Everyone loves their pets. I’m a big animal lover myself and I love my clients best pals. My newly hitched clients in Poughkeepsie are a couple with a kitty crew. Their cats love to say hello when I come by. Why does this matter?

As a Remodeling Consultant, it’s important for me to pay attention to the important details of my clients lives. This ensures better design decisions. It also helps me communicate with the Lead Carpenter. The Lead Carpenter will ultimately run the project during construction. Providing the team with specific instructions is crucial. Something small like, “don’t let the cats out,” can avoid issues on the project.

When I first arrived to this home my initial thought was: “Wow, that’s a whole lot of knotty pine paneling!” Although the knotty pine is not their preference, remodeling will be done in pieces over time. The wedding plans and expenses just meant a slower approach. Design choices for the new area should consider the eventual removal of the paneling. They should also help create a transition from space to space in the meantime.

For this project, we planned to open up a hallway and remove a half bath and closet area. The closet currently housed the crew’s kitty litter boxes. It has two doors – one in the project footprint and another in the adjoining dining area. In the newly designed space, we needed to account for the kitty crew’s spot. We also had to patch the opening with the understanding the dining room paneling would remain for now.

We came up with creating a cubby beneath the cabinetry that housed kitty litter boxes. Yet, this only solved half the problem. The clients wanted to close off the new laundry/mudroom when they had guests. That way no one is looking at drying clothes or dirty laundry waiting for washes.

We discussed installing a pocket door, but when the door is closed – the kitty crew still needed access. So, the style of door became a conversation topic for us. Using a solid core door with a flush style bottom would allow us to add a cat door.

The Homeowner’s wanted to change to an exterior Dutch door. They also wanted a screen/storm door. Note the rendering alludes to this idea. The idea was that they’d leave the top open and have laundry air-dry while still being indoors. While the rendering shows a simple pole for hanging laundry, the Homeowners were shopping for a wall-mounted drying rack. Ultimately, they made a custom sized one themselves!

The Homeowners were already using the hallway as a mud area. They were considering using the wall shelving, hooks, and the bench that they currently had in the space.

They loved the idea of a brick floor. We found a brick-look ceramic tile. It is one of my favorites by far.

I absolutely love the tile they chose. The matching grout allows for a subtler look. It allows the variation in the tile to be the star. This flooring looks as if it’s always been there and sets off the cabinetry beautifully.

This project is complete now. We’re excited to come back for final pictures. The Homeowners will finish up final touches such as painting and wallpaper themselves. The kitty crew seems to love the new space as much as my clients which makes everyone super happy.

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