When David and Karen Passaro retired two years ago, they knew they’d be spending a lot of time at home. Not their home in Coeur d’Alene, though. They had a list to work through. Ten cities, scattered across the U.S. and abroad. A couple of week’s vacation wouldn’t be enough to get the full experience, Dave said. They planned to spend a few months at a time, shopping at markets and cooking local cuisine in their home-base kitchen. Their first stop: Siena, Italy in April.
They thought they had all the time in the world. But as borders locked down last spring amid the pandemic, plans changed. The Passaros looked inward.
“Hunkered down at home, spending so much time here, we got antsy,” David Passaro said. “So since our dreams got squashed, we thought we should probably make things we have here at home the best we can.”
Builder: Aspen Homes
With COVID-19 shutdowns and social distancing keeping people out of restaurants and away from work, school and friends, homebuilders and designers say they’ve seen unprecedented demand for help in making homes more functional, more attractive and simply more comfortable to spend extended time in.
The Passaros said they’d long wanted to tear out the carpet from their bedrooms and living room. They decided to refinish the existing southern white oak floors while they were at it. And the kitchen appliances needed an update, too – Karen hated fingerprint streaks on the stainless-steel fridge.
Next thing they knew, contractors were tearing out the built-in breakfast nook in the kitchen, and David and Karen started drafting plans to expand and enclose their front patio, transforming the space into an outdoor dining room.
The nook will become a coffee station and bar with a plumbed-in espresso machine, allowing the Passaros to clear some kitchen counter space. David had always wanted a commercial oven and cooktop, so they found a full-size GE Monogram range to match their new refrigerator.
“We cook all the time at home anyways, and we love to entertain,” David said. “We’re entertaining much less these days, but I think we’re going to enjoy it quite a bit for ourselves.”
For some, home improvements are satisfying the need for change. Others, however, seek a bigger change – new homes in new locations.
“Typically, I get five calls a week or so from potential clients,” said Shawn Anderson, owner of Coeur d’Alene-based Monarch Custom Homes. “For two months now, I’m inundated with people from Seattle, California, New York to Chicago who want to find a home here. There are lots of reasons, but it’s almost a desperation.”
Anderson said the Inland Northwest has drawn interest from those looking to escape big cities for years, but upticks in COVID-19 cases and related restrictions in those areas have caused her clientele to speed up existing relocation plans.
Many of those recent transplants to North Idaho want to strike a balance between the rustic, outdoorsy style associated with the region and modern aesthetics common in the larger cities they came from, Anderson said.
That means finding a happy medium between spacious, cheerfully sunlit living areas and elements of coziness and warmth, like stone-framed fireplaces and exposed timber trusses. It could mean softening edgy tiles and gleaming, polished surfaces with a big, furry rug, almost a necessity for Idaho’s long, dark winters, Anderson said.
“It’s more about a well-integrated sense of comfort and home, of softness and ease, rather than making a cozy, dark cave,” Anderson said.
New homes are being designed with the intention to share that sense of ease and comfort with the whole family, Anderson said, as more kids stay home from school and grown children and grandparents move home during quarantine. Nearly every home she’s done recently includes spacious living areas with room to snuggle in together as a family, along with a “flex room,” rife with possibilities from a makeshift remote-learning classroom to a home office to an in-law suite.
Jessica Frakes, an interior designer with Aspen Homes, said many of the builder’s more contemporary developments, like Coeur d’Alene Place in the city’s north end, have seen increased demand with the influx of newcomers.
Her custom-home clients have stuck with the basics, opting for farmhouse-style white exteriors, monochrome interiors and plenty of natural wood elements like mantles and posts, Frakes said, aiming to mix rustic charm with contemporary design. But the pandemic has found ways to derail the excitement of moving into a new home on occasion, she added.
Frakes has encountered long delays in receiving the hardwood flooring or luxury appliances hand-picked by clients, as factories shut down and imports get held up in long customs backlogs.
David Passaro ran into many of the same obstacles while planning his dream quarantine kitchen, too, but he found it had a bright side. He and Karen started catering their contractors’ lunch hour, cooking up a storm to provide a gourmet spread shared between the Passaros and the workers. He says he’s not sure if they’ll ever finish the project at this rate, but that’s okay.
They have all the time in the world.
“I think we’re just starved for doing something,” David said. “That act of being together and sharing food is something we missed so badly, so we’ll just take it a day at a time these days.”
Bells & whistles
stave off boredom
Small upgrades here and there can take a 10-year home from a stop on the road to a forever home, said Frakes.
