Question: would you move OUT of your home, for 3 months, and trust a team of professional contractors and an interior designer to completely re-invent your living space? Well, that's what this family did. That's right... and they got rid of ALL of their existing furniture before they left, really giving us a blank canvas.
This family home in the South Hills of Pittsburgh was built in the 1950s. Over the summer, while the family who's lived there for over ten years moved away to enjoy the summer on the coast, their entire home was under renovation. The home underwent a complete interior makeover and exterior facelift.
Once hired, DTSH Interiors interviewed each of the family members, including the two kids. We do this to understand their unique design style and preferences, as part of our thorough on-boarding process. From there, DTSH Interiors formulated a plan for six rooms, including; the living room, dining room, master bedroom, two children's bedrooms and ground floor game room, with the inclusion of the complete fireplace re-design. This lovely family desired to stay in their existing home and invest in updating it, rather than move. This is because they love their home, and neighborhood, and wanted to remain there.
EXTERIOR, BEFORE:
The exterior of the home received a major facelift and transformation, including new light fixtures, updated roof and facia, new windows, updated wood beams, wood door, wood ceiling over the porch, stone added to the entrance and more. This took the home from a dated look to an updated and fresh "modern farmhouse" aesthetic.
EXTERIOR, AFTER:
And then, on to the interiors!
For DTSH Interiors, this was a Full Service interior design project. Full Service interior design is our signature service. It is a full turn-key design service, so you can just relax while we do our design magic, and wait for your big reveal moment!
This fireplace went from meh to yaaah! This re-design was a little extra touch our team surprised the homeowners with.
GAMEROOM - FIREPLACE DESIGN, BEFORE:
The dated built-in brick fireplace on the ground floor game room was re-imagined. The new fireplace design would now directly tie in with the modern farmhouse style of the exterior, complete with the addition of a large wooden mantle to cozy up the space, and soften the feel of the whole room.
GAMEROOM, FIREPLACE DESIGN - AFTER:
The interior also received major upgrades during the whole-house renovation. All of the walls and ceilings were resurfaced, the windows, doors and all interior trim was re-done.
The house had become a blank canvas, as mentioned, the home owners disposed of all of their previous furniture. DTSH Interiors worked on 6 rooms: the master bedroom, two children's rooms, dining room, living room and basement game room.
I love this dining room, it's so casual and laid back yet cool.
In the dining room, a local sign artist was commissioned to paint a custom quote on the wall transitioning to the living room, which the parents felt strongly encapsulated their family values. It was a quote by Stephen Hawking, and read, "It would not be much of universe, if it wasn't home to the people you love."
The kitchen only received minor updates, including all new appliances, new countertop and hardware.
The end result was a giant leap forward for this family; in design, style and functionality. The home felt completely new and refreshed, and once fully furnished, all elements of the renovation came together seamlessly and seemed to make all of the renovations shine.
Below, you'll see what the "Before" photo looked like of the Living Room.
LIVING ROOM, BEFORE:
And next, below is an image from my client's Design Presentation. This is actually the "Mood Board" for their Living Room... soon to be applied to the above "BEFORE" photo!
LIVING ROOM, MOODBOARD
The homeowners were absolutely thrilled and also shocked by how completely different their living room looked. At the time of the Big Reveal, they kept saying "I can't believe we live here. I can't believe this is OUR HOUSE!"
It was hard to tell who was more excited, the kids or the parents? 🤔 But no wait, actually, it was definitely the parents!
I absolutely loved how the living room turned out. With the new trim on the windows, and the window treatments being spaced high and wide, it gave the room a dramatic and elegant, yet also relaxed and casual cozy feel.
LIVING ROOM, AFTER
Belgian linen window panels flank either side of this window, with all new painted wood trim.
Next, on to the master bedroom!
This master bed room transformation was quite remarkable! First, the floors, walls, and ceilings were re-finished. The windows, interior doors, light fixtures and all trim was replaced.
Below is a before photo, and next you will see the actual Mood Board selected from their design presentation.
MASTER BEDROOM, BEFORE:
MASTER BEDROOM, MOODBOARD:
And when you apply the Mood Board design to the BEFORE... if all goes right, you'll get that stellar AFTER!
Next, new multi-layer window treatments were added, a romantic bohemian style chandelier with ceiling medallion, as well as the Scandinavian inspired furniture design added relaxing look to the space.
It's not really a makeover without all new window treatments, right? For these windows, we added a two layer treatment with 2" white wooden blinds, and sheer drapery panels for a functional yet soft and romantic look. The details of the faux fur throw and pillows added styling interest.
The nightstands shown in the photo were actually temporary ones, since at the time of the photoshoot we were still waiting for the night stands to come in. (Thanks, Pandemic!) but I actually really liked these farmhouse style chicken wire end tables, they were cute!
Kids Bedrooms
Then we move on to the kid's bedrooms... We just loved how this young man's room turned out! He is an aspiring hockey star and avid video gamer.!
His room featured industrial styled desk and shelves, as well as a gaming station and a special gaming chair with speakers in the headrest. How's that for fancy?
Next you'll see his room before, and then the Mood Board.
SON'S ROOM, BEFORE:
MOOD BOARD:
It's hard to pick a favorite room in this project, but this room definitely ended up being one of my top fav's!
SON'S ROOM, AFTER:
And finally, next on the list - (definitely last but not least), was the daughter's room! She is a cheerleader and loves math.
And this little girl was so lucky because she actually got her dream LOFT bed, complete with a desk and shelves below! (ahhh my inner child is screaming inside!)
Be honest, how much did you want a loft bed as a kid??? Just me?
Well, this little girl's LOFTY dreams actually came true! (Mine didn't.... but I got to live vicariously at least!)
Below you'll see her room before, and then the Mood Board direction selected at the Design Presentation.
DAUGHTER'S ROOM, BEFORE:
MOODBOARD:
This color scheme in this room makes me so happy - I love the teal, violet and mint green color combo. Also, the umbre curtains and comforter on the bed are hard to beat!
Part of the design plan also was her name in lights in white block letters. The block letters come with a remote control and can change colors.
DAUGHTER'S ROOM, AFTER:
Other personal touches, this room featured a color matched dream catcher AND a custom cheerleader decal for the wall!
GO X FIGHT X WIN! XXX
Of course the bed was delayed, due to the pandemic, but eventually it did finally arrive, and she couldn't be more thrilled. She even has a favorite reading nook to hangout out in behind the loft!
I loved the colors in this room. And, why go pink when you can go teal and violet?!
Yes, please!
All in all, this was such a rewarding project on a personal level because of the dramatic change to the home, and in knowing what a difference this "upgrade" made to the homeowner's everyday lives.
Six months after the project was completed, the home owner called me to say, there isn't a day that goes by, in which he doesn't feel grateful about the space they are living in.
Seeing how excited this family was when they came home to their "NEW / OLD" home was an experience I will never forget!
Of course, on the Big Reveal day - I was EXHAUSTED - especially after a 4 day long installation of long hours, and navigating a few minor hiccups. (Thank goodness for Fedex Overnight!) But everything came together and I was so pleased to return the home back to the rightful owners.
DTSH Interiors partnered with Milestone Custom Homes, who completed the interior and exterior home renovations. Photos by Burgh Brothers Media.
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