Designing Interior Flow

Focusing on improving the interior flow, designer Lisa Griffiths in collaboration with Bauer Construction transformed the living space of this Historic Doylestown Farmhouse

By Beth Buxbaum

Expanded and updated several times throughout its history, this historic Doylestown stone farmhouse, c. 1854, has new owners and a new look. Purchasing this property in 2021, the newest owners wanted a refresh. As former clients of Lisa Griffiths, of La Bella Casa Interior Designs, they enlisted

Lisa’s expertise to orchestrate this muchneeded transformation.

This centuries-old farmhouse’s interior style is a mix of personal tastes and design eras representing its many years and owners. In the 1930s-40s an expansion took place adding the dining room and then in the 1970 a new kitchen was designed. Embellished over the years with an array of finishes including vintage pumpkin pine, heart pine, and oak wide board floors, the original architectural features are still intact with three fireplaces, deep sill windows, two staircases and generous room sizes on all three living levels. While working with the existing footprint and architectural elements as much as possible, Lisa mapped out her plan to focus on improving the interior flow.

In collaboration with Chris Bauer, of Bauer Construction, the renovation began with the first floor living space. “Our goal was to transform the interior flow of the house and update the aesthetics,” adds

Lisa. Very little was altered from the previous owners who lived in the farmhouse since the 1970s. “The interior was very retro,” Lisa describes, “reflecting a ’60s-’70s aesthetic, especially the bathrooms and kitchen.” Keeping much of the footprint as is when they moved in, the new owners were ready to update their interior living space.

First floor projects involved the kitchen, dining room and great room. “We focused on creating a more open and airy flow,” Lisa adds. For better usage of space and updating, they re-configured and re-defined these rooms. “We opted to use a neutral light paint color throughout the entire home to provide a bright open feel. We also redid all the lighting and utilized accents to bring in color and texture to the spaces,” Lisa explains. Wasted space and obstructed flow were the challenges in redefining the kitchen. Lisa describes how the room was heavy and dated with sage green cabinets, a dark wood encased center island and a dark wood hutch. “We cleared out all the outdated structures, like a bank of cabinets, a full wall plate holder and the center island,” Lisa adds. She describes that this ’70s kitchen was very bulky, with dated accents and color tones.

Opposite, in the dining room, an espresso patina ceiling tile was installed to add color and texture, infusing this space with hues of a bluish, green tint. A custom double settee in the corner was added to accommodate more seating around the table. Along the left wall is an all wood wine cabinet. Above, a tiny mudroom was designed in the rear entry to house the litter boxes and provide for outdoor foot traffic. Bottom, this entry into the front foyer, den and office was refreshed with new sconces and a wood and metal table with a circular mirror above, to add interest to the space.

In a cozy corner surrounded by windows they added a custom banquette. “We installed this banquette to maximize seating and maintain clearance around table,” she continues. Along a back wall they tore out a full wall plate holder and added a few shelves. To provide more storage space, a custom cabinet was installed in another corner of the room. The owners had a smaller movable island from their previous home that they added to this space. For a brighter tone in the room, the cabinetry was painted light blue, the owner’s favorite color. New countertops are gray-toned quartz and a new white backsplash has specs of gray and brown tones. “We removed the stainless steel sink and hardware and added a copper sink and copper oven hood,” Lisa continues. All the new design elements now brightened and enhanced the space.

Opposite, in a cozy kitchen corner a custom banquette was installed to maximize seating and maintain clearance around table. Bottom, a custom cabinet, finished in light blue, was installed in one kitchen corner for more storage.

For the kitchen rear entry, they reconfigured this area by removing the existing closet doors and installing a custom built-in to create a tiny mudroom. This transformed the entry to accommodate the foot traffic from the barn and grounds and also created a place for the owner’s two cats litter boxes. From the mud room entry, the floor plan moves into the great room. In this rambling space, with low ceilings, faux wood beams were added to break up the expansive ceiling. “In this room there was a lot of wasted space,” Lisa adds, “and I wanted to re-center the area to create a comfortable gathering spot.” To do this they refreshed a wall that housed the large screen TV. This wall had banks of wall shelves and bottom cabinets. With the 10” thick walls it was a challenge to dig through to remove the old shelving and wiring. “We discovered the original front door that was acting as the back for the existing recessed shelves,” Chris explains. We refinished it and now it serves as a barn slider for entry to the main bathroom suite, he adds.” They re-did the shelves, refreshed the bottom cabinets and connected these elements to create the illusion that it was one custom unit. At the far end of the great room are the original fireplace and a narrow entry into the front foyer, den and office. In this space Lisa spruced up the entry with new sconces, a wood and metal table and a circular mirror above, to add interest to the space.

Adding interest and a little pop of color was the goal in the dining room. Lisa explains that there is not a lot of wall space in this room to create any accents. One wall is a floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors to the patio. “We installed an espresso patina ceiling tile to add color and texture,” she continues, “infusing this space with hues of a bluish, green tint.” To accommodate the expansiveness of this room, Lisa suggested they add the leaf to the dining table. Once that was done they needed more seating. Lisa added a custom double settee, in a soft blue fabric, to create seating for seven and added another touch of color. Along the left wall is an all wood Liba- tions Locker by Universal Furniture. This wine cabinet provides storage for glasses, wine and alcohol, as well as a credenza top for mixing and serving drinks. With all of these new appointments, the dining room has been transformed for entertaining and gathering.

Top, blue cabinets, gray quartz countertop, bright new backsplash and new center island replaced all the former accents to refresh the kitchen. Opposite bottom, part of the update was to remove the stainless steel sink and hardware and add a copper sink and copper oven hood.

Refurbishing the second floor was the next project. With its 70s décor of floral curtains, dark wood vanity and tiny stall shower, this bathroom was transformed. “The hall bath had a small bath tub with awkward head clearance,” Lisa explains, “so we added a shed dormer and gained 15 sq.ft.” Once removing the old stall shower, this extra space made it possible to install a glass enclosed seamless shower. A new color palette was added with black and white shower and floor tiles and hardware. For the main bathroom, also done in a 70s décor of floral accents, they did a complete renovation. “We ripped out all the original fixtures down to the studs,” Lisa adds, “getting rid of a lavatory closet, linen closet and tub/shower.” They also removed a bank of closets in the hallway leading to the bathroom. “We were able to gain significant square footage to change the floor plan in this space,” Lisa describes. Finishing touches were orchestrated with soft blue -toned cabinetry and display shelves with tile accents in grays and blues. In the main bedroom Lisa added new features. On one wall she replaced two sets of bi-fold closets with a full wall of custom built-ins. On the window wall they added a window seat adding interest and more storage. “We painted the walls and built-ins a dark gray so that the built-ins would recede into the walls,” Lisa adds. An altered color palette and customized storage units resulted in a completely refreshed bedroom.

Infusing the interior rooms with an open flow and more efficient functionality created the desired changes. Adding new color tones and accents were the finishing touches. Now the owners are enjoying their updated living space while embracing their farmhouse’s historic significance.

Lisa Griffiths, founder and principal designer of La Bella Casa Interior Designs, is an award winning, full service designer who has helped clients navigate the design process with ease since 2001. She specializes in residential design with vast experience in home renovation and remodeling. Lisa has a unique understanding of the obstacles her clients face when embarking on a home improvement project. Lisa’s creative mindset enables her to tailor solutions for her clients. For more information, call 215-287-0764 or visit www.labellacasainteriordesigns.com.