says. "When we first arrived at the site, there was very
little detail or moulding inside the home, but knowing
the clients from a previous project, the house they were
moving from, and all the woodwork that was going to
be involved, it was difficult to imagine how it would all
come together."
OPEN TO SURPRISES
e layout of the split-level home necessitated a care-
ful, detailed design approach, especially considering its
openness and level changes which make it possible to
view spaces from adjacent areas. "e one thing about
this project that's unique is the layout of the house — it
is just so different from most of the homes we typically
work in because it was a split-level. ere were two sets
of staircases just leading from the entry to the kitchen
level, and a third staircase leading to the family room,"
Contelmo says. "When we do interior elevations, they
are usually drawn with a straight view of the wall, but
then when there's an angle coming off of that, with an-
other wall at a 45-degree angle, it's difficult to show that
because we sometimes have to fold the drawing out to
show how they interact from corner to corner. And when
you throw in the different levels of staircases, it makes it
even that much more difficult. Nonetheless, rewarding
when it comes together."
Most of the project revolved around updating the inte-
rior finishes and creating custom built-ins, but a sole entry
Concealed lighting was placed to shine on murals
painted by the homeowner behind the wooden grids.
The Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., home's layout was very unique
as it was split-level, had three staircases and many
angles to work with plus sight lines to consider.
Before
After
PROJECTS: Design Solutions
22 October 2016 QR QualifiedRemodeler.com