The Lim Family came to us looking to expand the footprint of their two bedroom, one bath River Park home and get help turning it into a three bedroom, two bath home to better accommodate their young, expanding family. They had purchased the place as a married couple sans kids, so originally two bedrooms was more than enough, but after they'd settled in, they quickly had one little girl and (during our filming process!) they found out another one was on the way.
This project required going outside of the footprint of the existing space, which is a whole different beast when it comes to architectural and engineering requirements versus a remodel that stays within the existing footprint (unless of course you’re opening up lots of interior walls, adding beams, digging new footings, etc). But expanding your exterior footprint also typically increases your property value, therefore if you’re in a growing neighborhood, investing in expansion can be a super smart real estate choice. And in this case, the Lims loved their neighborhood, but just needed a little more wiggle room.
What I love most about the Lims is their desire to live simply. They weren’t looking for grandeur, just a little more space, and a bathroom to call their own. It was really amazing to meet people that wanted to live with less even through a remodel. Yet while they agreed upon their general living style, their design styles were wildly different! Megan loves lots of color - all the colors - and she was inspired by the multitude of eclectic goods she’d seen during their years of traveling internationally. She loved collecting chotchkies from trips and being surrounded by an eclectic mix of colorful memories. This idea of bringing in a little bit from everywhere drew us to ground her design POV in the Greek root word, PAN, meaning “all, every, whole, all inclusive”.
And for Chris, a high school teacher who is constantly barraged by questions and teenage chaos, he wanted his home to be the opposite of a confetti explosion of fun. He was looking for something calm, restorative and was drawn to a more modern Japanese design ethos. Therefore, we tapped into the Japanese philosophy ZEN, leaning into principles of balance, simplicity and a deeply rooted connection to nature.
For this PAN ZEN concept, we intertwined Zen’s austerity with a mix of globally inspired colors, textures and patterns. We used a range of raw wood tones, clean lines and a neutral palette infused with warmer elements through pops of bold color, a collection of textiles, and a diverse gathering of furnishings. The design approach was rooted in functional, well-built pieces that ground the home in a sense of place, while layered elements like art and decor gave way to a home that can perpetually evolve over time.
We focused on transforming four main spaces for the Lims, 1) their new ensuite as an expansion outside the existing footprint; 2) a living room refresh; 3) a creative kitchen upgrade on a small budget; and 4) turning their old bedroom into a nursery for their new baby girl.
