Creation of a New Main Entrance, Dining Room, and Wine Cellar

Central Madison Park Residence 2
To soften the new exterior entry, we introduced a trellis similar in form to one we built in an earlier remodel we did on the far-west side of the house. The walkway from the street to the front door was replaced, with new landscaping designed around it.

What the Client Asked For

  • Create a well defined and weather-protected main entrance and new entry vestibule with functional storage space and mail reception.
  • Expand the existing dining room to accommodate comfortably 14 to 16 people sitting at one table.
  • Add a temperature-controlled wine cellar to store and display an extensive collection.
Central Madison Park Residence 2
The original facade: the front doorway lacked roof protection, and inside there was no dedicated entry foyer. As you stepped in, you looked right at the dining room, living room, and stairway. Other legacy elements needing upgrade were an undersized closet and an improvised mail slot.

Solutions

  • Extended the existing dining room 10 feet from the existing facade of the house and added a new entry vestibule alongside it.
  • Designed recessed spaces on either side of the dining room, with built-in sideboard cabinets, to maximize the room surface, provide the storage and counters necessary for large dining events, and free up kitchen storage. Counters are illuminated with low-voltage lighting. The west sideboard is tucked into an art display niche. The east unit fits into a bay window. This placement allows both the room and table to be wider, so dining guests are not cramped either accessing the table or sitting. To keep the room bright and open, we added new windows — including the bay window — in a style that matched the character of the house.
  • Outfitted the new entry vestibule with a large, double-door coat closet, an art wall with dedicated low-voltage display lights, and a mail slot with easy access that catches mail in a tray rather than letting it fall to the floor.
  • Blended the new exterior elements into the existing house so you would not suspect it had been remodeled. To do this we removed an upper floor window in a closet and modified the dormer window directly above the new dining-room roof. We also matched the existing siding with specifically milled boards and extended the heavy-shingle style roof.
  • Designed a wine cellar to fit in new basement space created under the dining room and vestibule expansion. The previous wine room was a closet with poor air ventilation, limited, hard-to-access storage, and no display amenities. The new cellar features wine racks for up to 900 bottles, with storage for additional cases along the walls under display shelving. It is specifically built to store wine safely, with insulation, a vapor barrier, and a dedicated air-temperature control system. Lighting is from low-voltage tracks.

 

Central Madison Park Residence 2
View of the expanded dining room, showing how the recessed sideboard cabinets free up the available space. The electrical plan expanded lighting for the table from one to two chandeliers, with provisions for recessed illumination. One chandelier was original to the house, the other is a custom-made copy. The additional low-voltage down lights along the centerline highlight the table while the chandeliers provide ambient and mood lighting.
Central Madison Park Residence 2
This space-efficient and functional wine cellar has room for the owner to display and catalogue his wine. Access is creatively hidden in plain sight as the door to one of two hall closets added in an earlier remodel. You open a closet door on one side to enter the cellar. The other door is still to a closet. The owner liked the idea of concealing the wine room from guests, as it is adjacent to a recreation room with a pool table and large screen TV.