BEFORE
+AFTER
BEFORE
TAILORED
TO FIT
By keeping the front façade relatively intact while
placing the more expansive additions in back, architect
Ruard Veltman artfully designed this renovation to
suit both the homeowners and the neighborhood.
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TEXT ROBERT C. MARTIN | PHOTOGRAPHY JEFF HERR
B
eing a good neighbor means more
than just an
occasional wave
to the person
next door or a
friendly chat with the new folks
on the block. It also involves
having a keen understanding of
what defines and characterizes
a community, as well as appreciating the established context of
the structures that comprise it.
After all, anyone can tear down
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a house and start over, but it
takes a certain sensibility to
preserve a home’s given attributes while enhancing other
areas that need improvement.
Through the well-planned
renovation of their Charlotte
residence, Beth and Steve Purdy
proved their neighborly intentions. After living in the house
for a decade, the couple had
clocked in enough time to
develop an astute course of
action. They began by placing
S O U THER N HO ME | JANUARY/F EB RUARY 2017
the project in the capable hands
of architect Ruard Veltman and
interior designer Julia Palen
Wood. “The existing house had a
traditional, red-brick Georgian
appearance that the Purdys
found a bit too formal,” Veltman
explains. “However, in respecting the overall character of the
neighborhood, they didn’t want
to suggest anything that seemed
out of place.” To address these
issues, Veltman and Wood
worked together to maintain
the home’s integrity while subtly
incorporating modern elements
to better suit the family’s daily
routines.
The Purdys also were planning for the long term with this
home makeover. “Beth and
Steve wanted ample room to
finish raising their children,
along with the ability to one day
accommodate grandchildren,”
Veltman explains. “So as the
footprint of the house grew,
we added the majority of the
Above and right: Because the
Purdys’ living room contained an
existing 8-foot ceiling height, Wood
visually enlarged the space by
placing floor-to-ceiling bookcases
on each side of the fireplace. At the
opposite end, an ingeniously built-in
upholstered niche provides plush
seating. Top right: By lowering the
front entry to ground level, Veltman
relocated the stairs that were once
outside and incorporated them
within the foyer. This astute move
creates a graceful gesture of
ascending into the main level of the
house. The fluted, wood-paneled
wall seen alongside the foyer is
actually the back of the upholstered
niche in the living room.
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massing in back to minimize its
impact from the street.”
The design team kept the
front façade to an appropriate,
recognizable scale by leaving
the existing windows in place.
The main change on the front
involved lowering the entry to
the ground level to create an
immediate sense of welcome.
“Before, visitors had to ascend a
set of steps to reach the front
door,” Veltman says. “Now that
the steps have been removed,
guests meet the house face-toface and on friendlier terms.”
The architect also replaced the
solid-paneled front doors with a
more inviting French door that
better reveals the foyer. “We
used the same bluestone pavers
in the foyer and on the exterior
patios to seamlessly connect the
outdoors to the interior spaces,”
adds Veltman. “This material, as
well as the home’s new slate
roofing, copper gutters, and
white painted brick, creates a
Right: Framed by a brick
archway, this fun gathering
alcove located near the bar
area is the life of the party
whenever the owners entertain.
Below: A new side porch
allows the activity of the
adjacent family room to flow
outdoors. Below, right: Accented
with handmade terra-cotta tiles
that have been silver-leafed, the
powder room displays an
unexpected yet soothing touch
of opulence. A floating counter
is wrapped in metallic vinyl.
heightened sense of tactile
awareness and sophistication.”
Inside, the architect maintained the original 8-foot ceiling
heights throughout many of the
existing rooms while varying the
expanse in the new back sector.
To visually enlarge the areas
with lower ceiling heights,
Veltman created open and freeflowing spaces. And to further
blur the line between walls and
ceilings, Wood chose the same
paint color for both. “All of
the walls on the first floor are
BEFORE
Top: The new game room resembles a
bygone ballroom that has been updated for
a growing family. Gracefully arched transoms
above French doors give credence to this
allusion, along with the curved, plastered
ceilings. Above and left: Whereas nondescript before, the landscape now includes
a reflecting pond that ties the extended
dining room and new side porch together.
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Above and right: Veltman cleverly enlarged the dining room by adding a floor-to-ceiling window bay that looks out upon a placid reflecting pond. The
pond, designed by landscape architect Laurie Durden, is on axis with the room and draws the eye outward, expanding the room visually. “In bringing
the window glazing flush with the floor, the transition between the interior and exterior becomes blurred and less defined,” Veltman explains. The bay
also provides an abundance of natural light, a feature that the space was greatly lacking before. Top, right: The serene, all-white kitchen is crowned
with a coffered ceiling, which was achieved by raising the upstairs guest room a couple of steps. A signature feature of the architect’s work is evident
in the scroll-cut backsplash that frames the range. Far right: For everyday meals, the Purdys dine in this intimate setting just off the kitchen. The chairs
are slipcovered in Sunbrella outdoor fabric for easy cleanup.
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“AS THE FOOTPRINT OF THE HOUSE GREW,
WE ADDED THE MAJORITY OF THE MASSING IN
BACK TO MINIMIZE ITS IMPACT FROM THE STREET.”
—RUARD VELTMAN
composed of tongue-and-groove
wooden boards, lending a handcrafted texture and warmth to
the rooms,” she says. With the
exception of using minimal
crown molding in some spaces,
the designer also omitted any
excess trim to enhance the
open theme. Other noteworthy
elements, such as floor-to-ceiling
cabinetry in the dining room
and elsewhere, create a greater
sense of volume and height. In
the original kitchen, however,
the Purdys did desire a taller
space, so Veltman elevated the
upstairs guestroom a couple of
steps to achieve this.
By establishing uninterrupted
transitions between existing and
new spaces—both inside and
out—the design team achieved a
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Above: While monochromatic in its
overall appearance, the calming
master retreat is enlivened by
pops of purple and lavender hues
provided by pillows, throws, and
artwork. Left: This relaxing quality
is also present in the master bath,
which contains an inviting soaking
tub, along with a spacious makeup
vanity. Antique oak flooring
installed in random-plank widths
appropriately grounds the space.
wonderful continuity that is
rarely seen in traditional homes.
“Our goal was that when people
drive by, they would see the
renovation as a thoughtful,
well-conceived solution that
fits the neighborhood,” says
Veltman. And it takes only one
glance from the street to see
that both architect and designer
succeeded.
BEFORE
This page: The additions
to the house can be best
appreciated when viewed
from the backyard. By
masterfully mixing a variety of
paving and other elements,
landscape architect Laurie
Durden was able to pull
everything together into a
collective whole.
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