The story below is from our January/February 2021 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
A local couple falls in love with a fixer upper and makes it work for their retired lifestyle.
Bob Sowder Photography
Empty nesters Pam and Tom Kirchner were already settled in Roanoke County when a ranch that needed some love went up for sale. “We weren’t really in the market, but looked at it and made an offer the next day,” says Pam. “We knew it needed work, but it had good bones.”
While the brick rancher sat near the end of a quiet street and had a new HVAC and windows, the floor plan was choppy. The Kirchners were used to high ceilings, and the low ceilings made Tom, who stands at 6’2”, feel claustrophobic and cramped. As soon as they moved in, they began searching for a design firm to help them create the open and airy floor plan they craved, and they hired Circle Design of Roanoke to partner with them on the project.
“The house, as it was, was pretty dark and dated and the kitchen was really small,” notes Emily Borg, a designer with Circle who worked with the Kirchners on the renovation. “They had this idea of wanting to vault the ceilings, which is fairly expensive, but they had a budget in mind so we presented them with two options.”
Circle drew up a plan that met all the other needs while hitting the budget the Kirchners wanted but left the ceiling as it was, and a second option that incorporated the vaulted ceiling.
“They really fell in love with the vaulted ceiling layout, and said they’d increase the budget in order to make it happen,” notes Borg.
The result is stunning, and makes the home live larger than its square footage. The ceiling is lined with wood tongue and groove paneling and topped with faux wood beams for texture and warmth. Borg explains that the faux beams were more economical, and because of the distance, appear nearly identical to real wood.
“In pulling the color palette and finishes together, we felt we needed to add some warmth, and the brown beams contrasted with the gray wash paneling plays with that balance of cool and warm tones,” she says.
Other goals of the project included creating a laundry room on the first floor to relocate the laundry from the basement, as well as adding a large kitchen pantry and updating a bathroom with new finishes. A laundry room was created off of the hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms, and a small desk in the laundry serves as a computer station. The bathroom’s dated fixtures and tile were traded for a cleaner aesthetic, and the large pantry added near the eat-in kitchen provides much needed storage.
The reworked kitchen has a more effective layout, and the design choices contribute to the bright and airy feel.
“We have all of our clients create a board on Pinterest or Houzz to get a sense of what they like, and the Kirchners gravitated to a white kitchen so we gave them that, but they also liked blues and greens, so we worked that in with the island,” notes Borg.
The perimeter cabinets are white, and the island is a bluish gray. The semi-custom cabinetry is topped with milky quartz and glass tile backsplash. Burnished brass cabinet pulls and island pendants finish the look in the kitchen, which has an improved work triangle and easy access to both the garage and the back three-season porch, which was existing. The Kirchners often find themselves dining on the porch when the weather suits. Original wood floors in the family room were unearthed from carpet and refinished, and a floating wall serves to separate the kitchen and family room.
On one side is the television, on the other is kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator. The fireplace in the family room was outfitted with a new surround, and white built-in bookcases flanking it show off treasures that the Kirchners have collected over the years. While no traces are left of the messy construction phase, the Kirchners recall it well—they lived in the basement for the duration of it.
“We spent about four months down there,” notes Tom, whose easygoing demeanor matches his wife’s friendliness, and no doubt helped the Kirchners weather the inconvenience.
But the retirees weren’t sitting in the basement—they had plenty to keep them busy. Their son and his family, including two small grandchildren, live in town and the Kirchners help out regularly (the couple’s daughter lives in Nashville). Pam works for Restoration Housing, a nonprofit that renovates and restores historic structures and turns them into affordable rental properties for low-income families. Tom has become involved in the organization as well, and the couple volunteers at Carilion’s Roanoke Memorial Hospital, and at Feeding Southwest Virginia though their church.
“We aren’t the kind to sit around the house,” Tom laughs. However, with their beautiful, functional new space, no one would blame them if they did.
Steal This Style!
Go for large floor tile: The new kitchen floors are 24x24 tiles, which Borg says clients love because the large size reduces grout lines, and therefore grout cleaning. Choose brass: Pulls and light fixtures in a burnished brass tone warm up white cabinets and walls, and are on trend.
Fix the fireplace: If your fireplace is dating your space, update brick with a white wash, or trade an overly ornate surround for a simple mantel.
The story above is from our January/February 2021 issue. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!