Room Re-Do 1

Take a look at the final five Mallon

Grendregske

Kirby

Are you ready for a Room Redo?

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

T

Dennis

he Room Redo team spent hours poring through applications of living rooms, photos of dining rooms and tours of dens to find the homes most manageable and most in need of help — this year’s final five.

Now, the project’s Cottage Works design team is hard at work planning and prepping for renovations, which will bring the team and winning homeowner together for a week of blood, sweat

and elbow grease from March 13-17.

And with a big project ahead, they’ll need all the four leaf clovers they can get.

The homeowner will have the design team and a $2,000 pot of gold — err, budget — to turn their space into a dream room.

Choosing this year’s finalists was no easy task, of course.

The team was moved by touching stories and called to action by your struggling spaces. But in the end, there can only be one winner.

And that winner stood apart.

“It could be amazing!” designer Andrea Carlson said of the room (if you just can’t wait, see page 4).

“It’s like a blank slate,” added Cottage Works owner Julie VanDyke.

Julie and Andrea will be joined by designers Sue Pohl and Barbara Erwin, along with Cottage Works owner and Julie’s husband Dann VanDyke and his team of builders.

The Cottage Works team is a new addition, taking over for past project designer Julie Ann McDonald, of Old Mc-

Quinn

Donald’s Farm Finds, and builders Keri and Stephen Sipes of Benchmark Homes.

Check out the rooms and stories on the final five — along with some valuable tips on updating the spaces — inside.

Keep up on the renovations in coming editions of the Ludington Daily News and online at www.ludingtondailynews. com. We’ll have sneak peeks and updates throughout renovation week. And be sure to pick up an edition on Tuesday, March 21 to see the full reveal.

PATTI KLEVORN | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS

Stephanie Quinn, 6289 Iroquois Road, Pentwater, would like to see a nautical makeover for her living room. The room offers a serene view of the woods, where the family can often spot wildlife. She and her husband are soon-to-be empty-nesters, with two sons. The youngest is 17 and soon to leave for college.

Beth Kirby, of 1811 Tall Oaks West, Ludington, wants to take her son’s sporty basement bedroom in a new direction. She hopes to bring a travel-themed guest room to fruition, complete with a large world map she got at a school sale.

Jim Dennis’ mother and father, Dick and Loretta, are hoping for a comfortable, picturesque front room to spend their summers.

The pair of 93-year-olds will live in a mobile home at 2763 in Tamarac Village on Lake Hamlin.

Jennifer Grendregske, 5111 Huntington Cove, Ludington, would like to see the cottage’s “bunk room,” which sleeps nearly a dozen visitors, get a more welcoming and relaxing look.

Beth and Rick Mallon, 1431 Cedar Lane, Amber Township, hope to get a jumpstart on their remodel with the help of the Room Redo team.

JEFF KIESSEL | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS

See the winner inside

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LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS

| SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2017

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2016: ‘A wonderful experience’

Some small changes, but loving the Room Redo results

Jody ShaferMezeske has made few changes to 2016’s winning room, which the team remodeled into a stylish, comfortable “girl cave.”

She did replace the loveseat with a futon to sleep guests and changed up the decor a bit. Her favorite days in the room were during Christmas, where she decorated the spaced with a vintage holiday theme.

BY BROOKE KANSIER AND JEFF KIESSEL OF THE DAILY NEWS STAFF

W

hen Jody Shafer-Mezeske first applied for the Ludington Daily News Room Redo, she lacked the confidence to create her dream basement space — a cozy basement “girl cave” fit for crafting and entertaining.

It’s not an issue anymore, though.

“After working with Julie (Ann McDonald, last year’s designer), I have a lot more confidence, the experience was super positive,” Jody said. “I still think it’s wonderful. It was a labor of love and I learned a lot doing it.”

Loving the results of the Room Redo renovations, which included an art wall made of old shutters and a faux dividing wall constructed of vintage doors, Jody moved on to other rooms in her home.

