Category Archives: before&after

This post was originally published at Urban Turf, The DC Real Estate Guide. It is one in a series of features called “Re-imagined,” which will look at DC homes in need of renovations and imagine what they could look like one day.

Single-click anywhere on the images below to move the slider bar, revealing the before and after photos. Use the links at the bottom to ‘show only before’ or ‘show only after.’

The Living Room
In the living room, there are some great details in the built-in wooden shelves and the fireplace surround. However, it felt a little heavy, with a bit too much going on. Weʼd keep the side shelves intact, and try to make the fireplace feel a little more cohesive with a new stone veneer. Though the original wood trim was beautiful, it felt as if it was competing with the bookshelves, and the stone tiling inside it felt small and overpowered, like it was a design afterthought. Ideally, the fireplace trim could be salvaged and re-used for another project by donating it to a place like Community Forklift.

By creating a uniform center with the new fireplace, the wall feels a little more balanced and the room has a focal point. For the floors, weʼd make the two rooms flow together with the same wood flooring, and, as there are currently checkerboard floors throughout the house, weʼd opt to only keep them in one or two of the rooms to avoid overdoing it. Finally, the large space and high ceilings could benefit from more of a statement chandelier that doesnʼt feel quite as tiny in the space.

The Kitchen
The kitchen offers an opportunity to embrace the checkerboard floors, and the only thing we would do is a little bit of restoration to clean them up. Weʼd choose cabinets and countertops that are light and white tones to avoid competing with the floor, as well as new appliances. Along the right wall, weʼd add a seating area with some pops of bright color.

The Bedroom
The bedroom is in pretty decent shape and could simply benefit from a fresh coat of paint and some refinished floors. A darker stain on the floors and a darker accent wall would help to make the space feel more intimate. We also decided to add a seating area in the curved window area to take advantage of the beautiful space.

The Rear Porch and Deck
The backyard is currently almost non-existent, due to the detached carriage house/garage directly behind the house that takes up much of the lot. Adding a deck on the roof of this structure would help maximize the outdoor space while providing a good place to grill and entertain. Weʼd fix up the wooden porch by adding a new canopy structure overhead, and remove the existing railings for access to the extended deck.

Do you have a room in your house you’d like to re-imagine? All we need is a photo to get started! Get in touch for more information on how we can help transform your home.