One Architect + One Product Designer = Home Renovation
The Project : :
Master Bedroom
Details:
* Paint the walls & ceiling
* Remove the carpet
* Redesign Closet
* Install new pendant & reading lights
The Before shot of the room.
The first step was removing the carpet. It’s amazing how much dirt and grime comes out of 20 year old carpet! We became masters at removing staples and tack strips. All you need is a screwdriver, washcloth, pliers, and a crowbar. (*Tip - lay the washcloth on the floor under your crowbar and / or screwdriver so that you don’t scratch the wood while trying to pry the tack strips up)
Nope, he’s not taking a nap. He’s painting the trim. He just loved having his head that close to the nasty carpet.
We decided to create a chocolate brown feature wall to accentuate the headboard wall. For the rest of the space, we used a light blue paint.
The Reveal : :
For the bedroom design we wanted to create a serene, peaceful space to lay our heads. So, we focused on items that were modern and Asian inspired.
The bed frame, dresser, wall shelf, reading lights, pillows, and curtain panels are from Ikea.
The bird was hand carved and painted by Brian’s father.
(Photo by From-Me-To-You)
My collection of artist necklaces. Check out more detail on them Here.
(Photo by From-Me-To-You)
A little mid century flare…
(Photo by From-Me-To-You)
One Architect + One Product Designer = Home Renovation
The Reveal : :
Bathroom
Before:
After:
(photo by From-Me-To-You)
(photo by From-Me-To-You)
Look Here for the Before Photos and Process
One Architect + One Product Designer = Home Renovation
The Project : :
Bathroom
Details : :
* Paint the ceiling and walls
* Install exhaust fan
* Install new lighting
* Replace toilet
* Replace vanity
* Remove medicine cabinet and install new mirror
* Remove tri-panel mirror and tri-level make-up vanity counter
* Install new mirror and wooden vanity counter
* Install new flooring
* Change the swing of the door
The bathroom was one of our most extensive remodeling projects. The only remaining items were the wall tile, tub, and vanity base. The first step we did was somewhat uncommon, but improved the function and flow of the room tremendously. There is an existing niche in the hallway for the bathroom door. So, it seemed natural to change the swing of the door so that the door swings out into the hallway instead of into the restroom. The hallway flow of traffic was uninterrupted because of the niche and now, the bathroom floor space in front of the sink / vanity area is completely open allowing for both of us to be using the space at the same time without having to worry about getting knocked over by the door.
Before pic of the sink area. The feel of the space was very outdated and generic.
The flooring was peel n’ stick tile. This had to go. Notice a theme to the house with the flesh tone wall color that appears again in this room!
The mirror and make-up vanity were about 30 years out of date. The fastener heads on the mirror had plastic flower embellishments… yikes!
In this area we removed the mirror, counter top and light fixture.
Laying the tile backer.
We rented a wet saw from Home Depot for the day.
Brian laid out all the tiles to create his pattern before installing them.
Time for the tough work.. . climbing into the attic to remove one light fixture, install two smaller ones, and install an exhaust fan.
Unfortunately, this is the area of the roof where the slope terminates so he had to do all this work on his stomach (hence the hard hat).
New light are installed!
The patching and prep work for this wall are done. We decided to modernize the diffusers and light switches (laying on the make-up counter). A small step with a nice impact.
The amount of patching needed was absurd!
Brian installing the new sink and vanity.
Check out the Reveal photos Here!
One Architect + One Designer = Home Renovation
The Project : :
Dining Room
The Details : :
* Paint the ceiling and walls
* Replace the sliding glass door
* Replace the light fixture
The Reveal : :
Dining Room
(Image by FromMeToYou )
(Image by FromMeToYou )
(Image by FromMeToYou )
One Architect + One Designer = Home Renovation
The Reveal : :
Kitchen
(image by From Me To You )
(image by From Me To You )
(image by From Me To You )
(image by From Me To You )
Check out the Before Pics and Process Here
One Architect + One Designer = Home Renovation
The Project : :
Kitchen
Details : :
* Paint Ceiling and Wood Beams
* Paint Walls
* Replace Ceiling Fan
* Remove Upper Cabinet Cornice
* Refinish Mid Century door bell
* Remove the half door leading to the stairs
The kitchen was an interesting project. We had a tight budget for this space so we knew that replacing the cabinets and flooring was out of the question. Instead, we went for simple, inexpensive, aesthetic changes. The first thing to go was the upper cabinet cornice. This was a HUGE eyesore and did not have any context to the style of the home.
Brian was very excited about having to get up on a ladder again to paint the ceiling and beams!
I wouldn’t recommend painting like this. Not the safest of moves, but it got the job done. The insides of the cabinets were a bare wood. So, we painted all of the interiors with a white to match the exterior. This was an easy step to bring the cabinets up to date and begin our time in them with a fresh, clean start.
The ceiling fan was very traditional and lacked in design so we replaced it with a more modern twin fan. This turned the ceiling fan from an eye sore to a feature in the kitchen.
By removing the cornice, the upper cabinet immediately transformed. We were able to achieve the look we wanted while salvaging the cabinet.
