before
& after
Master Suite Makeover Bright solutions turn on the charm in a once-drab and dated space BY JOETTA MOULDEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET LENZEN
Sheryl Horton, a kitchen designer, called me because a company she used to work for advertised in Houston House & Home. “I needed an extra set of experienced eyes when we were readying our former house to sell,” Sheryl explained. “You helped keep me on track and spend money on projects that would enhance the sale and not get hung up on projects that would not matter to buyers. Since the previous house sold quickly and I had worked with you before, I really trusted your recommendations.” The couple’s plan was to buy a much smaller foreclosure—a fixer upper—to live in and remodel while they searched for a retirement home in Hilton Head, SC. “You came out the day our slab was being jack hammered and didn’t miss a beat!” Sheryl recalled.
ed by building legs onto new frameless custom cabinets. To further increase space, the couple mirrored the fronts of two closet doors on each side of the built-in linen cabinet and trimmed the wall around the doors to resemble a built-in armoire (opposite the sinks). The mirrored doors bounced a lot of light around the once-dark room and made the room feel wider. Two opaque, glass pocket doors (special ordered from Home Depot) eliminate awkward, space-gobbling door swings into the bathroom and shower area and further flood the room with light.
TIP: If you are handy, do as much physical work as you can to save thousands and not “overbuild the neighborhood.”
Because she did not want the maintenance of stone, Sheryl chose neutral Dal-Tile 20-inch porcelain tile in Capriccio Aria Crema for the floors to coordinate with the granite and paint colors. The same tile was used in several sizes in the shower for interest and continuity. Sheryl likes the fact the tile flows underneath the raised vanities and is not dark in color, so it expands the space. Sheryl's husband Charlie installed electrical GFCI outlets inside the
They refer to their former master bath as the “worst room in the house.” It had nasty carpet that had been used as a doggy bed, and the room was small, dark and dingy. I immediately suggested elevating the cabinets to increase the feeling of more space, which her husband Charlie creat18
TIP: Use mirrors and translucent glass to bounce light around, reflect garden views and visually increase space.
house& home | M a r c h 2 0 1 2 | h o u s e a n d h o m e o n l i n e . com
FREE UPGRADES ON BLINDS & SHUTTERS Silhouette®
creativeblinds.com Country Woods®
JUST
ANNOUNCED! $ 25 to $50 Plantation Shutters
rebate per shade on selected Hunter Douglas Products.*** See Store for Details
FREE INSTALLATION*
BEFORE
Ask us about 0% INTEREST for 6 Months** Call store for details. • Limited Lifetime Warranty • Energy Efficient • Painted and Stained • Custom Shutters Available in Both Wood and Faux Wood • Specialty Shapes • Contoured Arches
BEFORE creativeblinds.com BEFORE (above): A huge window made placing a king-sized bed and two bed side tables rather difficult.
BEFORE (above right): Sheryl wanted a place to sit with a large mirror and drawers, and the storage wall did not allow that.
AFTER (left): Closing in the large window provided a place for furniture. Adding three new energy efficient windows added light and created a view of the lovely back yard.
AFTER (top of this page): The solution involved removing the storage wall and selecting frameless cabinet construction to place on each side of the new energy efficient window all the way to the ceiling. Sheryl got the mirror and soft-close drawers she wanted and added 10- to 15-percent more storage than with typical face-frame cabinets.
KATY/SUGARLAND • 5614 W. Grand Prkwy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281-394-0344 MEMORIAL/SPRING BRANCH • 9930 Katy Frwy #500 . . . . . . . . . . 713-469-3213 BAYBROOK/GALVESTON • 19072 Gulf Freeway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281-456-3052 WEST U, BELLAIRE, RIVER OAKS • 5808 Kirby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 713-568-6017 SPRING CYPRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile Showroom 281-456-3048 SUGARLAND/RICHMOND/ROSENBERG • 5614 W Grand Pkwy S. . . 281-241-4614 WOODLANDS/CONROE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mobile Showroom 936-647-3858 *8 windows and $1,000 min. Limited time offer. ® and ™ trademarks of Hunter Douglas Inc. Patented in the U.S. and other countries. **AOC ***See stores for details.
