This home's before and after is one of the most dramatic facelifts we've ever done without adding a single square foot. This home had the space the family needed, however the style and functionality of the home was stuck deep in the 80s. 

BEFORE

AFTER

One of the biggest design challenges for us here was finding the right way to move away from the ranch style home to create a more open and inviting home space. We did this by adding a new portico entry to direct attention to the new french door entryway and completely open up the interior and relocating the stairway that once ran straight down the middle of the home. After adding a few steel flitch plate beams within the ceiling for support, we were able to completely open up the first floor. 

With the new portico addition, we were able to create create a two story foyer with balcony from the upstairs hallway. We added a barreled vault here with stained wood to draw the eye up and we also mimicked this feature between the dining room and kitchen. 

New foyer

Barrel vault and bar between the dining room and kitchen

Another fun design challenge was playing around with the possibilities we had for the master bathroom. We rearranged the entire footprint and discovered that the best way to give the homeowners both the large freestanding tub and large shower they wanted was to combine the two! This shower is nothing less than a true home spa with full size freestanding tub, rain head, hand held shower head, and steam system. The entire shower space is also tiled with these gorgeous turquoise hand molded subway tiles from Europe.

Not only does this shower provide a peaceful sanctuary for the parents, but also serves a second purpose as a fully enclosed bathing space for their young kiddos! There's no worries about extra splashing in the tub here. 

New master bathroom

We also designed a clean, bright, and open kitchen for this home and opened up the adjacent living space. The kitchen and living room lead out to their new large outdoor living space with covered deck, stamped concrete patio with fire pit, and built-in stone cooking and grilling station. 

BEFORE: Kitchen

AFTER: Kitchen

Overall, this home only ever needed some creative rearranging and we put our best efforts into bringing it up to date to fit the everyday lives of its new residing family. We always strive to bring out the best in every older home we renovate while making the renovation and additions to the home look seamless. 

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

DfD

This year was all about hygge, the Scandinavian concept of coziness — both as a home style and way of living. Although some of that desired coziness will remain, we predict people will be gravitating towards more natural and earthy vibes in 2018. From earthy hues in decor to recycling more consciously, keeping mother nature in mind throughout your home is a great way to liven up your space.

Here’s our list of 12 concepts and home features that will be trending in 2018. What do you think of these trends? Would you try any of them out in your home? Let us know in the comments!

1. Clean Natural Wood Features

Modern, clean lined kitchens are coming back and the natural wood grain gives a great mid-century modern appeal. Photo from Pinterest. 

2. Natural Light

We designed this kitchen to maximize natural light by omitting upper cabinets and adding windows throughout the kitchen. We designed a wall of floor to ceiling cabinets on the interior wall to give us the necessary storage. Project and photo by Designed for Downtown. 

3. Neutral Earth Tones

Greens, browns, and beige add a very warm and inviting appeal to any home. Bonus points if you have soft organic textures to pair with the earth tones. Picture from Pinterest. 

4. Greenery

Greenery adds a punch of color and natural vibes to any room. Live house plants are also known to add health benefits to your home by cleaning the air! Picture from Pinterest. 

5. Wallpaper

Wallpaper (or in this case- custom, painted on "wallpaper") adds such a fun and unique look to any room. We suggest adding wallpaper in smaller rooms such as bathrooms, laundry and mud rooms, or dining rooms to keep the look from becoming overwhelming. Project and photo by Designed for Downtown. 

6. Open Shelving

Open shelves can pair well with windows around your kitchen to maximize the natural lighting you get within your kitchen. They also give you a nice platform to show off your favorite plates and glasses without needing bulky and expensive glass door cabinets. Photo from Pinterest. 

7. Statement Ceilings

We love having the opportunity to recycle parts of the existing home and feature that in the new design/ renovation. We reclaimed this wood from the old framing of the home and added it here to this dining room ceiling for a unique, rustic focal point. Project and photo by Designed for Downtown. 

8. Spa Bathrooms

Treat yourself! Spa-like master bathrooms are becoming more and more popular. You need an oasis to have to retreat to after a long day. We designed this large shower and freestanding tub combo for a hardworking couple. This hand molded turquoise tile throughout the shower added a refreshing appeal.

9. Natural and Colorful Countertops

We made this reclaimed wood countertop to give this contrasting island a furniture piece aesthetic. The wood completely warms up the room and adds an organic touch to the otherwise sleek and simple kitchen. 

10. Colorful Entry Doors

This bright green door and potted plants add a punch of life to this entryway and will really compliment the lush green yard in the spring and summer. 

11. "Upcyclying"

We were able to salvage the character of these clients' first home by installing their old front door as a barn door leading to their mudroom! 

12. Naturally Textured Tile

Tile can add a great texture to any space. The subway tile we added to this backsplash is hand molded so the tile then captures the light and shows off it's beautifully organic texture. 

To begin a home renovation design, it all starts with a conversation. This beautiful home was large and spacious but needed to meet the lifestyle and particular need of the family who resided. The main cause for renovation was to open up a large living room with direct sight lines from the kitchen to the outdoors. The other needs: larger bedroom upstairs and new play space in what was a small alcove nook before. 

While these needs were the key drive for the renovation, other specific elements were also a must for the new design: [Natural Light & Reclaimed, Natural Features]

BEFORE

On the second floor, a small alcove was tucked underneath the middle gable and the two bedrooms on either side were in need of natural light. 

AFTER

This home received a total facelift.. literally. The center of the home was elongated, creating a larger, central space in the upstairs for an additional bedroom and play space for the kids. Two accent eyebrow dormers were the perfect addition to balance the new front gable and allow for beautiful natural light and design feature in the nursery and master bedroom. (scroll down to see more)

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Now just take a look at the beautiful interior...

