Redefining the Flow: A Floor Plan Walkthrough of The Heritage Edit
The Heritage Edit was a project for the books. Because the property is a designated historic site, our team worked closely with the local heritage committee to ensure every change honored the integrity and soul of the home. Due to its designation, we faced unique limitations that required us to be incredibly strategic with the existing footprint.
The Original Layout and Client Wishlist
When we first sat down with our clients to discuss the floor plan, their goals were clear. Beyond a general aesthetic update, the focus was on the kitchen, the laundry room, and a unique lifestyle need. Our client ran a hair salon from her home, and while she was stepping back her hours, she still required a space that felt intentional and professional for her clients.
The Client Wishlist Included:
A larger kitchen with significantly more storage.
Dedicated mudroom storage to replace a small, overfilled coat closet.
A larger more functional laundry room.
A solution for the toys currently cluttering the main living room.
The Design Challenges
When we analyzed the original floor plan, we identified several pain points that were hindering the home’s flow. The kitchen felt isolated and closed off, specifically due to a peninsula design that limited movement and offered no space for guests to gather.
Beyond the kitchen, a heavy corridor sat between the kitchen and the salon. It was a narrow space filled with multiple doors that constantly interrupted the path of travel. In design, I try to avoid traditional hallways whenever possible. More often than not, long hallways represent wasted potential. Furthermore, the trek for salon clients from the back door of the home was too long, cutting through too much of the family's private space.
The Strategic Reimagining
Because of the heritage designation, our renovation was physically restricted to the back half of the house. This meant we could only touch the walls within that specific footprint, which included the salon, kitchen, powder room, and laundry room. Since we were unable to expand outward or alter the front of the home, we had to be incredibly strategic, rethinking how every square inch within those existing walls was serving the family.
My thought process began with an unlikely source: the window in the original laundry room. It felt like a missed opportunity. The window was tucked away in a small room, effectively hiding natural light from the rest of the home. We decided to flip the corridor along the exterior wall, allowing the family to experience that daylight and a connection to the outdoors throughout their day.
To make this new transition space feel purposeful rather than like a "hallway," we designed a full wall of custom built-ins. This became the family mudroom, featuring cubbies for backpacks, drawers for seasonal gear, adjustable shoe shelves, and even hidden pantry overflow. Not only did this give us double if not triple the storage we originally had in the coat closet, it created a more direct and picturesque route for clients entering the salon.
Multi-Functional Millwork
The next move was relocating the laundry room. Since the salon was transitioning to part-time use, we prioritized the square footage for laundry and family organization. We designed custom millwork that functions as a hidden salon; when the doors are closed, the room looks clean, cohesive, and intentional.
This space now serves a triple purpose as a laundry room, salon, and kids' craft room. By creating a wall of cabinetry with pull-outs for toys and supplies, we were able to move the clutter out of the living room and into a dedicated, organized zone.
The Bonus Bar
By rotating the existing powder room, we opened up enough space to create a cozy, intimate bar. The ceiling actually dropped over the original corridor, which we used to our advantage to create a moody, "tucked away" atmosphere. As a bonus, we were able to tie into the existing plumbing lines, which provided some welcome cost savings.
The Final Result
In the end, we were able to achieve everything on the wishlist and then some. Inspiration comes from so many different places, but in the case of The Heritage Edit, it came from a window and a desire for better flow. It is always incredibly rewarding to see a home evolve to meet the needs of a family while keeping its character perfectly intact.
