Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Downsizing From a Big House to a Studio and Deck
A retired Colorado couple seeking a smaller home find their living solution next door
When retirees Jacob and Loretta Meffley decided to downsize, they looked no further than their studio apartment next door. The couple had been living in the attached 2,138-square-foot main house and renting out the apartment. But the Colorado residents desired an easier life and needed a way to fund their senior adventures, which include traveling 50 percent of the year. The solution: They had the apartment remodeled and now rent out the house.
AFTER: The Meffleys worked with Barrett Studio Architects. Leslie McDonald, a communications manager at the firm, credits Nicole Delmage, who at the time was the firm’s project manager, for fulfilling the homeowners’ vision to reconfigure the space as one large room that would include the kitchen, dining and bedroom areas.
The design team moved the sink, refrigerator and microwave to the back wall to free up space for the bed. All the cabinets, appliances and fixtures are new. A stacked washer and dryer stand behind the white door, in a closet that was the kitchen pantry. The closet has 5 feet of additional space for hanging clothing.
“Loretta and Jacob laugh about getting dressed in the kitchen sometimes,” McDonald says.
Refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel; cooktop: Architect series, 30 inches with four-element induction, KitchenAid; hood and microwave combination: Whirlpool; dishwasher: Bosch: cabinets: custom built by Jefferson Builders
The design team moved the sink, refrigerator and microwave to the back wall to free up space for the bed. All the cabinets, appliances and fixtures are new. A stacked washer and dryer stand behind the white door, in a closet that was the kitchen pantry. The closet has 5 feet of additional space for hanging clothing.
“Loretta and Jacob laugh about getting dressed in the kitchen sometimes,” McDonald says.
Refrigerator: Fisher & Paykel; cooktop: Architect series, 30 inches with four-element induction, KitchenAid; hood and microwave combination: Whirlpool; dishwasher: Bosch: cabinets: custom built by Jefferson Builders
The couple opted to have a vanity with a large sink positioned outside of the bathroom. “Loretta can put her makeup on while Jacob uses the bathroom,” McDonald says.
Behind the two beveled-edge mirrors above the vanity are cabinets for storing medicines and toiletries.
To add light and volume, Delmage opened the original 9-foot ceilings to expose the attic trusses. Four skylights were installed, and LED lights were hung along the trusses.
Cabinets: Ikea
Behind the two beveled-edge mirrors above the vanity are cabinets for storing medicines and toiletries.
To add light and volume, Delmage opened the original 9-foot ceilings to expose the attic trusses. Four skylights were installed, and LED lights were hung along the trusses.
Cabinets: Ikea
AFTER: The couple kept the footprint of the bathroom but removed the vanity and added a new toilet and a tub-shower combination.
Teal paint and brightly colored bedding add drama to the sleeping area. Beneath the queen-size bed is a platform with drawers that replaced the couple’s dressers. Built-in shelves surround the walls, adding storage for books and photographs.
Chandelier: Lighting Direct; toilet: Caroma
Teal paint and brightly colored bedding add drama to the sleeping area. Beneath the queen-size bed is a platform with drawers that replaced the couple’s dressers. Built-in shelves surround the walls, adding storage for books and photographs.
Chandelier: Lighting Direct; toilet: Caroma
Expansive French doors make the room feel more connected to the adjacent deck.
Most of the accessories and furnishings were brought over from the main house. The color scheme is neutral, with pops of color in designated areas.
The living area is furnished with a flat-screen TV, a gray sofa, an accent chair and built-ins for storage. “If someone is watching TV alone, he or she will wear wireless headphones so the other person isn’t disturbed,” McDonald says.
A glass-topped dining table with a wooden frame shares space with two orange chairs on a geometric rug over wood flooring.
French doors: inswing with Delta Frost glass, Sierra Pacific Windows; wood flooring: Trail Creek collection in Buckskin, Ernest Hemingway Hardwood Flooring
Most of the accessories and furnishings were brought over from the main house. The color scheme is neutral, with pops of color in designated areas.
The living area is furnished with a flat-screen TV, a gray sofa, an accent chair and built-ins for storage. “If someone is watching TV alone, he or she will wear wireless headphones so the other person isn’t disturbed,” McDonald says.
A glass-topped dining table with a wooden frame shares space with two orange chairs on a geometric rug over wood flooring.
French doors: inswing with Delta Frost glass, Sierra Pacific Windows; wood flooring: Trail Creek collection in Buckskin, Ernest Hemingway Hardwood Flooring
The design team installed a partial wall behind the TV area and next to the kitchen to create an office nook. Bright white cabinets and a lime-colored chair add to the sleekness and airiness of the space. “The owners say that when you are working in the office, you feel like you are alone. There is a sense of privacy because of the wall,” McDonald says.
AFTER: The design team created this 490-square-foot deck off the entrance. Grand orange shade sails, flowering pots and a gas fire pit fit the couple’s modern taste.
“Their remodeled apartment has given the couple the ease and efficiency they wanted,” McDonald says.
Decking: TimberTech
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
“Their remodeled apartment has given the couple the ease and efficiency they wanted,” McDonald says.
Decking: TimberTech
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Jacob Meffley, retired from a career in operations management, and Loretta, a retired sales manager
Location: Prospect New Town in Longmont, Colorado
Size: Studio: 480 square feet (44.5 square meters); outside deck: 490 square feet (45.5 square meters)
Designer: Nicole Delmage of Barrett Studio Architects
BEFORE: Built in 2000, the property sits in Prospect New Town, on the southern edge of Longmont in Boulder County, Colorado. The community, with brightly colored houses, was designed on a former 80-acre tree farm and was the state’s first “New Urbanist” neighborhood, promoting a pedestrian-friendly, close-knit mix of houses, apartments, parks and stores.
But the original apartment, shown here, was cramped, dark and cluttered.