Dreary Home Gets Bright Update | Season 1 Episode 10
This week’s episode was a doozy! The homeowner’s lovingly called this home their “Disco Castle” because of the castle-like appearance and the 70’s era details throughout. Driving up for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place, as well as the foreboding and uninviting “penitentiary” elements on the exterior. This was definitely our biggest project of the season and forced me to get REALLY creative with my design plans. Read on to find out all of the details from this immense transformation!
Exterior
BEFORE: an ominous and uninviting “fortress”.
This home is proof that a little paint can go a long way! We softened the window trim and red brick on the side of the house and it truly made a world of difference. The house went from being dark and uninviting to warm and welcoming. The new trim color also highlighted the beauty of the windows with the classic European grids.
Even with the new paint, I would say that hands-down the biggest impact on the exterior came when we removed the iron gates blocking the front entrance and then installed the new (GORGEOUS) custom-built wrought iron balconies. Frank, a local friend and iron forger, did an amazing job taking these from the existing “prison watchtower” feel to a set of enchanting and elegant Parisian balconies.
AFTER: a beautiful European-inspired home.
Sources
Custom Balconies | Bentonville Ornamental Iron
Sconces | Kichler
Landscaping | John Zito Landscaping LLC
Exterior Brick Paint Color | Benjamin Moore Bennington Gray
Exterior Trim Paint Color | Benjamin Moore Fairview Taupe
Kitchen
BEFORE: a dark kitchen with crazy angles.
The odd angles and dark cabinetry of the existing kitchen made it an extremely cramped and unwelcoming space. The gorgeous grids on the windows and natural stone wall were lost among the distractions in the room.
After we moved the wall back and opened up the space, I went with a classic English kitchen design in order to really highlight the windows, stone and new ceiling beam. I wanted the island to look like a “found” piece reminiscent of English kitchens and our cabinet maker, Chris Latham, did an amazing job on this one. The simplicity of the lighting and the olde-world touches like the cabinet hardware (I love these latches!) and handmade backsplash tile all work so well in here. The room now feels elegant, inviting and timeless and I absolutely love it.
AFTER: a classic and beautiful English kitchen.
Sources
Pendants | Lucent Lamp Works
Cabinetry & Range Hood | Premier Wood Concepts – Link
Cabinet Hardware | Topknobs: Knobs & Latches
Countertops | Super White Granite
Range | Verona
Dishwasher & Refrigerator | Metro Appliances
Faucet | Kohler
Sink | IKEA
Wood Flooring | Castle Combe Artisans
Cabinet Paint Color | Benjamin Moore Bennington Gray
Living Room
BEFORE: good bones, but stuck in a time-warp!
Over-scaled furniture from decades past kept this room from living up to it’s full potential. And even with an abundance of windows, this room still managed to feel like a dark cave. I knew we needed to brighten things up in here – STAT. My tried and true white paint (Benjamin Moore White Dove) was like a breath of fresh air in here. After painting the dark wall paneling, the room became bright and airy and the perfect palate for contemporary and better suited furniture for the space.
The living room already had incredible vaulted ceilings, so we were able to highlight them with a rustic, hand carved beam. We also tied in the beam with the fireplace by adding a similar one to serve as the mantle. New wire brushed oak floors softened the entire room (we carried these same floors throughout the home).
AFTER: a bright and airy modern space.
Sources
Sconces | Kichler
Wood Flooring | Castle Combe Artisans
Art | Melissa Abide Griffith
Furnishings | Avenue Design Co
Wall Paint Color | Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17
Breakfast Nook
BEFORE: a dark sitting room.
With all of these big, beautiful windows this space was crying out to be made into a breakfast nook. White paint and new flooring, as well as opening up the wall into the kitchen as much as we could (we found the electrical wiring to the entire house within that wall and weren’t able to entirely remove it, per my original plan), made a world of difference in here! We also repurposed the old iron balconies from outside into a one-of-a-kind chandelier for over the dining table.
AFTER: a charming breakfast nook.
Sources
Chandelier | Bentonville Ornamental Iron
Furnishings | Avenue Design Co
Wood Flooring | Castle Combe Artisans
Wall Paint Color | Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17
Dining Room
BEFORE: an overcrowded and under-utilized space.
For such a grand space, the turret just felt off. The tiny table for four with carpet underneath just didn’t serve the needs of this family. Also, they requested a ceiling in here in order to create additional square footage in the office space above. Once we closed off the high ceiling of the turret, the space felt more conducive to a traditional dining room. A fresh coat of paint, new flooring to blend seamlessly with the rest of the home, and a beautiful chandelier completed this room.
AFTER: an elegant formal dining room.
Sources
Chandelier | Kichler
Furnishings | Avenue Design Co
Wood Flooring | Castle Combe Artisans
Wall Paint Color | Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17
I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Craddock’s beautiful home! I cannot believe it but the season is almost over! What an incredible journey this has been. Thank you all for watching the show and for your incredible support and encouragement. We feel the love and are SO very grateful!
We’ll see you next week – same time, same place – for the very last episode of the season! In case you missed it the first time around, our original pilot episode will be re-airing on Tuesday night (1/14) at 9|8c on HGTV. We’re throwing a big party to celebrate so I’ll see some of you there (and I’ll be back here afterward to share photos from the night – you can see photos from the Season Premiere party HERE)!
Have a fabulous weekend!!
Jenny
