Salvaging and Repurposing Part IV (Thousand Islands life magazine)
As touched upon in last month’s article, the desire to create a connection between the barn dwelling and the outside surrounding elements was accomplished by choosing floor-to-ceiling windows as the predominant material for the vestibule walls. It was a simple way to intermix exterior elements upon entry into the interior space. This mingling of inner and outer spaces creates a feeling of coherence between them, versus a feeling of disconnection.
Salvaging and Repurposing Part III (thousand islands life magazine)
Continuity is critical in any design, as it provides a sense of cohesiveness. It can mean extreme consistency or repetition, but it can also be used as a way to ground variety and change throughout a design, for instance, by marrying several styles together seamlessly. This is a secret to successful eclectic design.
Salvaging and Repurposing Part II (thousand islands life magazine)
In converting this horse stable into our home, I wanted to leave the rail, trolley, and grapple intact as testimony to the original function of the stable but I also wanted to give it a new purpose. The reimagined second floor was where the guest rooms were to be located, along with a mezzanine loft (created by removing nearly half of the second-floor plate) with a sofa, our family heirloom piano, and a table for games and puzzles.
salvaging and repurposing part I (thousand islands life magazine)
Perhaps it was my discovery of a trove of old burnished coins in the long grass at the back of my apartment building near a dumpster when I was six years old, or the stash of antique glass bottles buried at a dump near my childhood cottage when I was ten years old, or my father’s 8mm films of his trips to Grenada during my childhood, or a combination of these and other moments that stirred in me an abiding wonderment for objects and the stories they could share with us. Whatever spurred my curiosity, I remain loyal to salvaging and repurposing treasures in all of my interior design work.