Reader’s home

Posted on Wed, 4 Aug 2010 by KiM

I 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.

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.

Tango says:

OK, in the 5th photo down, that yellow clock thats just a silhouette of a cuckoo clock, does anyone know who makes those or what theyre called, or just in general where to find them? ive been going nuts trying to track one down!

any help appreciated 🙂

KiM says:

Tango, I have a black one (see here) and I got it at a local store here in Ottawa a few years ago. Mine is by a company called Ergo and I've seen it sold at a few different stores (maybe Urban Outfitters had one? EQ3 used to carry some). It's an actual cuckoo clock but it's flat with a battery thing on the back.

Sary says:

tango – i got that clock at a marshalls for about $10 3 or 4 years ago. it was black but i painted it green. i have no idea who made it though.

aj says:

What a lovely, chic transformation with a lot of soul! The only item I would have kept was the stair railing…….looks like it had a lot of character!! Enjoy your great space!

Guathor says:

I dunno why people think generic cooky cutter design looks good… TLC is the worst thing that happened to interior design.

J.Meehan says:

I adore every bit of this. Simply Beautiful.

Breanne says:

WOW !

this is absolutely amazing <3
fantastic job for sure 🙂

Nat says:

Seriously- this brought me almost to tears! SO AMAZING!!!!

Shanda Kay says:

Very nicely done!!!!!!!!

Greg Dale says:

Nice job. Love the brick wall. The kitchen is perfect!

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