Filed under: misc.
family photos
We’re crunching on a deadline here at Studio Zerbey, but I wanted to drop by to share some family photos that we had taken recently. Now, we have no shortage of photos of Avery (and Bailey, for that matter), but very few of us as a family. I wanted something more than the outstretched-arm iPhone photos, but different from a traditional portrait setting. We worked with Seattle photographer Dorothy Huynh and she was great! (We also took the opportunity to snap a few headshots to use for our Studio Zerbey website and various other things.)
For our outfits, I didn’t want to be all matchy-matchy but there needed to be some cohesiveness. I actually picked out Avery’s shirt first and then Kyle and I chose things that would compliment it.
Classic Bailey. This is what he does when he meets a new person.
We went through a lot of O’s trying to placate a wiggly little girl who was ready for a nap by the end of the session.
Kyle just started wearing glasses and I love them. (Back off ladies…)
In addition to our home, I also wanted an outdoor setting. These were taken at Discovery Park in Seattle. (We took a couple with Bailey, but could only coordinate a dog and baby for so long. No offense, Bails.)
Thank you Dorothy for taking these photos of our family. Now, time to actually print a few to hang in the house! Y’know, eventually.
re-energized by design: the final challenge!
Team Sayer has made it to the final challenge, the kitchen!
The two remaining families had double the money ($1000) for this challenge and also received a complete kitchen suite of energy-efficient appliances from Frigidaire.
At the Sayer’s home, the kitchen is the hub of the main living area, which presented some challenges with storage and how the space should “flow” into the surrounding areas. (Actually, this is something we had to think about early on during the office, dining and laundry challenges, all of which connect directly to the kitchen.) A few other issues and ideas:
+ Take advantage of the under stair space for storage and small appliances.
+ Provide upper storage without large, bulky cabinets.
+ Install a mirror to reflect light and make the space feel bigger.
+ Add better task lighting over the island and swap out the existing bulbs in the recessed can lights for more efficient options.
+ Figure out a way to visually tie the fridge to the rest of the space (there’s a small wing wall in between).
+ Install new base cabinets (especially essential since they repurposed them for the laundry room challenge!).
+ Install new counters at the main wall and add a functional backsplash.
+ Install a new sink and faucet.
+ Create a mobile storage unit between the range and wall.
Now, keep in mind that the two remaining families still only had 10 days to overhaul the most used room in the house. The results:
Scott and Nia brought in new base cabinets and countertop from IKEA and ditched the open shelves to visually de-clutter the space.
Upper storage was added back in the way of recessed shelves that Scott made and the back wall was painted a soft gray.
The never-really-finished stair landing was reworked to provide space for the microwave with storage below. They painted the island to give it a fresh look and DIYed the lighting above with a combination of salvaged theater lights and handmade fixtures.
The wing wall separating the fridge from the rest of the kitchen was trimmed out in steel to match the semi-steampunk aesthetic that Scott introduced in the adjacent rooms. The surface also provides a great spot for a chalkboard wall.
Even without appliances, $1000 is not a lot to work with in a kitchen but I think Scott and Nia did a great job! But what really matters of course is what the judges thought. The final challenge was divided into two webisodes; the first one focused on the design and process of the two kitchens:
And the final webisode reveals WHO WON!
Spoiler alert…keep scrolling…
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Congratulations Sayer family!! Not only did you work really hard and come up with so many great ideas, but you proved that good design can be energy-efficient, affordable and attainable! Now, time to sit back and enjoy your home, your energy savings and that $5,000 prize money!
To learn more about the Re-Energized by Design challenge sponsored by Puget Sound Energy, check out the official website!
Did you miss the previous challenges? Check out the bathroom, office, living room and laundry room posts!
re-energized by design: challenge four!
[Hey guys, Kyle and I have both been travelling and are also in the process of migrating our sites to a new host, so things have been a little slow on the blog front. Stay tuned though for another Studio Zerbey post as well as a few updates around the house. In the meantime, if anything looks wonky or links don't work, let me know!]
Now, are you ready for your weekly dose of re-energization? (Nope, that’s definitely not a word.) The Sayer family made the cut last week, advancing them to the next challenge – the laundry room!
Scott and Nia’s laundry room was really a tiny closet adjacent to a larger space that was being used mostly as a catchall for various items. Here are some of the things we discussed:
+ Stack the washer and dryer to free up space. (As part of this challenge, the family received a new, energy-efficient washer and dryer.)
+ Swap out the solid pocket door for a glass one.
+ Re-use the bathroom sink from the first challenge as a utility sink.
+ Re-use the kitchen cabinets for built-in storage (and cross our fingers that we make it to the final kitchen round!).
+ Replace the existing bulbs in the recessed cans with more efficient versions.
+ Add a counter for folding clothes with storage underneath for laundry and misc. house items.
+ Seal around the existing french doors to reduce any air leakage.
+ Since the space also serves as a mudroom of sorts, provide a place for shoes and coats next to the door.
+ Add a “window” to the opening between the kitchen and laundry area to provide acoustical and visual privacy.
In a mere ten days, they took the space from crazy clutter…
…to this:
Didn’t they do a great job? I think this is my favorite space to date. Did you see the pendant they made over the sink? It’s a salvaged washing machine drum attached to a pendant fixture. And the artwork? A handmade sign with a washer door as the “frame”.
Scott and Nia also painted the laundry “nook” a bright aqua to give it some punch and added tons of storage and surface area by bringing in (and painting) some of their kitchen cabinets and installing a wood top over a steel frame that yep…they found at their local ReStore.
