This is a whole-house makeover that made my jaw drop.
A reader named Amy says, “I bought a 1940s cottage loaded with charm and every bad thing: mold, asbestos, lead-based paint, and the ickiest paneling to ever grace a wall.”
To say it needed a lot of work is an understatement.
But take a look at it now…
So charming!
But the outside was just the beginning.
Here’s how uninviting the living room looked before:
She installed double doors on either side of the fireplace where those small windows used to be, and the whole room looks a lot lighter and brighter now:
“My builder and I designed them and took the drawing to a door maker. He built them for us and then painted/distressed them. They are functional and lead out to the side/front porch.”
She says, “When it comes to decorating, my style is influenced by vintage and repurposed trends. I like a little bit of history in my decor — something with a life of its own. A trend emerged in my flea market finds: I like tools — as in hammers and such. I like the idea of taking something that has been exceptionally useful and giving it an opportunity to be beautiful.”
Here’s an example — the vintage levels she hung on the wall:
She stacked old tool boxes as a side table in the living room and stores Christmas decorations in them.
Her dog Patsy Cline clearly approves:
She says this is her favorite room now, and I can see why!
Another room that needed a lot of attention: the kitchen.
Here’s how it looked before:
And now, after being transformed:
Her house made the cover of Refresh magazine’s premier issue over the summer:
Some of these photos were taken by Jeff Herr for the magazine.
Amy works as a designer for Gather & Build, a boutique design and construction collaborative in Nashville, Tennessee.
Thanks to Amy for sharing her home renovation with us.
Visit her blog Gather & Build to see how her bedroom and bathroom upstairs turned out!
Alie B says
Wonderful, fresh and bright! 🙂 I love the idea of up-cycling once useful implements by displaying them as art. Excellent job on the reno!
Jennifer says
This is such a cute cottage. I love the fresh and vintage décor, too. Even though it’s been renovated it still has it’s original charm. Love that!
Maddie May says
Jennifer I totally agree with you. My thoughts exactly.
Joanna says
Yep. This is an amazing re-do. Well done!
Mary says
Cute house ~ but for me I feel the kitchen is too industrial looking for the style of house. I also liked the color of the exterior better in the before. The rest is really nice!
House Crazy Sarah says
agreed with both points – kitchen could have been remodeled with more of a timeless vintage vibe and the exterior color was more period/style appropriate before. BUT, it is gorgeous!
hookedonhouses says
I didn’t hate the green, but I LOVE the white. 🙂
Caroline says
I thought the exact same things!
Kay @ redbirdv.wordpress.com says
This house had me at that old red door, + I mean that!
Awesome!
We’re re-doing a Dutch colonial right now, so natch, every photo I see inspires me!
I super love the white siding + am now jonesing to put said-same on our house!
TY for posting!
missgulfsouth says
Amazing. Gather & Build is amazing, too…….;)
Laura says
Now that is a renovation done by a person who actually liked the house she was renovating and wanted to keep some of it intact! Very nice. I wouldn’t have gone quite as modern, but it looks good. Love the exterior especially.
Jeanette says
Beautiful! Can’t say I’m crazy about the clipboards on the wall, though! At least they should be painted a different color!
Caroline says
I agree. I think they are too fadish and don’t really go with the style of the house.
Emma says
Love the sliding red door – great way to keep the master bedroom private! It’s like a secret staircase from an old Nancy Drew story 🙂
And Patsy Cline is just adorable!
Anne says
Hi Julia,
Amy did a lovely home renovation! Really updated the cottage and made it look bright and cozy. Love the white exterior paint and the charming hardwood floors, and the splashes of fire engine red in the dining room seat and other places!
Maggy says
I agree with Anne .. I’ always afraid that white on white will look dull (as in “relo white”), but I love all the punches of color she’s added w/ accessories to make it warm and comfortable (especially her sofa!) Those doors she added in the living room on either side of the fireplace are to die for — what vision she and her builder had!
I also really like the idea of the bench for some of her dining room seating (that’s an idea I’m going to steal, if I can ever find a bench :- ), and while I’m more of a “cottage kitchen” kind of person, I think her kitchen re-do reflects her personality and her interest in old tools and a bit more of an ‘industrial’ look — it’s fresh and clean, like the rest of her home. Hands down, it’s a fantastic renovation!
Maggy
Jen says
This is just beautiful done
All the wood and white work so well together the dinning tabe and bench are pretty
Tracey says
LOVE that she replaced the windows in the living room with doors to the porch! I don’t love the fireplace being all white, but 100% better than the strange shiny ivory color it was before.
Pam Gereau says
So are those the vintage floors redone or are those new floors that look old? (and if so, what kind of wood are they?) Love them!
hookedonhouses says
I believe they’re they’re the original floors. Amy can correct me if I’m wrong!
