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Remodel starts as a small paint job
It all started with a desire for a new paint color.
My client decided that he was tired of the white walls
he’d had forever and that he’d like to try
some color. He called me to choose colors for his open
floor-plan living room, dining room and kitchen. When
we were done, we had changed all of the flooring, refaced
his kitchen cabinets, replaced his counters with beautiful
granite tile, added window treatments, removed the “popcorn”
ceiling, installed crown molding, and of course, painted
all of the walls.
You know how that goes; one thing always seems to lead
to another. “As long as we’re painting,
why don’t we get new flooring?” Everyone
I know seems to have a similar story. The results in
my client’s case were remarkable. We added a stylish
and cohesive look to the space. We added warmth and
elegance. We even added functionality by removing a
wall dividing the living and dining areas.
At our initial meeting, we did talk about paint colors,
but his view was that if he was going to go through
the trouble of painting, he might as well do a few other
things too. He wanted a warm, inviting home to entertain
his family and friends. To make his living room feel
cozier, we installed crown molding at the eight-foot
ceiling height, which visually brought the high ceilings
down. By removing the wall between the living room and
dining room, we created a much larger entertaining space.
To tie the two rooms together, we painted them in the
same color-- rich, earthy terracotta. A faux finish
painted below the crown molding added depth and interest.
We used the same terracotta in the entry and up the
stairwell.
Using one type of flooring throughout helped to unify
the space, as well as make it feel larger. In this case,
we selected gorgeous cherry wood floors for the entire
downstairs. The upstairs bedrooms were left carpeted.
The kitchen cabinets were finished in a dark merlot
stain, providing contrast with the relatively lighter
cherry floors. The granite tile for the kitchen brought
all of the colors together, with its flecks of red and
terracotta. New light fixtures in the entry and dining
area updated the rooms, and my client was surprised
at the huge difference made by removing the acoustic
ceilings. New honeycomb shades at the windows allowed
my client to have privacy when closed, but a full view
of his lovely garden when open.
When all the construction was done, my redesign partner
and I rearranged all of his furniture, artwork and accessories.
Our arrangement took advantage of the new open space
between the living and dining areas and created a cozy
conversation area around the fireplace. The warm wall
color provided a beautiful backdrop for all of his artwork,
and his interesting collectibles were proudly displayed.
It took a few months to complete, but in the end,
my client was very happy. “I love my new house,”
he shared with me. Music to my ears.
This article first appeared in Alameda Newspaper
Group papers on Oct. 16, 2004.
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back to the list of decorating columns.
All articles copyright 2003-2008 Anna
Jacoby.
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