A Tale of Two Daughters – Sammy Part 1
Hi friends! I hope you had a magical holiday season and are off to a happy, healthy 2022! The New Year is a time for new beginnings, new looks, and new starts. I thought sharing my two daughters’ home renovations would illustrate how things can be tweaked to create dramatic changes. After all “Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends.”
I love this photo taken last Christmas before Sammy’s wedding to Dylan. I feel Kirby and Sammy both inherited their Italian father’s good looks, but beyond that they are as different as the two homes they have renovated! This week we will look at how Sammy and Dylan took their traditional style and updated their little fixer upper! Sammy, a kindergarten teacher for 6 years joined Segreto about 6 months ago and has quickly become an integral part of our team on the operations side. Although I knew she was highly organized and great at math, I had no idea she had a perfect color eye! She has put this to test in her own first home!
Here you can see the before and after progress of the exterior. since these were taken we have painted the porch and finished the lime wash to the stone adding one more layer to totally remove its underlying pink cast.
The before of the house shows the previous owners had removed walls to create a big open living space, a feature that these young newlyweds loved! I felt the living room was going to be a furnishing challenge looking at the way it was currently arranged. I didn’t know if there would be enough space for a usable gathering area as the current furniture placement seemed to block passageways. This is always a challenge in homes with smaller spaces and very open floor plans.
I was thrilled with how it all came together with ample seating to really sit and enjoy the space. The floors were redone by Floor Designs of Houston which made a huge difference! Being on a young professional’s budget we were challenged to use furnishings from four generations! The green couch, floor lamp, coffee and side tables were from John and my early marriage; the mid century dining chairs were from my Mom and Dad’s home; and the two upholstered chairs were from my Grandmother’s, all in their original fabric. The green pillows, acrylic art pieces and console was from Sammy’s apartment days. We refreshed the console by painting it with Segreto Chalks our new DIY furniture paint. It was so easy to do, just give a light sand and paint away — no priming necessary!
The house was given a fresh coat of paint and plastered from the Segreto palette Paloma. Painting and plastering in the same tone lifted the 8 foot ceilings and expanded the space. So what is new that tied it all together? The art above the couch, pillows on the couch, and blue vase, all from Lam Bespoke. Those purchases were essential to relating all the colorations together of the gifted previously upholstered furnishings. In small spaces tucking little ottoman stools under the coffee table is a space saving way to provide extra seating. This has become the most used room in the house when their friends come to visit!
The dining room was nice in the fact that they could seat 10 easily in the space. Lets see what it looks like with a few changes made.
It is hard to believe it is the same room. The same plaster and paint is carried throughout, along with the window treatments and shades. The mid-century modern table purchased when my parents were in Denmark in the early 60’s is a set with the chairs you will see scattered throughout the house. The china cabinet was one of John and my first purchases for our first home, and the mirror was from an apartment Kirby and Sammy shared. So what is new? The slipcovered chairs are from IKEA, white linen for the drapes (29.99/yd) from Interior Fabrics, woven shades ($89 per window) and rug ($300) from Wayfair, and chandelier ($150) from Overstock. The splurge was the lovely framed butterflies from Lam Bespoke.
They have already had dinner parties in the space!
“Some of the most important conversations I’ve ever had occurred at my family’s dinner table.” ― Bob Ehrlich
The study (before), to the right of the living space looks like it was a multifunction room. And after?
Painting the trim, cabinetry and walls all in Segreto paint Gallant Night, they created a dramatic space perfect for Dylan’s new home office! The corner cabinet was my grandmothers, the Chinese fish bowl planter turned into a coffee table flanked my front doors in the 80’s and you can spot the two dining chairs which went with the dining set! What is new? The low weave wool carpet selected from The Great Rug Company; and drapes, chair, desk, and barn door from Overstock. The bookshelves filled with old books from my home and things special to Dylan enhanced the collected feel of the space.
A dear friend and professional Amy Cunningham, owner of Artfully Edited Interiors came in to help organize the space and make this a functional home office for Dylan. Having enough space is always challenging and she used this piece I bought at an auction when John and I first married.
“The office is one of the first rooms you see when entering the front door and with Dylan working from home, I wanted the room to feel uncluttered with a masculine vibe. I used antique books, photos and existing accessories to style the shelves, and added drawer organizers for Dylan’s office supplies. Woven baskets keep papers sorted and easily accessible. An antique armoire opposite the built-in was the perfect place to store crafting and gift wrapping supplies. I styled the top with his diploma, a cute photo and books as a nice backdrop for Dylan’s frequent Zoom calls.” -Amy Cunningham
The laundry was a small closet off the study!
