The Vintage House That Could: Living Room Before & After
What this diminutive cottage lacks in size it makes up for in charm! Built in 1934 and thanks to all the thoughtful owners before us, much of the home’s original detail remains. This was our first house - we lived here for 7 years when the kids were small until we outgrew it in 2012. We rented it to a great family until they outgrew it last spring. The space needed some SERIOUS improvements after 14 years of use with minimal attention on our part.
Freshening up the living room included all new paint, refinishing the hardwood floors, installing new windows and new window treatments. The rest of the house also got new hardware, new light fixtures and all the vintage tile was refurbished. As with most older homes there were also so. many. tedious. (and not fun or pretty) items that needed attention too. GfI outlets! Leaking faucets! Stuck doors! Not fabulous! But important!
Tragically I wasn’t able to stage and style the house for these pictures due to the super tight 5 week timeline. At the end of each work day I would lie in bed at night picturing the imaginative rooms and clever vignettes I could create if only I had one more week!
After much obsessing over paint colors (Honestly, I enjoy obsessing over all sorts of design details, but choosing paint colors - even non colors like white - is one of my greatest joys. FINALLY the intersection of a passion (color) and an inherent personality trait (obsessive analysis) that actually benefits me and can help grow my business!
Design details
Hardwood floors are original white oak refinished with 3 coats of varnish including a white wash stain and finished with a natural commercial grade top coat.
My painter used Dunn Edwards paint color matched to Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace (Dunn Edwards OC-65) for walls, ceiling, fireplace brick and trim, Dunn Edwards Lead glass (DEW 332) for the fireplace mantel and in an example of one of the best paint names of all time, Dunn Edwards Hot Jazz (DEA10) for the front door.
Window treatments are part of a quick ship roman shade collection through Home Depot.
Cantura living room - before
Cantura living room - after
Cantura living room - before
Cantura living room - after
Cantura view from living room into dining room - in process
Cantura view from living room into dining room - after