OUR WORK
Barn-to-Home Remodel in Dexter, Michigan
A wedding barn with one giant room became a warm, personal home for a family of seven.
THE STORY
What the homeowners wanted, and what we found.
WHAT THEY WANTED
A family of seven had a working barn turned wedding venue and wanted to make it home. They wanted a space that reflected their creativity and travels, with real zones for family life. But one huge great room doesn't work for cooking, dining, living and playing all at once.
WHAT WE FOUND
The main level was one enormous great room, which made sense for weddings but not for a family. The barn also needed better insulation and efficiency to be truly livable. On the lower level, the venue's separate men's and women's bathrooms were still in place.
HOW WE DESIGNED IT
We divided the barn's huge great room into true family zones while keeping the ceilings, chandeliers and scale that made it special.
THE INSPIRATION
Some things you don't touch. The reclaimed wood ceilings, the original chandeliers and the barn's grand scale all stayed. The family's travels filled in the rest, from hand-painted kitchen tile to bold color.
THE PLAN
We added new walls to break the great room into zones for cooking, dining, living and play. Existing support brackets help mark where one zone ends and the next begins. On the lower level, a kid zone has four bedrooms and a family room. We kept the two original venue bathrooms and added showers. The primary suite got its own sauna.
THE OUTCOME
How it turned out
The family of seven cooks, eats, plays and relaxes in spaces made for each. The kids have their own zone downstairs, with four bedrooms and a family room. The parents slip away to a quiet primary suite with a sauna, while the chandeliers and wood ceilings remind everyone of the barn's past.
FINAL PHOTOS
The finished space.
AT A GLANCE
A Former Dexter Wedding Venue Becomes a Family Home
A whole-home barn conversion.
Dexter, Michigan.
Reclaimed wood ceilings, original chandeliers, hand-painted kitchen tile, stacked stone fireplace, lower-level kid zone, primary suite sauna.
THE FLOOR PLANS
What changed, and why.
We divided the barn's huge great room into true family zones while keeping the ceilings, chandeliers and scale that made it special.
BEFORE
AFTER
WHAT MAKES IT WORK
Three details that carry the design.
FEATURE 01
Hand-painted kitchen tile and expressive bathroom surfaces bring the family's travels into the home. Every room tells a bit of their story.
FEATURE 02
A new gas fireplace with cultured stone and a custom mantel creates a gathering spot in the barn's big volume. It gives the family a cozy place to land in a very large room.
FEATURE 03
Orange island cabinets, light bleached cabinets, custom vanities and a family-entry cubby system mix personality with storage. With seven people, everything needs a place, and now it has one.
THE PROJECT
A Former Dexter Wedding Venue Becomes a Family Home
AT A GLANCE
A whole-home barn conversion.
Dexter, Michigan.
Reclaimed wood ceilings, original chandeliers, hand-painted kitchen tile, stacked stone fireplace, lower-level kid zone, primary suite sauna.
THE STORY
A family of seven had a working barn turned wedding venue and wanted to make it home. They wanted a space that reflected their creativity and travels, with real zones for family life. But one huge great room doesn't work for cooking, dining, living and playing all at once.
HOW WE DESIGNED IT
We added new walls to break the great room into zones for cooking, dining, living and play. Existing support brackets help mark where one zone ends and the next begins. On the lower level, a kid zone has four bedrooms and a family room. We kept the two original venue bathrooms and added showers. The primary suite got its own sauna.
