MURRAY BUNGALOW : LIVING ROOM PLAN

Hello, and Happy Friday!! Today, we're sharing our plan for the living room at the Murray Bungalow property. Generous in size, the living room is located directly off the front entry, adjacent to the dining room (see below).

BACKGROUND

A few things stand out when considering the form & function of the living room in its existing state. First, all of the inherent charm: the pretty light and lovely view to the street courtesy of the west window bank, the accompanying built-in window seat along this wall, the pair of original lead glass transoms, and the soaring height of the ceiling (~8.5'!), accentuated by wood beams spanning the width of the room ... all features that we'll aim to retain and highlight. In terms of deficiencies, the main ones are the color scheme (too dim), and lack of connection to other parts of the home.

INSPIRATION

Since the ceiling beams truly define the living room -- they lend a feeling of grandness to the space, and set it apart visually from every other room in the home -- it was easy to draw inspiration from living rooms that similarly enjoy strong ceiling treatments. What we love most in the inspiration photos below is that all of these living rooms feel special (with those beams working their magic), yet integrally connected to other parts of the home. And of course, all of these spaces feel light, bright, warm, and modern -- in perfect alignment with our design hopes for this project.

SOURCES :
|1| Wit & Delight, |2| Wendy Word Design, |3| unknown.

DESIGN PLAN

So, the trick with the living room will be to balance bungalow appeal with the need to lighten, brighten, and modernize the space. Here's how we plan to tackle it:

WINDOWS & TRIM | Similar to the dining room, we'll keep the original windows in this room, with their difficult-to-replicate charm, but refinish all of the dark woodwork in a fresh, clean white.

WALLS + FLOORS| We'll update the walls & floors with lighter, brighter materials & color palette, the approach that we're taking throughout the home (read more about that here).

WOOD BEAMS | We love the cedar ceiling beams and the added character & definition they bring, however will plan to lighten their weight in the room by refinishing in a pretty white or soft neutral paint hue.

BUILT-IN WINDOW BENCH | We'll overhaul the window bench with a new wood top and fresh paint. Picture a sweet built-in spot for greeting guests as they come and go, relaxing with a book, and/or displaying pretty plants and housewares, etc. You get the idea :).

LINKAGE TO KITCHEN | Last, in the future layout of the house (catch up on all of our proposed floorplan changes here), the living room will enjoy much improved proximity to the heart of the home -- the kitchen. To take advantage of this, we'll open the wall between them via a wide cased opening, linking the two rooms together while allowing each to retain its own identity.

We can't wait to unlock this room's potential! Will keep you posted on progress.

More room plans to come soon, including the home's most exciting transformation -- the kitchen. Thanks for following along :).

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MURRAY BUNGALOW : DINING ROOM PLAN

Today, we move into the room-by-room design plans for the Murray Bungalow, starting with the first room that you see upon passing through the front door: the dining room.

While the size and configuration of the dining room will not change in the new floorplan (see location below), this space will receive plenty of updates.

BACKGROUND

The dining room captured our attention from the very first walk-through of the property. First & foremost, the light! A trio of double-hung windows lines the room to the west, with another large picture window facing south, so the room feels airy and bright no matter the time of day. Even more natural light will permeate the space once we open up the front of the house (our plan is to convert the screened-in porch to an open air room). In addition, the room is blessed with beautiful millwork -- thick, hardwood trim surrounding the windows, substantial baseboards, and a framed-out cased opening that connects to the adjoining living room. Plus, a gorgeous hutch embedded into the back wall -- a thoughtful, hand-crafted feature that exemplifies the home's Prairie school design influence. There's no need for excess furnishing in here -- the perfect vessel to hold all of your entertaining essentials is built right in :).

INSPIRATION

The dining room in this house is the one space that has the ability to go formal. It's easy to imagine seasonal entertaining, cocktail parties, and holiday gatherings, all centered right here. As we update the room's aesthetic, the looks that inspire us most strike that perfect balance between comfort & sophistication -- at once warm & inviting, understated & elegant. We are especially drawn to the combination of goregous natural wood flooring and crisp white walls & trim, puncutated with a striking, matte black ceiling light fixture -- a mix showcased beautifully in all three of the dining inspiration images below.

