This project is the transformation of a 28 year old family home to tailor suit to a couple’s new chapter in life, as empty nesters. Instead of downsizing, with more time and space for leisure, we worked with the couple to understand the aspects of their day to day life that gave them joy, and put those to the fore. When we met the couple, Victor was buried in books in the basement, where he spent most of his time while the brightest parts of the house remained formal and underutilized. The couple own an extensive Dominican art collection and are avid readers who love to entertain, so the goal of the design was to allow the couple to enjoy those aspects of her life. The home is lined with custom millwork to display and organize their books and art. We opened the interior of the house, knocking down walls while creating specific zones for Victor and Ingrid to indulge in reading and listening to music, separately and together. These zones are connected by large framed openings that could be shut off with sliding doors for privacy. The couple regularly host large family gatherings and still enjoy their three daughters' weekend visits so the house expands and contracts as they need. A custom designed dining table seats 4-6 people, but extends to seat 14! Like many of ALAO’s projects, the home exemplifies the notion of “maaliwalas”, which is bright, open, with a generous flow of spaces, light and air. A house was transformed into a modern home, with the warmth from tactility and color that took cues from the couple’s tropical art collection.