Cottonwood: Colonial to Contemporary

The Challenge: Thoughtfully evolve a suburban home to house over four hundred years of family heirlooms in an effort to convince the next generation to hold onto their history. In short, don’t let it look like Grandma’s house!

The first step was architectural. We wanted to narrow the gap between the clients’ early 21st century home and their family collection of art and antiquities from Spain and Mexico. Without changing the exterior footprint, a remodel began inside to infuse the space with old world shapes and finishes. Eyebrow (or segmental) arches were rounded; walls and ceilings were mottled to look like plaster; and segmented spaces that previously promoted too much solo screen time (like that extra TV room) were repurposed with setups more conducive to family time and gatherings with friends.

Next, the collection itself – consisting of rugs, lighting, Spanish colonial paintings, European prints, Mexican pottery, and wood furniture clad in marquetry and parquetry – underwent a meticulous conservation and preservation effort. Upholstered pieces were stripped to their bones, stabilized, and recovered. All the while we continued the painstaking process of planning each room to honor this family’s story in a fresh, new way. To that end, some new pieces were purchased to complement those existing. Never far from mind, however, was that any amendment to the old or addition of new would now affect the centuries-long narrative – a formidable-yet-incredible honor.