McCool Duplex

Location: Raleigh, NC

The McCool family consists of Michael and his wife Jennifer, and their son Connor, as well as Michael's parents, June and Peter, who go by Grandma and Grandpa. The grandparents have a sophisticated, traditional taste and requested that the space be functional for aging in place. The atmosphere for their side of the duplex was to feel warm, inviting, and inclusive to people of differing abilities so that family bonding wasn't hindered. The young family of three have more contemporary taste and requested that their half of the duplex be visitable by the grandparents in the public spaces (the half bath, living room, dining space and the kitchen). They also requested that I consider Connor's size and maturity at age 5. The atmosphere was to feel spirited and cordial and give way to socializing. Michael appreciates classics while Jennifer welcomes pops of color in the space. Some inspiration words I used while brainstorming were spirited, comfortable, and cherished. There words captured how I wanted the space to be functional, as well as make the client feel at home and relaxed rather than out of place.

On my first slide you can see photos of my clients as well as some inspiration photos and words. I also included process work of relationship diagrams and adjacency and criteria matrices for each side of the home.

On my second slide you can see elevations of the two kitchen designs and of two different bathrooms. Note in the bathrooms that there are grab bars, a handheld showerhead, a shower seat and a lowered countertop with enclosed plumbing for the sink. I also included annotations and dimensions for my floor plan as well as some prototype sketches I used while planning the best arrangement of the layout. The rendered floor plan shows the materials and finishes I plan to use. I want to point out that the grandparents’ layout has racetrack circulation through the living and dining spaces and the kitchen which allows them to turn around anywhere in that zone for easy movement in the space.

My third slide shows the finishes of the kitchen as well as how they will be used in the space. The white and gold leather chairs will be placed at the island and the white tile will be used as the backsplash. The white marble countertop contrasts with the cabinetry and oil rubbed bronze hardware of the single levered faucet and pulls. The matte white appliances coordinate well with the tiling and lighten the kitchen. The fridge and oven are French door styled to be the most functional to the users. The countertops for the kitchen are at different heights to accommodate the grandmother who uses a wheelchair and the grandfather who is tall. There is a sink at each height and the lower sink has knee space and covered plumbing. Beside the fridge there is a 3-foot work zone for a wheelchaired person to pull up close to. The toe kicks are 9 inches throughout the duplex and in the kitchen and match the cabinetry.

The fourth slide shows the wall paper and paint for the ceiling. The baseboards will match the wood flooring. The sofa which will be made in the blue textile with blue and white patterned pillows. The dining chairs will be dark wood to match the table and display cabinet and upholstered in a blue green textile. The sconces will be on the walls in the living space and entry and the pendant will hang above the dining table.

The fifth slide shows finishes I plan to incorporate into the Master suite. The bathroom ceiling is a cream paired with taupe walls and the flooring will be a darker bronze brown. The shower tile is a white blossom pattern and the sink and countertop coordinate in a blush undertone. The bronze grab bar works well with the paint. In the bedroom there will be white nightstands and a bed in a patterned upholstery.

My last slide focuses on finishes for the young couple’s side of the duplex. The finishes of the kitchen are the same as the grandparents to provide a level of familiarity for the grandparents when they visit. The countertop is cherry blossom pink with gold to add a hint of color into the space and cater more to Jennifer’s taste. I wanted to include more colors elsewhere in their home, so I picked a muted purple paint for the bathroom which complements well with the floral sink and black countertop. There also will be a large mirror in the living room. Connor will be receiving a custom-made bed featuring a full bed with a desk at the foot and dresser to the left (which could be move to the right side if desired. It is sized to fit Connor for a number of years so that he will get plenty of use out of it.

The following pictures are close-ups of the images from the boards.