She’s seen custom-home clients opting for little luxuries throughout the home to make more time at home more enjoyable. These quick projects are a great option to scratch that renovation itch, Frakes said.
>>“Start with the flooring,” Frakes suggested. “Then go for countertops and cabinets to match the style you chose.” Natural quartz countertops are rising in popularity as a granite alternative and offer a sleek, modern aesthetic that ties your whole kitchen’s color scheme together, she added. To refresh outdated or faded cabinets, swap out the hardware for a color that matches your appliances.
>>Looking to add some luxury to your everyday kitchen appliances? “Consider your layout and what you use it for most,” she said. “Do you cook and bake for a big family? If you want double ovens, plan the rest of the kitchen around those.” Picking appliances that match in color and design is a great way to create a modern look and feel in your kitchen, though Frakes warns you’ll need to order early to account for long waitlists.
>>Open shelving schemes can help breakup the monotony of a kitchen full of cabinetry and are a very popular choice in contemporary homes right now. Plus, they’re easy to install yourself if you’re too impatient to wait for a contractor. “Don’t go ripping all your cabinets out, though – everyone needs some cabinet space,” Frakes said.
Outdoor spaces get more comfortable
The outdoor living trend has been on the rise for a few years now, but Casey Bryntesen, owner of Ironstone Furniture and Fire in Coeur d’Alene, has seen a rise in demand for heating elements like fire pits, electric heaters and outdoor fireplaces.
Recent clients of Bryntesen’s “start-to-finish” outdoor living company transformed their deck this summer into an outdoor living room by adding a wood-burning fireplace decked out in steel and stone. A cozy couch and crackling fire created the ambiance the homeowners wanted for extended family time at home.
Designer: Eric Hedlund
To enjoy the great outdoors in great style and comfort, Bryntesen offers a few suggestions.
>>Start with your surroundings. The views from your patio or deck will be much more scenic if you’re not distracted by untrimmed trees and overgrown flower beds. “The first thing we did at my house during the shutdown was work with a local landscaper who helped us whip our yard into shape,” Bryntesen said. “Now it looks like a brand-new house, altogether.”
If you’re looking to rip up your yard and start from scratch with a new vision, Bryntesen recommends finding an experienced landscape architect to help you put your plans on paper. “Approach your outdoor living space a lot like you would with any room in your house,” he said.
>> Be patient and create some-thing everlasting. “Don’t see your outdoor living space as a short-term project,” Bryntesen said. A big undertaking like adding a fireplace to your patio can take up to two months to design and build, with additional wait times for furniture that’s often on backorder right now, Bryntesen said. “Elements like this help our clients feel settled and secure at home for a long time to come, and most of them remember the pandemic isn’t a forever thing,” he said. “There will be friends enjoying your barbecue island too before long.”
Family Friendly Flow
With multiple family members home at all once these days, design-ing spaces to maximize flow and comfort in your home can help the days breeze by much more smoothly, said Kim Clinch, an interior designer with Spokane firm 509Design.
Creating designated spaces like home offices and learning areas can help parents and kids both stay on track, while allowing room to feel you’re leaving work behind when you migrate from office to couch at the end of the day.
“Not everybody is used to working from home or ever thought they’d have to homeschool their kids,” Clinch said. “So we have to think, how can we rearrange our lives to make this work best?”
>>Choose your space wisely when assigning a home office or learning nook, Clinch said. Do you need to be far away from your home’s central action to focus, or near the kids to keep them on task? Clinch sees a lot of clients gravitating towards work spaces with bright, sunny windows that mimic a lot of schools and office buildings, letting you see your day go by in real time.
Builder: Rosenberger Homes
>>Once you select the best spot, don’t be afraid to get a little creative – you’ll be spending lots of time in there, so make it your own. Clinch recommended fun-but-functional accents like chalkboard walls and brightly colored turn-in baskets to help kids feel like they’re in a traditional learning environment.
“Wallpaper is making a huge comeback, and that comes with tons of opportunities to do something cute and creative without completely tearing apart the existing space,” she said.
Builder: Architerra
>>If you’re finding your existing living room or kitchen layout to be a little cramped now that everyone’s home together, try rearranging furniture with your family’s ages and needs in mind, Clinch said. Younger kids will want to run and play, so maybe couches and coffee tables can be moved to create a more open floor plan. Older kids may need more space between the TV and furniture for video games. “It’s all about what your family needs,” she said. “We want you to feel like you’re home, to feel livable, comfy, functional.” N
By Riley Haun
Photography By Joel Riner