We took the door off and replaced it with a barn door from overstock. It came in unfinished and we stained it and infused some of the Gallant Night paint into the wood.
We were able to move the washer and dryer side by side and build a counter, giving Sammy some folding space. Amy wanted to take on the challenge of making the interior functional and beautiful! Sammy and I said whole heartedly — yes!
And what a wonderful job she did! JUST AMAZING! Taking Amy’s direction, the room was painted in Segreto Paint Antica, the wood top was coated in SegretoStone in Visionary Gray, and we hand-painted the backsplash to look like tile using Gallant Night, Antica and Winter White from our Segreto Palette!
“My goal with any design project is to help the homeowner make their problem areas more functional and beautiful. Sometimes it’s as simple as adding baskets and labels, but there are times when the space needs to be completely reworked to maximize storage. When I first saw Sammy’s laundry closet, I knew that with a little construction and imagination, the small space could be transformed into a stylish room where she might even enjoy folding clothes! Sammy needed storage and a place to hang her delicates to dry, so I designed simple upper cabinets and suspended a hanging bar between them.” – Amy Cunningham
This is the before of a bedroom that is on the left side of the living room.
Giving this room a fresh coat of paint made a world of difference! Notice the heavy the texture of the walls. We were happy the plaster in the the main part of the house covered the texture and created a smooth wall. The furnishings here are from Sammy’s apartment bedroom. We added new shams and drapery panels from Pottery Barn Baby to give the space a fresh new feel. They are hoping it will feel warm and inviting for their guests!
It is amazing how paint just transforms. Using the main house color of Paloma for the trim and cabinet and Antica for the walls, everything looks fresh and new and the carvings are modernized! I did notice that the lighter colors do not mask the heavy texture on the walls as much as the darker shade of the study did. Always use a flat or washable matte paint when you have texture. Eggshell or higher sheens will make it stand out even more!
The new homeowners felt so blessed to have such a large kitchen since Dylan likes to cook and Sammy loves baking, but they were hoping they could totally change the look with just plaster and paint since they could not afford to rip out the floors and backsplash. Notice the existing floors, backsplash, black cabinet hinges, and white trim above the cabinets.
What a difference!! The carvings were removed and new larger cabinet doors were installed over the oven. The rest of the transformation involved paint, plaster, and beautiful new hardware and faucet from Acero Bella! The cabinets were painted in Segreto Paint Ocean Break at 200% and softly glazed. A white detail of Paloma — the plaster color — was added on some of the bead detail of cabinets to elevate the molding style. Trim was painted the same as the rest of the home — Segreto Paint Paloma. Painting the crown attached to the cabinets and the hinges on the cabinet doors the same color as the cabinets disguises them. The tile backsplash was toned to blend with the new palette and a floral mural painted on top. Simple linen shades and white accessories finish the look. Notice the large ticket items like counters, and appliances remain the same.
“In the kitchen, Sammy wisely added a portable island that gives her more workspace and additional storage. I added bins to keep her paper and plastic goods sorted and organized. The two drawers store her wraps and Ziploc bags.” – Amy Cunningham
The movable island can be tucked away by the pantry when not in use — a perfect addition which allows more counter space. My favorite part of the room? The floors! We plastered over the existing tile and are all over-the-moon excited about their new look and how well they clean up. You can really see in this shot how open the kitchen is to the rest of the home. Using the blue cabinetry for the main kitchen helps tie in the furnishing in adjoining rooms. The panty and…
…the bar and bar tile were painted in the main house color of Paloma! Painting tile is an affordable way to change it’s look. We did a little silver leaf detail on the cabinet fronts to dress up the cabinetry and enhance her new hardware from Acero Bella.
“Deep pantry cabinets like Sammy’s can be challenging to keep organized since items can get lost in the back and be hard to reach. To make the pantry more functional, I added long, clear bins with handles that are easy to pull out. Deep bins on the bottom shelves keep snacks, drinks and Stella’s doggie treats sorted and organized. The drawers are perfect for storing small, packaged foods and protein bars.”- Amy Cunningham
Here is the happy couple with their pup Stella loving making meals together in their newly refreshed kitchen. “Our homes should inspire us to go out into the world and to do great things and then welcome us back for refreshment” – Melissa Michaels I hope
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