Screened by the sliding door, Rosa cozies up with a book in the bedroom, while across the apartment Robert uses the hydraulic kitchen table as a work desk. “We wanted to explore the power of custom design by creating integrated furniture to maximize both efficiency and aesthetics,” says Rosa.
Kitchen and art supplies get tucked away as well.
With space for shoes (the pair don’t wear any in the home), Rollerblading gear, umbrellas, and more, the deep entrance closet helps the couple maintain their minimalist interior. A hanging rod, made by Specialty Lighting, has an integrated light that turns on when the 200-pound door is opened. specialtylighting.com
For easy solutions to complicated hardware problems, the team’s favorite first stop is the Häfele showroom in the Flatiron District. They sourced the rotating rods for the closet there, as well as the Murphy bed components. “But we just like going back and looking for inspiration,” says Rosa. hafele.com
To make the modest space flexible, Robert built a sliding wall with QuietRock soundproofing drywall on the living-room side and rich PureBond walnut-veneer plywood on the bedroom side. When the wall is closed, the bedroom becomes private, and art books and collectibles are revealed on built-in shelves in the living room. quietrock.com
The couple really liked Prologue can lights by Kreon but couldn't afford them. So they bought aluminum sheets, sanded them, and folded them around standard track fixtures for a similar look. The total cost, including the transformer: about $40 per fixture.
An adjustable dining-room table is relatively common in Europe, according to the couple, who ordered their hydraulic legs from Switzerland. They allow for up to four presets, so the Garneaus have one for dining, one for working, and two for cooking, depending on who’s the chef. The table itself was designed by Robert’s firm, Studio Garneau, and has five drawers in it, some big enough to store Robert’s oversize flat artwork. skf.com
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Furniture designer Pat Carson created a plethora of custom fixtures for this guest room, including a riveted aluminum Murphy bed. The best Murphy beds raise and lower easily, often requiring only one hand. This unique wall bed employs a hand-cranked wheel-and-pulley system.
The couple replaced all the windows with solid mahogany windows from Duratherm, a local Maine company.
“We listened carefully to the house, and tried to do what it needed,” Carisa says.
"We made it up as we went along,
“We made it up as we went along,” says Carissa of the down-to-the-studs remodel.
"In the guest bedroom, it really feels like you're on a boat. It's like you're part of nature,
Just inside the home’s entry, steps lead down to a cozy living area.
"We wanted the countertops to be special, so Aaron drew a curve for this corner and our friend John built them,
The dining table was custom built from walnut by furniture maker John Lightfoot Greiner.
A dark green Lacanche range is backed by 18th-century English reproduction tiles hand-painted in Portugal.
The kitchen was completely remade with custom cabinetry and counters. "We weren't really sure what we wanted in the kitchen, so my dad had an idea to build us a kitchen out of cardboard with an island and everything. Aaron and I are visual people so we needed to see it at scale to decide,
New cherry paneling and flooring throughout complements the original Douglas fir exposed beams.
The couple replaced worn cedar siding with a new, weathered cedar siding and had a new front door custom built from walnut by New Hampshire woodworker John Lightfoot Greiner.