Decatur Cottage Before and After

Happy Sunday, folks! Today on the blog I am sharing a recent bedroom/bathroom renovation. This darling yellow cottage is tucked away on a quiet street just a few blocks from the center of Decatur, GA. Decatur is a hip, left-thinking, laid back community neighboring Atlanta. I love it because it reminds me of Berkeley, where I spent my college years.

The finished product:
The homeowner is a hardworking single mom with a love of color.  Her requests were to renovate the dated master bath, while improving it's functionality and storage. Furthermore, her closet area (in the hallway between the bedroom and bathroom) had five converging doors in a tight space, making it highly annoying to access both closets and bathroom. She also requested updates to the bedroom to tie the spaces together. 

Here are some BEFORE shots:
Pretty much builder-grade circa 1990's. 

Another BEFORE shot with the infamous garden tub that nobody ever uses. I rip these out of every master bath I come across...such a waste of space and really only good for collecting dust.

AFTER, the same view:

BEFORE:
The big blue vanity was centered on the wall for a more symmetrical approach. The blinds were replaced with custom linen roman shades which lend an airy, coastal feel to the room.
We clad the entire room, even the sloped ceiling (sorry, no photos of this) in 1x6 planks for a clean, cottage appeal. Polished nickel hardware and plumbing was added to the pre-fab vanity from Home Decorators.

Here is the shower BEFORE:
By getting rid of the tub, we gained a foot in length.
AFTER:
A new frameless shower opens up the space even more. The white subway tile adds to the cottage flavor, but we dressed up the floor with a chevron mosaic tile to coordinate with the gray marble in the rest of the bathroom. The shower system was also upgraded to incorporate a rain head and body sprayer. Missing, here, is the blue garden stool which never arrived:(

Lack of storage was a serious issue in the old bathroom:
Here is the same view with a built in storage unit for towels and toiletries:
Another view reflected in the tilt mirror from Ballard Designs.
Closeup of the floor:
Shampoo niche:
Milk glass sconces...
...and towel hooks from RH:
Leaving the bathroom, here is the view:

A before shot of the closet doors (on both sides) shows you how this space really did not work...
We removed the tiny french doors and replaced them with sliding barn doors. The bathroom door became a pocket door.
Industrial tracks, a new transom window, pretty blue paint, and a star pendant really jazzed up the dressing area:) The ceiling is also painted a faint sky blue color. 
Before shot of the bedroom:
By installing new flooring in a fresh gray finish, planking the headboard wall, updating window treatments, bedding and lighting, this space feels new again.
Custom drapes to tie in the navy of the existing headboard, and the blue/green in the bathroom:
New floors and a dotted stripe wool rug:
Here is the opposite wall before: 
AFTER, the white dresser was painted gray, and the attached mirror was replaced with a chrome and reclaimed wood mirror. New lighting was added, and the flatscreen tv was mounted to the wall on the right:

A few parting shots, and a side note: I have to say I am not happy with my picture taking that day via iPad. Normally this space is bathed in light, but it was a dark, rainy day when we photographed. I hope you still enjoyed the tour. Thanks so much for following!


Soft Modern Family Room

Last week we completed a fun family room in downtown Alpharetta. 

The couple started with the large charcoal sectional that they had found at Havertys. The look of this piece is similar to Crate and Barrel or Room and Board, and it is ultra comfortable. The homeowners are drawn to the soft modern style of West Elm, and loved the Ikat Blur rug in chartreuse, ivory and gray. This is a color I have never worked with before, but I had a lot of fun with the combo! Thank you, sweet clients, for the inspiration!

Here is the BEFORE...a blank slate:

Because pillows always get me excited, I often start a project there.  Everyone has their own source of inspiration, and this is one of mine.

Here we have the mix of pillows: (left to right) custom linen chevron, patchwork hide from Marshall's, custom chartreuse linen, chevron hide from Marshall's, Mongolian fur from West Elm, custom Ikat. (Custom pillows can be ordered through me. Please email me at lisagabrielson@att.net for inquiries.)


The finished room:


The draperies are custom (always a good idea). The cocktail table is from RH, and all of the other accessories are from Home Goods, Marshall's, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Ballard Designs.


 We installed a gallery wall of travel photos and special family mementos, and there is lots of room to add to the collection.


The art, below, is from Home Goods. They have the same one at Z Gallerie for three times the price!

The bone inlay mirror is from Ballard's Backroom...



Thank you to my fearless assistant, Joanne, for all of her help on this project, and every day!  I could not do it without her!
And, a special thanks to two fabulous clients and their sweetie pie, Wills, for being such a good boy that day:)


Have a great week!











Coastal Condo Makeover


Before and After's are always fun to see. I recently finished the renovation of a rental property in Miramar Beach, Florida, in the Sandestin resort. The condo was built in 1982, and still had most of the original colors and features including pickled pink stains, beveled mirror walls, and dated, mismatched furniture.

BEFORE
 AND AFTER

The mirrored wall, below, was replaced with whitewashed 1x6 planks for an updated coastal vibe.

BEFORE

AFTER

I decided to keep the palate mostly neutral, to keep it clean and focus on the gorgeous view. Even on a foggy, cold day, the Gulf of Mexico is breathtaking.


 A neutral palate can get boring if it's not balanced with lots of texture:
The kitchen and dining area had a pseudo-Italian look going.
 BEFORE
We whitewashed the stucco walls, removed the bar corbels, and painted the cabinets Worldly Gray by Sherwin Williams to lighten the look. The massive orb chandelier, modern seating, driftwood table, silver finishes and new lighting keep it fun, casual and sophisticated.

AFTER

Kitchen cabinets BEFORE
AFTER

This job was done on a TIGHT budget. In order to fit in all of the painting, construction and new furnishings, I shopped at Target, Home Goods, Tuesday Morning, Wayfair, Ikea, World Market, Overstock, and outlet stores. The only custom items were the pillows, below. Custom pillows always take it to another level, in my opinion:)



The chandelier, below, was found many month ago at the Pottery Barn outlet. It was the piece that set the tone for the whole project. The hammered vases from Target were drilled to hang on the wall. Right now, the palmettos are fresh, but they will dry to a cool pale blue/green color.

The cocktail table from World Market holds bedding for the sleeper sofa. This condo sleeps 8.


The master bedroom and bunk room needed a lot of attention, and it was not in the homeowners plans to renovate these rooms at this time. I convinced them to let me do small updates to blend the spaces. HERE IS THE BEDROOM BEFORE:

AND AFTER


Bunk room BEFORE:

And AFTER...sorry, no good photos of this hard-to-shoot room. It turned out pretty cute in shades of blue and white:

 Here are two more photos to give you an idea of layout:



If you would like info on renting this condo on the beach, please click HERE


Thanks for taking a look!