Portfolio

Portfolio

Our projects range in size, budget, and scale from whole houses to screened porches, tiny bathrooms to newly constructed carriage houses. The focus throughout is compatibility with the original character of the existing structure, making sure that the old and new speak a common language.

Lawndale Primary Suite

The owners of this vernacular cottage needed another bedroom and bathroom. We added an addition with a Primary Suite with a reading nook, Office, Laundry and Screened Porch.  

Midcentury Kitchen

This architect designed 1961 split level, had a cramped kitchen that led directly to a carport. We moved the side entrance and opened up the kitchen to the dining room. Custom cabinetry and vintage lighting help the new space blend seamlessly with the old.

Morehead Hill Addition

This early 1900s vernacular cottage had generous public spaces, but lacked laundry, bathrooms and closets. We opened up the center hall and added a screened porch. Two bathrooms with laundry and a walk-through closet give the owners the storage they need. 

Ten Mothers Farm

 A modern farmhouse with a modest footprint, passive solar features, and open floor plan is a first for us – but captures what we love about views, light, and planning for the future under one sweet roof. This two-bedroom, one-bath house has a loft with office and guest space and a plan for an addition when their family grows.

 

Minimal Traditional Addition

This 1940s Minimal Traditional had served its owners for many years, but they needed a little more elbow room. We added a Dining Room that connects to a Primary Suite and Screened Porch. On the basement level, we added a TV room, Art Space, and Music Room. 

9th Street Renovation + Dormer

Originally a c.1900 gable-and-wing cottage, this house got a bungalow dress in the ’20s, then ranchified in the ’50s – time to modernize! Initially the goal was to update the kitchen, bring in more light, and add a bathroom to the second floor. Raising the ceilings to their original 10′ height, bringing in a lot more light, and creating an office on a new landing happened along the way.

Englewood Garage Studio

The existing garage had been partially finished and wasn’t a particularly inspiring space. The new homeowners needed a dual work from home space and storage for their books.  The garage got general repair to the exterior, new lighting, and radiant heating in the floor make it functional and comfortable into the future.​

 

Deck House Kitchen

This deck house had a cramped kitchen and a dining room far away from the living space. We swapped the kitchen and dining room, removing the wall between. Alteration was needed with the big sliding glass doors, but we otherwise worked with the existing windows, ceiling line, and materials to create a beautiful family kitchen/dining area.

Edward Street Renovation

Closed off from the sunshine in the back yard, this vernacular Victorian had been a rental for many years. We reconfigured the kitchen and created a cozy dining area that is also the exclamation point at the end of the long hall. A new primary bath, laundry space, and fantastic color palette bring the light in.

Duke Park Kitchen

 A midcentury ranch with terrible flow and a cramped kitchen had served this couple adequately for years… but with retirement they wanted a place they could really enjoy and entertain. Moving the kitchen and dining room closer to the living space created an easy flow and site lines all the way through the home.

Farmhouse Kitchen + Mud Room

The owners of this Old North Durham home needed to update their kitchen and do some necessary structural repairs. A tiny butler’s pantry and uncomfortable laundry room separated the kitchen from the dining room and cut off the view of the backyard – so we rearranged the spaces and opened the kitchen to the rest of the house.The navy cabinets, handmade tile, and butcher block worktable give the kitchen a vibrant and modern feel. 

Knox Street Screened Porch

While this 1948 brick Cape Cod was remarkably intact, the rear fell flat and was disconnected from its woodsy yard and play spaces. By adding a mudroom and a screen porch, we gave this family function and gathering space. The gabled porch – with detailing matching the home’s original plans – added visual interest and opened up the garden to the playroom via large french doors.

Club Blvd. Restoration

The back of this 1921 Craftsman style four square was clogged with several enclosed porches and an incompatible 1980s addition. We changed roof lines, matched original windows, and added a screen porch to connect the house with the lovely backyard. Inside the scope included a powder room, mudroom, kitchen, master suite, and hall bath. Focusing on timeless finishes and fixtures, the renovated areas feel just right.   

Markham Renovation + Addition

An ungainly master suite and awkward kitchen cut the living spaces off from the beautiful backyard on this 1920s bungalow. Touching every room on the first floor and adding a hangout space with fireplace to the rear, created a home made for entertaining.  

Iredell Attic Conversion + Garage

The owner’s of this brick bungalow wanted to add a master suite in their unfinished attic.  A new stairway was seamlessly tucked into the center hall and two new dormers were added for light and elbow room.  A brand new freestanding garage sits along the alley, complementing the home’s lovely, original architecture.

Kitchen and Master Expansion in Duke Park

A 1970s enclosed porch off the rear of this little house was dingy, drafty, and a junk pile. Capturing that space into the kitchen and master made both rooms open and bright.

Old North Durham Restoration

This bungalow was hiding under aluminum siding and had lost its way. We restored the front porch with period appropriate brackets and a new railing.  A rear addition including a screen porch completes this renovation. 

