Renovations

I love color, and definitely want to draw from an inspiration piece so I don't get too carried away! I decided that the common living space (nook, kitchen, combined living/dining room) will use colors from Van Gogh's "Wheat Field with Cypresses," one of my favorite works of art.

My color palette is a range of blues, greens, yellows, cream, and hints of red. I am adding brown to the colors as well. I have a framed art print of this picture that will hang prominently in the dining area, and I hope that I can create a space reminiscent of this great piece!

We will be doing five major updates in the condo:

1. Flooring & Lighting. We are removing all flooring (carpet and some tile) in the living areas and hallways and replacing with warm, medium-brown hardwood. The kitchen and living room are getting recessed lighting, and both bedrooms will have ceiling fans and lights. This should provide an instant and significant increase in the value of the home. We will also add decorative crown molding to create a more formal feel.
2. Kitchen. This is where the bulk of the cost of the renovation will come from. The cabinets will be refinished in an off-white color. The fridge will be recessed so it is flush with the cabinets. We will install new quartz countertops, and top it off with some funky drawer pulls & knobs. Hopefully this will make the best use of the small space.
3. Library. The breakfast nook will become a library. I am searching for unique wallpaper, a great easy chair or two and rug. This room is the first you see when you enter the home, so I want it to be perfect. It will probably take a while to find all the right pieces.
4. Bar. Recessing the fridge into the hall closet would make the closet too shallow to be useful, so we are turning the remaining space on the other side into a bar! The dry bar will have a beverage refrigerator, shallow cabinets and shelving for glassware. I am very excited about the bar, and believe it will increase the value of the home.
5. Master Suite Vanity. The current vanity is in poor condition, and must be replaced. We will build a custom cabinet to fit the space (it is not a standard size) and add more storage. The countertop will also be replaced.

Wow! Now that I write it out, this is quite a bit of work. We will be doing additional small updates that I have not highlighted above, including updating all switchplates, updating the cable jacks, installing a closet system and of course painting. We are holding off on some projects due to budget, including both bathrooms, painting the patio, outdoor carpet, and replacing the carpet in both bedrooms.

I can't wait for the contractor to get started today!