Seven years after receiving the keys to his Dublin home, this homeowner, with his keen eye for style, knew precisely what he wanted to do to make the 3,800-square-foot French contemporary space better reflect his personality and lifestyle.
“I’m a bachelor. I collect antiques and art,” he says. “I wanted to enrich the home’s feel and create a more timeless and appropriate backdrop.”
To achieve this, he darkened the woodwork on the existing floors and cabinetry and added considerable new woodwork in the form of keystone archways, crown molding, coffered ceilings and extensive built-in cabinets.
The result he says, is “much more comfortable.
The original structure had many features its owner loved: an open first floor layout, a soaring 18-foot ceiling in the kitchen, a second-story loft which was perfect for a home office, and plenty of lower level space for bedrooms and more casual lounging. However, a few items stood out as being incongruous with the homeowner’s preferences.
“The staircase was too trendy for my taste,” he says. “Its metal work became dated very quickly. I felt it needed to be done in a much more traditional style. Also all of the light-colored kitchen cabinets had to be refinished with the darker stain that I wanted.”
When it came time to hire a contractor, the homeowner contacted the renovation team at Highland-Palermo Ltd., a sister company to Landfare Ltd., which is a Columbus-based custom landscape design and build firm.
Jonathan Spayde and Zachary Miller are the owners of both firms and explain the passion that drives the two distinct businesses.
“Over the years, clients of Landfare would ask us why we do not offer any interior services,” Spayde says. “They loved our attention to detail.” Eventually, satisfied clients convinced the two to start the new architectural building company.
Renovation began with the staircase. “The walls were uneven, the woodwork was cracking, and the stain was irregular,” says the homeowner. It took a while for the crew to repair and replace what had become dated or was not in a style suited to the homeowner.
Following the staircase, the hardwood floors, cabinetry and detailed woodwork in the form of crown moldings and archways, were carefully addressed by the renovation crew.
“We always condition the wood,” Miller says. His team brings the lumber to the house to acclimate it by allowing it adjust to the home’s temperature and humidity levels. This is an important step before any painting or staining, because properly acclimated wood will not separate after installation.
Because when it comes to woodwork—like the homeowner—Highland-Palermo does not believe in rushing the process.