Beautiful Inside and Out

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Before + After

The Program

Our clients came to us looking to transform their dark, compartmentalized home into a light-filled, energy-efficient space that honored its mid-century modern roots. Inspired by another MAK project with the same floor plan, they wanted to reimagine their existing square footage to better serve their growing family without adding on. By relocating the kitchen to the opposite side of the house, we created an open-concept great room with improved flow, abundant light, and a seamless connection to the backyard through a striking wall of glass. The redesign includes a highly functional kitchen with extra storage, a welcoming living-dining area, and an entryway highlighted by lush interior planter boxes.

The result is a vibrant, modern space perfect for family gatherings that celebrates and enhances the home’s mid-century charm.

First Impressions, Reimagined

Before the remodel, the clients had boarded over the atrium boxes worried that they were not watertight and a tripping hazard for their young children. In the design phase for the entry, restoring these planting areas was important as they were such a key design element in the original mid-century modern design. To restore these planters, we lined the perimeter with custom-fabricated powdercoated aluminum and then used a liquid-applied flashing around the openings to protect the home’s new wood floor. To create a safer walkway, we reduced the size of the planters.

A bright blue combed stucco runs from the exterior through the atrium to the Kitchen cabinets. The stucco was carefully cut to meet the finished Kitchen cabinetry. The stucco feature blurs the lines between the interior and exterior and provides a fun pop of color in true mid-century modern style! The final result is a stunning, foliage-filled entry which truly brings the outdoors in.

An Island That Does It All

The clients wanted their Kitchen to be highly functional and serve as eye candy. They needed more storage, food prep space, and requested dedicated seating in the Kitchen since they wanted it to serve as a gathering place for their family. The Kitchen Island is an expertly designed answer to all of these needs.

The dual-height design allows for bar seating at the Walnut Counter on the dining room side and food prep height countertop space on the kitchen side. The island houses a wine fridge, kitchen sink, and dishwasher while offering ample storage. Expert craftsmanship brings thoughtful design detail to life, from the electrical outlets located throughout the island to the way a short stone splash guard was inset in the Black Walnut countertop behind the sink to protect the wood from water. The island seamlessly integrates into the rest of the Kitchen’s design, tying all design elements together.

Designing “Beautiful Inside and Out”

To help our clients visualize the impact of their design choices, we create detailed renderings and floor plan models throughout the design process which are presented to the clients and then eventually incorporated into the final plan set. These design materials provided clarity for the clients during the design and were helpful for production crew members and subcontractors during the construction phase.

Scroll through to see the before and afters of the home’s floorplan as well as the renderings and dollhouse perspective of MAK’s proposed changes.