Reader's home
Wed, 4 Aug 2010I am pleased to present a fabulous renovation of a reader's home today. This one I can relate to. Interior designer Sary's home looks about as narrow as mine (12') which is quite a design challenge. Here is a bit of history of her home: "It's a typical brick Philadelphia rowhouse built in the early 1900's. The previous owner was an elderly woman that had been living there for over 60 years and probably hadn't renovated it in about 50. It was filled with paneling, peeling wallpaper, drop ceilings, dirty carpets..." The result was basically a gut job by Sary and her family turning this into a spectacular makeover that is SO inspiring. First let's look at a couple of before photos of her living/dining space that was dark, dingy and just plain NASTY.
Sary essentially redid every surface - the walls, ceilings and floors. Track lighting was installed, a brick wall exposed, the railing removed on the stairs, the stairs redone with wood treads....
I loooove the bench/tv stand/book storage unit Sary and her father built (in an afternoon with just a nail gun, using wood she had pre-cut at Lowes) that extends from the living room into the dining space. Talk about multi-functional which is so necessary in a small space. More of Sary's home after the jump...
Next, a couple photos from the powder room located just behind the dining room.
And lastly the kitchen, which had a drop ceiling (that was removed), awful cabinets, countertop and flooring (all replaced). The window was replaced with a larger one and the door with one that is mostly glass. I'm loving the little nook she created with an ottoman opposite the back door. Great for friends to chill out on while she's cooking. :)
CONGRATS Sary! You should be very proud of the incredible job you've done. It shows everyone that you can make any house a home with a little creativity and ALOT of hard work.
Reader Comments (81)
Wow, makes me feel very lazy that my home is pretty much the same as when I moved in. Although I do rent so that's my lazy get out clause.
Great renovation...congrats Sary!
It's lovely but that staircase is totally not to code here in Ontario
Awe I live in a Philadelphia row home, so this one is near and dear to my heart. Mine is actually MUCH uglier!! We aren't through yet with the renovation. Wish I could have exposed the brick like she did. So pretty!
Congratulations to Sary for seeing the potential of the space. I couldn´t imagine a greater transformation and the reslt is beautiful.
Oh wow, how is that possible?? Amazing!!
She has amazing taste....simple, elegant, rustic at the same time. I love a good reno!!!
Oh. My. Gosh. I am an avid lurker if this blog (first time commenting!) but this post made me gasp. An excellent example of how everything has potential if you have the means and patience to do it! Amazing.
all i can say is..... AMAZING!!!!!! :)
The lighting in this space (as well as the many splashes of color spread throughout) brighten and accentuate this home perfectly. Lighting (and color) is at the top of my list in my own home and the mood/environment that I wish to create.
I'd like to see the bench project in more detail, as this may be a storage idea for our small (but just right for us) space.
What a great transformation! I love the brick wall and the living room layout.
Good jobbie! That's an amazing transformation! You have an eye for detail and space!
Hi,
How thick is that brick wall? Is it built brick to brick or by a set of brick panels?
Nice result by the way.
LOVELY!
But I am jealous that you are getting away with not getting your staircase to code.
I have an open staircase now and am required to put up rails. BOO!!!!
Lovely brick wall too!!
I love it, looks really cosy!
Wonderful makeover! Love it!
We left our staircase open like that until we put the house on the market.
I big part of understanding the impact of this beautiful home is seeing how it looked before. I always take "before" and "in progress" pictures of my home, because I want to remember just how far I've come in the changes I've made! Our kitchen looks completely different than it did one month ago. This reader did an amazing job making this place into an amazing space... and it inspires me to keep going!
Fantastic renovation! Nice work!
My jaw just literally dropped. Incredible transformation and full of great ideas. Well done!
Thank you for all your wonderful comments! And thank you Desire to Inspire for posting my home!!
Hi Rafael - in "the early 1900's", masonry construction was "brick by brick", there was no such thing as "brick panels".
Holy moly that's IMPRESSIVE....interesting all that can be done in such a tiny space!
Really lovely. What I love most is that everything is put together so uniquely. I'm tired of seeing the same things. The dark subway tile (kitchen) instead of white -- gorgeous! That light fixture in the powder room -- omg, I'm breathless! Great post! xoxo
absolutely GORGEOUS! what an amazing reno! looking at the pictures make me very happy...thanks so much for sharing!
Bravo! Bravo! I love everything about your renovation!