As mentioned before, natural elements were continued throughout the home. A reclaimed wood ceiling with a dark stain creates the perfect natural element in this formal dining room.

Large, reclaimed beams were added in the new vaulted living room space to accentuate the height of the space. The living room took place of a detached garage, creating a sunken living room with large vaulted ceiling. To keep the feel of the space consistent, large beams were added to justify the vault and bring down some of the height. **Interior Design Furnishings: Brandi Designs

Remember those eyebrow dormers on the front facade? Take a look at these we elements added to bring in more natural light and character to these bedrooms...

Beautiful nursery! The new dormer brought in so much natural light, the homeowners are investing in plantation shutters to ensure a quiet and peaceful nap time for the little one during the day!

The Master Bedroom! Who wouldn't want to wake up to this light every morning! Side note: this lovable ball of fur posed for all of these pictures. We just couldn't tell him no!

No home is complete without fun design and personal touches! 

This custom floating vanity allowed for a smaller powder bath to feel much larger. The surface mount sink and wall faucet complete the custom design. Like any laundry, mudroom, or powder bath space: there's room for creativity! This wallpaper design was created and handprinted by a local Greenville artist! You can visit her work here on Instagram: @jeanwilsonfreeman

A Fun Design Element: This door was the front door at this couples' first home! They have kept it ever since and we found a way to incorporate this beauty as a sliding barn door between the kitchen and mudroom space! How cool is that?!

Who Says Laundry Can't Be Fun? : The laundry was relocated to the the downstairs, underneath the master bedroom closet. To the left of this reclaimed door is the upstairs hall bath. This door was original to the start of the project and was used as an access point between the master bedroom and upstairs laundry room wall. With the laundry being located directly under the existing master closet, it created the perfect opportunity for a laundry shoot. This door was reused as the access door from the hall bathroom with a new door and cabinet added to the master closet. No running up and down the stairs for laundry here! 

This home was beautiful and charismatic before, but now truly functions for this growing family. The living room addition allows for a fully functioning entertainment space between the kitchen and indoor/outdoor living, and the expanded upstairs provides the needed sleep & play space for this family. [We forgot to mention the outdoor screened porch and fireplace and grill station!] 

While all of these programmatic spaces were added for function and additional suitable living space for the family, the design also left no compromise of the home's older features. We were able to incorporate features of "the old" along with exciting design elements for "the new".

Leave us some comments and let us know what you think :)

Until Next Time, 

DfD

Contractor: AJH Renovations, LLC

Interior Furnishings: Chestnut Living (Brandi)

There is this rule of thumb you should follow when choosing paint sheens; The higher the sheen, the higher the shine - and the higher the shine, the more durable it will be. 

All is very true, and each room has a specific "parameter," you could say, of the type of paint you should choose. For example, washable walls in bathrooms and kitchens, vibrant walls in entry ways and living space, and durable, easy to clean walls in playrooms and hallways.

What most people to know know and SHOULD now is that it is so important that your sheetrock be able to stand the test of time for these paint sheens. What do I mean by that?

First, you need to know the levels of paint sheens. Flat paint has no shine and high-gloss is all shiny-shine. And in between these are eggshell, satin, semi-gloss: each with its very own characteristics of practicality and aesthetics. 

So what does this have to do with sheetrock?

According to Gypsum Association, "Proper products and techniques for painting Gypsum board [sheetrock] must be used to attain a quality of level of finish on interior surfaces. A variety of factors in the painting process affect the creating of a pleasing finish".

Obviously, these factors can vary greatly and can go into endless detail, so I will touch base to these here; but check out this link to find out more!

https://www.pabcogypsum.com/sites/default/files/GA-232-04.pdf

The proper levels of gypsum board finish should be specified before painting. This selected level of finish varies with the final decoration to be applied: the location of the surface within the interior of the building, type of and able of both natural and artificial lighting expected, and then of course, PAINT! 

Here is a slight summary to better understand the difference between the recommended levels of gypsum board. 

Level 4 finish (Gypsum board) is the minimum standard, and most common for residential applications, of a drywall finish. The gypsum board is applied, mudded where joints, screw sets, and corners are visible, and them primed with a minimum of one coat of good quality drywall primer. This primer's purpose is to equalize the absorption between the gypsum board face paper, the joint compound, and skim coating materials, so that subsequent paint will adhere evenly.

Here's the trick, which many contractors, designers, etc. may not know or quite frankly avoid. The number of coats of primer depends on your paint finish and all the categories listed above like, lighting, angles, etc. 

Even more, remember when I mentioned that the mud is applied at the joints of the gypsum board and corners? When you apply a high sheen of paint, let's say high-gloss, one of its biggest characteristics is that it reflects light rather than absorbing... So yep, you guessed it. Where all of those joints and corners are that you "mudded", you will most likely see every single detail! In addition, s higher sheen will accentuate every imperfection in the sheetrock itself.

This leads us to a Level 5 finish, which should be applied to any sheen higher than flat finish. In this process, the entire wall of gypsum board is "mudded" to create an overall cohesive barrier between the primer and face paper. 

Many contractors and designers do not apply this method of use, but I would highly recommend you research and learn more about it. In the long run, it creates a higher quality of finish in you home. Level 5 is more expensive, but doesn't it make sense to spend the money on a cohesive look on your walls than to apply and apply and apply paint to hide its imperfections?

We think so. Level 5 finishes important to us as designers. We strive to create high quality finishes in homes and products where homeowners are exceptionally happy with the end result. Not just in the weeks following a complete remodel, but in the years of wear and tear of the home. 

Check out our blog about paint finishes and what sheen should be applied to which room! Level 5 doesn't have to go everywhere, but we highly recommend it wherever a high sheen paint is desired.