84 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {home & design} owner’s grand piano. A house renovation may parallel changes in the owners’ lives. Another Half Moon Bay client who recently lost a grown daughter needed to re-envision her new phase of life. Kate’s remodel made those dreams tangible. Capitalizing on the older home’s assets—hand-cut beams, arched doorways and a comfy fireside area—Kate opened up hospitality possibilities by removing a wall and a beam or two, allowing free movement and light into different spaces around the kitchen. To retain the home’s “old castle feeling,” Kate applied a stone veneer around the fireplace, kept the exposed beams, and reimagining spaces katehandel.com even added a wood-covered steel beam, as well as more arched doorways. A bedroom became a bathroom, while an attic space morphed into a cozy bedroom—all to the owner’s delight. “I feel really proud of it,” concludes Kate. By working exclusively in the Half Moon Bay area, Kate also offers clients specialized touches tied to coastal living. Though not every home in Half Moon Bay has ocean view potential, most have ways to step-up natural light. Increasing window size, adding skylights and interior transom windows can elevate a room’s mood on fog-blanketed days. For one client, Kate opened up ocean views by simply relocating windows. Calm-evoking hillside vistas can emerge the same way. Smaller-scale enhancements abound too, such as heated floors and towel bars. In a home designed as a modern beach retreat, Kate captured the seaside vibe by installing shimmering Capiz shell glass in a pocket door, an abalone shell border around a medicine cabinet and dimensional tile to create the image of sand dunes in a shower wall. Change in living space “often starts with a dissatisfaction,” observes Kate. Her own journey emulates her work—a continuing movement toward beauty and fulfillment. “You have to be willing to take risks and imagine new possibilities,” she affirms. “It’s not just about the house.” PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ANDROID GALLUCCI
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