Home Design: A modern classic
When Brad and Lily Unroe first saw the home, the original oak floors were hidden under carpeting; woodwork and walls had to be repainted; and the only full bath in the house needed updating.
But the couple were attracted to the home’s period details, including the moldings and the hand-carved flourishes on the staircase, and to the neighborhood, which offered a diversity of homes as well as downtown convenience.
Brad, from Cleveland, and Lily, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, wanted to live close to town. “We were used to city living and couldn’t see ourselves anywhere else,” Brad said.
The couple bought the home, tackling a few projects in their first 10 years there. But by 2003 the family, which now included three children, had outgrown the house. “It was either move or add on,” Brad said.
Growing pains
The family considered moving, but after an exhaustive search of neighborhoods and subdivisions, opted to stay put. “We wanted to stay close within the old city limits of Louisville,” Brad said.
The type of community that the couple found in Reidlonn was one-of-a-kind. “I really liked the architecture and the diversity of this neighborhood,” Lily said.
They asked architect Tim Winters, whose firm specializes in classical architecture, to redesign their nearly 70-year-old home.
Mike Pfeifer of Pfeifer Construction built the new three-story addition, which doubled the home’s square footage and incorporated Winters’ traditional designs that the couple loved — interior columns, barrel arches, pocket doors, oculus windows, a traditional front portico supported by Greek ionic columns, and a pent roof at the rear of the home that replicates a roofline common in Colonial Williamsburg.
“I have always loved Colonial houses,” Lily said.
A new, old home
Winters’ design includes an open family room that is the new heart of the house. “We took a very charming home and turned it into a beautiful home that has the large spaces that we want today, in the 21st century,” Winters said.
A favorite space for the Unroes’ children, the family room, is outfitted with comfortable seating for the entertainment area (surround-sound system by Crawford Entertainment Systems). Double sets of windows overlook the mature trees of the rear yard and give the room, which is 2 ½ stories above ground, an airy, treehouse feel.
French doors on the west side of the house lead to the new, multilevel composite terrace and grilling area. The renewed landscaping was completed by Andrea Santos of Garden Designs.
A new open kitchen, designed by Marvin Stich, reinterprets a Virginia plantation style with cherry cabinets, black Absolute granite and Sub-Zero appliances. “I always try to design my kitchens around the lifestyles and personalities of my clients,” Stich said.
The additional square footage creates a modern flow. “We have so many parties here,” Lily said.
Upstairs, the addition created room for a new master suite with a walk-in closet (by California Closets), and a new master bath designed by Stich. Just off the master bedroom, Winters’ lofty, cantilevered balcony has treetop views.
source:http://www.courier-journal.com
