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Uptown Georgian

Beirut, Lebanon

shley Botten Design presents an interior renovation that infuses
heritage architecture with modern living. Home to a family
Aof six, the Georgian-style residence was recently expanded to
extend the kitchen and a primary bedroom and ensuite bathroom on
the second floor. The clients wanted to preserve some of the original
details, including elegant crown moulding, Cremone bolts, and
French doors, while adding a new layer of contemporary expression.
With four grown children and two dogs, they also required the house
to be easy to live in and maintain.

The interior places much of its emphasis on the experience of space,
and on an overall earthy scheme consisting of white and brown
marble, grey limestone, raw copper, and the quiet softness of smoked
white oak used on the floors and built-in cabinetry. Abd paid close
attention to blending its own custom furniture designs with new
additions and the clients' existing pieces. In the dining area, the
family's vintage Eero Saarinen tulip chairs are now surrounded by a
complementary oval dining table by Yabu Pushelberg. In the living
room, an abd-designed mantelpiece, made of limestone, echoes the
geometry of the room's traditional door casings and mouldings.

One of the boldest expressions of old meeting new is experienced in
a deep entryway leading from the formal front rooms to the newly
expanded kitchen and adjoining family room. The unique transitional
space is now clad in live copper on all sides, with a slightly protruding
edge providing a minimalist framework.

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