AD100 designer Mandy Cheng and her architect husband, Rory Reynolds, recently renovated their house to feel like a tree house. Read the full article b at Architectural Digest. All pYoshihiro Makino.
The renovation included exposing wood beams and, in general, a mix of complimentary wood species to enhance a forest-like feel.
“We wanted it to feel like a tree house, or like being under the canopy,” Cheng recalls of the renovation, which began a little more than two years ago and unfolded as a fully hands-on process. Early on, the DIY-savvy couple knocked out the wall separating the enclosed kitchen from the living room, then peeled back the ceiling to reveal the gabled roof. Exposed redwood joists are now complemented by white-oak engineered-hardwood floorboards, a wall of ash cabinets, and the pendant of handwoven date branches that anchors the open-plan space. Reflecting on her unconventional mix of different woods, Cheng says, “In nature, all the different trees look very beautiful together.”
A trendy but not new touch to the home that Cheng brought was a limewash paint technique, not too dissimilar to a whitewash you might see in New England. Limewash paint is known for its chalky, nuanced texture that creates a romantic old-world feel. It’s made from crushed limestone that’s fired at very high temperatures, mixed with water, and colored with natural pigments.
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