First, the finish of the cabinets “was very discolored and very orange,” the homeowner says. Second, the split-level island didn’t feel functional. Credit: Myriam Provost Credit: Myriam Provost Third, ...

Designers next introduced the “split foyer,” which directs traffic up and down from a locale between two floors—giving equal value to kitchen and bedrooms above and family recreation and laundry below ...

Tastes can change; So, too, can an owner’s requirements of their home. In the early 1960s, for instance, no floor plan concept seemed better suited to the demands of modern life than the ...