This project was a gut renovation to the entire house, with a focus on connecting the disjointed living spaces and creating additional bedrooms. Surprisingly, the original 4000sf house only had one bedroom! The basement level kitchen had low ceilings making it feel cramped and dark. Being that the clients loved to cook, the kitchen needed a lofty spacious feel with connection to the spaces for entertaining, therefore, it was relocated to the former office space on the main floor. There the ceiling was converted to a cathedral ceiling to match the great room adjacent to it. This was made possible by the use of steel collar ties, which braced the structure laterally in place of the former dropped ceiling. Moving the kitchen and additional living spaces to the main level allowed for the creation of two new bedrooms below. Custom white oak cabinetry was selected for the kitchen, and this material was used throughout the house to create continuity. The walls were painted white and brightened throughout to greatly increase reflectivity for natural daylighting to be projected deeper into the house. The electrical lighting throughout was also improved with the use of high-efficiency LED fixtures.