IN West Mifflin Spring 2014 | Page 14

HOME IMPROVEMENT Designer Redo C raig and Michelle Heryford had always admired the 1912 carriage house located three doors down from their former west suburban home. “I’d had my eye on it for years,” Michelle admits. “What’s interesting is that every person who’s lived in it was madly in love with it and did something to renovate it.” Three years after Michelle and her husband, Craig, bought the carriage house in 2008, and embarked on a renovation of the main living space, kitchen and covered patio. “This all started with my frustration with the existing electric cooktop,” Michelle recalls. The project expanded to reimaging the entire kitchen, along with how to integrate it into the rest of the interior and outdoor living space. “It’s a great home but it had a very cramped, outdated kitchen and living space,” explains the designer. The decision was made to gut the kitchen and build a small addition to the rear of the house, allowing us to create a beautiful, functional kitchen that directly opens to an outdoor living room with large floor-to-ceiling windows and doors. Initially, the Heryfords were anxious about the undertaking because they didn’t want the home’s look and feel to be compromised. “The addition had to be modern yet traditional,” Michelle says. “With help from our designer, the renovation seamlessly integrates a contemporary design with the century-old defining character of the home.” 12 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | West Mifflin