She recently remodeled her home’s mudroom.

“It’s been totally transformed,” Jody said. “It had no character, no color, it was blah, it wasn’t functional. We painted the walls, changed up the trim and baseboards, added pops of color with accessories and painting our cupboard.

“That was inspiration from the Room Redo room.”

Jody made a few changes in her basement girl space, including replacing the loveseat with a futon to sleep guests and rearranging some decor.

“That’s always fun,” she said.

Jody’s advice for this year’s winner?

“Definitely put in all the time and effort you can because it’s a labor of love, but also make sure to have fun,” she said.

JEFF KIESSEL | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS

‘I still think it’s wonderful. It was a labor of love and I learned a lot doing it.’

Jody Shafer-Mezeske Room Redo 2016 winner

PATTI KLEVORN | DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO

The space was bare and not-often used when the Room Redo team took its first look at the space. Now, after some elbow grease from Jody and Julie Ann McDonald, it’s a whole new space.

After gaining some know-how — and plenty of confidence — during last year’s Ludington Daily News Room Redo project, thanks in part to designer Julie Ann McDonald, Jody Shafer-Mezeske tackled her mudroom, creating a whole new vintage space.

Meet the Cottage Works team

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

‘The more buy-in we have from the client, the more we’re going to get the results

I

t’s 2017, and that means a whole new room and, this time, a whole new team.

Julie VanDyke and her team of Cottage Works designers are taking the place of Julie Ann McDonald, last year’s designer, and Stephen and Keri Sipes, the builders.

The team consists of Julie, Andrea Carlson, Sue Pohl and Barbara Erwin, along with Cottage Works co-owner and Julie’s husband, Dann VanDyke. He’ll have a team of builders on hand for the project.

that they’re looking for.’

Julie VanDyke Room Redo designer/ Cottage Works owner

JULIE & DANN VANDYKE The VanDykes have their business, Cottage Works, in Amber Township in April 2009.

The pair are currently in the process of moving the store to a new location, at the corner of U.S. 10 Dann and Stiles Road, where they are finishing up the building of a new storefront.

For Room Redo’s building week, the crew will operate out of Cottage Works’ new space.

Dann will serve as the project’s builder extraordinaire and Jack-of-all-trades, bringing 17 years as a designer, builder and project engineer and a builder’s license to this year’s soon-tobe-selected room.

“He and his crew — we have four other guys that will be on hand that week to handle any construction projects,” Julie said. “But Dann will be the project manager.”

With more builders on hand, Julie hopes to tackle even bigger projects.

“We’ll have the full team involved for whatever we need, and we’ve marked our calendar for the full week of Room Redo,” she said. “All hands on deck.”

Julie will cover the design aspects of the project.

PATTI KLEVORN | DAILY NEWS

From left, Cottage Works’ Andrea Carlson, Julie VanDyke, Sue Pohl and Barbara Erwin are this year’s Room Redo design team.

Cottage Works owner Julie VanDyke and the project’s other designers took exact measurements of each room for recommendations and planning.

JEFF KIESSEL | DAILY NEWS

“I’ll be the project manager on the decor side, and then my team of Barbara, Andrea and Sue will assist,” she said. “We’ll all work together on it.”

SUE POHL Sue brings nine years of experience in interior design to the table, part of it served as a design consultant for Pottery Barn. Her specialties include staging,

home accessory finishing touches and an impressive ability to blend the old with the new.

“Sue is really great with the accessories and placement of the room,” Julie said.

BARBARA ERWIN From eggshells to semiglosses, Barbara Erwin knows her paint. She spent 25 years as a sales represen-

tative for home decor. For the past decade, she’s been a commissioned painter in homes. From small decorative furniture pieces to whole house interior walls, full murals and large canvas art, she’s done it all. Don’t forget kitchen cabinets and brick fireplaces.

“I have the artistic color sensibility to coordinate and pull a collective look together to either transform a

space to the owner’s preferences or to suggest and create a look that is up to market trend,” Barbara said.

