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| FABULOUS & FUNCTIONAL CREATING A FAMILY'S DREAM HOME |
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2011 - Volume 2 Issue 2
Casas Bonitas
Feature Home |
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Article: Heather Parra
Photos: Bill Faulkner
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Often when families find that their current home is becoming too small and the style just doesn’t fit their needs or their tastes, they must face the difficult decision of whether to invest money into their home and remodel or to purchase a new home that better fits their needs. For Doctors Keith and Tiffani Johnson, the decision was made easy by the extraordinary location of their home, which is nestled right up in the Franklin Mountains. They would remodel!
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Resources
Interior Designer:
Designs by L.L. Power
& Associates
Lynda Power
915-590-7373
Home Builder/Remodeler:
Comfort Homes
Juan Garcia
915-859-8860
Appliances &
Outdoor Cooking:
Builders Source
Kathy Rose
915-775-1000
Audio-Video:
El Paso Audio & Video
915-346-9118
Cabinetry:
A-1 Kitchens by Sierra
Sergio Villareal
915-566-0095
Counter Tops:
Comaf
Cristian Gandara
915-345-3774
Doors:
Artistic Entryways
& Millwork
Ray Limas
575-589-0281
Fireplaces:
Jack White
Building Specialties
915-855-8630
Flooring:
Mario Lopez
915-630-4002
Furnishings & Accessories:
Designs by L.L. Power
& Associates
915-590-7373
Landscaping & Spa:
Hoover Landscaping
915-838-8083
Lighting & Fans:
El Paso Winnelson
Renee Goldfein
915-778-4706
Stone & Tile:
Emser Tile
915-633-9988
Dal-Tile
915-593-3161
Venetian Wall Surfaces:
Bella Fino
Old World Interiors
Thomas Mendoza
575-649-7187
Window Treatments:
Designs by L.L. Power
& Associates
915-590-7373
Windows:
Window Depot
915-590-0064
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The Johnsons, who have four children, wanted to make some changes to their home that would make it more functional for their family. In addition, the white walls and tile that were in the home when they bought it in 2005, just felt too plain and cold for their tastes. They wanted their home to have a much warmer, richer color palette.
When they finally decided to remodel, they knew exactly who they wanted to hire for the interior design. For years, they had visited the Parade of Homes and every house that was just their style was decorated by the same person: Lynda Power of L.L. Power and Associates. So, they went straight to Lynda who pinpointed their style, which is Old World Tuscan, and helped them find contractors, artisans, furniture, artwork and much more that transformed their home into their vision of what it could be. “I don’t have one favorite thing about the house,” says Tiffani, “but I love the layering with the fabrics and colors – just the richness of it all.”
During the remodel of the 3,763 square foot house which took about five months, no square footage was actually added to the home, but a lot of the space was reallocated to better fit the needs of their family. “We have four kids and so I told the remodel team, ‘wherever you can give us storage, we need it’,’” says Tiffani, who really wanted everything in their home to have a place.
One of the major reallocations of space was in the Johnsons’ master bedroom, which was much larger than they needed it to be, but had very small closets. Their new master bedroom is still spacious, but now has his and hers walk-in closets with plenty of storage space, including built-in shoe racks. They also added storage under the window seats, in a custom-built cabinet for their entertainment center and in an additional storage closet, all in their bedroom.
The large laundry room became a lot more fun with the addition of a little beauty shop, complete with salon sink, where the Johnsons’ three girls get their hair done in the mornings. Another portion of the laundry room was taken in order to add a pantry in the kitchen.
The kitchen also received some updates with a raised ceiling, new cabinets and state-of-the-art appliances. Some pillars that had previously framed in the kitchen were removed and a much larger island was added, thereby really opening up the kitchen into a large, open space. Just off of the kitchen is a cozy informal dining area with bay windows and window seats, which of course, open for storage.
Although all of these changes made a major difference in the house, probably the largest transformation came from the cosmetic changes such as doors, wall finishing, flooring and woodwork. The front exterior of the house was given a more Tuscan look with travertine tiles and the entryway features a grand-arched door that opens to a magnificent view of the backyard pool area.
Inside the home, tile was replaced with hardwood floors throughout the house. The new hardwood flooring was matched to existing hardwood that was originally only in the family room. The special Venetian plaster wall finish was done by Thomas Mendoza at Bella Fino Interiors, and transformed the institutional white walls into a warm canvas for the rest of the house.
Intricate woodwork done by local artisan, Sergio Villarreal, decorates almost every room in the house. “The major transformation came from Sergio and all the woodwork he did,” states Tiffani. The large sliding doors out to the backyard, the mantle, the crown molding, the windows and many other accents all display Villarreal’s quality craftsmanship and add to the cozy atmosphere of the house.
All of these improvements add up to a formal, yet calm and comfortable mood from the moment you walk in the front door. The dark, rich colors are softened and set aglow by all of the natural light that streams in through large picture windows and huge sliding doors that look out onto the backyard from the piano room. These huge sliding doors that retract entirely into the wall are a special feature of the home. When the doors are open, a screen can be lowered to cover the opening and yet, let in the fresh outdoor air.
However, the most breathtaking aspect of these doors is the view on the other side. The outdoor pool area was also revamped and features a fire pit, a pool, a Jacuzzi, three pergolas with an outdoor kitchen, a fireplace, lots of seating and a waterfall, all with the undisturbed backdrop of the mountains. While the Johnsons said that they do some entertaining, that was not the driving factor for the design of the outdoor space. “We wanted the outside to be an extension of the house. Everything we did out here was for the kids,” says Keith, who, along with Hoover’s Landscaping, came up with the vision and the ideas for the space. “I wanted it to be barefoot friendly, so that the kids could go everywhere barefoot.”
The yard, which was once really just a pool, a planter and a lot of gravel, is now outlined by lush green grass and even has play sets for the kids in the side yard. The planter was transformed into a fire pit that makes a stunning image in front of the water of the pool. “I was intrigued by this idea of looking out and seeing fire and water,” says Keith.
The end results of all of the renovations and improvements are above and beyond what the Johnsons imagined when they started out. Though, like any process, there were a couple of bumps along the way, the Johnsons are so happy with the renovations that they plan to do more by adding onto the house with more bedrooms for the kids, a theater room and a playroom. /// |
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