We wanted an “appetizing” color for the kitchen - one that would be bright, bold, and complement the color palette for the rest of the house. We chose a sassy green reminiscent of a tasty, tart granny smith apple! The color also pairs well with the bright orange wall in the living room. This was an important aspect because the vantage point from the front door allows you to see both colors at the same time.
Mini Project: : The Mid Century Door Bell Renovation
We didn’t manage to take a “before” photo of our door bell, but the above 1950s / 60s Nutone door bell is spot on to what we had. We loved the retro lines of the door bell, but knew it needed some updating. So, Brian went to work on it. He found a cheap perforated metal tray and cut a rectangular piece to replace the brass mesh. Then, he painted the bell a matte white finish.
It looks fantastic! It became one of our favorite little treasures in the house!
As always, our favorite time in a room reno… adding the artwork. (Artwork above is EVRT Studio)
Check out the After Photos Here
One Architect + One Product Designer = Home Renovation
The Reveal : :
Living Room
This room went through two versions of the design process. Below is the first iteration. In this initial design we opted for more of a reading / sitting room feel. We anchored the room with a large bookshelf, filled with design books, vintage cameras, and various trinket-esque finds. The room was furnished with two chairs: An original Eero Saarinen chair and a danish inspired wooden chair found at a local vintage store. A white, shag rug was placed on the floor. The walls were filled with artwork and the TV wall was a sad little story. Out of a lack-of-other furnishings we filled that wall with more shelving.
Round 2 of the living room design was much more conducive to our needs and design intent. The large bookshelf was removed to allow more flow and floor space in the room. A love seat was added in the mid-century style to soften the room and increase its functionality. The hard-to-keep-clean shag rug was replaced with FLOR carpet tiles, a branch bookshelf was added to the orange, feature wall as a focal point, and an awesome vintage record player was added to the TV wall.
(the below images were taken by fromme-toyou.tumblr.com)
One Architect + One Product Designer = Home Renovation
The Project : :
Living Room
Details : :
* Paint the ceiling, beams, and walls
* Replace the front door
* Furnish and add some design flare
The living room had great potential, but was in need of a vision. The walls were an unappealing “flesh” tone. The exposed vaulted ceiling became the selling point for us in purchasing this home. Because of this, we knew that it needed special attention. Had the wooden beams been left natural, with a stain, we would have kept them as is. Instead they had several coats of paint on them, the latest being an unusual, brown finish with a hint of purple. We knew this had to go.
You can see that the “flesh” tone walls continue into the upper level of the home. The dirty, stained carpeting on the stairs was certainly NOT a great selling point to the house. Luckily for us, beautiful wood floors lay underneath.
It’s amazing what a good scrubbing will do. I don’t think these window sills had been cleaned in 10 years. (Note: this was right before we switched to all “green” cleaners. That particular bottle will not be found in our house again)
We decided to paint both the ceiling and beams a bright white to add height, draw light into the room, and accentuate the vaulted ceiling. Unfortunately, this meant a lot of time spent on a ladder. B spent several days up on a ladder applying four coats of paint to cover the beams!
The walls were to become a beige color. We wanted to separate the ceiling from the walls and allow the bright white trim work to pop from the walls. Going with a neutral beige allowed us to do this. What we didn’t realize was how difficult it would be to select a beige color. In my opinion, it would prove to be the most difficult color selection of our entire house. What we ended up with was a large pile of test cans in our basement. Thank goodness for those small paint tester cans! I would highly recommend this for anyone. The paper paint strips just do not show true to the actual colors. The above image shows a rejected beige. That one was too green. We had others that were too pink.
The ceiling is complete and primer is going on the walls. This image shows off the front door that would be replaced with one that was more visually appealing.
Finally, the perfect beige was selected!
This wall was designed to become the “feature wall”. It was the wall that visually tied together the entire house. It’s the first wall you see when you enter the front door, it extends to the ridge of the roof, and it slices through the entire house. Because of this, we chose to play up the wall by finishing it in a bold orange. The orange could not be too red or too yellow, it had to be just right.
B beginning the finish on the feature wall.
We carried the orange finish up the stairs to the bathroom cove, joining the main level to the upper level.
Finally to the most exciting stage! Adding the artwork! Artwork is a huge part of our lives. Our walls are plastered in it. Having the neutral tone walls for a majority of the Living Room allowed the color to come from the art as opposed to the walls.
We found a few new pieces of furniture to tie the room together and blend our mid century modern style. This danish-esque chair was found at a local thrift store. We never found any labels on it, but we’d love to know where it came from. I ended up re-upholstering the cushion and adding a back pillow.
This foot stool was found at a local antique store for a whopping $10! With its tapered wooden legs, the style fit perfectly.
Ready to see the finished product! The big reveal will be published soon!
One Architect + One Product Designer = Project Home Renovation
The Project : :
1960 mid century modern home, in need of some serious tender loving, care.
Top of our list for buying a home was TREES, TREES, TREES! We had to live in a neighborhood with established trees.
Contemplating what we just got ourselves into…
Check out the dirt and stains on the carpeted stairs!
Dark and dreary screened in porch…