“She (also) repurposes furniture,” Julie said.

ANDREA CARLSON Ludington transplant Andrea has taken to the style of lakefront living like a native. She is passionate about west Michigan’s lakes and beaches, and aims to incor-

porate them into her work.

“Andrea is great at just designing a really good, relaxed space to meet the needs of the client,” Julie said.

Andrea will serve as a designer for Room Redo. She also works as an event coordinator and Cottage Works consultant, and has a keen interest in design and color.

READY FOR RENOVATIONS The team is looking forward to being involved.

“We’re honored that the Ludington Daily News asked us about this — it’s right up our alley,” Julie said. “We feel like we have a lot to offer with the construction side of the business, and the retail side, the decor.

“It’s just going to be a great partnership.”

Working with a limited budget — in the way most homeowners do — is a welcome challenge for the design team.

“We always work within the customer’s budget, so we’re happy to know where we have to stay, and we’ll stick with it,” Julie said.

“And what’s nice is we have a full store’s worth of decor at our fingertips.

“We’re going to donate the labor part of the job,” she added, with the help of some elbow grease from the homeowners.

“We’re very excited to have the support and the extra hands,” Julie said. “The more buy-in we have from the client, the more we’re going to get the results that they’re looking for.”

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A worldly cottage remodel

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

C

risp white walls, stripped floors — soon to be covered in bamboo hardwood — and large windows offering a Hackert Lake vista offer a promising start in the new home of former teachers Beth and Rick Mallon.

Now settling into retirement, the duo has lived a worldly life — teaching in Korea, Vermont, New Mexico and Alaska.

Throughout their travels, however, they always thought of Ludington.

“The lakes and the forest called to us,” Beth said.

“I loved the area. We just decided we needed to be where we wanted to be.”

“Beth taught originally in Baldwin, 40 years ago,” Rick said. “And I had a friend with grandparents up in Ludington, and I would come visit with him when we were in high school.

“And western Michigan here has the opportunities for recreation, for biking and hiking and backpacking,” he added. “That’s really what attracted us to come back to the area.”

Their new home, on Cedar Lane in Amber Township, was vacant for 12 years before the couple purchased it in September 2016.

“The rooms had shag carpet on the floor, and they were caked with animal feces. It had been vacant, and so the animals lived in here,” Beth said. “Luckily, we have seen nothing since we moved in.”

Since then, they’ve been hard at work completely stripping the lakefront cottage, ripping out moldy carpets, replacing drywall, adding boards to two large decks and tearing out a dated, non-functioning kitchen space. Now, it’s a blank slate for the couple to fill with possessions they’ve gathered over the years and accents to match them — once the flooring is added, that is.

“We recently retired, so this gives us a project to work on,” Beth said. “I said, what are we going to talk about when we aren’t going to work anymore?”

And with a house full of rooms in need of some TLC, the space they chose?

“It’s basically a guest room/office space,” Rick said.

“We’ve been so busy working on insulating, sheet rocking and flooring other rooms in the house that this room isn’t even on our radar,” Beth added.

“This room needs to know it’s on a lake and make our guests feel comfortable.”

It’s the only room in the house that’s fully furnished.

“This, right now, is our refuge from building,” Rick said. “It’s the only space that doesn’t look like a construction zone.”

Right now, the room is adorned with green walls and Korean papercrafts the couple collected during their travels.

“We watched the woman make these things, and we were just in awe,” Beth said.

“They’ll go in our bedroom, though. Really, it’s an empty room.”

“Different parts of the house will reflect the different places we’ve lived,” Rick said.

Beth hopes to turn the room into a multi-purpose space, serving as an office and guest room. She hopes to see a Murphy bed to maximize space and to utilize an antique writing desk that’s been in the pair’s possession for many years.

“I have no imagination, when it comes to decorating,” Beth said.

She painted a picture for the Room Redo team of a calming space, decked in earth tones like sand, fern and olive and accents of soft and rich browns. Blues, greens, whites and browns will adorn the rest of the home’s walls and furniture.

