Tag Archives: kitchen remodel

A Dream Home In the Country Comes True!

Everyone has a vision of their ‘dream home’. It’s different for every person and my job as a designer is to understand my client’s vision and assist them in achieving it.

A few years ago I met a couple that were selling their home. I assisted them with suggestions on how to get their home in top selling condition, they followed the suggestions and their home sold quickly!

During that consultation time they had shared with me that they were looking for their dream home in the country with acreage and that they just hadn’t found the perfect home yet. Maybe a year went by when I heard from them again, they had found and purchased their country dream home!

They wanted my assistance with some things in their new home so I put on my ‘Designer’ hat and headed out to see it. As you drive up the driveway you see the beautiful country setting and the land surrounding the house. Stunning! Then I approached the door and walked inside. I was greeted with enthusiasm as they couldn’t wait to show me their dream home.

I have to admit that I didn’t get it. My mind was going “Really? This dated home is your dream? You left your beautiful home in the suburbs for this?”

They wanted to talk about paint, some basic ideas, etc but what I wasn’t getting was that the current home wasn’t their dream home…..what they were going to make it was. Whew….

This is what I saw when I came the first time:

DATED HONEY OAK EVERYWHERE….

Foyer Before

BAD PAINT COLORS

Dining Room Before

DATED WALLPAPER

Family Room Before

OUTDATED CARPET

Porch Before

AND THE KITCHEN…YIKES!

Kitchen before

Kitchen Before

But with time this home has changed and oh how it has changed!! With a ton of hard work by my clients….visits from me for ideas and some shopping trips, this home is a something you would see in Country Living Magazine. Seriously. Take a look…

LOOK AT THIS STAIRCASE!!

Foyer After

AND THE DINING ROOM….

NO HONEY OAK TRIM ANYWHERE

Dining Room After

CHECK OUT THIS LIGHT FIXTURE!

Dining Room After

FARMHOUSE TABLE WITH VINTAGE FABRIC CAPTAIN’S CHAIRS

Dining Room After

SOFT SOOTHING COLORS

Dining Room Detail After

LARGE BUILT-INS NOW REPLACED WITH MODERN FLOATING SHELVES

Family Room After

AND YES THE DETAILS MATTER…..

Family Room Detail After

Family Room Detail After

WHITE ON WHITE IS STILL MY FAVORITE….ESPECIALLY IN A SUN PORCH

Porch After

ALL SUN PORCHES NEED A POP OF COLOR

Porch Detail After

AND DRUM ROLL PLEASE…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOOK AT THIS KITCHEN!!! NO WORDS NEEDED…..

 

Kitchen After – White Shaker Cabinets and Floating Shelves

Kitchen After – Black Distressed Island

Kitchen After – Cambria Counter Tops

Kitchen After – Island Pendants, White Subway Tile and Attention to Detail everywhere

So how is that for a transformation!

The main level is almost complete with just the mudroom and laundry room to go. The Master Bedroom and Bath will be the next big renovation and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

So just a reminder….your dream home doesn’t have to be perfect when you buy it!

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What Do You Think of Floating Shelves?

It seems as though it is either a love or hate response when I ask that question to my design clients.

The #1 reason people tend to not like them is “My mess will be out in the open for everyone to see.” Or….”I will have to keep them neat all the time and that will be too much work.”

I get that, I totally understand that response. I have seen some kitchens with all opening shelving and I think “where do they hide their mess?” as everyone has at least one junky area in a kitchen that needs to be hidden!

But my oh my, if you can just get past that first instinct about floating shelves, they are so beautiful. You don’t have to use them everywhere…..maybe just one set in a kitchen, bedroom or family room.

I really believe if floating shelves are done correctly they make an incredible statement in the room and can even be a selling feature of the home. Take a look at these examples.

 

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In this home I used floating shelves above a bar area with a dark navy accent wall behind them. The combination creates a wow factor for the family room and leaves the area with a more open feeling then if there were enclosed cabinets on the walls.

 

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The shelves still allow plenty of storage area to display fun glasses, bottles of wine and a couple eclectic accent pieces. The shelves I selected for this area are a little rustic to fit the casual feel of the room and are about 4″ wide which is all you need for glasses and bottles.

 

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Now look at this kitchen in which I put in floating shelves. Now that is a statement! I tiled behind the shelves on the entire wall for extra drama. Aren’t these incredible instead of just more cabinets.

 

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The dark stained wood is such a great contrast with the white and these shelves are 10″ wide allowing depth for dinner plates. They areĀ  a more sleek smooth finish so not as rustic as the ones pictured above.

 

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There are so many options to create your own fun wall! You can have the shelves bolted into the wall like I did here or have fun brackets under them. Adding pocket lights under them like on these examples is an added bonus.

So what is your verdict on floating shelves now? My vote is ‘LOVE THEM!!”

 

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So if you are building or remodeling, or just want to rip out a cabinet or two for a new look consider adding floating shelves!

 

Shar Sitter, owner Rooms With Style Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis MN.
CHSE and APSD Home Stager Pro Trainer
www.RoomsWithStyle.com
952-567-1124

 

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