Rebecca C says
I love the floors too. I was wondering if they are original. Boy did that house need some love. I like that she used just white on the outside. It needed something and that works for me. It doesn’t seem that there was too much left for her to work with (original details), so she did a good job bringing it back.
Lacey says
Hey there! Thanks for all the love for the premier issue of REFRESH! Our team is super-duper proud of it! Our premier is no longer available on newsstands, but you can see/buy it at Zinio.com. And, even better, our second issue hits newsstands October 15! Hope you love it just as much!! xoxoxoxo
hookedonhouses says
Thanks, Lacey! Looking forward to seeing the next issue! 🙂
Kathy Manning says
You have made quite the transformation, what a beautiful home it has turned out to be. Great job!!
Lisa@theDecorGirl says
Simply stunning, so well done and not over done. Bungalows are the most charming houses which ooze authentic personality. Here the house shows and the homeowner shows. Very nice!
Patti says
I love the new exterior. I love the new beam they put on the porch so they could take out the center posts, the new windows, the new dormer and the white. The old exterior looked tired, the new exterior just breaths charm. Great job!
Martha says
Love this house. Love the salvaged sliding door. Love the clipboards to display photos .Love the floors . Love the white kitchen. Love, Love, Love!!!!!!!
jep says
This is such a cheerful house…my kind of place, too!
I like everything except I would need more kitchen storage. Maybe she has some that we can’t see. An excellent job on the redo Amy…it shows that you love your home.
Susan says
All the details are so thoughtful and lovely. I’d like to move in=) What a wonderful place to call home.
Jane George says
SUPER cute!
Wendy says
What a beautiful makeover. She really added beauty and a sense of timelessness to the interiors of a home that looked charming on the outside but was a mixed up mess inside. I do fancy a green house, but it is nevertheless pretty in white. The new doors in the living room are brilliant. I like the vintage look of the kitchen, but the subway tiles to the ceiling feel like an institutional choice. Maybe a cafeteria from that era, rather than a home kitchen. And where does she keep her stuff with no upper cabinets!! Picky little me. It’s beautiful. Tell me more about those lights she used in the kitchen…I WANT those!
Patience says
Stunning! I love how the house retains its character. I hear the comments about the kitchen, but at least it isn’t a granite cave. I love the red sliding door. We did the same thing in our renovation. We found the original back door to the house in the basement and now it’s on sliders as the door for our downstairs bathroom. The door has a window, so we frosted the glass and then stenciled our address on it. It’s one of the favorite features of my house now.
Steve@UrbanCottage says
Really, really nice job. I’m insanely in love with those cute double doors!
Karen says
The exterior looks beautiful white! But the kitchen . . . very cold and clinical. I would have left kitchen as is, painted the cupboards (have a glass place cut centers out of some, or all, and replaced w/glass) walls and replaced kitchen door with a glass one – OR removed all the upper cabinets, remove existing window and added a row of double hung windows. Ad an island (I have one now that is an old dresser – painted, changed dresser pulls, etc) – works great and a lot of storage!) I know it’s someone’s personal choice – but I’m about one of a kind and saving a bundle:) *sorry to get so chatty
Carolyn says
Wow! What a great transformation inside and out. Simple and beautiful with evidence of the past – love. I wondered at first about the green exterior, which -without the white trim and those awful shutters – was more correct for a Craftsman, but I think the white worked wonders – giving it more of a traditional cottage feel. I’m trying to figure out why there’s a peep-hole over the stove to the dining room. Was it something original they wanted to keep? I guess I need to check-out her blog.
Becky says
I am like you Julia..I am LOVIN, LOVIN those floors!!! Best part of the home. She did a SUPER job, gave me ideas for re-doing my “lil front room” over. i love old things refurbished in for today. Great job!!
Dan Buss says
Wow that house came out looking great and yes those floors are to die for. Not 100% sure about no upper cabinets in the kitchen but it still looks very nice.
Beth says
Oh, this is one of my favorite before and afters ever. It looks so fresh and cozy.
Jake's a Girl says
Now that’s how you make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. 🙂
Beautiful!
Lynn Taylor says
I design many remodeling projects for older homes. Great job on restoring a historic craftsman! And you showed off the historic looking windows…yea!
I love modern interior design in a older home!
Anita says
Overall a very nice renovation, and I’m always happy to see anyone restore original character to an older home. I do have one quibble however – the small windows on either side of the fireplace are one of the trademarks of a Craftsman. I immediately gasped “no….” when I saw she removed them. And the doors she replaced them with are of a totally different style; they don’t fit with a Craftsman at all. But it’s still a nice place and good job.