She also hopes to bring in accents accentuating the lakefront location and the couple’s travels, including decorative trunks and suitcases and rustic oars, as well as making good use of the room’s small space.

“We like to kayak, and we’ve kayaked for years

JEFF KIESSEL | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS

The Room Redo crew measured, analyzed and planned during their visit to the Mallon household, which is in the process of a top-to-bottom remodel.

“Try a futon that can turn into a bed, instead of a Murphy bed, to be more costeffective, maybe with a coffee table in front.

Then you can include that little brown desk in the corner, and set up the office inside of the closet, as well as appliances like the printer. Then, it doesn’t look like an office, and it’s only an office when it needs to be. Then nobody’s seeing your bills, rooting through your stuff. Try a rolling chair that can pull out and be in the corner when the desk isn’t in use.”

The room is decorated with papercraft artwork the couple purchased while living in Korea.

The pair has also lived in Vermont, Alaska and New Mexico, and has treasures from each locale.

and years. And we like to ski. So anything like that, for decor,” Beth said. “And I really like suitcases and boxes as a side table.”

The room will primarily be used for guests, and Beth’s sewing projects, as well as a desk space for paperwork and computer use.

“I see it as also being his space,” Beth said. “He likes to do research, he does all the bills and all the taxes and stuff that we do. He would be in there a lot, I think. He likes quiet spaces.

“And I see it as being a guest room. Already, our summer is booking up.”

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The home, in Tamarac on Hamlin Lake, offers quite the scenery, with a clear view of the lake and sand dunes on the other side, framed by large birch trees.

It’s a wellloved spot for Dick and Loretta Dennis, who wish to spend their days enjoying summer on the home’s back deck and relaxing in the front room, soon to be revamped and revitalized by the Ludington Daily News Room Redo team, featuring designers and builders from Cottage Works.

PATTI KLEVORN | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS

The Dennis home, in Tamarac Village on Lake Hamlin, needs updated furniture, a coat of paint and some help to be a nautical, comfortable space for Dick and Loretta Dennis, both 93. They hope to enjoy their summers in the home, which is in the midst of being remodeled by the couple’s son, Jim Dennis. The Room Redo team is going to take care of the sun room to help the family meet its summer deadline for renovations.

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A lake home for their retired summers

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

D

ick and Loretta Dennis have spent 66 years by each other’s side.

All they want to do is enjoy a few more years at their home on Lake Hamlin in Tamarac Village, with a view of the lake and sand dunes as a backdrop to evening sunsets.

“I’d like to sit on that side porch, or out on that front porch, with the wind blowing,” Dick said. “We’ve got the prettiest view over here. It really is.”

So their son Jim took action. The couple had to move out of the mobile home in 2015, and since then, Jim has been hard at work tearing out old carpet, replacing windows and making the space more livable for his aging parents, who are both 93.

“We are planning to update the whole house, but money and time has been a major concern,” Jim said.

So he submitted the master bedroom for Room Redo. He’d thought about submitting the home’s front room, which faces the lake, but thought it would be too big of a challenge.

The crew was up for a challenge.

Cottage Works designers Julie VanDyke, Sue Pohl, Andrea Carlson and Barbara Erwin fell in love with the sun-lit front room, which offers a vista of Lake Hamlin framed with birch trees. The walls are wood paneling.

The room was unfinished during the crew’s first visit, lacking floors and needing new windows. There was no furniture to pull into the room.

“It’s kind of like a clean slate,” Julie said.

“It could be awesome,” Andrea added.

But always a hard worker, Jim, who works as a behavior specialist at Gateway 2 Success Academy during the day, has been hard at work installing new laminate floors, replacing aged window panes, getting the room’s fireplace up and running and shopping for sofas at the family’s expense.

Room Redo builder Dann VanDyke is also lending a hand before the project’s start, removing an unwant-

Cottage Works’ Dann VanDyke and winner Jim Dennis have been hard at work this week removing an unused, unwanted door from the chosen room.