Iredell Update

A turn-of-the-century cottage with a huge yoga studio on the back, this house had an awkward floor plan and layers of poorly done renovations. Some clever reconfiguration, a new screened porch, and all new finishes and it’s ready for another hundred years. Lots of photos here!

Englewood Kitchen

Sometimes it takes a whole new view to solve the problem – like the dark, tucked away kitchen in this 1950s home. Relocating it to the end of the long living/dining space and repurposing the kitchen into a mudroom made all the difference.

Duke Forest Ranch

A little bit staid ranch, a little bit mid-century modern, this architect-designed home from 1956 needed a little push towards the modern. We designed a screened porch with all the right details and improved the back facade.

Rockwood Kitchen

A terribly dated 1980s kitchen with failing appliances and an odd side door entrance was not doing this 1930s Colonial Revival any favors. A new kitchen plan and mudroom within the existing footprint gave the family all the elbow room they need and color they wanted.

Old West Restoration

This 100-year-old vernacular Victorian needed all the things – and got it! We reopened the center hall, added a screened porch and primary suite, and reconfigured the kitchen with a banquette dining area. The high ceilings, gracious trim, and proportions of the original spaces get to shine again.

Book a Consult

hi.there@fouroverone.com   (919) 339-1411
Office Address: 1235 Berkeley Ave, Durham, NC, 27701
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 355, Durham NC, 27702

All the Little Details

All the Little Details

Too Many Pictures

The important part: four new projects have been added to the Portfolio! Long promised, I know, but well worth it, as a real photographer got into each project and brought out a lovely set of pictures. While getting the overall scope, she also documented so many lovely little details that would overwhelm the galleries – but I can’t resist sharing. After all, it’s the little things that you touch every day that really make a place special.

Book a Consult

hi.there@fouroverone.com   (919) 339-1411
Office Address: 1235 Berkeley Ave, Durham, NC, 27701
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 355, Durham NC, 27702

Happy Clients

Happy Clients

Happy Clients

I popped through an almost-completed project today to get the closing tax credit photos, and had a lovely conversation with the homeowner. Still unpacking into the renovated space, she was already relishing the remodel and addition to their Trinity Park bungalow. Little things that I had campaigned for – like a connection from the back hall through to their hangout space and kitchen – were making sense to her as she inhabited it. Views through the space that I had envisioned on paper were there in reality, and the good folks at Catherine French Design had sourced gorgeous finishes throughout. The homeowners are excited about the last pieces of furniture arriving and getting everything set up, and I can’t wait to share the final photos once it’s ready. In the meantime, I managed one good snap as a preview.

 

Trinity Design/Build contracted this one. I did the space planning, overarching design, and preservation tax credit work. Finally, CFD took care of the fixtures, finishes, and furnishings.

Book a Consult

hi.there@fouroverone.com   (919) 339-1411
Office Address: 1235 Berkeley Ave, Durham, NC, 27701
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 355, Durham NC, 27702

New Year, New Look

New Year, New Look

After seven and a half years of workmanlike service, my old lady of a website was starting to look a little low in the heels. I haven’t had time to think about it properly in at least three (yes, my youngest child is turning three in March, how did you know?), so I needed some outside help. Chelsea Mars just happened to be launching her own business this fall, and the neighborhood network sent me her way. I am exceedingly grateful that she could translate my hand-waving and vague terminology into a lovely, functional website that should be much easier to keep fresh and clean for the next seven years… Must set a reminder to redesign in 2024!

Along with the redesign comes new photos in the portfolio. I have at least three more projects that will be photographed in the coming month or two, and expect to keep up with finished projects moving forward. All the best intentions, over here!

4/1’s project list is moving along like gangbusters, with projects large and small. Current excitements include creating a small guest house out of the 1890s dependency behind the imposing Markham House on Cleveland Street, converting a bungalow attic into a library and office for a pre-WWI memorabilia collector, and bringing some extra mod to a mid-century ranch north of 85.

Book a Consult

hi.there@fouroverone.com   (919) 339-1411
Office Address: 1235 Berkeley Ave, Durham, NC, 27701
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 355, Durham NC, 27702

Where Have You Been?

Where Have You Been?

At 4/1, it’s been just a tad busy. We’ve got a full design slate (including three in Watts-Hillandale, two in Trinity Park, another pair in Old North, one in Duke Forest, one in far-off Hillsborough…), at least a half dozen tax credit projects ongoing, and some big projects afoot in the office.

All too much to make time for posts here. That said, we should have some new portfolio pictures coming this spring – plus new years resolutions to a better website upkeep. In the meantime, know that we’re still plugging along, and happy to help with any preservation or design needs you may have. Just drop us a line!

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Book a Consult

hi.there@fouroverone.com   (919) 339-1411
Office Address: 1235 Berkeley Ave, Durham, NC, 27701
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 355, Durham NC, 27702