19
before
& after
new 9-inch deep cabinets on each side of the new sit-down vanity. “Now my curling iron and hair dryer are and plugged in, within easy reach and ready to use in metal-lined cups, so there is no tangle of cords on the counter while the appliances are cooling,” Sheryl said. Nine new soft-close drawers provide ample storage for toiletries and are also up off the ground on matching legs. TIP: When remodeling your bath, take the opportunity to make the space function the way you want it. Choose surfaces that are neutral and will appeal to buyers.
BEFORE
TRADE SECRETS • Get creative — repurposing old dresser mirrors over the bathroom vanity saves money, too. • When the builder gave you lemons, use a professional to help you turn them into lemonade -on your budget. • Remove dated sheet mirrors and update lighting to totally change your bathroom. • Sometimes the most effective strategy is to first rethink the pieces that are already paid for.
BEFORE (below): The old bath was dated with awful carpeted floor, 12-inchsquare tile countertops, built-in medicine cabinet, and a brass shower surround and brass-trimmed sheet mirror. AFTER (left): New white under-mount sinks, 20-inch Dal-Tile porcelain tile flooring, brushed nickel hardware, new sconce lights and faucets add practical good looks to the room. The old medicine cabinet was removed and sheetrocked over. Above the vanity hangs a pair of mirrors repurposed from a 40-year old, early-marriage, triple dresser.
Matching brushed nickel cabinet hardware from www.myknobs.com, Danze Fairmont Collection faucets from www.faucetsdirect.com and a combination of new recessed and sconce lights from Carol’s Lighting unify the space. A new special order Sterling glass shower door from Home Depot and the splurge of a second showerhead mounted on an adjustable bracket makes cleaning much easier. A brushed nickel grab bar was added for safety. Even though there is a window in the shower/WC room, the couple added a new quiet ventilator with a timer so that they can walk away and know that the moisture will be removed without wasting a lot of energy. Benjamin Moore “Sandy White” matte wall paint on the walls and ceilings in the master bathroom and bedroom expands the space and allows the crown molding to pop. The molding and trim throughout came from BMC West and were painted with Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo Acrylic Latex Enamel in #314-01 “White.” John DeGrouchy at Quality Granite and Marble installed the Giallo Ornamental granite. In the bedroom, the couple chose an Audrey king-size duvet cover and three Euro shams, two king-size Porcelain Blue Pick Stitch shams and a monogrammed Morgan sham, all from Pottery Barn. The tailored Martha Stewart bed skirt came from Macy’s. All coordinate with Sheryl’s blue and white porcelain collection. TIP: Extending the wall paint onto the ceiling makes the ceilings appear taller because your eyes go up and over the room without the line of demarcation that white ceilings can create.
If they had to do this over again, Sheryl and Charlie would have made this project a higher priority instead of ripping out the bathroom carpet and walking around on rubber mats for three years. “The finished bathroom is my favorite room in the house now. It is light, airy and has so much storage that I have room to spare,” Sheryl explained.
Joetta Moulden offers home makeovers using your own home furnishings. See more makeovers on her Web site at www.shelterstyle.com, e-mail her at joetta@shelterstyle.com or call 713.461.2063. Appointments or referrals booked by March 31, 2012 will receive a 15 percent first meeting discount. Shelterstyle.com holds a "Pages of Happiness" rating and, for the fifth consecutive year, a “Super Service Award” presented to 5 percent of companies that achieve and maintain a superior rating on www.angieslist.com. 20
house& home | M a r c h 2 0 1 2 | h o u s e a n d h o m e o n l i n e . com
281.903.7719 R
E
T
R
A
• C
T A
www.crenshawlandscapes.com B
L
E
S
C
R
E
E
N
S
Our most satisfied customers hardly notice us.
Phantom retractable screens pull out when you need them and roll back when you don’t.
713.623.0567 ian@theshadeshop.net www.phantomscreens.com
4122 Richmond Avenue • Houston, Texas 77027 Fax: 713.623.2283 • www.theshadeshop.net 1.888.PHANTOM (1.888.742-6866) 21