Jim has also been working on installing new flooring in the room and replacing a doorwall.

The view, which Dick Dennis claims is the best in Tamarac, offers a vista of Lake Hamlin, framed by sand dunes in the distance.w ed door and step from the corner of the room.

“You have your work cut out for you,” Julie said.

The room needs a paint job, new window treatments, furniture and decor. Right now, it’s completely stripped.

Right now, Loretta is in Hart, receiving treatment for a back injury sustained in a fall.

About seven years ago, she had an aneurysm rupture, and has battled memory issues since. It came with a personality change.

“She used to be very refined, wouldn’t goof around, but now she’s got (dad) beat by a mile. She’s so funny,” Jim said.

“She’s always been so prim, now all the time she’s cracking jokes,” Dick said.

In her younger days, Loretta worked as a proofreader at the Ludington Daily News. And Dick is a Mason County celebrity.

He’s been pitching since he was eight, and in 2013, was inducted into the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame along with his team, the 1947 Abrahamson-Bannon state championship fastpitch softball team.

The family isn’t picky about the space — they just want a functional, welcoming home for the couple’s final summers.

“I got some things from

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The home will also be used for family gather-

ings, as it has in the past.

“I have a brother who has three children, and they all have kids, and I have two children, and my sister Mary, and we want to get

out here in the summer,” Jim said.

He hopes to have renovations throughout the house completed by summer.

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From sporty spot to dream destination

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

R

une Kirby grew up in a sports-lover’s paradise — walls adorned with fatheads, shelves full of trophies and even a table constructed of hockey sticks and pucks his grandfather Jim made him.

“He’s played (hockey) since kindergarten,” said mom, Beth Kirby. “And he was a big Steelers fan.”

Now that the hockey superstar is in Texas playing junior hockey, Beth wants to turn her son’s former bedroom into a welcoming, gender-neutral hangout space.

Beth, a teacher at Franklin Elementary School, has a plan charted out.

“The thing I’m super excited about is these maps, which I got at the school sale,” she said. “I think they are in great condition.

I have a world map, I have a United States map. I think they’re pretty cool.”

Beth hopes to see one or more of the classroom-size maps decorate the walls of the basement room.

“I think it would be fun to come up with some different quotes and sayings and put it on the map —

“Paint the furniture to liven it up and give it a new feel. And there’s too much furniture — clear out the space a bit.

If I were to hang the maps on the wall, I would paint a frame on the wall, instead of buying a custom frame.

Then it would match any of the other colors you wanted. Use a rug to brighten the room and lighten up the hardwood, and use a lighter wall color. And add lighter blinds, over the current navy blue.

Something that lets some sun in.”

‘We have friends from out of town.

Family, though, is probably the people who visit the most.(I want)

PATTI KLEVORN | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS

Rune Kirby’s former bedroom has no shortage of sports paraphernalia, including a table his grandfather made of hockey sticks and pucks and scores of trophies from hockey, baseball and other sports.

His mom, Beth, is looking to update the space and make it more guest-friendly, while still being a space for Rune when he visits home.

something less stinky boyish.

TH ME IS NT AD IO N FO R

He’s just collected so much over the years.’

Leave the cleaning

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Beth Kirby Room Redo finalist

20

TO THE PROS.

but not where it’s permanent on the map,” she added, “and to somehow finish the tops and bottoms of the map.”

Ideally, the room’s color scheme would be based off the maps, she said, with water blues and bright pops of orange, yellow and green.

Continuing with the theme, Beth included ideas like different time zone clock, bottles of sand from faraway beaches and globes in her inspiration book.

“I think that’s kind of a cool idea,” she said. “I just have a lot of little ideas.

I feel like I have a lot of things, so it’s not so farfetched.”

“I love the whole travel theme, especially with these antique chairs,” designer Julie VanDyke said.

The room houses two refurbished chairs once used on the SS Spartan, among the carferry vessels her father, Jim, co-owns.

