Part Traditional, Part Modern and All Family Friendly

She’s more traditional; he likes modern; and they need their home to be family friendly to boot. Maria von Hartz and Annie Fitzgerald of vonFitz Design paid attention to how this family lived and plucked the best elements from both their styles. “The house itself is comfy and traditional but open; it’s kind of a loft-like farmhouse,” von Hartz says. Not only did they find a balance between the two styles by mixing pieces, but they designed elements that incorporated them both. More important, they designed the house with every family member’s needs in mind.

The Lees bought the house to remodel it, but it wound up being one of those projects that’s technically a renovation because they left one wall up during construction. The team kept an overall traditional feel that incorporated clean, modern lines and motifs, such as the X-shaped elements (seen here on the garage doors) and lots of white paint punctuated by blue-black details.

The foyer hints at what awaits inside. The bannister and newel posts are a modern-traditional mash-up. The walls are bright white, while the front door and sidelights have a more traditional look.

“The walls are just MDF scored with lines to resemble tongue and groove planks,” von Hartz says. “This brought in a traditional element while making sure the lines were superclean, crisp and modern.” Likewise, the baseboards have no curves or ornamentation, and there are no ceiling moldings.

The designers considered the couples’ three young boys with every decision. This little hideout is underneath the stairs.

Continue reading Part Traditional, Part Modern and All Family Friendly

Part Traditional, Part Modern and All Family Friendly