While all of my projects change up my clients’ homes, there are some that turn into dramatic home design changes that transform their space. Below are some of my favorites that may inspire you to see the potential in your house.
This home had a typical 1990s layout with a huge great room with vaulted ceilings off their kitchen. There was no architectural feature beyond the height. We designed custom cabinetry gave the space some visual interest as well as functionality. And because it was custom made, I was able to play off the kitchen cabinet design to bring a cohesive “built-in” look to the piece. No more empty great room!
Read more about this project: Project Highlight: Custom Built-In Cabinetry
It took 28 years to complete this custom cabinetry project! Not from my side, but rather it took that long for my clients to 1) have a shared vision and 2) get up the energy to finally do it. The wife had been saving inspiration pictures of elements of her perfect solution for their storage and family photo display needs. So, when they were ready, it was fairly easy to understand what they were looking for. We worked together to create the perfect design for their needs and space. What was once an empty wall became a fully-functioning storage solution.
Read more about this project: Client Highlight: Bucket List Custom Built Ins
It’s funny how we as homeowners will ignore the things we do not like about our houses until we have time to change them. Such was the case for my clients; they purchased their 70s/80s home in Carmel and never liked the functional yet heavy-wooded staircase. Instead of doing something about it, they raised a family. Once they became empty-nesters, they felt it was time to address it. There were some structural challenges that dictated the design, but in the end we were able to give them a look that redefined the look of their whole home.
Read more about this project: Modernizing a Staircase Design
Many of my staircase remodeling projects stem from a first-floor remodel or refresh that includes new floors, new paint and perhaps new architectural detailing. When these changes are made, the staircase, which is typically the first thing you see when one enters the home, needs updating too. Such was the case for this staircase remodeling project. My clients’ home was built in the 90s and had recently completed a redesign, including new wood flooring. The staircase no longer worked with the flooring so needed its own design attention. The change was truly dramatic.
Read more about this project: Staircase Remodeling Goes Hand in Hand with Whole House Projects
If you have been dreaming about creating some dramatic home design changes in your home, reach out to me. Send me an email or give me a call at (317) 679-5890.
For the Carmel home pictured above, my client was looking to fill a blank wall in her back hallway to help organize her family. The space was right next to the laundry room on the way to the garage and served as the “drop zone” for all their stuff when they arrived home. She wanted everyone to be able to hang their coats, as well as have a place to put their bags and shoes. Baskets for hidden storage were also important, and a bench to make taking shoes on and off easier. Another main goal was to keep items out of the pathway to and from the garage. Together we crafted a design that solved all of her problems. 
Next, a family in Zionsville sought me out to help them design a custom piece that would address their messy back room, which had become a disheveled gathering spot for totes, shoes, boots, hats and gloves. Everything always wound up scattered on the floor! Though they tried using some of their existing furniture, those items couldn’t function as needed. For the design, my clients had found ideas and pictures on Houzz and Pinterest to communicate what features and look they wanted. With a custom design, all options are open; we mixed several ideas together to create the perfect storage piece they needed, and made it stylistically look like it belonged to their home. 
For example, my clients’ family room had a lovely fireplace and mantle, but instead of much-needed storage on either side, the walls were blank. Even though we were placing different functional elements in each space, they both had to make sense and appear balanced. To accomplish this goal, we created the same open shelving for the upper portion on each side, which gave the project a bit of symmetry. We also mirrored the different openings on both sides. We then added different elements at the bottom of the cabinetry based on the needs of our client. 
My client was looking for the best way to fit a bed, desk and storage area into a small space. The room had many design elements that required custom details: one wall had the entry door, another wall had a closet door, and another wall had a window and the HVAC ducting. That left only one clear wall to house everything she needed. Together we created a general plan, but as we began to build the project the details were solidified. Creative problem-solving and truly custom design were central to the success of this project. 
While I was completing a custom cabinetry project in their home, my clients approached me about refinishing a treasured family heirloom. According to the wife, “My father-in-law made the table while he was in the navy stationed in the Philippines on a warship in the mid-1950s. It had a thick varnish on it that had yellowed over time, and it had not been well cared for. The legs were broken. Doug took the old varnish off, added a new poly finish and fixed the legs. It’s a gorgeous piece now! It sits in my husband’s office/guest bedroom where it is appreciated every day.” It is always gratifying to help bring a valued family piece back to life.
I recently completed another custom piece where I reconfigured a treasured family cabinet to make it useable today. My client’s grandfather had a wood cabinet in his shop the whole time she was growing up. From the 1950’s he used it to store small things like nuts, bolts, washers, etc. My client wanted to repurpose the cabinetry into a piece that could sit on the floor in her family room. I created a base for stability as well as a cabinet to sit between the pieces and the TV would be mounted above it. She did not want the original patina to be changed, so my job was to create additions that looked natural to the old piece. Crafting something new that blends perfectly into something old is a challenge I enjoy greatly.
It seems like when the house is emptier, the need for storage increases! I think that is because we are finally able to focus on how we use things in our homes. Such was the case for one of my clients (and former neighbors). They had always wanted to add more visual interest and organization in their great room, but it was not until their last child went off to college that they took the initiative to do it. Adding custom built-in cabinetry to their 90’s era home was not only a bit of a homecoming for me (our sons used to ride the school bus together!) but also a perfect solution for my clients’ needs. 
Another result of a quieter home is a renewed awakening to our hobbies. My clients wanted to mix both of their needs with a cabinetry upgrade – the husband’s audiophile bent and the wife’s desire for a spot to store family pictures and books. I custom-designed the piece to accommodate hiding the audio equipment while highlighting the grandchildren. 
Some ambitious empty nesters decide it’s time to take on larger remodeling projects once their home is completely their own. Making architectural changes to the space, or even just adding new flooring, can make the staircase look out of place (it is one of the largest indoor architectural features of a home and has the added benefit of often being the first thing visitors see when they arrive). My clients had lived in a home with a ski-lodge vibe for decades. One their kids moved on they finally made the design changes they had been dreaming about. Creating a more modern vibe to their home started with updating their staircase. The change was dramatic, and you can learn all about it by 
I became a grandfather last year, so I can speak to the joy that these little people bring. Many of my clients come to me wanting to create a welcoming and efficient space in their home so their grandchildren will be safe and comfortable. Custom closets, mudrooms, entryway built-ins and even a special changing area in a home office are just some of the projects I have completed for happy grandparents. However, I think one of the most interesting ideas I have implemented was building a custom murphy bed. While murphy bed kits are widely available, there is a catch—they are not easy to put together. They come with complicated instructions, and unsurprisingly aren’t custom fit to our homes. That is why my clients reached out to me to put together a murphy bed in their guest bedroom. They didn’t have the tools or the experience to construct it, and they also wanted to add built-in cabinetry around the bed frame. My clients didn’t just want a murphy bed—they wanted a beautiful, functional room that looked like it belonged to the rest of the house. 