Depot Hill Beach House

Man I'm excited to finally get to show you this house! I came in on this project at the beginning of the year when the house had been taken down to the studs. This was a weekend home for the clients, and decisions needed to be made fast. They knew they wanted a beachy vibe, but we wanted to achieve that feeling without adding in cliche items like seashells, sand, oars, or "beach that way" signs. Instead, we created the beachy vibe through materials and texture. So you're gonna see lots of linen, sisal, wood, and soft colors.

First the kitchen-

The cabinets were painted "Heather" by Dunn Edwards which has become one of my favorite colors. You'll look at her in the color deck and think she ain't anything to write home about. In fact, you'll be tempted to totally write her off and say 'ew.'  But turns out when put to use in real life she's a superstar. It's the most beautiful soft gray/green/beige. Give her a test swatch in your home, you won't be disappointed.

To the living room-

This is a tiny little space with not very much distance between the sofa and the media cabinet. But this family loves their sports (Go Dubs!), and we needed versatile pieces to move around for drinks and food, but they couldn't be space hogs. These Roost aged brass tables were perfect....they bring in a bit of history and imperfection (which I love), and can be used in many different configurations.

Dang, this house has good tile in it. There are three bathrooms, and we wanted to keep cohesion between them by using the same floor tile, while also creating three unique and individual spaces. 

Last, but not least, we've got some foxy bedrooms. The upstairs has a loft vibe to it, which was tricky to design because we needed to be able to accommodate 4 sleeping tweens and teens, and between the major slope in the ceiling and the window situation we were super limited on options. Did I mention this is a historical home?? Cool as it sounds, it means there are a ton of restrictions on what you can do with the home. One of the things we could not change was anything on the exterior. So no moving windows, which ultimately meant no cool built-in bunk bed situations happening up here. We landed on two twin beds, and a super cool piece from Article that easily transforms from a day bed to two memory foam mattresses for sleeping. Brilliant.

For the master bedroom, the client wanted to keep the bed frame and dresser since they were pretty much brand spankin' new, so we worked with those itmes and added layered, textured bedding and plants that don't need watering every week. Man, plants are tricky in a vacation home! 

So now you've met my Depot Hill baby. Let me know what ya'll think below!

I have several other projects that I've been working on for months that are right on the verge of wrapping up, and I can't wait to share more afters with you soon!

All pics by Lindsay Brown

BEFORE AND AFTER: The Beezy of Fresh and Eazy

I love before and afters.....it's sooooo satisfying to see what something was and then see what it became. Just like watching Justin Timberlake rise from the ashes of N'Sync. 

These clients were pretty much dream clients. They were pretty open to whatever, understood what was smart to sink money into (bye bye old Umpa-Lompa floor and tile combo), and didn't have any furniture that had to be worked in to the room. It was pretty much a blank slate. Come to momma. 

Here's what it looked like when we started-

Ok, some background info- this couple had been renting this place for awhile before they had the opportunity to buy it. There was a mad mix of styles and oddities going' on in here, from martini looking lights, to greek columns. It was not in the budget to re-do anything in the kitchen, and we decided once we made the other big changes, the existing kitchen would work just fine.

There were five major cosmetic changes:

• knocking out the half wall in the middle of the room
• demo'ing out all the tile and replacing it with solid wood to match the existing floors
• sanding and re-finishing the wood floors in a lighter color
• painting everything a crisp bright white
• knocking out the existing fireplace

I'm telling you....those things alone were a GAME CHANGER.

Isn't it so much lighter, brighter, fresher, and more open?! Not to mention the amazing furniture I got to put in there.....I mean hubba, hubba. This couple is well traveled and has collected some amazing pieces and treasures along the way. Most of the objects on the open shelving are from their travels, and the picture above the fireplace is one they snapped in Greece. I'm pretty much in love with it all, and can't wait to get my paws on the rest of the place.

All images by Lindsay Brown, Floors done by Carpet Warehouse inc.

BEFORE AND AFTER: Patio

By the time I arrived here, most of the ground work had been laid for this sweet spot that sits right outside the living room. There are big french doors that open wide, so it truly is an extension of the living space. Spaces like this are awesome because they really don't need much to elevate them a ton-

Plants + natural woods + a clean mostly cream color palette = a warm and cozy modern hangout. 

If you look closely, there really are only a few elements here that are just repeated multiple times. This helps keep it clean and not over-fussed, and allows your eye to really see and notice the details and individual things. You should'a seen me hauling around and trying to man-handle these beasts called Yucca plants. It wasn't pretty. Those suckers were HEAVY. If President Obama knocked on your door unannounced you could totally host him on this patio. And by President Obama I mean Steph Curry. Because let's face it, Steph trumps POTUS for my backyard shindigs.

It's All In The Floor....

For this lil' project we wanted high change factor with little construction. This half bath (and I mean very half bath.....this baby is small. Vey hard to shoot small!) had good bones, and we were able to do a simple makeover of painting the cabinets, and replacing the countertops, sink and faucet. Easy peasy. The swank factor comes in the floor. In a small space, a good way to achieve a uniqueness factor, and a space that is infused with personality in that subtle way that doesn't punch you in the face with it's perkiness, is in the floor. For this bath we wanted something that the homeowners wouldn't be sick of in a few years, so we chose something in classic materials, just done in a unique way. This floor is actually tile that looks like marble and wood, but it comes on sheets so it is soooooooo much easier to lay and work with. And clean. Slam dunk.

Not Your Grandmas Kitchen...

...though my grandma is very cool and entirely un-boring, and also the owner of many funky cool things that have been passed on to me. When my clients moved into this house the kitchen was very Full House circa 1990. So as much as we love Danny Tanner, he would probably be ready for a kitchen remodel also, right? Here is what was cooking before- 

Those pictures were actually taken mid-demo. The window above the sink had upper cabinets flanking it on both side. A major case of over-cabinet-itis. We did a total overhaul. We wanted something light, clean, fresh, open and uncluttered, but with a couple special details that make it completely not cookie cutter. And it can be hard to find that sweet spot that is unique and unordinary, but also not just trendy and something you'll be sick of in a few years. But I think we found it. Here's what's cookin' now-

Those eggs aren't even styling props. They are straight from the homeowners chickens. Yeah. The knockout star of this kitchen is the Fireclay Tile Moroccan backsplash. She's the Meryl Streep of the whole thing. 

Photos by Lindsay Lee Brown