apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

There are quit a few unemployed interior designers out there looking for work that could help you. I would check craigslist and call a few to see you you feel comfortable with.

if you're going to go with white walls, consider Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. It's currently my favorite white and I've painted my entire condo with it. I agree, use your furniture and accents/art to add color to your space.

Excellent idea for knocking down that wall. That will really open up the space.

if you're not big on dining tables then go for the one you want and then perhaps fill the space with a couple of lounge chairs, the BoConcept couch, side tables, coffee table, and perhaps some ottomans. Sounds like you guys like to have guests over. i'd probably put either 2 club chairs or high back chairs by the bay window with a little table and a lamp and accessories.

Goodluck! Hope we get to see the end result!

I actually think you should keep the wall. Your kitchen/dining room is a good size as it is, and so is your living room, so you don't need to knock them into one to gain space.

It's not the size of the kithen that makes it the heart of the home anyway, it's that it's where the action is. If you do intend to have guests over for dinner then that table you're suggesting isn't going to accommodate very many of them. But adding soft seating is definitely going to eat into the available space for a dining table.

Would you consider redesigning the kitchen instead (although this might be expensive) with say a central island accommodating the cooker and plenty of high stools for your guests to sit on while you cook for them. It would also be a good place for your daughter to sit and help you, or when she's older to do her homework while you prepare dinner. This should leave you enough space for the large dining table too.

I think with kids it is a good idea to have to seperate elements to your main living space, to have a bit of grown-up space, and also to let your daughter, esp when she's older, watch TV or play with her friends in the living room while you have a bit of relative peace nearby in the kitchen.

What a gorgeous home; congrats!

First, I think it's a great idea to knock down the wall. It will make the space feel bigger and be great for you as a family to socialize and when you have friends and family over. Also, I think a lot of people now are looking for the open concept living, so if you decide to sell it later on, it will appeal to a lot of people.

Definitely go with grey over white! A light grey is still neutral and will bring out all that beatiful crown moulding. You might like something like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/lyndarthemerciless/2055348414/ or this http://www.flickr.com/photos/opallime/632939949/
Check out flickr to get an idea of what appeals to you.

How about putting in a cushy banquette along your dining room walls (maybe with removable covers for easy cleaning or leather). Then use the table and have a few different upholstered/leather chairs as well. Put some stools by your peninsula with a comfortable back, so people will pull up a seat and chat .

In your living room, put a sectional close to where the wall currently is. And put a chair for reading by the windows with a small side table. As for furntiure, that's a pretty personal preference as far as style and comfort.

Oh, and please share the "after" pics!

It looks like from the pictures that the living room and dining room are already opened up to eachother pretty well, so I personally don't see the advantage of knocking down that wall. The molding is great on that pass through too! It looks like a beautiful place - good luck and have fun decorating!

i also don't see the advantage of knocking down the all. i like it as is!

I have a little hobby of making floor plans and designs, etc. I've made one of your place. If you'd like me to email it to you, my email is kateespears@gmail.com. I think knocking down the wall is a great idea. I love to be able to cook and see everyone. If it is a load bearing wall, putting in some columns instead of the wall could give you that openness you like. Or you could have open shelving on that wall that allows you to see to the kitchen and dining room. It's a beautiful space and definitely post after pics!

#1 - The Wall.
While tearing it out might seem like a great idea, you will probably have some structural is$$ue$ to deal with - and if it does come out, you'll definitely need to patch and refinish the wood floors, ceiling, mouldings, etc. Do you really want to go through all that trouble and expen$e for something that's not going to add any value to your home?

#2 - The Furnishings
I agree w/ the post above that you probably want a built-in banquette along that great brick wall - but a round table might not be well suited for that. I'd choose a rectangular double-pedestal table instead so that you can pull up 4 more chairs for entertaining - two of them upholstered dining armchairs, and two of them being Chippendale wing chairs that you can pull away and use as a seating area next to the windows with a small round side table, but bring to the table as end chairs when hosting friends for dinner.

For the Living Room, it's all going to depend on what happens to that wall: If it comes out, a sectional would work great - it's back would be where the wall is now and facing the opposite wall where the long-low media wall/credenza should live.

