Storybook Addition, Tutor, Maplewood, NJ
Traditional House Exterior, New York
This storybook Tudor languished on the market due to the lack of bedrooms and their inequitable sizes. In a pre-purchase consultation, we assured the owners that we could yield a four-bedroom house - one primary suite and three additional rooms of near equal size - while maintaining the distinguishing details of the home such as the grand stair. Further, the owners were looking to improve the first-floor functionality of the existing home to support a young growing family. Strollers, shoes, and outerwear were visible and disorganized in the enclosed porch that had become a de facto mudroom. The home had evolved over time to include two forward facing doors; the homeowners primarily used the door into the porch/ mudroom, but consequently felt that the formal entrance for visitors was hierarchically unclear. The first floor’s only bathroom adjacent to the mudroom was dark and cramped.
The realized design maximized the footprint with a modest first and second floor addition while maintaining the home’s distinctive Tudor forms to create more interior space. The entry to the reconfigured mudroom was relocated to the driveway side for easy homeowner access. This also restored the home’s original historic entry door as the public point of welcome. The mudroom was designed with increased options for storage and a large closet. A new compact, yet efficient powder room includes a custom marble sink and a window to the exterior for natural light. On the second floor, a bedroom suite – affectionately referred to as a “kid zone” – achieved equitable sizes and a bonus “kids only” attic loft space.
New architectural features such as the box bay, door canopy, and interior Gothic arched entry to the “kid zone” compliment the original Tudor architectural language, while the massing of the addition appears harmonious. The result achieved the space and lifestyle goals of the homeowners while sensitively maintaining the scale and style of the home and its neighbors.