The existing nook was crowded and had barely enough room to actually do laundry. By stacking the new units, there is more elbow room and space for air drying clothes. The added storage in the larger space meant all the clutter could come out of the nook.
The divided lite “window” is a salvaged old window that fit the existing opening almost perfectly. It provides acoustical privacy while still allowing “borrowed” light into the kitchen. Although they can rely on natural light during the day, the existing light bulbs were replaced with efficient CFLs.
These bins? Just another awesome idea that the Sayers came up with. Salvaged? You know it! (Nia just gave them a fresh coat of paint and added the labels.)
Finally, they swapped out the solid pocket door for a salvaged glass door.
Once again, great work Sayer family! If you want to see what the judges thought and who the final two families are, check out the webisode here.
Did you miss the previous challenges? Check out the bathroom, office and living room posts!
reenergized by design: challenge three!
As you saw last week, the Sayer family made it to the third round!
This week’s challenge is the living room. I distinctly remember the Sayer’s submission video because they have a large, overhead glass door right in their living room. This element, plus the fact that the space is part of a larger living/dining/kitchen area meant that we had a few challenges to think through. Here are the ideas we discussed:
+ Come up with a way to minimize heat loss through the overhead door while taking advantage of all the great natural light (unfortunately, budget would not allow a replacement).
+ Rethink the existing overhead lighting and introduce better task lighting that would reduce the need for general lighting.
+ Clear the clutter and create a better transition between living and dining.
+ Finish out the stair landing and create a niche to mount the TV.
One week later, here’s what they came up with!
The S table and reclaimed wood table swapped places. Nia built a chaise out of pallet wood (and upholstered it herself!) to create a sectional out of their existing black sofa. A new rug and curtains were brought in and Scott installed rigid foam insulation over the opaque bottom portion of the overhead door to help mitigate heat loss. Scott also trimmed out the column at the wall to match the one in the office and bring more cohesiveness to the large, open space. Additionally, the inefficient track lighting was removed and the bulbs in the existing recessed lights were swapped out for more energy-efficient versions.
In addition to the chaise, the Sayers built a wing wall to help better define the living and dining zones.
The stair landing now doubles as a TV niche and Scott used scrap pieces of slate to finish it off.
The dining area window was trimmed out and a window seat was constructed (no big deal, right?) as a cozy place to read or to double as extra seating in a pinch.
And there you have it, great work guys!
So, do you think they made the cut this week? Head on over to the Re-Energized by Design website and find out!
Did you miss the previous challenges? Check out the bathroom and office posts!
studio zerbey / animal hospital remodel
It’s been a couple of months since our last Studio Zerbey post, so today we’re sharing another project that is currently in schematic design – a remodel of an existing animal hospital east of Seattle.
A big thanks to Kyle, who is brilliant and created these renderings.
The project is located just south of Bellevue, WA in what was originally a 1950′s home. The house was converted to an animal hospital a number of years ago, but the client requested a series of updates that would reflect their modern sensibility and high-tech inner workings while maintaining a warm and inviting atmosphere. (Also, the zoning code does not allow any changes to the building footprint or massing, significantly informing the design direction.)
Naturally, we brought in a specialized consultant for the job…
(He gets paid in dog treats and belly rubs.)
In general, the exterior needed some functional updates with the added goal of steering it towards a more commercial (professional, yet warm) aesthetic. The composite roof will be replaced with a more durable standing seam metal roof and we’re proposing that the existing aluminum windows be upgraded to a clad wood window (or possibly a more efficient aluminum product). To save on costs, we’re focusing mostly on the two prominent elevations (north and east) and leaving the rear, “back of house” elevations much the same (with the exception of paint and new windows). The existing chimney and fireplace will also be removed during construction.
The brick around the reception area will be removed and replaced with a siding material (shown as 1×4 T&G cedar siding here) with a durable finish. Part of this decision was a function of enlarging the windows in this zone as well as a desire to make the entry and reception area a focal point. On the remainder of the main facade, we’re proposing taking the brick down to the level of the window sill. This creates a more proportional elevation and eliminates the fussiness of attempting to cut and patch bricks where windows are being added or taken away. (We experimented with leaving the brick color as-is and doing a darker siding or panel above, but it was too much darkness up top with the metal roof.)
The north elevation is tricky because it is visible from the street but also contains a service entry (originally a garage door) at the lower level. We’re proposing to paint the existing siding and door in the same dark gray as the brick and also adding a steel plate awning to provide protection from the elements and a visual break between the existing concrete foundation and wood siding above. (We’re also exploring the idea of sandblasting the painted concrete back to its original (raw) color.) The northwest corner was “filled in” during a previous remodel and cladded with a cement board siding. To reduce introducing too many different exterior materials, we’re suggesting that this area be resided with a metal siding to match the roof.
We’re also proposing that the existing roof soffit be replaced with a gray panel product that extends into the reception area, creating a better indoor-outdoor relationship and a lower, more intimate ceiling height over the seating area.
The interior remodel is limited to half of the main floor, including the reception area, lab, two exam rooms, bathroom and office. As shown by the dashed lines, we’re proposing the removal of the old fireplace (which was never used and right in the middle of the space) and a more efficient layout of the other rooms. The animal hospital has made the transition to a paperless business, so space for extensive file systems and storage are no longer needed. The lab serves as a hallway of sorts to access the other spaces, creating an efficient workflow for employees. It’s also the intention of the client that the customers go through this zone to get a glimpse (and appreciate) the inner workings of a small animal hospital.
We’re excited with where the design is headed and can’t wait to share more as things progress.
Now, back to work Bailey!