However if that wall stays - I'd urge you to consider instead a matched pair of loveseats centered in the room facing one another across from a rectangular cocktail table or upholstered ottoman all on a 9x12 minimum area rug - these pieces are placed perpendicular to the media wall with a small sofa table behind one and a small desk behind the other to hold table lamps, etc. The bow-window area is where a secondary seating area should be with a couple of lolling chairs on either side of a small round library table with another lamp where you could use your laptop (wireless) or have an intimate dinner for two - and the opposite end of the room should be anchored by full-height wooden bookcases with enclosed cabinets below for toy storage, etc.

Congratulations on your new home - I hope you enjoy it!

I am a big fan of painting rooms white, and using art, rugs and furniture to provide the colour. Guess I've spent too much time in Europe, particularly Scandinavia :)

The best whites I have ever come across are those in the Donald Kaufman Collection -- I urge you to try them out -- buy some paint chips (yes, you have to buy them) and some sample pots... What makes them so special is that they are full-spectrum paints, mixed with as many as 13 different pigments. When the lighting changes, when it goes dim in the evening for example, the colour never gets grey in the way normal paints do, it changes colour instead. And the walls GLOW, they literally glow with light. Magical. (and yes, I have his paints on my own walls).

Normally I would not be for tearing down walls (you lose great hanging space, beautiful baseboards, etc.), but I think in your case, it would look great.

As for sectionals, I am quite partial to Minotti -- they are at a different price level than Bo Concept, but are worth checking out.

I especially like the Minotti ARP 1-2-3 chairs, and think they could be a great way of integrating the living and dining/lounging areas. The arp-2 with arms could be a great dining chair that also passes as an occasional chair, and the lounge chair in the living area with your sectional. Upholstered chairs are great for this sort of versatility.

http://www.minotti.com/eng/prodotti.asp?IDLineaProdotto=2

I love the idea of using a sofa or bench with a dining table to make it "not just for dining". The table you chose from Room & Board is been "inspired" by the work of Matthew Hilton, who has some beautiful pieces you may be interested in (a sectional with wooden feet!)

http://www.matthewhilton.com/?lid=431#

Another way to make the kitchen/dining space more geared to entertaining is to use fine cabinetry in the kitchen as a means of formalizing it, or "dressing it up". I'm thinking it would be amazing with Hansen kitchen cabinets (sorry for the expensive suggestions! It's that Room & Board table you chose that was the jumping-off point).

http://www.hansenkitchen.com/

Keep the wall!!!! You will totally regret knocking it down--the space will feel much smaller and much blander. The wall offers a good demarcation between areas, makes the space feel much bigger than it really is, and has nice original detaisl around the opening. People have this idea that one room is bigger than two, but they are totally wrong. Keep the wall, no question.

I would go white walls in the dining room--white is best with brick. But grey in the living room would be very nice.

I hastily knocked down a wall in our kitchen before we moved in and regret it. In hindsight I lost wall space for much-needed art, and lost the coziness of a dining room. I think its easy to romanticize "open kitchen living", but opening things up can make things cavernous and lose the coziness that dining requires.

Your layout is a bit different so if you opened it up you wouldn't always see the kitchen, and thats better than ours, but I just wanted to chime in from someone who wished they hadn't opened everything up.

An even better idea is to live with it for at least 6 months without knocking the wall down. Nothing lost if you decide to knock it down later. You might decide you like it after putting your furniture in it and your stamp on the place.

Gorgeous house, congrats!!

I know a fantastic contractor - he does great work, has a fantastic eye for detail, and is pretty affordable. He just did some work in my apartment a few months ago, and I've been incredibly happy with it.

I feel weird posting personal information about both myself and others online where they can be screen-scraped, so if you want to email me at duk4-ogqg@spamex.com, I'll give you his contact info.

Agree that you should at least try to live there without knocking the wall down. Having two separate living areas has a lot of advantages, especially with a child. You will appreciate is when one of you wants to do read or watch a film while the other one helps the child with homework, or when a visitor comes that only one of you wants/needs to talk to. Being able to share family life is just as important as being able to get away from it at times. Without a second living space, the only choice is to withdraw to one's bedroom which smacks of "go to your room" punishment.

Hi. Thanks for all the suggestions so far, and I love that so many people suggest keeping the wall. I was hoping to see some good points and counterpoints, and you haven't disappointed so far!

