Farmhouse Flip Turned Custom
The day has finally come that I can reveal the #FarmhouseFlipTurnedCustom. Just to re-cap for new followers, a little over a year ago some friends of ours bought a house outside of town. They had plans to flip and resale within a 3 month time frame. I was hired on to design all of the cosmetics of this flip and manage the process.
You can see more of the plans we had for this at the time HERE.
We got about 4-5 weeks into the project and the owners decided they would like to keep the house for themselves. All of the vision boards we had for the flip were scratched and we headed back to the drawing board with custom plans. The layout was redrawn to suit the family of four, the construction was going to be more elaborate, and the situation allowed for me to really showcase my design ideas. Below I will show some before pictures along with the vision boards that became the final result. For the most part we stayed true to the vision, but as time passed, the house evolved in a way that allowed for some upgraded design elements and some we had to change.
LIVING ROOM It was on the smaller side so the owners wanted to extend it out another 15 feet but keep the same dynamics. Originally, we had loved the idea of the double french doors because of the light and the highlighted views around the house. The goal was to have light pour in and relocate the fireplace to the west wall. The floor to ceiling windows are a very timeless, classic feature but choosing the black panels gave them a more modern, eclectic look. Same with the built ins and fireplace. We kept the style and color choices classic and neutral, but gave the fireplace itself an edgy modern twist. At first we had planned to do white stacked stone with a glitter effect top to bottom, until we came across a metal structure through a Pinterest search. No one we knew had installed one like it, but we knew if it worked it would be a show stopper. Not only did it turn out amazing but it's by far my favorite part of this room. The furniture throughout needed to be kid friendly and comfortable as far as the fabrics and textures went but I wanted to achieve a very eclectic, modernized look. I felt it needed to be visually inviting but subtle. I didn't want the furniture to steal all of the attention from the room itself. I wanted the focus mainly to be the surrounding elements. The low profile furniture allowed us to achieve that goal.
DINING ROOM We opened up the wall between the living and dining room, a simple thing to do that makes a huge difference. This allowed the floor to ceiling windows to continue throughout the area. I chose a brass modern light fixture to offset all the black elements. If you're afraid of making a house too trendy, keep the basics classic and play it up with the light fixtures. They are an easy swap out in the future. Same aesthetic as the living furniture applied here. Keeping it low profile and functional for the family but adding some height with the décor itself. All I wanted to do was ground the area with the basics and add visual interest with décor and lighting. I was able to keep a traditional table while adding chairs with a more modern vibe.
KITCHEN This was definitely the biggest transformation of the entire house. What we started with was not very functional nor did it offer much space. When it was a flip we were going to keep the footprint to save money. As this house became custom, we were able to put a good part of the budget towards the kitchen. This allowed us to relocate the staircase, open up walls, and give the space a more open concept plan with a large island. The homeowner wanted a Hollywood Chic kitchen. My goal was to give her what she wanted but not completely strip down the original farmhouse style of the home. So I thought black cabinets with brass hardware would make a strong statement. Because the large windows in the dining area provide a lot of natural light, the black cabinets do not make the space feel too dark. To reach a balance of bold and classic, I kept the island and barstools neutral tones. The classic marble backsplash blends the rich color and warm hues back down to classic yet "Hollywood" look.
LAUNDRY This room was a disaster to look at, but for the most part all that needed to be done here was cosmetics. At my house I have a very tiny laundry room which is a bit contradicting since this room is where we women spend half our time. I have made it a goal of mine in every home I design to make the laundry room just as important as the living room. I want it to be a place of enjoyment since we have to be there anyway. So I was thinking what I'd want when designing this room. I would love to have a big sink where stained clothes could soak. Baskets full of missing socks, a candle to set a calming mood, and the aroma of fresh clean linen to spray my delicates. I wouldn't mind spending my Sunday afternoons in this peaceful room folding laundry! This is the cutest little space and it turned out just perfect.
OFFICE The office was a space the owner wanted to use this as a functional working space, as well as a secluded area to relax. Other than closing up an old doorway that led into the kitchen, it was just simple cosmetics in this room. The room had four windows in a tiny space so I knew I could get away with a dark and moody color choice. I chose a deep hunter green and a modern light fixture to give the room some edge. We added masculinity and comfort with a camel colored leather lounger. The coffee table is actually a trunk that can double as storage space. I had a friend hand write one of the owners favorite song lyrics on canvas. The book on the table is a vintage war memoir that celebrates him and the time he served for our country. The hanging planters are a great option when you don't want the furniture to be the main focal point. It helps to bring the eye up and balance the heaviness of the room.
ENTRY An entry is a small space that is most times overlooked. Once again I have made this one of my top priorities because it can be such a functional space, little or big. Choosing to make this part of your home count by filling it thoughtfully is how we can create a space that welcomes whoever enters. I do not like clutter , so when designing this area, I incorporated a few functional décor pieces that are pretty, yet hide away the tiniest things like car keys and wallets. A brass hook, that ties in with the kitchens fixtures, to hang that ball cap. A mirror for that one last look before we leave and the scent of a favorite candle to welcome all who enter. In all the spaces I design, it's the smallest details that can mean the most to a family.
BATHROOMS The master bath was another huge transformation. The original layout did not flow and wasn't very functional. It had a tiny entry door that led directly into a small corner shower. The vanity was on a wall that forced you to do a complete turnaround when entering and the tub was surrounded in big, bulky tile. It shared a wall with what once was a guest bath that had only a toilet and a standing sink. Normally I would never eliminate a guest bath, but in this case we had to in order for this master suite to make sense. We took that square footage and created a large walk-in shower with double heads. We switched the vanity to the other wall and added a large double entry door. The free standing tub is the focal point of this room in my opinion. I wanted to create a nook that would allow for re-charging and relaxation with all the best essentials.
The kids bath was just cosmetic updates and we kept the same footprint. They have one boy and one girl that will share this space so I didn't want anything too trendy. My goal was to create a timeless, gender neutral design. I chose a classic subway tile shower/tub surround, and used the same black and white theme as the rest of the house. I added this fun inspirational marquee ledge so that the kids can switch out quotes, giving them motivation first thing to start their mornings!
As I was uploading the pictures to add to this story, I was overwhelmed by the difference of where we started and where it ended up. We had so many ups and downs along the way, challenges we faced, and at times could hardly keep the end in sight. This is something I have to remind myself of all the time. When we are in the midst of something, it is a challenge to have faith in the unknown because we can't see the end. But it is in the middle we find our true goals, and our true selves. In the beginning it is easy to paint a pretty picture and expect life to fall exactly in line with our expectations. But it is in the midst of a process that all of the expectations are stripped down to what God needs us to become. A new image is born through trial and error, maturing within ourselves and our careers. When it feels like we are stuck in the middle going nowhere fast, I've learned to take a look back just to see how far we have really come. I am learning through each process I go through I need this space. This is where I can look back at the things that make me grateful, and look forward to what pushes me to grow. If we could only have seen this house from God's view in the middle of the process, we wouldn't have felt like quitting when things got hard. The outcome is better than we could have planned ourselves. With every house I design, I seem to relate to that period in my life. That is why it is so important for me to reflect back when we reach the finish line. Don't quit in the middle, you're only growing into something that's beautiful, just like this HOME.
Thank you most of all to the owners who gave me the chance to be apart of your story, and to everyone who helped along the way!