88 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {home & design} number of fireplaces from seven to one. Attach the guest house/ pool house to the main home for easy access. Open the guest house kitchen and great room to the poolside. Wine room, workout room, game room, mini theater. The big ask? Alter the disjointed Winchester House-like floor plan, with its small, dark rooms and abrupt turns—and make Throughout the interiors, we paired traditional elements with contemporary concepts, giving this historic home a fresh new start. Ushak rugs provide the ground for modern artisanal pieces, such as the undulating walnut coffee table, sculptural bronze chairs and clean-lined sofas in the living room. “Everybody can go to a different space. No one feels overcrowded.” Noise disperses. Peace. The yards begged equal time. “The former front had changed in the last remodel, and we split the front in half with a stone wall,” Randy explains. “Now it feels more like a back yard.” Major work also entailed moving the garage from one side of the house to the other. Eliminating one of the two driveways “to keep cars and kids as far from each other as possible” allows for safe playtime on the new sport court, lawn area and swings. The makeover process yielded some surprises and challenges like the original unattached brick foundation beneath the living room and tile-floored garage. The everything fit. Randy enlarged rooms without altering more than 50 percent of existing walls, complying with Hillsborough’s building codes. The owners praise the “clever things Randy did that opened up the central spine,” allowing for “the big, light-filled rooms” they wanted. The spacious main floor now optimizes hosting, particularly long-term guests.
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