A Smooth Transition
Transitional is the stylistic word to describe the East Amherst home of interior designer Susie Riessen and her husband, contractor, Rick Woodman. Their home’s fresh space melds contemporary with antiquity and simplicity with intricacy. Below the visuals, there is also a junction of two families and a shared history.
As Riessen and Woodman outgrew their desire to live in oversized homes, Woodman’s childhood home came up for sale. A warren of rooms was stuffed into the 1,500-square-foot, nondescript brick ranch. Originally, the couple planned to flip it but after consideration and a readiness to transition into a smaller footprint, they thought otherwise.
New Design. New Style.
The ceiling elevation was altered to be slanted with skylights bringing levity and visual interest. Eliminating the third bedroom and formal dining room allowed for the creation of a larger, ample master suite. A coffered ceiling in the living room brings it, as Riessen says, “absolutely up to the minute,” while representing a traditional past.
The fireplace’s metamorphosis was achieved by painting over its yellow brick and beefing up the mantle from negligible to stately. The kitchen’s glow up came from kitchen designer, Tom Halloran of Modern Kitchens of Buffalo, who outfitted the room with stainless steel appliances and Smoky Mountain granite in cream, grays, and blacks. The entire home was painted in modern shades of gray contrasting with 7-inch distressed, French oak floors, selectively covered with Turkish rugs.
Then there was the exterior. “It was dull. No character. No interest. I thought, ‘Let’s give it a pretty facelift,’” Riessen says.
Today, the exterior is sharply dressed with black window surrounds, natural stone and charcoal shake shingles. The one pre-existing asset, an ample concrete front porch, is now demarcated with cherry plank siding highlighted by colors in the natural stone. More complement than contrast, luscious yet traditional garden hints to the homeowners’ appreciation of contemporary aesthetics and historic sensibilities.
Today’s History
Riessen and Woodman are passionate art collectors and purchased many pieces from Vern Stein Art & Frame even before they were together, which are included in the décor. Her mom was an antique dealer and Riessen adopted many of her pieces, such as the 200-year-old double plank cherry kitchen table.
This small home has transitioned from obscurity into a balanced blend of the homeowners’ lives; cleverly integrating the history and warmth of centuries-old design fundamentals with contemporary flair. It’s a convergence of the past, bringing them happiness today.