The room has a unique shape, with two square sections on a diagonal.

One houses a seating area, while the back section houses a bed. Beth would like to switch the two, moving the sleeping area to the first half of the room, and tucking the seating area away in the second alcove, which would also house one of the maps.

“I’d like possibly a chair next to the bed, and possibly a little side table,” she said while mulling over the space with the Room Redo crew.

Along with housing Rune when he visits home, the space would also serve as a guest room.

“We have friends from out of town. Family, though, is probably the people who visit the most,” Beth said. “(I want) something less stinky boyish.

He’s just collected so much over the years.”

The room is complete with dozens of trophies marking Rune’s accomplishments in sports, from hockey to baseball.

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Room with a forest view

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

S

tephanie Quinn wants to breathe new life into her living room, mirroring the lively forest vista outside the room’s sliding glass door.

“We sit here and watch the deer go by, and there’s a fox back there,” Stephanie said.

She and her husband are soon-to-be empty-nesters, with a 17-year-old son, Jake, and an older son at Michigan Technological University. With a less-occupied home, Stephanie is looking for an update to the home’s most-used space, which serves as a living room and dining area.

Right now, the room houses a dining room table, a couch and recliner, an entertainment stand and a computer desk.

“The only thing that truly has to stay is my husband’s La-Z-Boy, because he just got it for Christmas,” Stephanie said.

Stephanie’s vision inPATTI KLEVORN | DAILY NEWS PHOTOS cludes beachy blues, airy The Quinn residence, at 289 Iroquois Road, Pentwater, has a lovely view. However, the exterior isn’t so serene. Stephanie Quinn aquas and sea glass greens, reached out to the Room Redo team for help, and while she wasn’t chosen, the team has some tips, right. adorned with lighthouses, seashells, starfish, model ships and rustic, painted ship oars. Her inspiration album featured rustic white barnwood, nautical blue stripes and whimsical marine accents.

“These are great colors,” said designer Julie VanDyke.

Stephanie, a librarian at Pentwater Public Schools, and her family have lived in the home for 15 years.

“Our house was a Habitat for Humanity funding project. So we bought it outright from them, and they used it to fund projects for the year. My neighbor down the way watched our house being moved to the site and built.”

“We bought all of our apThe living room also serves as the entry to the home and pliances at the same time,” the family’s dining room, so along with an entertainment she added. “So the stove area, the room houses a large family dining table and a went from lightning, there bin for coats, umbrellas, shoes and bags. was a surge. And then my mom said, your dishwasher’s not working so good. It The living room space also was dying. So I’m just waitincludes a fireplace, which ing on the refrigerator, it’s the team suggests Stephathe only one left.” nie beef up, adding a more With appliance repairs, dramatic mantle. Right now, money has been a bit tight her room is decorated with a as far as renovations. striped wall and small, nauOver the years, Stephanie tical-themed accents, which has put her own touches on she hopes to trace throughthe room, including paintout the well-used space. ing stripes along the wall housing the room’s fireplace and mantle.

“My husband and I are super un-fussy people, so we just want something that’s comfortable and easily lived in, and easily taken care of,” she said. “Something that’s bright and friendly and fun is what I’d like to see.

“And I’ve tried to do that, but after a while, you’re just kind-of numb to it.”

“I want it to be more entertainment-friendly,” Stephanie said.

The room is also the house’s main dining area, so a table would need a place in the room.

“All of the seats are wrecked,” she said of the dining chairs.

“And the fireplace, we don’t really use. We could clean it out and put decorative stuff in there.”

The room has low, neutral carpet.

“We could add a nice area rug,” Julie said.

“It’s kind of a fun opportunity,” Stephanie said. “It’s intimidating, though.”

“You need to beef up her mantle, make it larger, more substantial. Change the tile hearth.

It would make a big difference if you had dedicated shoe storage, rather than by the door. Replace the doorside bench with something tall and thin. Add an area rug, and a large, rectangular family gathering table. You could also consider flipping the room, putting the dining table where the sofa is, to get a bigger impact.

