This modern adaptation of a bare-boned condominium in a 1930s department store building pleased the judges for its “sculptural” built-ins, “high sense of style,” and “great lightness of being.” The space is characterized by open flow and natural materials, with architectural elements marking transitions from one area to the next. The dining area, for instance, is defined by a concrete floor set four inches below the raised bamboo flooring of the library, living room, and master bedroom entry. The kitchen’s red rubber floor aligns with the dining floor and complements cherry paneling, concrete countertops, and a stainless steel tile backsplash. The library connects the dining and living areas. On one side, a maple library ladder leads up to wall-mounted bookshelves; on the other, a maple storage cabinet sits beneath a grid of wall-mounted storage boxes.
At the border of the living room and master bedroom, a 17-foot steel beam seems to “float” off the wall. Besides defining the space, the beam provides a track on which translucent panels slide to cover the television when not in use.
The judges particularly liked the master bathroom, calling it a “very clear statement of modern chic.” Tiled on every surface, it is “an interesting example of the use of rectilinear shapes and forms in the pursuit of an asymmetrical yet balanced whole,” they said.
Category: Whole-house remodeling, under $250,000
Location:
Raleigh, N.C.
Contractor:
Will Alphin, Alphin Design Build, Raleigh
Designer:
John Reese, Clearscapes, Raleigh
