Adventures in Before & After: Fire Island Kitchen

Before:

After:

I love a good old fashioned fixer-upper. Not for the faint of heart, you can see from the before photo that this was going to be a project. Instead of running for the hills on their first walk-through, my friends, Greg and Raquel, invited me to take a look to confirm what they already knew: that despite the dated wallpaper, cabinetry, and a whole lot of junk, this was a house full of charm and potential. I was thrilled to be a part of the transformation, and here's how we did it.

1. Demolition. We got rid of the oddly shaped countertop that was cutting the room in half and making it look smaller. New drywall was put up to replace walls that were in bad shape (and covered in some pretty bad wallpaper).

2. Fixture Replacement. Sliding glass was replaced with french doors which seemed more fitting for the style of the home. Dimmers were installed to help soften the light on a new, glass chandelier which replaced a clumsy looking polished brass light fixture. Both the new doors and new lighting helped to bring an element of romance to the space.

3. Paint, Paint, Paint! While dark woodwork can be a beautiful addition to a home, the color on the existing woodwork in this house looked a little too red, and nothing about it said beach house. To achieve the light and airy look that Raquel had dreamed of, we used Benjamin Moore French Canvas for the walls, Pratt and Lambert Ancestral for the trim, and Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee for the ceiling. I love layering whites as opposed to using one color. It helps to create warmth and emphasize architectural details of the space.

4. Out with the old, in with the new! From flea market finds to custom-built pieces, the new furniture helped to update the space and make it ready for a house full of friends, family and little ones.

Hope you enjoy! More to come!