HomePro in The News - The Wall Street Journal
"...We told each designer our total budget..., asked them to plan for more storage space and new floors, and then gave them free reign with the 250-square-foot space. (We didn't disclose our media credentials until each design was completed.) Later, we called in New York City designer and architectural historian Thomas Jayne to critique the plans."
"I'm trying to absorb the character of the house," said Jim Lyon, as he stood in the middle of our kitchen, arms akimbo, looking up at the pressed tin ceiling.
He had been upbeat when we had met him in his office, a welcoming place just outside of Buffalo with a new one-cup coffeemaker and a banner that read "On Time + On Budget + Delighted Client = Success." Mr. Lyon, who studied architecture at Dartmouth and has been in the handyman business for two decades, agreed to take on a job at our old Victorian in spite of the long drive. We showed him photos and measurements, picked out some Shaker-style hickory doors and agreed to meet at our house two weeks later.
He showed up -- on time -- with a digital camera, laptop with design software and a printer. "It'll help me develop the ideas as I go," he said. While initially perplexed at the space limitations, he was the only designer to come up with a key concept: Rather than open up the wall between our kitchen and pantry to create more space, he suggested closing it off completely.
The resulting L-shaped design gave us extra counter space and a corner refrigerator. He also suggested adding a picture window on the south-facing wall, to take advantage of our river views. When we showed Mr. Jayne the plans, the designer said: "It's a model of efficiency, without being claustrophobic."
BOTTOM LINE: ...the design was our favorite.
