Finding your Homes style...

There are various rules of thoughts when buying an old house. Do you re-imagine it? Make it something brand new? Like blowing off the top and adding a second story. For example and taking a basic ranch and transforming it into a Colonial.

Or you could basically ignore the old house you bought and transform it into something modern and new.

I've chosen to embrace the home that she was built to be.  My house in the middle of the block is a very, very fine house...beautiful, yet simple brick and stone one and 1/2 story Tudor.  Classic details and simple lines for everyday living.  I will be opening up a few of the rooms to add light and function and reimagining others.  I've chosen to kick the pink and burgundy tile to the curb but will install beautiful classic mosaics that will stand the test of time and honor the 1940's.  Re-wiring and re-using many of the original light fixtures, restoring some elements and adding others that make living in the home work for today's lifestyles. 

I'm so excited, we've started DEMO! Follow along as I respect the beauty of this lovely old home and reveal her new potential. Bye, bye to low arches, pink tile and a tiny, tiny kitchen space.  Hello, open, bright and lovely!

With the demo comes lots of dust and a lot of clarity. We've assessed our budget, reviewed our skill set, negotiate with several subs and contractors.  We are now dividing the project into two phases. Technically 4 but two of them are happening simultaneously.  I have registered as a General Contractor and will be managing the main level of the project for our home. We will still use a larger General Contractor to work on the upstairs re-working of the roof, stairs and the new addition.  This is definitely a bigger scope of work than we are used to managing and we want a seamless finished product.  Phase 1 & 3.

Phase 2&4 are the yard.  This was what we originally thought of as Phase 3. But, reality hit. The yard was in a very natural state of affairs.  There was a lot of clean up and clear out of plant material and debris so that we could find and see the house.  We also lost a few more trees because they were growing too close to the retaining wall and house and actually causing damage.  We have now done a very complete clean up and clear out.  We've built a fence and will add a semi-circle drive to the front of the home, rebuild the retaining wall and add wrought iron fencing so that we create security around the creek.  This will complete phase 2 and leave us with a beautiful pallet for new plants - phase 4.

Clean up!

It was so awesome getting Phase 2 the yard clean up under way! Can not thank the City of Dallas enough for their bulky debris clean up crew! They did a wonderful job cleaning up our debris. It wasn't a small task but they stuck with it and did a great job!

Kitchen Make Over!!

It's time.  Life is never going to fully settle when you have all that goes on in our world BUT sometimes you just have to set a date.

That's what we've done.  We are re-doing the 1987 outdated, popcorn ceiling, dark cabinets, beige laminate kitchen! Can you say ba-bye fluorescent lighting? Oh, yeah!

There is nothing more motivating that changing out a tired outdated space in your home for something clean, new and current.  The kitchen is the heart of our home and we promised ourselves to wait a year when we moved in to make any changes and we did!! So the dreaming, the planning, and the desire have built up until everyone in the house is ready to see it come together.

Here is a peak at the before....

The island has all ready been ripped out...I can't wait to show you what we did instead of a standard island in our kitchen space!

Updates...

I recently had the privilege of being hired by a client who had a meticulously maintained home that was ready for some updates!

This home was full of history and memories and a life time of love and family...so the challenge was to honor the memories and family that lived there and give them an updated look to their home that still reflected "their" memories and make room for future ones.

Here's where we started.

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

The home was a monotone sea of pecan finished wood. The copper tile back splash was all the rage in the 70's and the Tapan oven was top of the line in it's day. The gingerbread moldings were everywhere and lovely with an old fashioned charm. Time marches on and what was oh so fashionable then just left the space looking a little dark and showing her age for today. A face lift was needed!

So, with a lot of discussions of what the home owners loved about their home. The beautiful beams in the ceiling, the swirled texture in the plaster, the lovely wood floors, the flow of the room and the terrific built in's, it was time to address the things that no longer worked for them. The dark enclosed feeling in the space, the appliances that were no longer working at their best, the heavy feeling of the rooms compared to other areas of the home and the reality that no matter how well you maintain sometimes things begin to wear out. This also opened the door to address a few modern ideas.  New built-in pantry shelving to their mud room, a water line run to the refrigerator for an ice maker and sliding shelves added to the cabinet spaces to add to the form and function of the space. 

We still have some things to do...but, I can't wait to share how beautifully she has transformed. Soon there will be new bar stools, window treatments, and a bit of Christmas cheer but I think we're far enough along to show you our progress!

First we had to mess up a little...

Then we needed to do a few field trips. Our favorite was to the granite yard!

So many beautiful choices and we found the perfect choice for this home.

The painting was finally done, the hardwood floors were refinished a richer color to compliment the existing wood tones while still making a statement of their own, the kitchen flooring was ripped out and a new choice was chosen, the granite and new stainless appliances were installed. Now she was ready to be loaded!

Can you say CHA, CHA, CHA, CHANGES?! ;) I can!

With a new furniture layout, lighter walls and cabinetry you can now appreciate all the beautiful furniture and collections in this home. Furniture was moved in a bit to make the seating area inviting. The bookshelves were re-loaded with a mix of books, photos, and collectibles. An update from the dishes and glassware that was there before. The office nook is now showing off without furniture blocking it from view and a few personal accessories added to warm it up and keep it inviting when you need to sit down and pay a bill or two. The China hutch turned out lovely with it's new trim work and crisp white color pallet, the home owners collectibles sparkle and show off to their finest! I love it and loved working on this project. I hope you love it too.  We are doing a restoration to the master bathroom and a face lift to both secondary bathrooms that I will share soon.

While working with this home the goals were keeping the best of the character and charm, while brightening up the space. Adding some beautiful updates expected in today's homes and improving the function for the home owners needs. All combined to make a warm and inviting space.