68 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM Once upon a San Carlos corner stood an iconic storybook Tudor. A walk down the garden path to the house’s quaint front door suggested fairy tale perfection. But once inside, its new homeowners found a layout lost in the woods. So they summoned help from Bynn Esmond Designs. Despite her power to envision 3D changes in a flash, Bynn listened to their sad tale. A year spent among quirky angles and low ceilings. Sliding doors only Snow White’s little friends could fit through. Window panes that wobbled in their frames. And the Big Bad Wolf—a brick column smack in the middle of the kitchen, useful only for playing hide-and-seek. {home & design} ABOVE: Interior designer Bynn Esmond. After Bynn asked them their wishes, she and her clients agreed on what to keep: the whimsical hexagonal dormers, two cathedral ceilings and the graceful interior arches. After many idea exchanges, “Just give us a home we can be proud of,” the owners concluded. So Bynn conjured a vision for transformation into a beautiful, livable space. Her magic touch brought the classic home into the 21st century without banishing its original charm. There was one big wish. “They really wanted the living room to be an adult space,” Bynn says. Two walls and a fireplace clad in gray stone darkened the area and rendered it too casual for her entertainment-minded clients. Bynn redesigned the wood-burning fireplace and its toe-stubbing hearth. Replacing
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