Welcome to The Blue House: Heart of the Home tour! These hard-working spaces get a new lease on life in smart ways with big character. This one is a bit of a doozy today, and we had a lot of details to cover, so thanks for dropping by.
But first, do you remember our first project at the blue house? Let’s have a little walk down memory lane, shall we?
It’s one of our favorite renovations for some of our favorite people. For their first phase a few years ago, we took on the basement and the outside. For this round, we tackled the living spaces of their upper level. While we have more rooms in this project coming your way in the future, we thought we’d share their hardest-working spaces today.
If you’re unfamiliar with phase one, check it out here! It holds quite the collection of eye candy and fun ideas if we do say so ourselves.
These hard-working spaces we’re sharing today are a great example of good bones, working with what you have and adding a little in the meantime. They’re also a great example of updating with soothing tones and designs that instantly update a space’s entire vibe.
So we’ll start with the kitchen! This space already had a well-functioning layout, and the cabinets were still nice. The entire family is a big fan of color, and I love that she doesn’t shy away from fun ideas. But they were looking for something updated and softer.
The solution was to update the space in fun ways without starting again from scratch. The cabinets had an appealing shape, but the dark stain in a smaller space made them a little {lot} overwhelming and made it feel cave-like. The countertops and backsplash weren’t helping with that. Honestly, it’s crazy how much larger the space feels now.
One of the biggest changes to the space was removing the huge crown molding that ran the entire room of this kitchen. It was stained, like the cabinets. So, the smart move was to remove the molding on the walls but keep it on the cabinets. It was another way to simplify some things so that the eye had a moment to rest. They’d already cooled things down with their wall color, as when they moved in, everything was beige. And brown. And there were a lot of speckles going on. A ton, actually.
Our clients didn’t really use these uppers, so bringing in this pretty blue, gorgeous backsplash and simplified countertop did a lot before they added the hood. It also seemed to free up more space for cooking.
It’s the perfect little spot now, with great storage for all those pots and pans, to boot.
Here’s another angle of those cabinets from the entryway.
And the changes they brought!
We adore their fresh, new look.
Here’s a wide-angle view of the kitchen from the other side of the space. It can be hard to tell what’s happening with our still photos, but the island angles into the living/dining area from the other side. Cost-wise, it made sense to keep the kitchen configured as-is and make it work within the space with some nice updates.
This is where cooling off the tones to help bring some balance really helped.
Cabinet colors: We went with Sherwin Williams Riverway for the perimeters, and Anew Gray for the island.
Lights: Adding a Kichler Pendant {Fira} over their sink area was a great way to anchor the space and add a ton of updated character. Such simple elegance in a little space and it looks great.
Island Light: Kichler’s Florence Chandelier added so much over the island without blocking their line of view. It helped establish the island and make it look more intentional in the kitchen space since the positioning originally felt a bit precarious.
Kichler is always one of our favorite go-tos for selecting design elements for clients. Their high-quality brand is easy to trust because of their long-lasting standards and great home options. I always say that good lighting is like jewelry to the perfect outfit and should never be forgotten when it comes to selecting elements for spaces.
Fixtures: This kitchen actually has two sinks. So, we updated the look with Delta’s Broderick in champagne bronze.
We love their Touch2O® Technology, which helps turn things on with ease, especially when those hands aren’t clean. The Delta TempSense™ LED light changes color with the water’s temperature, and we love that it comes with their DIAMOND™ Seal Technology. It performs like new for life with a patented design that reduces leak points, is less hassle to install {our plumbers love this}, and lasts twice as long as the industry standard. This, amongst other things, definitely makes Delta one of our very favorite, all-time trusted products to use in clients’ homes.
Total side note: What we appreciate the most about our amazing clients is that while they live out of town, with our design and guidance, they pulled this off themselves. Just a testament to listening to someone when you decide to work with them. They did such a great job collaborating as a team! We’ll never understand why some people hire designers and then stop listening. It’s the fastest way to sabotage a space. So this one was as a satisfying project to see through to the end.
We love the simplified look for the entire room.
Tile: Since their backsplash was limited in areas, we decided a subtle design would work wonders rather than taking that same countertop up the wall as before. That trend has now returned to kitchens, and we love a little contrast for this space instead. We opted for Jeffrey Court’s Foxtail Lantern Polished Thassos for a beautiful design element within the space. It’s truly a timeless element to add so much fun character.
Neglecting to take that tile to the ceiling {or a breaking point that feels more natural} is often a missed design opportunity, and we love that we were able to utilize that in the areas where we could. {See: oven area + kitchen sink area} to bring the eye up and make the space feel larger. Again, this is where removing that large crown molding and using something to bring attention to those spaces really worked in our favor.
Before: their dining area was a bit beige for their taste. Again, the entire space here was previously brown. So we lightened it {and the kitchen walls} with a great paint color {Benjamin Moore’s Balboa Mist}. It’s the perfect, soft backdrop to work well with everything else.
Dining Table Light: We brought in some simple elements to their dining space, but one of our favorites was replacing that ceiling fan with another fave from Kichler. We opted to use the Ali Chandelier in this space, to help anchor their dining area.