We are definitely leaning towards a gray color for the walls, we just have to find one that works for us, and it seems that grays are rather notoriously difficult to choose. We do like the gray on the wall in the first pic posted above by Tex. We also like the gray used in this apartment, which is "benjamin moore barren plain" I believe:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/house-tour-albertos-compromise-renovated-and-revisited-new-york-004936

Regarding the idea of knocking down the wall, we feel it gives the place a more open feel (literally) and also we have a hard time seeing how we can fit a sectional in the living room in its current state without having the back of one of the sides cutting off most of the doorway. Removing the wall would give us more flexibility in the size of the sectional, as we would no longer have to worry about cutting off the existing doorway. If we knocked down the wall, who ever is sitting on the sectional would also be able just to turn their head to see and talk to someone in the dining room or kitchen, which would be cool. One idea we have been considering is just to knock down the section of the wall farthest from the kitchen (to the right in the photo of the living room). The rational behind this would be that we can have the sectional we want, open up the space a bit, but still have a separation between the kitchen and the living room.

As for the dining table, if only R&B made that table in an extending version... /sigh

"One idea we have been considering is just to knock down the section of the wall farthest from the kitchen (to the right in the photo of the living room). The rational behind this would be that we can have the sectional we want, open up the space a bit, but still have a separation between the kitchen and the living room."

My grandmother did this in her old house: What once was an elegantly centered opening like this into her front hall from her living room became an oddly off-centered opening which actually made furniture arrangement more difficult.

Congratulations on the new home! It looks wonderful!

I would urge you to consider living with the wall "as is" for awhile before you make any decisions. It's so tempting to want everything to be done before you move in, but once you actually live in a space, sometimes your perspective changes. (This happened to me.)

Maybe you should look for a table that extends (as you wish the R&B table did). Or, if you didn't knock out the wall, you could direct the money you would have spent on that to having a custom table built.

As others have said--please post "after" pics!

A new homeowner can have no better friend than Angie's List. It's something like $60/year and worth five times that.

I see contractor recommendations above, but do consider investing in Angie's List just in case!

The floorplan is incorrect, no? It shows a full wall between living and dining room, but the photo shows a pretty wide opening. I'm with the keep-it crowd. Totally open kitchen/living spaces are overrated. I've lived with both, and much prefer a bit of separation (like you have). I also agree with bepsf and would add that removing even part of the wall would affect the elegance of the rounded feature in the living room. Save your dough and spend it on the furniture! Beautiful place, good luck.

One more thing about open concept. Everyone thinks about the kitchen. "When I'm in the kitchen I want to see what's going on." But think about the times when you want to relax and unwind in the living room. The mood really changes when the room is large and open to potentially messy spaces.

Forget to mention why I think it may be good in your case to remove the wall between the dining and living areas -- the bay window ends too ubruptly, and makes the room somewhat off-balance. Although the flat window walls will not be balanced even with the removal of the wall, I think it will feel better-balanced.

You speak of wanting a bench or sofa with your dining table; this could position your table against the far wall, and allow the living area to expand a little into the dining area.

I concur with other posters that a rectangular table would work better in your space than a round one -- here is one that springs to mind:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/tables-dining-occasional/slab-table-by-tom-dixon-015012

(it's available at nova68)


I would caution against partially removing walls though; your space would wind up awkward and disjointed. If you are hesitating about removing the wall, don't remove it.

We removed a wall between our dining and living rooms, and were able to have it done seamlessly; I wouldn't worry about that aspect of it. Strip maple flooring is usually pretty easy to match.

What I would warn you about is that with your kitchen now open to the living room, you have to make the kitchen living-room worthy -- which is why I suggested fine cabinetry -- so that it looks less like a hard-working kitchen, and more elegant. The current kitchen looks very new, and elegant, but also reads like a fairly typical kitchen. Two ideas are: to change the flooring (wood floors with rugs instead of tile) and raising the height of the bar counter so that people cannot see the mess, but can still see in. The latter may make a better separation from the dining area.

Congrats on your Brookline condo - we love ours!

I would live with it for a while before deciding to take the wall out because

1. You already have a kitchen that's open to the dining room
2. You already have a pretty wide opening between the dining room and living room
3. You'll lose out on some wall space for art and/or shelving
4. You could be looking at a lot of expense and should be sure it's the right decision!

And I always try to wait a good while while before deciding to remove an original feature or fixture; once it's gone, it's gone. I'd bet quite a lot of $$ that you used to have a walk-through pantry between your kitchen and dining room before someone renovated that kitchen.

Also, I'd consider what size sectional you really want/need without regard to fit at first - you may find that the size you want would work in your current space. The bigger it is, the less flexibility you have once you own it - for rearranging, adding other pieces, etc., whether you keep the wall or take it down.