SOURCES :
|1| Avenue Design Studio, |2| unknown, |3| Wendell Home.

DESIGN PLAN

Inspired to find the perfect combination of comfort + elegance, our goal is to highlight the room's cozy bungalow appeal while adding a touch of sophistication, all in keeping with the "warm modern" design direction for the home.

WINDOWS & TRIM | We plan to work with the original windows of the home -- they bring so much character & authenticity to the space, difficult if not impossible to replicate. That said, all of the trim framing the windows will receive crisp white paint. Likewise, we'll paint the cased opening trim and baseboards to match.

WALL TREATMENT | We'll remove all of the peeling mauve wallpaper and replace with new drywall. In lieu of the existing chair-rail, we'll surround the room with a half-wall of vertical v-groove paneling, painted white to match the rest of the trim, to add coziness and bungalow-appropriate visual interest.

BUILT-IN HUTCH | We love the built-in hutch and 100% plan to keep it, though not in its current state. Originally, we had hoped to re-store the hutch to a natural wood tone, but later found that a portion of the material had been painted over (chocolate brown). Instead, we'll re-finish the piece with one single neutral paint color (i.e. a soft white or grey), salvaging as much of the hardware and chicken-wire door paneling as possible.

LIGHTING | Last, we'll update the ceiling fixture. Given the abundant natural light in this room, there's no need for additional fixtures -- just one beautiful piece to ground the room, make a statement, and add a little bit of a modern edge..

Should be quite a turn-around, right? We're looking forward to diving in! We'll be sure to loop back around a little later this spring to reveal the completed space. Lots more to come :).

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MURRAY BUNGALOW : INTERIOR DESIGN DIRECTION

Hello! The bungalow is coming along so nicely! When we last left off, we had shared the final floor plans for the main level and upper level of the house (catch up here and here if needed!). Today we'd like to present the interior design direction for the home.

By design direction, we refer to the overall aesthetic vision for the property, including the common visual elements to be installed throughout the house to deliver an overarching look & feel.

The importance of setting a design direction for a home cannnot be overstated. Too often in remodels, a piecemeal approach is taken where one room fails to relate aesthetically to the next. At DAILY HOME CO., we believe in "whole house" design: investing time & effort up front to establish an overall design vision for the home, and selecting beautiful, repeating design elements to pull a whole house together visually. A consistent color palette, complementary materials, uniform millwork, coordinating tones & textures, flooring & finishes that flow uninterupted from space to space ... when done right, all of these "whole house" design details can add up to produce a cohesive & polished home that looks & feels greater than the sum of its parts.

So, let's get to it! For the Murray property, our aesthetic vision is to create a "modern bungalow": a fresh, clean, pared-down interior with lots of warmth and natural touches, elegant in its simplicity. A space that feels comfortable in every season -- light & bright in summer months, cozy & warm when the temperatures drop. And a home that's filled with character, true to its Prairie bungalow roots, yet fully refreshed and modernized for today.

Here is our inspiration board, which captures the warm, modern design direction for the project pefectly. (For more inspirational imagery, visit our DAILY HOME CO. Pinterest boards here).

SOURCES :
|1| Amber Interiors, |2| Amber Interiors, |3| Avenue Design Studio,
|4| Studio McGee, |5| unknown, |6| Anne Sage, |7| Avenue Design Studio.

A collection of common finishes & materials will be woven throughout the home to provide a connecting design framework. For color palette, we'll apply crisp, clean white across all trim, casing, wall paneling, and cabinetry, offset by warm, gray, neutral tones on the walls. Beautiful, light grey oak flooring, installed upstairs and down, will bring warmth and texture. Stone & tile finishes will be simple & sophisticated, including natural honed carerra marble, glazed brick, classic subway tile, and refined Ceasarstone. Dressing things up, we'll introduce hits of our favorite metallics -- matte black, polished nickel, & satin brass -- via hardware and light fixtures.

We can't wait to see these selections in place and the effect that they have on freshening up & unifying the visual profile of the house. Taken together, they'll form the perfect canvas on which to further develop each individual room.

Coming soon will be room-by-room details, where we'll share our design plans for each space. Thank you, as always, for following along :).

