Open & Inviting

Indoors and out, reimagined layouts and fresh finishes modernize a classic family home in Sandy

Photos by Meagan Larsen

Jake and Leigh Christensen were ready for a refresh. The couple purchased their family home in Sandy largely for the lot: tucked in a secluded cul-de-sac, with proximity to a beautiful creek. While the home sang in location, it lacked functionality. To boost the livability of their interior, the Christensens enlisted architect Annie Schwemmer of Renovation Design Group (RDG), designer Alexis Mecham and the builders at Living Home Construction to transform their 1980’s traditional home into something better suited for their family.

Warm-toned stone, mixed textures, high-contrast trim, and a newly-constructed wraparound porch deliver striking curb appeal to the home’s new exterior. Schwemmer introduced a pitched roofline to emphasize the home’s upper-level asymmetry, and worked with Pella Windows on a custom door designed to maximize light and balance the facade. “We played with the grid of the door to strike the perfect rhythm.”

The makeover focused on three main improvements: maximizing outdoor living spaces, improving the primary suite’s layout and consolidating the kitchen and dining areas to create a better flow across the home’s main level.

In the living room, architect Annie Schwemmer added skylights to draw in natural light and replaced the existing gas fireplace with an expanded electric counterpart—a swap that freed up additional space for the new porch, while supporting the homeowners’ goal of a less gas-reliant home.

Honoring the adage that first impressions are everything, the team began by reimagining the front porch. Beyond cosmetic updates for curb appeal, Schwemmer’s strategy for updating the home’s main facade centered on scale. Where the original towering entryway emphasized verticality, the new design stretches outward—grounded, welcoming and livable. “The super-height entryway is not cozy or inviting,” says Schwemmer. “This feels much more human in scale.”

The updated kitchen layout follows an efficient triangle between work surfaces, while the new flow between entry points allows for easy foot traffic. In the center, an island in Benjamin Moore’s “Peale Green” delivers a cheerful pop of color, echoing the palette of nearby rooms.

Towering columns, red brick and sky-high transom windows gave way to sleek, mountain-modern materials and an inviting wraparound porch—a must-have for the homeowners. “The overhaul of the porch really paid off,” says Leigh Christensen, homeowner. “It makes a much grander impression as you walk up to the house, but still feels approachable.”

On the main level, consolidating the kitchen and dining areas became RDG’s primary focus. What had been three cramped spaces—a kitchen, breakfast nook and formal dining room—were reimagined as one streamlined kitchen workspace, now thoughtfully separated from the dining area by a storage-forward butler’s pantry.

Upstairs, the architects confronted challenging ratios. The existing primary suite featured an oversized bedroom, flanked by an outdated bathroom and nearly nonexistent closet space. “We reworked the layout to create more proportional spaces for the primary suite, and reconfigured the hallway for added privacy,” says Schwemmer. The quarters now include a scaled-down bedroom, a polished bathroom and a generously expanded walk-in closet, outfitted with additional entries for easy access to the laundry room. “Our gigantic bedroom was so unwieldy, we couldn’t even figure out how to use the space well,” says Christensen. “One of my main goals was simply to make that space functional.”

As part of the kitchen reconfiguration, Schwemmer sectioned off a small portion for a butler’s pantry and hidden storage, minimizing visual clutter in the main workspace.

That focus on function extends outdoors. Each of these revamped spaces now comes with a bonus: easy access to outdoor living areas, where RDG flexed its versatility and eye for definition. Off the primary suite, an open-air deck offers 360-degree views of Utah landscapes while below, a covered patio connects to the wrap-around porch, unifying the home’s outdoor flow. A pergola shelters an additional patio off the kitchen, filtering in light while defining a lounge space that previously sat awkwardly against an exposed wall. “This home went from having one mediocre outdoor entertaining space to three well-defined decks,” says Schwemmer.

In the primary bathroom, a cramped layout gives way to an airy, symmetrical design anchored by a large black soaking tub. “The mirrored layout creates balance in the space, and serves as a pathway to the expanded walk-in closet,” Schwemmer explains.

The powder bath and expanded mudroom both received patterned finishes. Starburst tile is by Daltile. Graham & Brown wallcovering is from Peri Gold.

Annie Schwemmer, owner and principal architect of Renovation Design Group (RDG).

By helping the Christensens reimagine their interior and delivering the outdoor living spaces they dreamed of, Schwemmer’s innovative approach allows this family to fully enjoy the location that drew them to this home in the first place.

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