Hi --- I live near Brookline and we knocked out a wall in our condo. I am thrilled with the result. Unlike those telling you to wait, I think it's a decision to make BEFORE you actually take up residence, as it is truly major work for a load-bearing wall (which ours was). We could never have lived in the apartment while that work was going on, and it would have been a hassle to move out stuff if we had already moved in. In our case, knocking down the wall expanded a narrow living room, let in a lot more light and created a flow and a sensation of spaciousness that was nonexistent previously. Our place is really great for entertaining with a livingroom open to the dining room and kitchen. We used Essex Restoration (www.essexrestoration.com) and we were satisfied with the job. You can see pics featured on apartment therapy here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/look/look-before-after-in-boston-038805

Congrats on your new home! An architect can help you with options for that wall, letting you know if it's load bearing and if so how to handle it. Try calling Ted Smith http://www.tedsmitharchitect.com - he's in the South End and has done a lot of condo conversions. He's great with opening up spaces. Good luck!

I think I'm with the "Don't Do It!" camp... for the same reasons as already listed. Also I like to scoot my guests (and myself) onto the sofa for post-prandial drinks and not have the messy kitchen waiting to be sorted, in sight.

Love the table... reminds me of the Gueridon Table by Jean Prouve, which I am proud to own.

If you have a kid, doing that kind of (de)construction while in residence is a horrendous nightmare -- but doing it before you move in could make for a disaster. How we move through space is always within context, and without having existed in that context (the condo), you're guessing in the dark about things. I'd recommend living for at least six months with the wall -- preferably a year -- and then plan to do the construction during two, three weeks that you can arrange to live elsewhere. Stay with friends, relatives, something, and get it all done at once IF you decide to do it.

In the meantime, keep the walls white for at least the first month of living there, because half of picking color is knowing the context for that color: how light acts in the space. You'll need to see it at night, at morning, in the afternoon, and then you'll know better whether you can go with a darker gray or need more blue or a warmer creamy-gray.

Same goes for the wall -- it may be that the kitchen space seems dark but after seeing the changing seasons you realize it's not that bad (or worse than you realized). That also gives you time to arrange furniture, rearrange, and realize (or not) that you really do need more interaction between the spaces.

When I moved into my house, there was a wall (with very tiny passthrough) from kitchen to dining room. We knocked out the wall and opened the kitchen up, which gave us room for island and made the kitchen a more definite part of the space. But you know what? I don't mind it most of the time but cripes, sometimes, you just do NOT want to look at the kitchen. There's a reason so for so many hundreds of years the kitchen was closed off -- shut off the smell of yesterday's dinner, the dishes in the sink, the clutter on the countertops, the uncleaned cooktop, all that stuff. Even if you don't have guests, you don't always want to have to see that.

Knocking out walls also (as other folks mentioned) reduces area for artwork, bookshelves-against-wall, and other against-the-wall stuff. Plus, if the wall is load-bearing and you don't have access to the joists above, you're talking a real engineering nightmare if you're going to insist on having the entire span open. Like as not, you'll at least end up with a massive joist stretching the space, rather than a flat ceiling stretch from one room to the next -- and that joist does create a sense of 'separation' which may (or may not) fit your intentions.

However, doing a second opening of 4'-5' down a little ways -- another wide doorway -- is far more feasible and doesn't require the massive reengineering. It can mirror the existing doorway, while allowing the in-between to act as backer for pictures and shelves.

Per my own experience, I'd suggest looking into pocket doors as long as you're ripping the wall up, because then you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can open things up as you like, but if you want to shut off the kitchen sight/smell/sound, you can close the doors. (Or alternately, cut down on main-room sounds, like TV or stereo, by closing the doors.)

Good luck!

Lineal, Inc is a small, young design/build firm that offers consultations like the one you're looking for. Their contact info: info@linealinc.com, 617-997-5316.
Good luck!

Oh, I just lost my comment!!!!!!!!!!

O.K. here's what I'd do. I'd keep the wall. If you are not sure, live with it for a year before you do anything. Removing a wall will cost you, plus you'll have to fix the floor and it won't increase your value. Also, the condo isn't an open concept style so changing the footprint of the condo will make it more disjointed and less what you are looking for.

