Wilton architecture Rob Sanders was recently selected as a recipient of the CT Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (CT AIA) 2017 Honor Award for renovation of a Mid-century home in Wilton. For the past 14 years, CT AIA’s Alice Washburn Awards have recognized excellence in residential design in Connecticut.
The clients, Amy and Matt Collins needed an expanded kitchen and defined entry space for their 1954 butterfly-roof, timber-frame contemporary. Preserving the house’s open-plan character and maintaining large windows with broad site views was a must, as was addressing single-pane glazing and leaking roofs for weather tightness and energy efficiency. Of course, budget was also a consideration. The homeowners enjoy socializing while cooking and wanted room for both multiple cooks and helpers, as well as a place to visit without interrupting the work triangle. Sanders was up for the challenge.
A modest 312 sq. ft. addition seamlessly blends the transition between the existing and new spaces, while rearranging the function and flow of the rooms to help define the public and private areas. The entry was relocated to allow the kitchen, dining areas, and living room to form one large space, defined by partitions which stop short of the ceiling structure to make the volume feel larger than the plan suggests. A new, south-facing dining room connects to existing terrace areas. See-through open corner shelving connects all three spaces and lets afternoon light into the east-facing kitchen.
As the Alice Washburn Jury wrote: “This well executed, appropriately modest addition and renovation enhanced the original vocabulary of the existing 1950’s modern structure. Its subtle and controlled transformation gives the house new life.”
The project has also been featured in the 2017 Fall/Winter Issue of Fine Homebuilding: Kitchens & Baths.