Hillhouse Chun
Architecture

Each Hillhouse Chun Architecture project focuses on generating a tailored design to meet a family’s specific needs and enhance their unique lifestyle. Each project is approached with sensitivity toward architectural traditions, while integrating modern design and influences to create an enduring product.

Services

Projects

Montclair Neighborhood

Magnolia

Challenge

Originally built in 1896, this was once a two bedroom, one bath cottage on a large lot that was possibly a farm.  The home was added onto in 2000 by a previous owner, and while the addition doubled the size of the home, the second floor addition merely provided a single room with deep uncovered decks surrounding it.  For the current family of five, the two older boys have been sharing a bedroom.  With the children growing older, the family wanted separate bedrooms for all three children, a larger kitchen and comfortable family room, and hopes for a first floor laundry.

Solution

We rotated the kitchen to the north side of the house, taking advantage of beautiful garden views and constant ambient light.  We flipped the stair to the second floor so that that circulation no longer passes through the family room.  Large casement windows, custom millwork cabinetry and a new fireplace surround were also added.  A portion of the boys’ bedroom was converted into the laundry room, with the original bathtub repurposed into a dog bath and soaking sink.  On the second floor we enclosed most of the decks, reinventing a single room into three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a playroom for the children.  The house is spacious and homey, possessing a wonderful vintage character that is still modern.

EXTERIOR

Cheeseman Park Neighborhood

1908 Cheeseman Park Denver Square

Challenge

The owners love the neighborhood they live in and the unique Craftsman details of their home, but wanted their home to better suit their lifestyle and taste.  Our ambition was to minimize encroaching into the back yard in order to preserve their outdoor space, create a large kitchen with combined cooking, dining and entertainment functions, and add a new master bedroom suite.  In addition, our goal was to open up the existing main level and refresh every room, while seeking balance with the original house. We also required approval from the Landmark Preservation Commission for the exterior design, which is no simple task.

Solution

We demolished a rear one-story portion of the house, adding a spacious new kitchen, second floor master suite and a new basement laundry room and bath.  We redesigned the second floor to relocate and add a new bathroom and laundry closet. On the first floor we widened openings between the piano and dining room, and added custom bookshelves to house the owners’ extensive library.  Every room received careful thought for renewal. On the exterior we saved original brick from demolition and used it on the addition. A brick landscape feature original to the home was preserved and incorporated into the overall design.

Before (Exterior)

After (Exterior)

Park Hill Neighborhood 

1905 Denver Square Multi-Story Renovation

Challenge

This project has been a journey between the owners and myself, lasting over seven years.  The initial discussions were launched when the couple’s children were not-yet-born, babies and toddlers.  Along the way, the family’s objectives for their home shifted and altered, with the design coming to fruition recently, just as their oldest child approaches the start of middle school.

The family has a large extended family that visits often, and the couple enjoys entertaining at home.  They live in a three-story Denver Square, located in the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver.  Although sized to accommodate their large family, the house did not function well for them.  It had several inefficient bathrooms, a small kitchen, and an unfinished basement.  The family has hosted live-in childcare, and the master bedroom had been partitioned into two smaller rooms to make room for the added household member.  The couple wanted the house to function better for themselves and their three growing children.

Solution

By moving the existing basement stair to stack below the main stair, we were able to remove a wall to expand the kitchen.  The room adjacent to the new basement stair has been converted from an office into a new mud room and homework/computer zone.  On the second floor, we removed the au pair partition wall, reclaiming the master bedroom for the owners.  We also added a new master bathroom and walk-in closet, and integrated a home office into the master suite.  The children’s bathroom has been updated and reconfigured into a more efficient layout. 

In the basement, we took advantage of a largely un-utilized space by turning the boiler room into a new family/media room, facilitated by replacing and relocating the existing boiler.  A new separate laundry room was designed, along with a new basement bar.  In a future phase, the owners hope to add a guest bedroom and bathroom to the basement.

Before

After

Photos: Muntz Studios

City Park Neighborhood of Denver  

1906 Denver Square Renovation & Restoration

Challenge

This house in the City Park neighborhood of Denver was previously used as a commercial building, with bedrooms having been turned into offices.  Peculiar remodeling efforts had been patched in over the years, with expediency and economy appearing to be the drivers.  The new owner wanted to update and improve the kitchen, and add a powder room on the first floor, while eliminating some of the previous changes made to the house.

Solution

We redesigned the kitchen by eliminating a wedge-shaped powder room occupying one corner, removing a door that accessed the basement, and redesigning an awkward cabinetry layout, all of which contribute to easier circulation and more cabinet and counter space.  A new kitchen island was added, and plumbing lines from the second floor were reworked to regain the original high ceiling height in the kitchen.  We located the new powder room in a closet below the main stair, a space that had been nailed shut for years.  The design, finishes and lighting in the kitchen and powder room were planned with a modern sensibility, as the owner appreciates the European proclivity to juxtapose modern design with traditional structures.

Additional phases of restoration are on the board for this home.

Park Hill Neighborhood 

1915 Denver Square Main Floor and Back Yard Renovation

Challenge

The family of this Park Hill neighborhood home wanted to enlarge and update their kitchen, and improve circulation between the kitchen and dining room. In addition, they wanted more livable outdoor space in their back yard, as they spend much of their time outdoors during the warmer months of the year.

Solution

We relocated the existing powder room to a seldom used portion of the main floor, allowing us to widen the kitchen. A large opening between the kitchen and dining room modernizes the flow between the two rooms, while the addition of a peninsula combines meal preparation, serving and dining functions for the family. The design opens up the house without completely abandoning the idea of separate rooms, a feature that is integral to a home from this era. The kitchen is now a visual focal point for the main floor, where cooking is central to the family’s daily life.

In the backyard, we added a roof covered deck with direct access from the kitchen, which connects to a lower tiered deck, pergola, and cascading steps to the lawn.

This outdoor area provides several locations with varying levels of shade for the family to occupy throughout the day.