Dining Elements: We love accessorizing in simple ways! {Some of these are affiliates} We used a combo of these plates + these salad plate additions to add a little color. We also combined them with these fun ribbed cups, and other accessories.
Never underestimate the power of a good tablecloth + table runner situation. They really added some fun color, along with this fun amber vase.
Other accessories: Large corner bowls + wooden bowl + small vases. These little bowls + this ribbed vase bring in a lot of fun accents, too.
Art: You may have noticed a glimpse of this painting in the background. It’s a print from my collection. Check out our current sale here + shop my art here!
Hardware: We always adore DLawless as an amazing source. We are smitten with the way this hardware instantly updated their painted cabinets for a fun, easy look. Available in various sizes!
This kitchen really came together in a beautiful way, and we are thrilled with the entire outcome.
So, while we hope you’ve enjoyed this little kitchen update, there’s definitely more to this tour. Because beyond this door, is the hallway where they use their main entry to the home, and we all know how important a good catch-all can be.
Here’s the view from their door. Previously, the area was like this:
Two smaller closets weren’t functioning well enough for a family of five, so we were happy to help them design and implement a better solution. They knocked back those walls where the closets were to give them enough space for functioning lockers.
They now have three sets of built-ins to hold jackets, backpacks, and more. There are also shoe cubbies on the bottom for holding all the things, and a bench for easy use, too—all out of sight.
Tile: We brought in Jeffrey Court’s Basalt Gray Tile for a pretty, hard-working addition. It ultimately brought in more of that simplified feel they were looking for, and extended all the way through to the half bath and laundry, too. {Below.}
Rug + baskets: An easy find from here, along with these baskets for simple, generous shoe storage.
We absolutely love this change!
Cabinet color: Here, we decided to echo the color of the island, with SW Anew Gray. Reinforcing color throughout a home is the best way to help things feel unified and we love the way these vibes are repeated throughout their home.
Lights: And the hallway is now well-lit, too, with these fabulous Kichler lights. We love the idea of such a stylish flush mount with these Serca Ceiling Lights.
Hardware: This hardware is, of course, one of our favorites. We love the subtle details for such a hard-working space. Available in various lengths.
You may have noticed other rooms in this space, and that’s because there’s more!
This little half bath worked hard for their family and guests, as it’s the bath on this side of the house that’s easily accessible from the kitchen and living space areas. This is another situation where, while we replaced the floors, it made sense to update the existing vanity with a paint job, along with fresh countertops.
Paint Colors: The paint color for their vanity is now SW Egret White. The ceiling is painted a beautiful hue of BM Palladian Blue.
Wallpaper: Our clients love color. Of course we love that they brought in so much fun character with this gorgeous wallpaper.
The rest of the finds:
Light: Kichler’s Azores sconce, of course.
Faucet: Delta’s Saylor widespread faucet + matching towel / tissue holder + toilet accessories, all available at Delta.
Mirror: We love the simple lines in this one, found here.
Hardware: It added a little something to the vanity, with these handles, here.
Additional accessories: Basket / soap dispenser / towel
This one just might be the happiest little bathroom ever.
And last but certainly not least, we have the laundry room.
Their cabinets, once again, were perfectly functional. But the space honestly felt busy and constricting before they added some simplifying touches.
Cabinet colors: These were given a new lease on life with SW Moody Blue. I honestly love the way the colors transition throughout this area, from Riverway, then echoing the island color with their entryway lockers in Anew Gray, to another fun nod to more blue in a paired-down way with their laundry room space. This is only one color down from Riverway and gives a more muted option of blue, still reflecting it in this space .
Backsplash: While we loved using this basalt tile in here again in a beautiful herringbone pattern, we thought it paired in a great way with Jeffrey Court’s Simply Grey. In 1/3 offset brick, it gives a great contrast to everything else. Of course the countertops got a new lease on life as well.
And this side of the space, that holds their washer and dryer. Again, replacing their countertops, simplifying colors, and removing that floortile really made a world of difference for this room.
Because the cabinets were great just the way they were, they just needed a little bit of an upgrade.
This little view is definitely my favorite in their house. I think everyone should have one. ;}
This sink works hard for all things laundry, and we love that they already had a small fridge in here that they could use. The faucet, again, is Delta’s Broderick.
Hardware: These DLawless knobs added so much.
In our opinion, every laundry room needs some fun jars for display.
This Kichler light was the perfect addition to tie in all their other pieces in the main living area. The Ali 20″ chandelier brings so much swag to their laundry space!
Oh, and because someone is always looking for some colorful towels, we found these fun ones here. A great price for every color imaginable!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our little tour today! We’re always so grateful to our wonderful clients for trusting us with this process from start to finish and allowing us to be a part of their home journey. We’re also so thankful for our amazing readers. If you’re here, that’s you! We couldn’t grow our little business without you. So, thank you so much, as always, for stopping by!
We’re currently taking on renovation clients both nationally and locally! To read more about what we do, check it out here. + Be sure to contact us here. View a little more of our portfolio here. Looking for a real estate agent? We can handle that, too. We’d love to hear from you! Have an inspired day!
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