A Designer Reworks Her Coastal Bungalow

Senior designer Julie Lyons is full of bright ideas for clients of Roomscapes Cabinetry and Design Center, so, when it came to transforming her own bungalow-style abode on the coast, we were beyond interested to see how she and her husband, Michael, handled her home’s transformation.

Thankfully, Julie has a deep knowledge of the building and design industry as well as critical, creative eye, and she needed both resources to shape what she and her husband saw as problems into possibilities. 

The Lyons first addressed the home’s “awkward layout, a series of rooms that were not only small, but oddly proportioned.” The couple needed to stay within the home’s existing footprint for their renovation, and started the transformation at the front door. The front entrance spilled into the living room, with the coat closet being among the first encounters. To Julie, the effect was disjointed and graceless, plus the door took up valuable real estate on the wall with the best water views.

A full bath off the dining room felt bizarrely placed and too large for the pair’s needs. Reducing its size for a more petite powder room (shown above) allowed Julie and her husband to create a short corridor and reposition the front door. 

Now, they could add a sweeping bank of windows where the front door used to be to bring those gorgeous views into the home. As for the existing coat closet? That was repurposed into a built-in cabinet that houses the TV and hides electronic equipment.

The kitchen was next up in the renovation. As Michael is a professional chef, and Julie a kitchen designer, the kitchen had to be a striking but highly functional realm in keeping with the home’s overarching style. The existing space was choppy and inefficient, due to a haphazard layout with an odd window placement. It also lacked the all-important “work zone” that is a must for Michael.

To open up the kitchen and make it more airy, they removed the upper cabinets immediately and placed new, floor-to-ceiling cabinets at either side of reconfigured L-shaped counters for storage. For visual interest, they incorporated artful, floating shelves in the same natural stain as the ash-topped island and used brass and white bronze for the hardware throughout. 

Michael was treated to chef-grade appliances, including a six-burner cooktop with a beautiful custom-made plaster hood overhead. The hood is clean and brilliant when paired with a hardworking leathered Teltos quartzite that “reads like natural stone but holds up to the rigors of [the chef’s] frequent cooking.”

The final touch was the addition of a pantry, just off the kitchen, which is home to a coffee and tea station and more storage for baking supplies and serveware. The feature serves as a bridge from the kitchen to the rest of the home, and is aesthetically aligned with the first floor’s other living spaces for continuity and flow. 

The homeowners are beyond thrilled with their chef-friendly, designer-approved new look. Says Julie, “This remodel is a perfect example of how significant, but not overreaching, changes can dramatically and beautifully alter the way a home looks and how it’s lived in.”

Photography by Dan Cutrona