This winter we want to help you add what matters in your residential remodel or new home construction project. If you’re considering a new or remodeled home, especially in an area that sees a lot of snow and winter recreation, consider the following options for adding space without losing character.

First, consider these general rules for adding space to your home without losing its personality and integrity:

• Identify underused or awkward spaces (hallways, corners, oversized rooms) and make them functional by creating reading nooks in hidden corners or oversized rooms, for example.

• Maintain architectural integrity by matching rooflines, materials, and proportions

• Improve circulation between rooms instead of simply adding square footage. Are you able to create a cased opening or pony wall in order to gain sightlines from one room to the next? If not, can you improve the flow of the room to guide people towards other parts of the house? Better flow from the foyer to the kitchen, for example?

• Prioritize how the space will be used seasonally (winter living vs summer entertaining)

Add a mudroom that functions well in winter

• Dedicated zones for boots, skis, helmets, and outerwear – consider rubber mats for boots, since they’ll most likely still be wet when they come inside. Hooks are excellent for jackets and bench storage works for mittens, helmets, scarves and more.

• Durable, moisture-resistant flooring and wall finishes – Again, if you’re planning to use this space in the winter, waterproof flooring will be essential. Everyone will be coming in and out with snowy boots and you’ll want luxury vinyl plank or tile, or even ceramic tile as options to protect your floors.

• Direct access to garage or exterior entries to contain snow and mess – this is essential! You want your mudroom to be the first space the kids enter from the most recent ski or sledding trip.

Expanded Kitchens for Entertaining

• Larger islands that function as gathering hubs, not just prep space will make life casual and easy during long winter evenings. Casual breakfasts and cocktail hours can all happen around a luxury island with storage and plenty of seating.

• Improved flow between kitchen, dining, and living areas will keep everyone moving. While it’s nice to have one gathering spot, your home is filled with lots of places to have a quiet conversation, escape for a few hours of reading, or gather around the pool table for some fun competition. Ease of transition from one space to the next is key for a home everyone will find comfortable.

• Thoughtful appliance placement to avoid crowding during events – consider a coffee and tea bar that is far enough away from the island to avoid a collision between those searching for caffeine and those looking for sustenance. The same goes for a wine or cocktail area too! Options for helping with this include a separate bar area with a small sink or even a butler’s pantry.

• Storage designed for entertaining: bench seating in a cozy window seat allows for storing table linens and extra serving dishes or holiday items. Antique buffets make a great options for storing extra dishes and they add a touch of “real” to a new home or newly remodeled home.

Join us for our next blog post when we’ll continue our series on Adding Space without Losing Character by discussing guest room suites for ski season!