For the kitchen and dining area, lose the barstools and get some with back on them. Go with a larger rectangular table and put a hanging light fixture over the table. I am thinking something like a glass lantern type (Pottery Barn has some that are nice.) Add a large oriental rug (red or orange) under the table. It will make the space appear more finished and make the windows look less bare. Add three large scale prints on the brick wall (the current one is too small and looks lonely there.) The print in the rug will visually fill up the space.

For the living area, I agree with bepsf. Lose the sectional and instead go with the loveseat or smaller sofas. Use a leather ottoman so you can put your feet up and make sure to get a larger rug. Add the desk and sofa table behind each of them as she suggested. For the bay area, you can add the round library table but use upholstered chairs, in a print fabric (the print fabric can be modern or traditional whatever you like) to visually fill up that space. You'll need that since your rug is under the sofas and there won't be a rug in that space. The one other thing that I would suggest is in the bow window area, where they currently have a bookshelf, is to have a carpenter make a built-in. It should be white and go to the ceiling, maybe with doors on the bottom and open shelving on the top for books or pretties. You can put as much or as little as you like there but adding a built in will make the space seem more intimate.

Good luck! I'd love to see it when you are finished!

Hi Carey, have you considered sliding doors to separate your dining from your living area?

Don't knock down the wall for all the reasons stated above. This is a great floor plan. You have plenty of space in the kitchen-dining area for people to sit and visit with the people doing the cooking. A banquette, table that can folded narrow but opened for larger groups and comfy chairs and ottomans will make this cozy and welcoming.

One thing people often overlook when knocking down kitchen walls is that the whole area becomes one big kitchen. Fine if you don't use your kitchen, but a problem is you do.

Kitchens tend to be hard surfaces for a reason. Kitchen odors will permeate any fabric, including drapes, upholstery, and carpets. Plus, cooks are constantly cleaning a thin film of grease from cabinets, walls, and knick-knacks. Even with the best of ventilation fans,you will get that thin film of grease everywhere. One huge kitchen!

Then there's the whole messy area thing. IT sounds nice on HGTV. But, I've never been able to keep my kitchen neat enough to be on display constantly. And frankly, cooking requires concentration. I don't really want my guests watching me or talking to me when cook.

Keep the kitchen a separate room!

So very helpful to have the floor plan. So smart of you to ask for suggestions. AT is such a great resource. I agree strongly with the suggestion to live there while first.
I assume there really is the large opening between the living and dining areas, right?
You already have an open kitchen: the bar serves as a barrier as well as a gathering place. Comfortable (height adjustable, swivelling and rolling?!) bar stools could be used in the dining area also. Wait wait wait on the table till you have decided on the larger areas.

A banquette in the dining area (against the bricks OR filling the whole window end of the room) could provide a play area for children as well as a lounging area for friends after the kids are in bed. There is a gorgeous one (too posh for me) in the Nov 2008 House Beautiful on p. 100-101. It has two windows behind it, uses two smaller tables and was done because the area was also a passage way, which yours is now in some senses. Another syle of banquette could have storage under the seats (as in drawers or lift up cushions) which would be great for kids stuff.

Ah, my most heartfelt suggestion (besides "wait a while before doing anything!") is to consider removing the end wall of the living room (or part of it), room, making the entry way so much more welcoming as well as more functional.

One more thought: about sectionals. My big leather L-shaped one (which I still love and sleep on most nights) was my first purchase and it rarely seats the 6 people it could seat. While I am not sold on "decorating by formulas", some thought should be given to a conversation area. Figuring out what other seating you want should be a main consideration before buying a sectional: many of them are not "modular" in reality and mine has permanent clamps that show when I separate the two parts. Perhaps a curved (U-shaped?) one would be happy in the bay window area!

Ballard Designs has a modular banquette with many options for storage, upholstry, including your own, and slipcovers

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/shopping/search/searchresultsmain.jsp?fresh=1&searchType=advanced&iMainCat=0&iSubCat=0&attribute14=0&attribute15=0&attribute16=0&RS=1&keyword=coventry&sort=0

Target has modular seating, in brown only, that is inexpensive, has storage and is available in their stores and online (when it is in stock):

http://www.target.com/Modular-Sectional-Sofa/dp/B001NZXXHS/ref=in_de_detail-item-display?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1V30Y0KGTSDEDTNZZ68D&pf_rd_p=441936101&pf_rd_i=B001MXXY6G&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

House Beautiful Nov 2008 banquette with two tables, in front of two windows:

http://www.housebeautiful.com/comfort-modern-twist-1108?kw=ist