Earlier this year, two long-time clients hired me to completely remodel a home they had just purchased.
Sounds like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill gig for a designer, right?
Not so much.
The home was a foreclosure in Union, Mo., that my clients, Brandon and Alesha, had purchased without ever seeing it in person.
They bought the house sight unseen because they started bidding on the property in an online auction while Alesha was in the hospital delivering their third daughter! They landed a new house and a baby all in one fell swoop.
That, friends, is some seriously brave multi-tasking!
Once I got over the initial shock of their story, I jumped at the chance to work with Brandon and Alesha again.
I’ve known Alesha for years, and had helped design her previous homes and her parents’ house.
This is just a glimpse of what Alesha and Brandon saw when they first opened the door of their house.
Brandon and Alesha bought the house on Feb. 18 – a date they won’t forget for obvious reasons – and closed by April 4.
Alesha told me later when they first unlocked the door the house looked like a scene from the TV show Hoarders. Piles of trash and discarded furniture were all over the place. The home had been left in completely unlivable conditions.
Fortunately, Alesha and Brandon could see past the mess, and had a vision for what the home could be. By the time I visited the home on April 10, they already had some plans in mind.
The only items we would keep were the cabinets and the showers. Everything else in the home would need to be gutted.
Within three days, we were at Lowes selecting the gorgeous wide-plank, gray-tone wood laminate floor that now runs throughout the main part of the house.
Working with Alesha is great because she knows what she wants, expresses it well, and then trusts me to move forward with the overall design.
As we continued with the remodel, we had the kitchen cabinets painted white and had new counter tops and a subway tile backsplash installed.
We installed new tile floors in the bathroom and new sink vanities, plus new vintage-style lighting from Amazon and Lowes.
We chose paint for each room from Sherwin Williams. All of her furniture from her old house worked perfectly in the new house.
Brandon’s mother refurbishes antique furniture, so she was a fantastic asset in this remodel project. It was great to work together to find additional pieces that could be fixed and painted to suit the new house.
The children’s bedroom has matching antique twin beds that are just stunning. One of my favorite pieces is the round crib in the baby’s room, a family antique that has been passed down.
To match the array of antique and refurbished furniture, I searched for the perfect accessories, mirrors, lamps and window treatments. Alesha joined me on trips to Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, Kirklands and even Target, Marshalls and Kohls.
The finished project is so beautiful – and so far removed from the space we saw the day we first walked in the door – it’s remarkable.
Eventually Brandon and Alesha plan on building a house on the family farm. While I hope I get to be a part of that design project, I’ll be sad to say goodbye to this amazing home.
Check out the gallery below to see more photos of this home.
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