Home

1.  Upgrade that old bathroom in your home.  Again, from personal experience, a big improvement to our home was a new primary bath.  Our renovation included a large, comfortable shower, radiant floor heat, and extra room by our sinks with plenty of storage.  The only downside was that our children loved the new bathroom so much that I had to compete for bathroom time.

Primary Bathroom

Green Kitchen

2.  Cook more family meals (In a kitchen you love). Out of all the renovations I have done to my home, no renovation has changed my home and how we live more than our kitchen renovation.  Suddenly, it was a pleasure to cook and spend time in that space.  The difference can be dramatic, whether you completely rebuild your kitchen or simply reorganize and upgrade.

Kitchen with Blue Island

Generous Pantry

3. Create a pantry that works for you.  A great pantry can be the perfect complement to the ideal kitchen and a great home.

Small Pantries Make a Big Difference

All-In-One Mud Room

4. Organize your hall.  It doesn’t take much to turn chaos into calm.  You can transform an entry into a mudroom by adding a bench that doubles as shoe storage, some hooks, and cabinets.  In the All-In-One Mud Room, the homeowners have included a washer, dryer, sink, and cabinets.  In that way, muddy clothes need to go no further than the mud room.  The entry hall is often the part of the home that guests see first.

Simple Mud Room

Bright 3 Season Room

5. Create and enjoy a bright sunroom no matter the season.  Sunrooms can make a home special.  They are always multipurpose since they can act as a living room, a quiet place to get away, or the perfect center of a cocktail party.  On a summer day, a three-season room can be the perfect escape from bugs as well as a place to take in the fresh air.  In many ways, they are the most flexible room in a home.

Sun Room in the Winter

Rustic Fireplace

6.  Spend more time cuddled up in front of a good fire.  We have had a lot of good fires this year in our living room fireplace.  If your home does not have a great fireplace, or if the one(s) you have need work, it is worth the effort to create a special place for the family to gather.  The fireplace in our home seems to attract family members like moths to a flame.

Living Room Fireplace

Bright Laundry Room

7.  Create a laundry room that turns a chore into a pleasure (almost).  An efficient, well-designed laundry room can change how you go about this task and encourage family participation.  At least, the time spent there will be more pleasant and enjoyable.  The laundry room may not be the most glamorous room in the home, but it is very important.

Spacious Laundry Room

Screened Porch with Fireplace

8.  Spend more time on a porch.  As soon as it warms up a little, spend some time on a porch.  I am out on my porch from early spring to late fall.  No place in or around my home is more relaxing than our porch.

My Back Porch

Photos by Rob Karosis  Curated Brochure by Crisp Architects: Portfolio

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