Interior Design Update: 1980s Contemporary Home

 Recognized as a National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), Contractor of the Year (CotY) award-winner.

Our clients, Adam and Britney, are doctors who have completed their residency and were preparing to return to Madison, WI. They came home to where they were raised to settle into their careers and were ready to commit to creating a spectacular home with our help. They purchased a beautiful 1980s contemporary in Madison's Arboretum neighborhood that was in need of an updated interior design. They came to us with an extensive wish list wanting a remodel and complete interior design makeover to bring the home into the 21st century. They envisioned a modern mountain industrial look and feel that brought aesthetic elements of the outdoors inside. Ideally, it would be similar to a Utah mountain home design but more polished than a typical cabin.

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This interior design project was part of a multi-room remodel. It encompassed two and a half bathrooms, opening up the floorplan, a kitchen remodel, and reconfiguring the flow of the space. They also wanted to repurpose two screen porches, including creating a fabulous outdoor living space off the kitchen and updating a rarely used solarium off the master. 

Adding Functionality and Creating Outdoor Living Space

As part of the project, two screened porches were converted into 3-season rooms. The largest, referred to as “the Dining porch, ” is now a real indoor-outdoor living space, connected directly to the kitchen with a 9-foot Andersen Folding Outswing Patio Door. When opened, the spaces are nearly seamless. The second porch, now referred to as the “Conversation porch,” sits off the right-hand side of the house. It is connected to both the front deck and the main living room of the house. The porch boasts cathedral ceilings, and its knee walls provide privacy from the street.

An Interior Design With Nature In Mind

The homeowners asked us to incorporate as many natural materials like wood, stone, and metal, to bring the outdoors into the interior design. Highlights include edge-grain walnut butcherblock countertops from Southside Workshops of Chicago, cedar ceilings, and soapstone in the guest bath. We replaced the fireplace with a high-efficiency Mendota Hearth DVX35 gas unit while keeping the original limestone surround, cedar feature wall, mantle, and bookshelves. The mantle and bookcase were redesigned and stained with a dark Java stain to bring in the black tones used throughout the home design. We also created a beautiful custom art piece using a cherished piece of natural Rainforest Quartzite.

Our client's goal was to update this 1980s contemporary home to improve its functionality and aesthetic appeal. This project's interior design brought the space up to modern living standards. We executed an interior design that successfully brought the natural surroundings of the outdoors into the home in a balanced and thoughtful way.

Award-Winning Project: We are proud to announce that this remodel has won the 2021 NARI Madison CotY award, and the NARI Regional Award, in Residential Interior $250K - $500K. Download the Before-After Case Study PDF.