NU'UANU COTTAGE

©2002 Photos by David Franzen

This remodeling project was full of challenges, mainly because the original house had a very simple European charm. When adding an additional 1,500 sf (two car garage and master suite and sitting room) there was great potential to lose all the quaintness that the Owners so greatly enjoyed about the house. In an effort to maintain the charm, we chose to expand the house horizontally in lieu of vertically so to maintain its quaint proportions. The pie shaped lot also created challenges because it limited where the expanded foot print could be located. Through extensive sketching and multiple schemes, a solution was arrived at which truly maintains the qualities of the existing home.

The original parti (plan organization) was basically a center core living space with accessory uses connected on both sides. Because of this simple parti, we were able to change accessory uses and locations to achieve better function for modern day living. The central core was also expanded towards the rear yard to include a well used covered lanai. The biggest change to the original house was the addition of the master suite and sitting room to the North. Nestled in one corner of the pie shape, the new master suite was designed to capture all the amenities and expectations of modern living while maintaining the charm and quaintness of the past. The existing steep pitched roof afforded a great opportunity for an interior vaulted ceiling in the new master bedroom. These spatial improvements make a huge contribution the experiential nature of the home. The concrete floors of the new master suite extension associate to classic island architecture of the past and provide for very cool and comfortable living. The existing kitchen was expanded slightly to gain a bit more space but still maintains the sort of proportions one might expect from the original European style.