Before

1-story; 2 bed/ 2bath

After

2-story; 4 bed/ 3 bath

As residential designers in Downtown Greenville, the most common addition and renovation project we encounter is what we like to call a “pop-top” design project. This renovation design incorporates adding a second story to an existing one-story home. The design challenge is to ensure that the second floor addition does not overpower the home and impose on the character and quaintness of the other homes in the neighborhood.

The downtown Greenville area maintains its growth and with it, the desire to stay in quaint and cozy neighborhoods. For these homeowners, their current home is location in their perfect locations: a quaint neighborhood with sidewalk streets to walk the dog, close proximity to downtown, and a family-friendly neighborhood.

However, the house needed a transformation to fit their lifestyle and future. The main floor required an open floor plan with a large master on main, including a screened porch for outdoor living space and a second floor consists of three bedrooms with a Jack-n-Jill bathroom with access from the central hallway for guests. The ‘pop-top’ design allowed for additional square footage upstairs but kept the character of the home with some gable dormers.

Elevation Sketch

Floor Plan Sketch

Gray quartz countertops on the perimeter of the kitchen cabinetry to highlight the veining in the Calcutta Vintage Quartz island top.

No wasted space. A built in desk was utilized under the stairwell with a built in drop off bench at the front door.

The back of the desk wall has shiplap to add texture under the stairs with the stained desk top.

The master bath balances the perfect amount of natural light. Adding transoms above the vanity frames each of the sinks. The back wall accent is painted reclaimed shiplap. The floor tile includes a herringbone floor tile pattern. The mix of chrome and black finishes and different textures creates a spa like oasis.

Outdoor Living Area: screened porch with stained tongue and groove ceiling, brick fireplace with reclaimed wood mantel. The oversized hearth adds additional seating.

It’s that time of year when you’re most likely thinking about how your family is soon going to be knocking on your door ready to celebrate the holidays. It’s a great time of year! This all means that it’s time to deck the halls. How are you going to get your home ready? How should you decorate? What do you need? We love this topic and helping our clients get holiday ready! Whether you’ve started planning this past summer or you’ve waited until the last minute, we hope that this article can help give you some ideas.

1.     Find a uniform theme for your holiday décor and start to add hints of this throughout your home! This year, we’re all about the natural textures and shades of red. We ran with this theme in one home. Want to add some shine? Pick a metal (gold or silver) and run with it!

2.     Confirm your guest count and make room. Now is the time to find all of the chairs you can so that there’s decent seating for everyone. If you’re having a larger cocktail party, not everyone needs to have a chair, but make sure you have enough room available for everyone to congregate and chat. If you have a covered deck or even screened deck, make this space as cozy as possible with some music, ambient lighting, and maybe even an outdoor space heater.

3. Set the table. You may or may not be a family who dines in a formal dining room, but if you have a formal dining table at all- dress it up! This is one of our favorite places to really get festive. You can even set out very simple white or ivory dinner settings, but add festive fun with bright linens and some napkin rings. Take it up a notch by adding some greenery and ornaments to your chandelier!

4. Candles, candles, candles! Who doesn’t smell every candle in a home goods store or boutique? We do! This is the best time of year to really let your love of candles shine. Not only can they make your home smell like Christmas, but they also add a beautifully warm, ambient light to any room.

5.     Plan for next year! After the holidays are over and the family and friends have cleared out, now may be the time to think about how you could better host your guests next year. Maybe next year you’d prefer to turn that patio or deck into a larger great room? Maybe you’d like to open your kitchen, dining, and living spaces up so that the party is less broken up? Or perhaps you need a new guest room because you’re tired of sleeping on the couch so that your in-laws have a bed? Whatever the case may be, consider what you may need and talk to a professional about how you can achieve those goals for next year!