Mid-Century Gem
This little nugget had a lot going for it….but it also had a gun range through the woods in the back yard! We’re were super nervous about buying it because we can change a lot of things, but we can’t change that. It also had a dreaded galley kitchen, which we couldn’t open up because the basement stairs were on one side and the exterior wall was on the other. We had to make every decision count if we wanted to see a profit on this one.
We took the kitchen down to the studs and started fresh. Widened the doorway to the living/dining room by 12” somehow changed everything, and deciding not to install cabinets on the window wall really made this kitchen feel wide open. We added the mid-century sconces over the windows and a sleek black vent hood from Home Depot for drama.
The kitchen had this small room behind it with great natural light. Originally designed to be the dining room, we turned it into a mud room/home office with simple wall hooks, a bench and this counter-height work station. It went from being a useless tiny room to a functional space for kids and adults to drop their bags, do homework or take conference calls.
Small changes with major impact
This entryway was a coat closet we opened to allow for direct access to the power room, back door and basement from the living room. Originally, you had to walk through the tiny galley kitchen to get to those spaces! By opening this wall, we completely changed the flow of this house. Our contractor built in a few shelves for display and storage baskets, and we simply added a plug-in wall sconce to illuminate this niche. Not shown is a floor mirror placed opposite the shelves, which showcased this feature when you walked in the front door.
Change the flow
When staging, always have a touch of whimsey somewhere in the home. This house had a huge walk-out basement which we finished, including a new full bathroom. The original owner had built these cabinets for a big old TV and stereo system. It wasn’t in the budget to drywall the basement, so we painted all the old paneling white and turned these little cabinets into a snack bar for movie nights. They had electrical outlets so we were able to add a popcorn machine and lighting. At the open house, we filled the basket with popcorn and people were enjoying the place like they already lived there. No surprise this one had a bidding war and we ended up $60,000 over asking!
