RISSAY_ARCHITECTURE | CONSTRUCTION

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!

Who doesn’t enjoy a fine bottle of wine?

Who doesn’t enjoy a fine bottle of wine?  Our one client definitely enjoys having a fine bottle of wine or better yet 1,395 bottles.  Ok, ok, he may not have that many bottles quite yet, but now that we have completed his new wine cellar (which can accommodate 1,395 bottles) I am sure his collection will eventually reach that number.  We didn’t want to merely store his wine collection, but to have it all on display. 

We designed a clean, sleek room with niches in the walls to truly emphasize the wine and not the space itself.  Transparency was an important design concept in this wine cellar.  Insulated glass double doors with narrow stiles provide entry into the room, while allowing you to see the entire collection at once.  One entire wall, 11 + feet, is floor to ceiling insulated glass that really allows you to see how vast the entire collection is.  Behind the glass are several free standing wine racks, with openings between every third rack, referencing the niches on the opposing wall.  Peering through the glass wall, freestanding racks, and the strategic openings provide a very nice layered appearance, while maximizing the space.

Once again we wanted to put the emphasis on the wine itself, so we decided to utilize Vintage View’s Platinum Series wine racks.  They are very minimal, streamlined metal racks that allow you to maximize your space, while storing the bottles on their side with the label facing you.  No more need to pull out every bottle in search of the one you want as you typically would with a bulky, rustic looking, wood rack design.  LED lights are mounted above all the racks to futher emphasize the ever important wine below.  The LEDs also do not produce heat, like most lights would, which could damage the wine.

Behind the walls is spray foam insulation which will keep the room at a constant temperature, as well as act as a vapor barrier.  The room also has its very own ducted cooling unit and humidifier.  Typically these units are within the wine cellar themselves, which can be loud and quite frankly an eyesore.  We strategically placed our cooling and humidifying unit in an adjoining storage closet with the air ducted into the wine cellar.  The humidifier used can fill the room with up to 80% humidity to ensure the corks never dry out, spoiling your wine (most units can only go as high as 60%, when its recommended wine is stored at 55 to 75%).

This is truly a wine cellar that a wine connoisseur could feel safe storing and displaying his collection in.  It is not just aesthetically beautiful, but also well constructed and highly efficient.   Please enjoy a few photos of the completed project below.  Additional photos, as well as renderings and progress photos will be added to the photo album on the right hand side in the upcoming days.

 

 

Trinity- Completed Album

The Trinity- Completed Album is now up, and can be found on the right-hand side of the page.  There are some before & after photographs included in the album, but feel free to check out the Trinity- Existing Album to see how far the home has truly come.

Have a project of your own and wish to discuss it, feel free to call us at 215-713-0750 or e-mail us at [email protected]

Trinity Transformation Completed

The Trinity project that we spoke about in several previous posts is finally complete and has been photographed.  The only things remaining from the original home are the masonry walls, wood joists, and stairs.    The house had a very well built structure, but all of the interiors had been neglected for decades and needed a major overhaul, in both style and functionality.  Infrastructure wise, it received all new plumbing, electrical, lighting, doors, roof, drywall, windows, and insulation. 

The windows are all Low E II Argon filled to try to minimize heat loss/gain through the windows. The spray foam insulation could realize energy savings up to 60% greater than if traditional insulation was used.  The windows, entry door, and insulation all qualified for the federal tax credit.  It is important to check what qualifies when buying these materials.  As for the windows, by paying an extra $300 total to get the more energy efficient windows, the homeowner will get over a $1,000 credit on his taxes.

The home also received all new custom milled wood flooring, marble tile, counters, and fireplace surround, plumbing and lighting fixtures, furniture, tile, appliances, custom millwork, etc.  Scott and Jim built a custom entertainment center for first floor (1^st picture below), which also incorporates a coat closet, which the 1^st floor previously lacked. Since most full beds would not be able to get up the spiral stairs or 3^rd floor window, we asked Springhouse Woodshop to create a custom wood bed and nightstand for us.  The two pieces were expertly crafted, and most importantly the bed completely disassembled to get up stairs. 

As you can imagine, the small space and stairs was an issue throughout the project, but alas it is complete and the homeowner is enjoying his new home very much.  Below you can find a picture of the 1st floor custom entertainment center, as well as some before and after photos.  Check back soon for the “Trinity Completed” photo album to see the whole project!

