside, which provide plenty of light, while never heating the drinks within.  The center panel drops down to form a countertop on which you can serve your drinks.  It also features a soft close mechanism to ensure that there is no slamming of the doors and rattling of the contents within. 

The sitting room has also been integrated with a Sonos system and in-wall speakers.  Sonos is a multi-room audio system that allows you to "play the same song in every room with perfect synchronicity or simultaneously play different songs in different rooms."  Sonos can play your entire music library, as well as internet radio stations & other music services, such as Rhapsody and Pandora.  It is easily controlled with a Sonos controller, iPhone, iPad or computer.  Finally the upgrading of the lighting greatly enhanced the space.  We also updated the trim kits on the existing recessed lights, as well as adding additional fixtures.  The new chandelier and wall sconces provide the eloquent finishing touch.  This room no longer lacks a separate identity from its counterpart  and is a formal sitting room that anyone would be proud to have guests visit. 

 

Ask us how Rissay can help personalize your home to match not only your needs, but your lifestyle!

( Photo 1: Before,  Photo 2 & 3: After )