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MURRAY BUNGALOW : UPPER LEVEL -- PROPOSED FLOOR PLAN

In the last post, we covered the existing layout and tour of the upper level (here, if you missed it!). In today's update, we'll walk through the modifications that we have in store. Though our plans upstairs are modest in comparison to the main level, we feel confident that the changes will add up to a big impact.

For reference, here is the existing floor plan:

And, our proposed floor plan:

The floorplan changes are concentrated at the west end of the house, affecting bedroom #2 and the master bedroom:

UNDER-THE-RAFTERS EXPANSION | After taking ownership of the house, we discovered extra square footage hiding in the attic space behind bedroom #2 and the master. Why not take advantage of these easy opportunities to add functional space to the rooms? In bedroom #2, we'll expand the nook beneath the transom window on the west wall. This enlarged spot now becomes much more useful and versatile, perfect for holding a crib or toddler bed, a desk workspace, or large bureau. In the master, we similarly bump out the wall on the west end, capitalizing on the empty attic space, to host a built-in chest of drawers.

MASTER CLOSET RE-CONFIGURATION | The other notable change in layout involves the master bedroom closet area. The existing configuration suffers from odd, mis-matched closet sizes and strange points of access. To solve this, we remove the closet on the east end, returning the extra space to the main part of the room. Then, across from the remaining sliding door closet on the west end, we'll build a mirror-image replication. This change brings a needed dose of symmetry & balance to the space, and helps to more clearly delineate the two zones in the master bedroom: the main part of the room for resting, and a dressing area outfitted with "his & hers" closets and built-in storage.

In addition to these floor plan modifications, we'll freshen up the entire level with new flooring, new paint, and new light fixtures. In the bathroom, specifically, we'll aim to elevate the aesthetics with all new plumbing, tile, and finishes. In contrast to the open and casual layout of the main level, our vision for the upstairs is to create a calm & peaceful sanctuary for rest & retreat, complete with cozy sleepy quarters, a fresh, clean bathroom space, and lots and lots of functional storage.


Next, we'll share our design direction for the interior, which will guide the overall finished look & feel of the home, followed by room-by-room deep dives. We can't wait for this project to come together. Thanks for reading!

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MURRAY BUNGALOW : UPPER LEVEL -- "BEFORE" PHOTOS & FLOOR PLAN

Continuing on our tour of the Murray Bungalow, today we are sharing the upper level "before" photos and floor layout. (If you need to catch up, read our introduction to the project here, the main level "before" tour and floor layout here, our proposed plans for the main level here.)

On the upper level, beneath the bungalow's gently sloping rooflines, three bedrooms and one full bath are tucked in comfortably, with well-placed dormers adding extra headroom in key spots. Storage is plentiful with roomy closets in each bedroom and a generously-sized linen closet off the hallway.

The photos below capture the state of the interior upon purchase. Reference points for each photo are shown on the floorplan below.

STAIRWAY | Despite its worn treads and floorboards evincing years of heavy use, the stairway connecting the upper & lower levels of the house feels open and airy, with natural light pouring in from a well-placed window, and the ceiling reaching two-stories in height.

BEDROOM #1 | The first bedroom, located directly off the stairs, overlooks the backyard. A half-wall of wood paneling provides the perfect backdrop for a headboard. The single east-facing window is there to welcome early morning light.

BEDROOM #2 | The second bedroom, residing in the northeast corner of the house, includes a pair of casement windows and a small, paned-glass transom, recessed into a dormer, lending character and interest.

MASTER BEDROOM | At the end of the upstairs hall we find the master bedroom. The largest of the three rooms, the master bedroom takes the shape of a wide "L": one end of the "L" dedicated to sleeping, and the other end for dressing & storage. The mis-matched closets, however, with their odd access and organization, definitely warrant further attention.

BATH | Last, we have the upper level full bath. This upstairs bath boasts a slightly larger footprint than the lower level bath, allowing for a larger vanity and a window, great for natural light and ventilation.

This concludes the tour of the upper level -- short & sweet :). In the next post, we'll review the upgrades that we have planned for this floor. While the basic room configuation won't change, we'll make a few key modifications, as well as update the finishes throughout -- all in an effort to create a calm & clean sanctuary for sleeping and rejuvenation. Stay tuned!

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