Welcome! This is a personal invitation to tour a Kalamazoo home full of charm, character and detail. Once an ordinary colonial in a extraordinary neighborhood, this home underwent a huge transformation…from top to bottom, inside and out! Character is one thing it did not have, so my goal was to bring detail, architecture and interest to every room in this home. Looking back to a previous post, you will remember the worn floors, corner toilet and lack of design.
A few months later and this home stops people in the street to come on in and take a gander! Starting at the front door, I added a bench, rug and a new house number plaque…made by me! Fresh paint on the shutters, trim, garage and doors make this home stand out from the rest on the street. Speaking of the front door, it is new…I mean old! New to these homeowners, but salvaged from an old home in Gull Lake by The Heritage Company in Downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, it brings light to the entry where it was much needed. Just inside the door is my favorite part of the entire renovation…a salvage trim wall! Oh my, oh my, oh my!
Hand-picked by myself and the homeowner, these trim pieces each have a story to tell. Some crown, some base…some painted, some stained. I love each and every one of them! I installed them from the ceiling down, choosing each one carefully to complete the look I already had pictured in my mind. A clear coat over the top to seal in the chippy paint, and it was complete, and exactly how I had imagined. If you can take your eyes off that wall, you will notice the newly renovated staircase to the right. The carpet was removed, the treads stained, a runner added, new spindles and the crowning touch…an old newel post found at KalamazooKitty!
I used Heirloom Traditions Chalk Paint to give it a distressed, black finish to cap off the entire staircase design. You may also notice the brand new Summer Harvest Hickory floors throughout the majority of the main floor. This may be the most durable floor I have come across yet! After stopping to touch the salvage trim wall, you can hang a left into a cozy & inviting family room set up perfectly for this busy family of 6 (that’s 4 people and 2 dogs). Resting nicely across from that fabulous wall is an old antique from the homeowner’s family. A small buffet, or possibly a desk, made of solid wood, is one of the most stunning pieces of furniture you will ever see (until you enter the kitchen, that is!). Hand-carved lion heads act as drawer pulls, and the entire piece is covered in layers of the most beautiful, chippy paint you wish you knew how to re-create! Rather than hanging new “art” over this piece, I found an old sign advertising, “Fresh Honey”, that was the perfect color and fit. I love it when I find exactly what I am hunting for!
A new sectional, lamps and rug serve as the “weight” of this room, while a 3-piece wall unit holds the ever-so-coveted TV on the opposing wall. This 3-piece “unit” is actually three individual, non-matching pieces of furniture, all painted with chalk paint, distressed and waxed alike. The buffet in the center belonged to the homeowners and the two mismatched bookcases came from KalamazooKitty.
Once painted alike, they look like they were always meant to be together. And what would a room be without a floor mirror and a stool or two?! But taking center stage is the old trunk that already belonged to this