One Southern fixer - upper got the shift of a lifetime when a young couple decide to take it on . The challenge : Do everything themselves .
Elizabeth and Whit Brown ’s home in Florence , Alabama , is full of surprises . Towering columns and a porch equip with white wicker aretextbook Southern Colonial . But inside is an unexpected and personal mixture of old and new , traditional and modern . The biggest surprise ? The fact that they pull out off this makeover entirely themselves .
They bought the Southern colonial home in Florence , AL , ( sight unseen for Whit ) knowing it would be a massive dull - and - unfluctuating project . Over three age , they scratch wallpaper , wired scant fixedness , tiled backsplashesand floor , spruced up kitchen cabinets , trash more wallpaper , and pulled out M and yards of pink and blue carpet . Elizabeth hunted through used shops for most of their furniture , and Whit built the rest , including their dining way board and kitchen island .
Credit: Laurey Glenn Photography
When it came to beautify , Elizabeth did n’t let the old - firm detail tie her men stylewise . Acoat of white paint(Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace ) now covers most of the DoI , modernizing the dentil mold and wainscoting while maintaining asense of the computer architecture . “ I want to respect the original character , ” Elizabeth says . “ But then , because I used white almost everywhere , I could do whatever I wanted in terms of furniture . ”
When using white rouge all - over , decorators and designer often suggest using the same color on the paries and snip in two unlike sheens : flat or eggshell for the wall , satin for the trim . The uniformness will debar unsightly color differences , while the elusive shift in luster will make gentle juxtaposition .
And that she did . In the dining room , glass house of cards chandeliers offset more traditional elements and black unifies mismatched chair . It ’s this mix of epoch in a individual elbow room that spotlight Elizabeth ’s eye for secondhand and thrifting . typesetter’s case in point : two classic midcentury art object , the sideboard and dark Pantone style end chair , are situate beneath ornate dentil molding andceiling medallion ; two decorating style with major difference ( ornate versus streamlined ) , yet immix seamlessly in Elizabeth ’s hands .
Credit: Laurey Glenn Photography
Whit built the large farmhouse board and installed a 2d electrical box in the roof so they could pay heed the two chandelier to suit the farsighted , rectangular room . The Browns erotic love to entertain ( they once had 40 Edgar Albert Guest for Friendsgiving ) , so their dining room had to work for a crew . Elizabethhung nontextual matter in a loose , horizontal arrangementto cross the wall .
Despite all the DIYing it took to bring the house up to date , Elizabeth and Whit had no doubtfulness that they could make it theirs . “ I could just see it , ” Elizabeth says . “ I could see past the dust and the gossamer and the wallpaper , and I just roll in the hay that this family had so much potential . ”
Revamping the kitchenwas first on the to - do list . “ We like that it ’s a cozy kitchen ; it just need some brightening , ” Elizabeth says . They substitute the appliance , update the exist cabinet , and tile the backsplash , but it ’s the reverse - leg island table Whit construct that really opened the blank .
Chrome Bertoia stools , another pillar of midcentury modern decor , draw up to Whit’sbutcher - cylinder block island . The original locker look brand - new thanks to this DIY literary hack : Whit supplant the panels of upper storage locker doors with glass panes secured with small angle bracket . underpass tilethat runs to the top of the cabinets looks both classic and forward-looking .
Laurey Glenn
On the other side of the kitchen island , one of the dwelling house ’s four fireplaces warms the blank space with its original brick facade . A aggregation of silver medal platters decorates the chimneypiece , while simultaneously serving up an soft - range storage resolution for tray too pretty to hide in cabinets . A vintage porcelain vase filled with smart red florals echoes the colour in the kitchen ’s rug .
In the living way , avintage floral sofathat could go frumpish in the incorrect hands looks invigorated paired with aboxy burl wood table . The blue sofa was one of Elizabeth ’s lucky thrifting find . “ I bribe the sofa before we even fill up on the house , ” she says . “ It ’s down - filled so really good quality , and I knew that floral was go to look awe-inspiring in an all - snowy room . ” She updated the sliding chalk doorway by remove decorative muntins and painting the frame glossy black .
When Whit and Elizabeth moved in , a second support blank had pink wallpaper , baby blue carpeting and trim down , and a random sink plumbed in the corner . They finally wrench it into the “ fun ” room with awet barand pool board . Affordable IKEA cabinets are topped with a remnant composition of granite from a local stoneyard . Dark hoary walls complete the chic but masculine tone Elizabeth wanted .
The wainscotting and casting - iron claw - foot tub are the only voice of the invitee bathroom Elizabeth and Whit kept . They reglazed the tub ’s interior and paint its exterior savourless blackamoor . They stripped the wallpaper , interchange the vanity and fixtures , and repose a new herringbone roofing tile floor themselves .
Credit: Laurey Glenn
New hardwood floors were n’t in the duet ’s budget , so they had pine plywood cut into 8 - inch - all-embracing plank , laid them in vary length , then sanded and painted them white . The vintage decor in the bedroom is an ode to the home ’s beginnings .
Like nearly every other room in the house , the primary was roll in go out wallpaper . White paint and achromatic carpet provide a tonic backdrop for a collection of thrifted furniture and art . frame the four - poster with graphics take in it look even more substantial .
The backyard is designed for entertaining with a couch spot and a dining table to seat 12 . Elizabeth wanted the coffee mesa , built from basic 2x4 - column inch boards , to be grown enough to jibe a cheese board or to put your foot up after dinner party . Plenty of greenery keeps the space look fresh .
Courtesy of Capstone Realty.
Credit:Laurey Glenn
