This newly designed lower level went from being a typical basement used for storage, exercising, and watching tv, into a fun and funky bar lounge with a full bath and home office.
Category: AutoCAD floor plan
Iconic Walter Durham home gets a new look…..
Having a hand in designing and updating this architecturally iconic home in Gladwyne was not only special but a lot of fun. First and foremost, I got to work with a friend from grad school, Janine Massaro, and together we were able to create a beautiful and functional space for a young family of five.
Second, because of the historical importance of this home, it was import to keep, or in some cases recreate, the characteristics of this architectural style; like random width pegged oak floors, detailed millwork, and big bright windows. The existing kitchen floor was tile therefore, we had to try to match the new wood floors to the old in the dining room. This kept a consistent flow throughout the first floor.
Chinoiserie Chic Master Bath
This Master Bathroom underwent a full gut renovation including opening up the shower walls, transforming the transition between bedroom into bath, and removing a large jacuzzi tub and replacing it with an elegant soaking tub.
Prior to demo this sizable bathroom had lots of natural light, yet now it feels bright, airy, and fresh. The beautiful blue walls and ceiling add to the serene and soft feel of the space while the custom wallpaper, designed specifically for the area behind the vanity, brings in a bit of color and whimsy.
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Another great aspect of having such a large room is that there is plenty of opportunity to create vignettes like this custom Thassos marble mosaic framed by 12”x12” Dolomite tile.
This beautiful new Master Bathroom now has a classic look that better suits my clients style and will be enjoyed for years to come.
Birds of a feather play together
At one time, this room was a great space for girls to play dress up, do arts and crafts, build legos and play games. Now that they are transitioning out of traditional playtime, this large room can serve another purpose.
My client was interested in upgrading to a guest room for family. It already has a bathroom and closet. We halved it to allow a place for sleeping and lounging. The seating area still allows the girls to have a recreation area when guests aren’t visiting.
The Schumacher fabric is a great complement to the purple polka dot valences that are to remain in the room. A custom headboard, embroidered bedding, and bedskirt give this room a little sophistication and make it feel more like a guestroom.
While this updated space, it is still decorated with their adorable artwork, now it is a more “grown up” room.
Sitting Pretty
This sitting room was so much fun to decorate because it already had elements like custom wainscoting, eleven foot ceilings, and an open floor plan that helped to add interest and light to the space.
The starters for this design concept were the window panels, oriental carpet, and antique hutch. Incorporating existing pieces into a new design not only offers a direction but also allows me to be more creative and work with what I have.
After
Before
The first thing I did was to update the existing panels by adding a 5” decorative tape on the leading edge of each. The tigers worked perfectly with the Kravet panel fabric and gave the windows that WOW factor. The cornice layout was tricky but we were able to fit four full tigers in by using the return to the wall. This window treatment set the tone for this room and later for the entire first floor.
A Master Bathroom Renovation from Soup to Nuts.
I was originally brought into this project to help with material selection only and wound up assisting these clients with their entire Master Bathroom renovation. The biggest issue was that the bathroom was long and narrow and expanding into an adjacent room was not an option.
Prior to my involvement in this project the idea was to keep the existing foot print except for removing a wall that dissected the bathroom unnecessarily. This would have given them a very long and narrow shower creating a galley effect.
Once I proposed moving the sewer line and we learned it was a viable option, the new floor plan opened the room exponentially. Now these clients can enjoy their large 7’ x 5’ shower as well as a picture window overlooking their beautiful back yard. Their Master Bathroom now has good circulation, great natural light, and a vanity with storage complete with a custom hairdryer caddy which will serve them well for years to come.
Wayne Basement Renovation
This young family needed more space in their traditional Cape style home and going up was not in the budget so they decided to go down into their dark, completely unfinished basement. This new space, although not without challenges; electrical boxes, an old oil tank, sump pumps, HVAC, sewer pipes, and low ceilings, gave them a great new area to entertain friends and family.
Master Bedroom Makeover
After living in this Master Bedroom for thirty-five plus years, my clients decided it was time for an update. Their stone colonial has all of the beauty and character of an older home, but with that character comes small closets, limited lighting, and very few electrical outlets. It became obvious that the main objective for this project was to achieve optimal storage space. Unfortunately, creating a larger footprint for the room was not a possibility. In order to optimize storage, I designed custom bookshelves with docking stations, accompanied by high hats over the bed, and outlets in the baseboard. I also added a seven foot closet with built-in drawers and shelving, a window seat with storage inside, and an additional closet for shoes. 
Having skilled carpenter, Mark Campbell on board was very important to the success of this project. He was able to repurpose old doors saved from previous renovations and reuse them for the new closet. A key factor to the design of the room was to keep the same characteristics of the woodwork which Mark was able to do by matching the new trim, molding, and baseboards.
At the start of this project my client told me that she wanted her new room to “feel happy and bright.” A floral Kravet fabric that was selected for the window treatments was the key ingredient to bringing in a variety of accent colors. The crisp white built-ins and Aberdeen Green walls were the final elements that tied everything together to make their new Master Bedroom feel updated and fresh. Check out the before and after photos below!
BEFORE
The custom woodwork was done by Mark Campbell of Greengate Woodworks. www.greengatewoodworks.com
The custom roman shades & pillows were done by Claudia of Urban Loft Window Treatments. www.urbanloftwindowtreatments.com
In-Law Suite
One of the things I enjoy most about my profession as an Interior Architect is being hired to reconfigure a space. This particular project was a great challenge because I was able to redesign a garage and adjacent sitting room into an in-law suite. The new dwelling had to include all necessary living spaces as well as storage, a washer/dryer, and an enclosed entryway with a small sitting area to allow for a smooth transition from outdoor to indoor living. I created a few different layout options for my client to consider and construction started last week. When the project is completed, I will post the final layout selected along with pictures.
Ann Decker Design 