Floor Plan Upgrades at #LugbillLanding

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Floor Plan Upgrades at #LugbillLanding

Today I wanted to walk you through the first level layout at #LugbillLanding, where construction is progressing beautifully.

I knew the home had the perfect floorplan for our family based off of the listing photos. I love how the space is open, with just the right amount of division. There were a couple of tricky areas that weren’t functional in their current form so I ended up breaking a couple rules. I don’t regret it, though! Before we get into my rule-breaking, here are the things I needed to solve for:

  1. Convert the sunroom into usable space
  2. Find space for a half bathroom on the first floor- I can’t be bothered going up or down a flight of stairs when nature calls
  3. Remove the wall between the dining room/kitchen- even with it being partially open, this wall was non-negotiable (despite Justin’s hesitations)
  4. Integrate more kitchen storage – it had a great footprint, but not a ton of storage
  5. Make the ceiling height change work between the sunroom and kitchen (more on this later!)

With these things in mind, here are the “Design Crimes” I committed:

  1. I covered up a window. Not everything is about aesthetics. Good design ensures optimal functionality. To that light, because there were so many windows in the sunroom, the kitchen couldn’t be extended. The space is WAY more functional with that window gone, and there is still plenty of light!
  1. I put a toilet right off the kitchen. This was the only spot for a toilet, which is very typical for Chicago homes. This wasn’t the first offence on the premises. There were old plumbing stubs already in the pantry space, so someone else committed the same crime at some point.
Powder Room off the kitchen.

Powder Room off the kitchen.

The Wall That Had To Go!

The Wall That Had To Go!

During demo.....Looking better already!

During demo…..Looking better already!

Progress off the new kitchen with the wall gone.

Progress off the new kitchen with the wall gone.

View from inside the kitchen looking towards the foyer.

View from inside the kitchen looking towards the foyer.

For those of you that are floor plan junkies- here is the layout of the first floor:

Lugbill Landing's Original Floor Plan

Lugbill Landing’s Original Floor Plan

Lugbill Landing's New Floor Plan

Lugbill Landing’s New Floor Plan

To wrap this up, remember if you are working on your own renovation there is always a balance between the aesthetics and the function. In addition, you should always be thinking about how the changes you’re entertaining will impact resale value. Not every decision should be made based on this, as you have to consider the enjoyment and use you’ll get out of it. However, it is an important variable to consider. Last, take it from an interior designer that does residential remodels for a living: The right thing for your home doesn’t necessarily need to follow the rules.

Testimonial

My partner and I had some necessary corrections made to our condo unit which caused us to have to adjust some of the layout of our living space. We had to relocate a wine refrigerator that had lived in the living room for years. We wanted to relocate it into our kitchen but was overwhelmed with the task.

Talking with Erica Lugbill was the best thing that could have happen for our place. She visited us and immediately understood what we wanted. In talking to her, we told her that we might want to change a couple other items in our kitchen at the same time we had the refrigerator installed in our kitchen. She took pictures, measured the entire kitchen, and told us that she would start designing a "mini" makeover. Within 3 days, she came back to our house, and showed us a 3D rendering of a couple ideas for the placement our wine frig within our kitchen. We loved both choices, and settled on one of them. She also suggested several options for the other concerns we had with the kitchen. Erica helped us pick the products for our "mini" makeover and couldn't wait for the process to start.

After wards, Erica introduced us to her construction crew, when they all came over for a review of the work order. This was something I didn't expect, but truly appreciated.

The work began within a week, and her crew was completely professional with the entire scoop of work. They spent half a day just preparing the work area and protecting all the other rooms from dust and work debris. Since we have a loft, our kitchen is open to the dining room which is open to the living room, the crew understood this, and completely insulated the rest of the house.

Erica visited daily to check on her crew and on us, making sure to work out the smallest construction details and to answer any of our questions or concerns. Once the process was completed, the crew spent another half a day cleaning and removing everything that they brought into our condo.

We ended up with a one of a kind kitchen compared to the rest of the building, a perfectly incorporated wine refrigerator, new back splash tile, new pendant lighting system, new brushed nickel wall switch & outlet plates, and to finish off the project, a fancy industrial kitchen faucet.

Before hiring Erica, I always thought a interior designer would be an expensive proposition, but we were pleasantly surprised that this wasn't true. Erica is extremely talented, kept with our budget, and was completely professional. She is a great listener and didn't push her own choices when it came to material options. Not only did everything come out wonderful, put she suggested a different color for an accent wall, and it is amazing how it transformed the adjoining room. She is amazing, pick up the phone and call her!
Joe - Winnetka, IL