Get rid of the unused computer desk and get rid of the entertainment center.

Maybe a dining table with a bench, and a nice light. The lighting is not great in there. You can also use a sectional to divide the space. That would transform that space.”

Room Redo team members Barbara Erwin and Sue Pohl were hard at work during the finalists’ home visits, measuring spaces carefully to make blueprints for reference.

8 |

LUDINGTON DAILY NEWS

| SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2017

www.ludingtondailynews.com

A ‘Brady Bunch’ bunk room

BY BROOKE KANSIER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

T

hrough the forest, past a winding road and down a steep hill sits the home of Jennifer Grendregske.

The large, two-story blue house is nestled against the shoreline of Hamlin Lake on And it’s a “Brady Bunch” household — when Jennifer and her husband married about 10 years ago, each had three children.

Now, the grown children — and their own kids — often come to visit their parents.

That’s a lot of people to sleep.

The family’s solution?

The bunk room.

“We have a lot of people visit — and six kids — which we love, and we just recently had two grandkids, so my husband is like, ‘Don’t get rid of any bunk beds!’” she said. “Every time I come in here, my blood pressure goes up.

“What I was thinking of doing is moving some of the bunk beds to another room. It’s just which ones, and how do I do it?”

The bunk room sleeps 11 people, with four sets of bunk beds and a sofa bed.

“We want to maximize it but at the same time, I want to feel good when people come here, and feel like it’s restful.”

Over the past decade, the pair would make visits to the cottage with children Christy, Nina, David, Evan, Quinn and Olivia.

“He adopted — I like to say — me and my children.

We’ve been coming here for 10 years as a couple, him longer, and we’re finally in the mode where we can be here more,” Jennifer said. “He actually built it, 17 years ago.”

Now, Jennifer and her husband live in the home nearly full-time, and grandchildren Jack, Nolan, Maddie and Wyatt are included in the house’s long visitor list.

“Sometimes, like on Fourth of July, I just want to run away. We have so many people here,” Jennifer said. “On both sides of the family, we’re the hub.

It’s a lot of fun.

“That’s why I wanted to keep this room a bunk room.”

Jennifer would like to add a dedicated entertainment space to the room, so visitors could also relax and watch television or play games.

“Sometimes when the

“Take the area rug in the family room and put it under the dining room. It has nothing to do with the bunk room, but it would look great.

In the bunk room, you need to do some rearranging.

Get rid of some of the bunk beds, and only include one on the south wall.

There’s too much in there. Add a big area rug. You could build in a window seat or a desk, with storage underneath, in the alcoves. You could build drawers under there or have a space to slide a suitcase. You could replace the two bunk beds on the far wall with full beds, and add a side table between them, too. Then, between the two, you can add a dedicated entertainment area, switching the television to the opposite wall and adding the gray couch.”

The Grendregske home’s bunk room features four sets of bunk beds and a futon, sleeping 11 people.

The Room Redo team was eager to look over Jennifer’s inspiration album, which painted a picture of a beachy, nautical space. teenagers or younger kids get sick of each other or vice versa, you can send them up here and they can hang out,” she said.

Right now, the room is completely filled by bunks.

“I know some furniture has to come out of there.

I’m not attached to anything in here,” Jennifer said.

“I’m really struggling with what to do. I’m still really open, I don’t have anything set.”

Ideally, she’d like to sleep five or six people in the bunk room.

“I think that would suit how the flow comes through with our family and friends and such,” Jennifer said.

If possible, she’d also like to replace two bunk beds on the far wall with two full or queen beds to sleep couples, now that many of their children are married.

Jennifer hopes to see the room decked out in fun, coastal colors.

“I’m very open to ideas, suggestions, help,” she said.

“I struggle with this room. I struggle with the house,” Jennifer added.

“You have these little alcoves, you have the slanted ceilings. It’s tough.”

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