Empty Nest Syndrome

What's the best way to cope with empty nest syndrome? Remodel the kid's room seconds after they walk out the door, of course. Goodbye twin bed with Stars Wars comforter; hello office space. 

That's how it went down at my clients' house. Their youngest son moved out on a Friday and they chose paint colors on a Saturday - Asian Sand by Behr for the walls and Swiss Coffee by Behr for the trim and closet. Then they called me. 

Here are the "Before" shots:

I patched. I used a pancake compressor and finish nail gun to redo the trim on the door. I wood filled the nail holes. I sanded. I painted. Twelve hours later... it's like that whole "raising kids" thing never happened. Check out the "After."

When I finally have a child and then they leave 18-20 years later, I'm going to turn his/her room into a ridiculously cozy library inspired by this Albert Hadley design. Sorry future kid. 

image via House Beautiful

Keeping Color Simple.

The color most people gravitate towards when painting a room didn't make the cut on Newton's wheel.

Yup, white. My favorite of the millions of shades/brands available... Benjamin Moore's Decorators White. It's a warm white that loves light and creates a timeless background, allowing your furniture and architecture to really pop. 

(Note: even if your painting an entire room white, make sure to choose a separate shade of white for the walls than you do for the trim and ceiling. A little bit of contrast goes a long way towards feeling like you're NOT living on the moon.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Shoemaker's Children Have No Fence... I Mean, Shoes.

Although I'm not a shoemaker (nor do I have any kids), I do get where "Anonymous" was going with that old saying. After a long, rewarding day of painting and renovating interesting spaces for other people, when I get home my instinct is definitely not to grab a hammer, head into the backyard, and forge the fence my home deserves. That said, living flush against a two story apartment building can make all involved feel like fish in a fishbowl. So, in a quest for privacy, I did the only logical thing - I applied to be on a televised home makeover show, HGTV's Hammer Heads. 

While I may not have the mad skills necessary to win the regular lottery, I did land the apply-to-a-TV-show-and-get-a-renovation one. Before you think to yourself "Not fair," check out a picture of the backyard prior to their help.

Not exactly a calling card. But three hosts, a skeleton crew, and five days later... Tah-Dah!

Alright, there are a lot of noteworthy things happening in this picture. First, the wood slat/faux tin tile fence makes the giant white apartment building behind the house disappear. If "good fences make good neighbors," then my neighbors are top notch. 

It's time for next level stuff - notice the couch is made of both wood and wrought iron. Now check back in with "Before" picture number 2... look carefully... like "Where's Waldo" carefully. (No rush, I'll wait.) Yeah, you spied it. The iron part of the couch was created using the bottom level of the rusted shelving unit. Some would have considered it a massive piece of junk, but the Hammer Heads crew saw the raw materials needed to construct a one-of-a-kind lounging paradise. 

My third favorite feature of the new backyard - a wall of herbs. Insanely delicious and self-explanatory. 
Thanks Hammer Heads gang. I truly appreciate all of your hard work and the off the charts finished product.

Night and Day(bed) Difference

As we all learned from Betty Draper on "Mad Men," adding a large piece of furniture to a room does one of two things - 1) completely ruins it or 2) creates a stunning piece of livable art that sets the tone for the rest of the decor. Betty's designer made it pretty clear which category this fainting couch falls under.
That said, I have a success story that falls under category #2. A friend-turned-client dreamed up the perfect daybed to anchor her living room. She found a version of the piece at a local high end furniture store, only to be told that they had discontinued it. Enter Jeff (me) and Joel (a pal who helps me on two man jobs).

The Plan: This client has an active 3-year-old, so (in order to make it an extremely usable piece of furniture) we decided to construct the daybed with really sturdy hardwood (NOT softwood). Per the client's request, we matched the paint (interior flat from Baller Hardware) to the color of her hardwood floors. Other materials/equipment: wood screws (countersunk and patched for a clean, seemless finish), a table saw, and a miter saw.

This is as close as I could get to "Before" shots:

Pictured carpenter: Joel

Four days later... (abracadabra)...

Just a Touch of Color (and an Entire Kitchen Remodel) Goes a Long Way

Okay, here's the situation - checkered linoleum (which in the right context could be fun and vintage... Note: this is definitely not the right context), stark white walls, and exposed wiring.


My clients wanted to warm-up the room and make it a focal point for the house, versus an eyesore that looks best in the dark. They hired me for all of the patching, painting, tiling and trim work, and the boys at Home Depot took care of the cabinet and counter installation. Now, (drum roll), the big reveal:

Everyone Loves a Good Before and After

People have been asking me to start a website for quite some time. Be careful what you ask for... because here we go! 

Here are pictures from my most recent job - THE BREAKFAST NOOK. Notice the gorgeous linoleum and striking yellow paint in the "Before." 

Believe it or not, my client wanted to update that gem. A nice neutral tile (from my favorite and economical tile shop, New Metro Tile), gray grout, two coats of Portola's "Monkey Tan," some trim to finish it off - and voila - feast your eyes on "After." Who wouldn't want to eat a croissant in there? 

(Apologies for the awkward angle of the "After" photos. Everything was backlit, so it was hard to get a wide shot.)