From Chaos to Panache
Hi There Design Aficionado!
What a Journey!
Let me tell you a little bit about the adventure we have been on the last year and a half!
Mr. Man loves to peruse realtor.com and I love to tell him what I would do to the house to make it better. We see some doozies! If you have watched Hometown on HGTV, you will understand the inspiration that we had to improve a house in a small town. The call to bring old houses new life is real! You see, I have renovated for so many clients through the years and a few for our family. We began to dream about purchasing an investment property that needed a transformation.
When Mr. Man came across this listing we knew this was a great contender. Once we had seen the property for ourselves, the drive to renovate was unquenchable. The house was old, smelly and in rough shape. The previous owners had decided to update, got much of the first floor gutted, got overwhelmed and finally put it on the market. It sat vacant for 18 months prior to our little adventure. The realtor, Leila, had told us that many potential buyers had been to see this house, but were turned off because it was simply too much work. Yes, we could see that!
Take a deep breath…
Before pictures
the hardwood was ripped up in the dining room
the kitchen was old and outdated
the stairway to the second floor was so steep it felt like a ladder
The bathroom had a bad layout and in demo mode
No bathroom upstairs
We knew that it was a big undertaking, especially while working our day jobs. For the two of us, it presented a fortuitous opportunity. We had rehabbed houses before and this would be our biggest project yet. This 1911 brick home was a haven for several families thru the years and needed another chance. It took a lot blood, sweat and new resources to get the job done. There were challenges along the way as there are with every project.
In the Midwest we experience all four seasons; The exterior was the first on the agenda as it was autumn and it would be cold soon.
We cleaned and pressure washed the exterior, cleaned up the yard, patched the chimney and got a few trades lined up.
Once the weather turned it became clear we would need to do some gutting. We began to tackle the electrical (it was outdated knob and tube), plumbing, HVAC and insulation.
The old defunct chimney was torn down. It was a lot (and I mean a lot) of hard, dirty work.
It was finally ready for drywall. We had some awesome help along the way. Our nephew Paul came to help get us started then, Andy, then Justin helped almost every weekend.
Slowly we began to rebuild.
Flooring had been ripped up in the dining room and the kitchen had peel and stick. So we bought 3/4” plank flooring to match the original in the living room and upstairs bedrooms. Tile was laid in the bathrooms and laundry room. The stairs were redesigned and rebuilt.
Trim was installed and matched to original and added board and batten wainscoting in the dining room. The trim and kitchen cabinets were painted with Benjamin Moore Advance. Cabinets and plumbing and appliances went in. It was beginning to look like a home.
We created a dining room where the family could gather after church for a Sunday dinner. I love to slightly puddle curtains for a casual look to a room. Who wouldn’t want to spend a leisurely dinner with these walls!
The Stair way before felt like going up and down a ladder they were so steep. We created stairs that safely took the family up and down. Safety was a primary concern when creating this home.
I loved the colors of this Loloi rug that brought all the colors together in this room.
The pillows from Ballard design looked fantastic with the rug.
The ceiling lights from Minka were one of the first items I bought for the project.
While the previous kitchen wasn’t unusable, it needed to be brought up to date. When I envisioned how this kitchen would get used, I saw a dad flipping pancakes on the center grill on Saturday morning for his kids while they eagerly awaited at the island. Mr. Man carefully crafted this island countertop piece by piece.
The primary bedroom became a serene sanctuary for the adults.
Taking extra space from one of the bedrooms we created a bathroom upstairs with the bedrooms.
Even though the foot print of this space never changed we created a spacious bathroom with double sinks and a separate laundry room.
Behind the Scenes…
When we started, the pandemic caused a record number of home renovations. Work from home was the norm and people looked around and wanted to better their surroundings. This caused a never before logistics problem getting materials in a timely manner, trades were swamped and hard to get, and construction materials prices were astronomical.
Upon completion, the pandemic was over and things will never be the same. We realized how important the people in our lives were. More than ever home needs to be a place we can find refuge from the ever changing world.
Do you ever get the strong sense that the entire time you spent creating something you were creating it for someone who was looking for you, your creation the whole time? I knew that taking on this house we were creating a home for someone who needed a place to dwell that they didn’t have to worry about repairs or upgrades but just move in and settle down. Settle down and live their life to have time for their family, their friends, their life.
The whole time we were renovating this structure, I had to remind myself that this was not our home. We simply were stewards of this property. We were creating a home for another family.
Come to find out, our buyer had been looking for the perfect home the entire time we were renovating. He lived just a block and half away. We created this home just for him and his family. One of the things I’ll carry with me was the look of excitement on the new owners face at the closing. I couldn’t be more proud of the end result.
DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START WITH MARKETING YOUR HOME?
LET’S TAKE YOUR PROPERTY FROM CHAOS TO PANACHE!
Fran utilized all the aspects of The Panache Assessment when creating this home. Get your own copy.
And don’t forget, if you’re in the preliminary planning stages of your next project, schedule some time
P.S. If you enjoy seeing the messy middle of our project, check out Renovation Update!
Fran is the RE Stager and Interior Decorator behind Interiors with Panache for over 20 years. She has designed and staged homes all around the Chicago area as well as renovating her own homes with her husband of over 30 years. She knows the perils and wants you to have your own panache. In her free time, Fran enjoys reading books, hiking with friends, and spending time in the kitchen cooking new recipes with her family.