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Overseen by Pohl Rosa Pohl, the contemporary renovation of this traditional Beaumont home included special touches for the family’s four-legged friends — including this multi-level system designed to help feline Mini access her “cat highway” in the basement media room. Photo by Frank Döring
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The basement “cat highway” allows the timid family cat Mini some much-needed relief from her canine brethren. Photo by Frank Döring
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The kitchen remodel included a large Caeserstone quartz-topped island, new walnut cabinetry, Sonneman Grapes pendant lights and textured Porcelanosa tile. Photo by Frank Döring
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Frank Doering
The kitchen remodel included a large Caeserstone quartz-topped island, new walnut cabinetry, Sonneman Grapes pendant lights and textured Porcelanosa tile. Photo by Frank Döring
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The kitchen remodel included a large Caeserstone quartz-topped island, new walnut cabinetry, Sonneman Grapes pendant lights and textured Porcelanosa tile. Photo by Frank Döring
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The master bathroom features Porcelanosa tile on the wall, a deep European-style tub and a larger shower enclosure, with a skylight allowing ample natural light. Photo by Frank Döring
Located on a quiet street in the Beaumont Farms neighborhood is a Lexington family’s peaceful suburban oasis, recently renovated to keep pace with maturing children and a small but energetic menagerie of pets. The home nestles up to the the Preserve at Beaumont Park – a 23-acre urban forest filled with wild turkeys, red fox and, even, a coyote. The acreage behind the house was a big selling point for the owners when they purchased the home in 2006.
The active family of four, which includes a teenage lacrosse player and a middle-schooler who loves to sew, paint and bake, takes advantage of the accessible land with their two Golden Doodles, Palmer and Charlie. Another important member of the family is their cat, Mini – and the family’s recent renovation of the kitchen, bathrooms and basement was planned with children, adults and pets alike in mind.
While the owners have always loved their Beaumont home, they eventually found the kitchen and bathrooms didn’t meet the needs of a family with growing children. Looking to make updates in some key areas of the home, they sought out the talents of Krisia Rosa, one of the principals of Lexington architecture firm Pohl Rosa Pohl, a firm known for blending a modern aesthetic with existing traditional elements. (The firm had remodeled a friend’s home, and they loved the results.)
The home, built in 2000, encompasses nearly 3,700 square feet yet had a kitchen that felt small and closed in, especially given the size of the house.
“The family wanted to cook together, but the kitchen lacked a functional flow,” says Rosa.
A large new island topped with a Caesarstone quartz countertop creates a central gathering space and an additional food preparation area, adding to the overall functionality of the kitchen. Contractor Jim Smith of Showplace Company custom-built new walnut cabinets to replace the original cabinetry, giving the room a cleaner, more streamlined look. Textured Porcelanosa tile above the quartz countertop and new six-burner stovetop provide a visual break from the rest of the kitchen’s straight, modern lines. To add space for both storage and seating, the room was expanded to include a pantry and modest dining area – a more casual place for meals than the formal dining room.
In consideration of both children and pets, the kitchen renovation included the addition of a storage area for coats, shoes and backpacks, as well as a pet station that houses Palmer and Charlie’s food and water bowls and provides a place for treats and supplies. Not to be left out, cat Mini now has her own cat-sized entrance to the pantry, where her food is kept away from the dogs’ reach when the pantry door is closed.
To accommodate the additional space, contractors replaced a small deck attached to the kitchen with a new one that includes access from both the kitchen and the living room.
“The original deck was the same size but was built in such a way that there wasn’t space for seating. Krisia arranged the same amount of space so that we can now comfortably use the deck,” says the homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous.
On the second floor, the spacious master bathroom shared a wall with a second bathroom that was too small for the family’s son and daughter.
“They share that bathroom, and it needed to be expanded to fit a second sink so that they’d each have their own space,” explained the homeowner.
A redesign of the two bathrooms gave away some square footage in the master but updated it at the same time to use the remaining area more efficiently. A deep European-style tub from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery replaced the original garden tub, and a larger enclosure replaced the cramped shower, which is not only pleasing to the human occupants but is also a hit with the dogs, who shower there, as well. A skylight installed above the bathtub provides natural light, making it one of the homeowners’ favorite features. To maximize storage space, unobtrusive but functional shelving in the same walnut as the kitchen cabinets was added around the room.
The children’s bathroom gained space for a second sink. The original tub was replaced with a shower enclosure and a Japanese soaking tub, which is shorter but much deeper than the standard American bathtub.
The second phase of the renovation focused on the basement. While the basement was already finished, it consisted primarily of a storage area and lacked a functional communal space or layout. Reconfiguring the placement of some walls allowed for the addition of a crafting space for the family’s daughter, as well as a bathroom, which the basement lacked.
“The family wanted a heavy-duty sink for washing paintbrushes and cleaning sports equipment,” says Rosa, explaining the bathroom’s industrial sink.
The kitchen addition also expanded the basement, allowing the family to add a mudroom immediately inside the entrance from the garage that provides a needed repository for sports paraphernalia. A storage room directly across from the new mudroom provides an out-of-sight location for infrequently needed items, and the Homasote wall and sliding door, made of recycled compressed paper similar to papier mache, acts as a bulletin board.
Replacing the former wall-to-wall carpeting with new cork flooring makes the basement more functional for a variety of activities as well as easier to clean, and the pool table and large television make it a popular gathering place for the children and their friends.
As with the rest of the renovation, the basement renovation took into consideration the family pets’ needs as well as everyone else’s. Knowing that Minnie occasionally needs an escape from Palmer and Charlie, the basement incorporates a “cat highway” giving literal meaning to the phrase “catwalk”: a series of shelves that lead to a walkway near the ceiling, inaccessible to the dogs. Tiny doors along the stairs provide direct access to the walkway, or Minnie can climb the shelves to reach her private spot.
“Our daughter used treats to quickly train Minnie to use the cat highway – she took to it right away,” said the homeowner.
The homeowners are thrilled with the renovations. The whole family uses the kitchen and basement more, and the children are more comfortable in their bathroom. All of the remodeled rooms feel more functional and, at the same time, more welcoming.
Says the homeowner, “It’s a much happier space. We love it.”
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The kitchen pantry includes a cat door to allow Mini to access her food without bother from the dogs. Photo by Frank Döring
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The remodel on the bathroom shared by the family’s two children replaced the original tub with a deep Japanese soaking tub and added an additional sink. Photo by Frank Döring
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The remodel on the bathroom shared by the family’s two children replaced the original tub with a deep Japanese soaking tub and added an additional sink. Photo by Frank Döring
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The basement remodel allowed for a new mud room and plenty of space to accommodate the instruments, crafting and sports equipment for the family’s middle- and high-school children. Photo by Frank Döring