My last post featured a virtual walk-through of this whole-house renovation project. If you haven’t taken the tour, please give it a try - I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

This house probably has hundreds of remodeling and decorating ideas, so let’s look more closely at each room. Don’t worry. I’m not going to point out hundreds of ideas. Just some highlights.

For those who would like more detail, I’m making a video about the project. When that’s up, I’ll add a link.

Starting in the Kitchen - here are some Before photos:

You’ll notice these “features” that need corrections;

oddly shaped room
ancient appliances
vinyl floor
an interior window, giving a view of the garage(!)
damaged ceiling from a long-ago water leak on the 2nd floor
very little counter space
not enough cabinets
mostly separated from other rooms

Drumroll, please. Here’s the After:

On this wall alone, we…

removed the wall to the Dining Room
expanded Kitchen into former Dining Room
created a wall of storage and function, including
- floor to ceiling cabinets with pull out shelves
- wall oven
- microwave
- butcher block counter for chopping and baking
- cabinets, cabinets, cabinets
- very jazzy refrigerator
- separate counter area for the coffee pot

But wait, there’s more!

Outfitted the old pantry closet to function as a Mudroom.
Installed automatic light that turns on when Mudroom doors are opened.
New hardwood flooring throughout Kitchen.
Luxury Vinyl Tile in Mudroom area for easy maintenance.
Added floor to ceiling cabinets in former refrigerator location.

Here’s a better picture of the Mudroom.
Super handy space when coming into the house from the garage or the backyard.
I realize I’m playing fast and loose with bullets.

The sink stayed where it was, under a window facing the backyard.

This side of the Kitchen is now mostly a clean-up zone.

Himalayan White granite counters.
- Better price than currently trending quartz and, in this case, much prettier.
New cabinets, including awesome drawer cabinets
New sink, faucet, dishwasher
Undercabinet lighting
Fabulous enlarged subway tile backsplash
Indoor/outdoor rug by the sink; super easy to keep clean, adds a touch of black.
Reminder: the blue wall is where the old stove used to be!

10’ long granite island - this has become the favorite spot in the house!
The Island houses a ton of storage in the dark wood stained cabinets
- including a trash and recycling cabinet
- Prep sink
- Induction cooktop
Custom spice drawer under the cooktop
Pop-up vent
Room for a crowd

Isn’t this an awesome view? Be sure to notice the following:

Purple accent wall (how could you not notice?)
Samsung’s “The Frame” TV? Installed above the heads of those seated at the island so the cook can stand at the cooktop and still read the recipes on her Pinterest boards.
Ruggable blue and white runner - it’s washable!
All that storage.
Pendant LED lighting with a wood finish.

Here’s a close-up of the pop-up vent next to the induction cook-top.
It’s a beauty.

A better look at the island cabinet finish.
- It’s a very warm, dark wash and a great contrast to the white finish on the perimeter cabinets.

The owner’s collection of Royal Cophehangen plates now has a place of honor on the wall.
Worth noting: I designed the pattern, but the homeowner implemented the installation - bravo to her!
Also worth noting: each plate shows a year of importance in the life of her family. So sweet.

Adjustable height, swivel, soft gray barstools make sitting at the island a pleasure.
Heavy base, padded. No one is going to scratch up the new hardwood floors with these.
They took months to arrive but were worth the wait.

This Kitchen won the Wake Home Builder’s Association’s People’s Choice award! First place!
Great team, including Blue Ribbon Residential Construction and the homeowner.

On to the Family Room. It’s long, but not wide. This meant that the basic floor plan had to stay the same, but we still managed to create a much nicer room.

I’m standing in the same spot for both photos.

Taking out the coat closet opened up the whole room.
Track lighting, coat closet, wainscoting, carpet - all gone.
Recessed can lighting added
New furniture is lighter in color
Wall color is much lighter and reflects the light better.
New hardwood flooring

Removed fireplace surround and mantel
Installed reclaimed beam
Painted brick
New fireplace screen
Kept decor above mantel simple and hung new piece of art

Removed heavy entertainment center.
Installed gently refinished and repaired mid-century modern credenza.
Hung new smart TV on the wall on articulating arm.
You can’t see it, but there’s a brand new sliding glass door on that wall.

New sectional in cream performance fabric
The gallery wall above the sectional adds interest and makes everyone smile.

Sidenote: during a pandemic, it’s not easy to schedule installers. Luckily, one of the teenagers in this family is quickly mastering the art of hanging art, mirrors and shelves and he did a fantastic job!

Sourced an interesting vintage mirror from local shop (Stein’s Furniture and Lacquer Studio) - they painted it too! The above photo is the Before.

See the mirror in its new color? It reflects the light from the sliding glass door.
Moved the game table out of the corner, placed it behind sofa to promote more playing of games!

Created reading nook for Mom in what was formerly a dark corner.
Swivel chair - found in the Clearance Room at Bassett Furniture!
Add floor lamp, small table, airy bookshelf.
There’s also a footstool, but I guess it hid from the camera. Some footstools are so shy.

Ordered a custom accent pillow, made with Swedish folk art fabric, from Spoonflower.
This homeowner is a proud Swede. We added a lot of Scandinavian charm throughout the house. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about that topic someday

Right around the corner is the newly renovated Powder Room.

Took the existing Powder Room down to the studs, made structural repairs.
Installed shiplap horizontally on all walls, painted a bright but rich navy blue.
Installed porcelain tile on the floor that mimics encaustic cement tiles in a fabulous pattern.
New maple vanity with Carrera marble countertop.
An antique brass finish is on all fixtures because gold and blue love each other.
Simple white linen cafe curtains to let in light and provide privacy.

This is turning out to be a very long post and I’m never going to finish up if we go through the whole house. Let’s end with the new Dining Room (another very dramatic transformation). I’ll save the 2nd floor for next time.

Here’s the Before:

This was formerly the Living Room.
The homeowner decided that a large Dining Room is much more important to her than a rarely-used Living Room.

Another drumroll please.

Created a semi-formal, very welcoming Dining Room
- A large wool hand-knotted rug was found at a nearby consignement shop.
- Existing host chairs were retained.
- Existing window treatments were reworked (her mom made them and she loves having them in the room).
- Added amazing, huge, custom farm table, made out of wormy maple.
- New dining chairs painted in custom color with fabric seats that pull the wall color to the center of the room.
- Surely you noticed the gorgeous wall color.
- Local resource painted the china cabinet. It’s still big, but it’s not brown anymore.
- Found vintage Broyhill servers and had them painted a pale yellow.
- Hung client’s artwork over servers.
- Installed homeowner’s crystal chandelier over the table.

Above is another angle. When that chandelier lights up at night, the whole room sparkles.
The clock is a beloved family treasure. It looks so happy to be there.

John Thomas Select wood dining chairs in custom color.
Seat fabric celebrates the blue on the walls.

Rail + Stile in Raleigh found and painted the vintage servers that now flank this wall.

Vintage pieces are often on the short side. We kept the eye moving up by placing soup tureens (also vintage) on each.
Hanging art above the servers adds height as well.

One more: