Bringing the Past to Life

ORLANDO, FL—
Ask Ron Nowfel, IDS, of Altamonte Springs, FL-based Robb & Stucky Interiors, and design consultant Jessica Iaconis, also of Robb & Stucky, about the Renewed American Home 2007, and they will probably tell you that everything old is new again.

After all, when the pair chose to participate in the project – featured in conjunction with the New American Home 2007 at this year’s International Builders’ Show – they quickly realized that the goal for this historic 1909 model home was not merely renovation, but replication.

“Much of our design had to do with keeping true to the period of the original 1909 house,” Nowfel says. “While it was supposed to be a renovation, we also had to make the historical society happy as well and, believe me, the society watched over every move we made.”

“We wanted to bring everything up to date and use modern-day amenities, but really make sure it could [pass for 1909],” adds Iaconis.

In order to successfully capture their vision, the pair needed to gut the pre-existing 2,462-sq.-ft. model home and fill it with a mixture of high-end lines that would evoke the best of the past and present, while also incorporate Universal Design principles. They also had to ensure that the home was designated as Energy-Star certified.

Working with the two designers were Winter Park, FL-based builder PSG Construction, Inc., and Karen Kassik, CPBD, AIBD, designer/managing partner of Winter Park, FL-based Lucia, Kassik & Monday, Inc., who served as residential designer and architect.

Kassik explains: “Since we gutted the home, we could design anything we wanted. The finished level needed to reflect the character of the home, while it also featured an open kitchen with a lot of workspace and traditional flavor.”

The design team also notes that the New American Home 2007 (which sits next door to the Renewed American Home 2007) is better suited for a couple without children, while the Renewed American Home 2007 is more family based.

To that end, the Renewed America Home features a parent suite on the floor right beside the kitchen, leaving everything open and functional. It also offers Universal Design principals, as someone in a wheelchair could easily use the kitchen.

The home also boasts a wet bar on the basement level, a morning kitchen on the upper level of the home and a kitchenette.
“In the morning kitchen, we wanted to have a place where you can have juice or coffee or popcorn without having to come down the stairs. There’s also a microwave and a refrigerator, a half-drawer dishwasher and a sink in there,” she describes.

She continues: “The third level of the house features a wide gallery, with a kitchenette with cabinets by Merillat, countertops by Silestone, and Whirlpool Corp. and KitchenAid appliances.”

The Whirlpool Corp. dishwasher/drawer was used in all of the accessory kitchen areas of the home as well.

“I am very proud of the overall design of the home,” she says. “When you walk in, there is a 65-foot vista to the back wall of the house, and the main kitchen is part of that. It’s very welcoming. No one would feel like they were closed off in a little space.”

Enduring Tradition

According to the design team, the 369-sq.-ft. main kitchen offers a traditional feel, highlighted by Merillat cabinetry finished in Cabernet and subtle aging-in-place elements.

Kassik explains: “The look we were going for was achieved by creating a full-height wall of cabinets and appliances above the stairwell wall. Along the window wall, we had a whole bank of lower cabinets that flanked the range.”

“The cabinets were Old-World looking and true to the period of of the home,” says Nowfel. “We enhanced the look by using glass on some of the door fronts. We chose clear glass so that the homeowner could easily see through it to the interior contents.”