ct house no.3
BEFORE & AFTER: HOUSE 3
The first priority in this foyer was a new floor. I chose a 12x24 dark gray tile with tight, dark grout lines that would melt away, be easy to clean, and coordinate with any decorative style down the road.
The cream woodwork, stair rail and dark front door all needed to be painted white. Instant update! Next, a neutral and timeless wool runner that would be easy to clean. Finally, a bright, geometric wallpaper for the foyer and upstairs hallway to add some personality to the public spaces. You'll never regret a great wallpaper. I found that console at an antique store and bought the painting in Paris from the late artist Claude Schurr who was friends with my grandparents. He was one of a kind. The duck decoy was made by my daughter. Fill your house with things you love that have meaning.
foyer
family room
This room was a classic example of how impactful paint can be. So much dark woodwork was brought up to date with white paint. The same paint transformed the brick wall of the fireplace and the sliding doors in the neighboring sunroom. I chose a blue for the back of the bookshelves and updated the ceiling lights to white cans. I also replaced the speaker fabric above the bookcases with a white version. We reoriented the room towards the fireplace and away from the back of the room by moving the tv to the side wall near the fireplace which also made it visible from the kitchen. Are you seeing the TV/fireplace theme has returned? This TV location was a little unconventional but we couldn't place it on the brick fireplace wall. Be open to alternatives that solve a problem. The changes are not monumental alone but together they make a huge difference.
kitchen
This was a great kitchen but a round table and updated light fixture brought it to present day. I built the window seat and had the custom cushions made with ikat fabric from Bali (my stepmother is Indonesian so she helped me source the real deal which I have loved since I discovered it as a kid during summer trips to visit them in Singapore). We watched the birds from that window seat every morning and my daughter ran a bird feeding experiment for school from that bench.
There was a large open space in the working area of the kitchen which would benefit from an island surface for extra prep and storage so I found that little beauty at IKEA and it worked perfectly. You can make a huge impact with simple, inexpensive updates.