Trinity- Before Pictures

So here's a little update about the Trinity project we previously wrote about in July when we first got the commission (Original Trinity Blog Post).  In case you don't remember, a Trinity gets its name from simply consisting of three floors and makes reference to the Father, Son & Holy Ghost.  For most projects such as a kitchen or bathroom, clients do not have to move out and we make the best accomendations possible for them. In this case, given the size of the home and the entire property being essentially rebuilt, the client had to temporarily move out.  To help ease this transition for our client, in this case a 60 year old male librarian, we found an apartment for him and even moved everything from his home to the apartment and storage unit we set up for him.  We always strive to make our clients as comfortable as possible with the whole renovation process.

So once we moved the client into his temporary apartment, demolition quickly went underway.  Literally just about everything is being replaced except for the masonry walls & joists.  All new flooring is going in, new bathroom, kitchen, drywall, heating & cooling, plumbing, electrical, lights, closets, millwork, roof, etc. To help you get some idea of what the Trinity looked like before and a little bit during demolition, we have added a new photo album on the right titled "Trinity- Existing".  Next week we'll be posting some photos of how the Trinity currently looks (with drywall, cabinets, countertops, tile, fireplace stone surround, etc), so be sure to check out the "Trinity-Existing" album first, so you can see how long of a way it has come.  Keep checking back as we continue to keep you updated on the project.

The Holidays Are Coming, Time To Show Off Your New Wet Bar!

So in the last entry we showcased a new fireplace and art centerpiece that we did for a client out in Phoenixville.  Our client wanted to spruce up their main living space not only with the warmth of the new fireplace, but with the addition of a new wet bar.  They are huge wine enthusiasts and their next project is a full wine cellar, which of course we are designing for them.  The wine cellar will be in the basement, so of course they would still love to have access to some of their collection on the main floor.

There was a perfect niche for the wet bar located in the dining room, which is in between the kitchen and living room in their semi-open floor plan.  We wanted to make it appear as if it was always there.  The cabinets were all custom built and stained with a special ebony blend to match their current Wenge furniture.  The upper cabinets feature sliding pocket doors to tuck out of the way when they are open.  These upper cabinets house all the stemware, as well as bottles that are to be stored at room temperature.  We added a floating soffit to make the entire piece look much more integrated.  We kept it slightly off the ceiling to give a nice shadow line.  The soffit also houses recessed lights on dimmers that accentuate the counter and glass shelves.

The stone we used is a gorgeous variety of CaesarStone called Misty Carrera.  This stone makes up the countertop, which then wraps around to cover the side as well.  The solid Misty Carrera backsplash between the dark upper cabinets contrasts perfectly.  The stone was also used to create an integrated sink.  The German made Dornbracht faucet's sleek lines, play well off the geometry of the overall wet bar.

Below the counter is where all the precious wines and beverages are stored and displayed.  We used top of the line Marvel, Chateau Collection appliances.  They feature custom wood frames to match the cabinetry with a full, insulated glass door.  It also features full extension glides for each shelf, interior lighting, and hidden controls within.  You can also adjust the temperature between 40F and 65F, depending on the beverages you are storing.  The one Marvel unit houses 54 wine bottles, while the other can store up to 14 wine bottles and 114 cans.

Below you can find a before picture and a few after the project was completed.  More photos of the wet bar, as well as the fireplace can be found in the "Phoenixville Living" album on the right.  If you would like Rissay to help prepare your home for better entertainment, feel free to call us at 215-713-0750 or e-mail [email protected]

Kitchen in Chestnut Hill- Completed

So the kitchen in Chestnut Hill that we gave you a glimpse of a few weeks ago is finally complete.  It was a rather small kitchen with an inadequate amount of storage and outdated cabinets, appliances, and finishes. 

Rissay completely renovated their kitchen with new tile floors and backsplash, natural cherry cabinets, Caesarstone countertops, and much more.  We added open stainless shelves by the window to allow the light to continue through, while still offering storage space.  The corner base cabinet that was once dead space, features a large lazy susan to once again maximize all the space available. 

The largest improvement by far was the brand new peninsula which added much needed storage space, more surface area, pull-out trash bins, and a dishwasher, which they were not able to fit before.  We switched out the old radiator with a more compact, efficient one and were able to neatly hide it beneath the peninsula countertop.  It features a custom panel that helps hide it within the peninsula, yet is easy to remove if need be.

Below are a few before and after photographs of the kitchen, but be sure to check out the photo album on the right to see more photos of this wonderful kitchen renovation.

Kitchen in Chestnut Hill

Here are a few photos of a kitchen we are currently renovating in Chestnut Hill.  More pictures will be sure to follow as the project progresses.

Initial Sketch by Jason Thompson, Partner/lead designer

Existing Kitchen

Beginning of the New Kitchen

     

Be sure to check back as we update photos as the project progresses.  To find out how we can assist you in your kitchen remodel, call us at 215-713-0750.