Hi friends, I hope you have had a great week. Coincidently, Kirby’s boyfriend Tyler purchased a home right after Sammy and Dylan, and was exited to have Kirby to help with the renovation!! On a budget as most young people are, they did so much of the work themselves! Just as different as the two girls, so are their styles and Kirby did a great job implementing Tyler’s vision of natural surfaces, warm woods, and a quiet, more minimalistic feel. I am so amazed with the before and afters, I think you will be too!

Tucked away in a charming neighborhood, Tyler knew this was the house when he saw it the first time. Built in 1962, this 1800 sq. ft. house has a nice sized lot with good bones and beautiful trees. I will show you the exterior and interior renovations along the way but let’s start with the kitchen first.

Although the kitchen had been updated, and he knew he was lucky to have all new windows, it seemed closed in and busy to him. He also didn’t care for the way the counter angled on the left.

Having three different floors in such a small space chops up the space, and although both Kirby and Tyler loved the original wood and tera cotta floors in the rest of the home they didn’t much care for the kitchen tile.

After hearing Tyler’s concerns, and knowing that the budding chef needed functional cooking space, Kirby showed how the space could be re-imagined over Friday night cocktails.

Loving the direction, Kirby sketched a more detailed version. To open up the space she wanted to remove the upper cabinets and replace them with reclaimed wood shelving, install a farm sink, plaster the hood, and install SegretoStone counters and backsplash walls. Tyler was all on board and they started the demo together.

For all of us, and especially first time home owners, a realistic budget that fits your home’s value can be difficult to determine. Rocket Homes suggests a good rule of thumb is to spend 5% – 15% of your home’s total value on a kitchen renovation. For example, if your house is valued at $400,000, a decent kitchen renovation budget would be 10% of that value, so about $40,000. If you are demoing yourself, which is more budget friendly, here are a few tips to think about: turn off the water, gas and electrical, remove appliances, have a dumpster ready, and protect all surrounding areas which are not being renovated. Once the space is prepped, it’s time to start the demo by removing the cabinetry first and ending with the drywall and flooring. 

After the demo, they left the drywall, and flooring to the professionals. Fortunately they were able to find some old wood from the 1960’s time period to use for the kitchen floors so everything blended in. Notice that the angle on the counter has been squared off. It is already looking so much move open!!

What a change! The floors have been all refinished in a mocha tone, the wall between the den and kitchen removed and a SegretoStone waterfall island constructed!!

Kirby sourced some reclaimed wood from Old World Lumber Company, which Isai, our operation’s manager, cut for her; and Sergio, from our Stone Crew, spliced together. She then refinished them to match the mocha tones of her floors.

The new hood had to be completely reconstructed. Using the existing exhaust, Isai built a new one from wood to be lath and plastered over. There are some perks for working for Segreto!

Before

This is the before shot looking from the den into the kitchen and one of the kitchen. Notice the ceiling texture, something they both wanted to change. Plaster is a great way to smooth out surfaces, give the illusion of height to low ceilings and certainly elevate the look of the space. Get ready for the after — it is quite an evolution!

After

Stunning! The thoughtful detail and design are so well executed and impactful. The kitchen is certainly beautiful, but more functional and livable as well. Her ability to spend where an impact will be made and fill in with more budget friendly alternatives where possible, allowed Tyler to stay on budget and have a warm and inviting space!

Squaring off the corner and building a pantry above the counter, allowed for the wall to be opened up between the den and kitchen as well as a workable pantry space. Space saving ideas such as the wine glasses hanging from the shelf created more storage while keeping with Tyler’s love of a clean aesthetic. The bowl was a housewarming gift from me that Kirby and I spied on a shopping trip to Weidner Hasou & Co, a great place for home accessories and gifts!

The SegretoStone counters and backsplash in Pure White from the Segreto Palette have an organic feel which marries well with the reclaimed wood shelves Kirby and Tyler found at Old World Lumber Company, the wood accessories (Tily living), and stoneware dishes (West Elm). Kirby is a master in styling!

The new pendant lights and brass sconces which she bought inexpensively and aged with an umber glaze creates a furnished feel to the kitchen, which is important in open floor plans.

The farm sink and stunning brass faucet from Acero Bella were splurges which definitely impact the space. To both accessorize and protect the SegretoStone, she used a natural wood block to house the oils and a stone slab for under the soaps.

I love how she used a brass towel bar from Acero Bella to house the dishtowels. Her ceiling is plastered and matching trim painted in Moonbeam from the Segreto Palette, and her cabinets in Segreto Paint Castle Gate at 75% to give a soft contrast to the walls and counters. Where did they save and where did they splurge? The savings were doing the demo and some finishing themselves, keeping existing base cabinets and painting them, and light fixtures. The splurges? The plaster, new SegretoStone countertops, plumbing, and hardware. I have never been more proud of Kirby’s abilities and thankful she is part of our team, assisting clients in elevating spaces in their own homes! I can’t wait to show you before and after’s of the rest of Tyler’s home! Till next time! XO Leslie

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