Parasol Place

I think we all know, sometimes the years just get away from us. We’re busy raising family, dealing with school etc., etc. and years fly by. Our clients had been in their house for many years when they called us. They had been buried deep in work, life and kids and surfaced to realize that their home did not reflect who they were or how they wanted to live. I think of this project as a leap of faith by our clients. They are people of color who would have preferred to work with a design firm who understood their history, background and challenges but could not find a match within our community. We had a wonderful conversation when they came to talk to me, and we all feel beyond blessed that they trusted us to take on their project.

Our clients had a love of both Africa and the Caribbean but wanted to incorporate that in way that didn’t feel thematic or contrived. They wanted to feel comfortable in their space, for their kids to feel comfortable and to tell their story and live in a house that functioned for their needs. In general, the house was filled with furniture they had acquired over time or as parents moved into senior living or passed on. The downstairs hallway was a particular visual obstacle for the husband as it always felt dark, and the kitchen had reached the age of needing a full reno. They gave us leave to approach the design as a clean slate.

The architectural changes we made were not major other than a full kitchen remodel albeit we stayed within the original configuration for budget reasons. We removed the built-in hearth and media center from the family room. While hoping to incorporate that space into the adjoining office, because of structural reasons, we instead took that space to create hidden storage behind the media wall. We changed the hinged doors into the office for pocket doors to create more usable space in that room, but beyond that the space was transformed through new flooring, furniture, lighting, paint, wall coverings, window treatments and accessories.

We incorporated their love of Africa and the Caribbean with fabrics, textures and color, weaving them together to create an eclectic, transitional space that fully reflects this family. They tell us we changed how they live in this space. They made a big impact on us as well.