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Posted by on Aug 24, 2016 | 2 comments

Kelly’s House of Murals

Kelly’s House of Murals

Kelly grew up in a house decorated with her mother’s hand-painted murals. Today, in her Del Ray home, she’s continuing the tradition. I stopped by to see these special murals painted by Kelly’s mother (you may remember this house from the Del Ray House & Garden Tour this year, or the previous tour in 2014). There’s a splendid mural of blue sky and clouds on the ceiling of the front porch. The other two murals are in the two kids’ rooms. This one pays homage to a children’s book author and illustrator that Kelly loved as a child, Gyo Fujikawa. Kelly’s mom added Superwoman, one of her daughter’s favorite super heroes, into the design. Kelly’s son’s room has been transformed into a scene from outer space, complete with flying spaceships. I can only imagine how much he and his sister love their rooms and will grow to appreciate their grandmother’s artistic talent all their...

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Posted by on Aug 12, 2016 | 0 comments

A Rowhouse Bathroom Remodel: Before

A Rowhouse Bathroom Remodel: Before

Where can you go to get ideas and inspiration for a home renovation? Just check with your neighbors. While thinking of how they’d like to remodel their rowhouse bathroom, these homeowners took notes during the Del Ray House and Garden Tour, admiring the many creative tiling options in bathrooms around the neighborhood. After much thought, they decided to stay true to the era in which their home was built, but to update the tile and make other improvements. We stopped by to check out the bathroom before it gets its makeover. They say they’ve always hated this “weird pattern” in the floor tile that doesn’t line up with either toilet or sink, but they like the black-and-white theme. It’s become much more of a challenge than they had anticipated to get tilework done the way it looked in 1939. They look forward to choosing a new color for the walls once the room has been rebuilt, after being taken down to its wood laths. An exhaust fan will be...

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Posted by on Feb 1, 2016 | 3 comments

A Mid-Century Nursery for Baby Mera

A Mid-Century Nursery for Baby Mera

After featuring J.P. and Ellen’s mid-century modern design style in a 2014 home tour, we couldn’t wait to come back and see what they did with their newborn baby Mera’s bedroom. Just like the rest of their stylish home, they accented the room with mid-century charm and personal touches, perfect for a baby girl. The collection of prints in uniform white frames shown to the right of the window above are an assortment of prints that Ellen picked out, as well as cards her friends and family gave her at their baby shower. “I hate tossing beautiful cards,” Ellen says, “and I feel that sticking them in a box in a closet is basically the same thing.” So she framed them. What a great idea. One wall was painted a handsome blue-grey hue when they moved in a few years ago. Unfortunately, they don’t have the name to share. (They had Home Depot match the color so they could use it throughout the room.) Ellen found the mid-century dresser...

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Posted by on Jan 13, 2016 | 0 comments

Looking Back: Home Tours 2015

Looking Back: Home Tours 2015

Home tours and room renovation stories are our favorite part of writing this blog. Who doesn’t love visiting other peoples’ homes and seeing how they decorate and make the most of their space? Today we’re compiling a list of all the homes we visited in 2015 and encourage you to contact us if you’d like to share your home on this site! Justine and Jonathan’s Art-Filled Home Every piece of art in Justine and Jonathan’s home has a meaningful back story. Mark and Sally’s Modern Basement Makeover See how the couple turned a former music studio into a cozy and comfortable living and guest space. Matt and Angela’s Howell Avenue Taphouse Local home brewers Matt and Angela have taken their craft to a new level renovating their basement to include a 3-tap kegerator and lounge area. Christina and Brad’s Del Ray Rowhouse Remodel: Part 1, 2 and 3 We were thrilled when blog reader Christina contacted us about her upcoming rowhouse renovation and offered to let us track the...

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Posted by on Dec 22, 2015 | 5 comments

Renovating a Vintage 1940s Home, Part 2

Renovating a Vintage 1940s Home, Part 2

Earlier this year, we took you on a tour of a vintage 1940s home that had barely been touched since it was built 70+ years ago. Now, several months later, this diamond in the rough has received a complete makeover and we’re back to share its stunning new look, the work of local contractors Mary Denby of MHD Builds and Kyle Blaylock of Blaylock Design and Build. If you remember from part 1, the outside of the house was hidden from view by overgrown shrubs and ivy. Now with those shrubs gone, the vintage architecture is on display — and the fresh exterior paint, bright red door and new stone walkway complete the curb appeal. Inside, the plan was to restore many of the home’s original features, overhaul the HVAC and electrical, modernize the bathrooms and kitchen, and put an addition onto the back creating a large open concept living room and second-floor master suite. Here was the inside when Mary gave me a tour in February. And now,...

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