Before and After – A Remodel in the Desert

We’ve been spending a good amount of time in Las Vegas recently, and for good reason. My parents just bought a vacation home there. My parents still live in the same house I grew up in, so purchasing a second home was a big step for them indeed.

 

Because we are all a 4 1/2 hour drive from Las Vegas, it was evident this move would require strategic planning and resourcing. And we are proud to say this was all completed in a matter of 4 loaded car trips by my folks, and 3 loaded car trips by Adam and myself.

 

Here is the exterior of their house. Because of the intense desert heat (it was 106 degrees there during our recent trip to Vegas two weeks ago) it is very common to see rock garden landscaping and drought-resistant plants and shrubs…

 

 

Here is a before photo of the front entry and double-door office. This is exactly how the interior of the house looked the day they got the keys…

 

 

And this is how it looks now. The walls were painted Ralph Lauren’s Canvas Natural, and all the doors and trim were painted Behr’s Seaside Sand (just like our home). A built-in niche was added in the entry. The tile floors were steam cleaned and new carpet was installed.

 

 

This is a before shot of the living room…

 

 

And here is the after. They added the ceiling fan and chandelier, which came from local lighting stores. The white media unit against the wall came from IKEA. More details on that further down…

 

 

Here is a before shot from inside the double-door office, looking out to the living room…

 

 

And here is the after. The upholstered furniture came from local furniture stores, and the wood tables were a Craigs List find. The round wicker basket filled with balls and the accent pillows came from IKEA…

 

 

Another before shot of the view from out of the double-door office, this time looking out into the dining area…

 

 

Here is the after. My folks had wood plantation shutters installed on all of the windows throughout the house, except for the trio of small square windows above the cabinets in the kitchen. Those windows were accented with iron scroll pieces from Michaels….

 

 

Here is a before shot of the kitchen…

 

 

And here is the after. The cabinets were painted Behr’s Seaside Sand, and new hardware was added to all of the cabinets. They purchased a new black refrigerator for this space, and the barstools came from a local furniture store…

 

 

Here is another angle of the kitchen, before…

 

 

And here is the after. Incase you were wondering, that door leads out to the laundry room/garage…

 

 

This is a before shot from inside the kitchen, looking past the living room on the left…

 

 

And here is the after…

 

 

Another view from inside the kitchen, before…

 

 

And here is the after. Most all the accessories seen here were purchased at Home Goods…

 

 

This is a before shot of the guest bathroom…

 

 

And here is the after. Much like the cabinets in the kitchen, the bathroom cabinets were painted Behr’s Seaside Sand. And the walls again, Ralph Lauren’s Canvas Natural…

 

 

A before shot of the shower wall…

 

And after. All accessories purchased from Home Goods…

 

 

Now were are looking at a before shot of the master bedroom…

 

 

And after. Here you can see what a difference the wooden plantation shutters really make. The iron quilt rack and green slipper chairs came from Home Goods. The iron accent table is from IKEA…

 

 

Another before shot view of the bedroom…

 

 

And here is the after. The bedding from JCPenney, and the lamps and twig bundle from Home Goods...

 

 

Next is the guest bedroom. I don’t have any before shots of the guest bedroom, just after’s…

 

 

The wicker bedroom set came from a local estate sale, the bedding JCPenney, and the lamps and books from Home Goods…

 

  

 

My mom refers to this as the “black and white room”…

 

 

Recognize the birdcages? They’re the same ones we used to have in our house. The leafy pillow is from IKEA…

 

 

One more quick tidbit! That media unit from IKEA, with tons shelves to accessorize, I recommended that my mom purchase a set of Encyclopedia's to help fill out all those shelves…

 

 

And it certainly did the trick…

 

 

Thanks for joining along on this tour of my folks new desert home. I’m sure they would love to hear your thoughts!

 

7/14/10 – Updated to add: I’ve gotten several questions, so I thought I’d address them here…

 

• This vacation home is located in Summerlin, Nevada with a beautiful view overlooking the entire Vegas Strip. My parents, as well as Adam and I, primarily reside in Southern California

   

• A few of you mentioned a pool. In the community they live in, they are fortunate to have multiple community pools and club houses to choose from

   

• The bedroom is actually not fully completed. We are still on the hunt for a dresser, hopefully country pine. A few of you asked about the bedding – it’s from JCPenney, but we cannot remember the name of the style of the bedding

   

• Lots of comments about the painted cabinets. My parents hired a painter specially to do the cabinets. It is a very detailed process that involved sanding, priming, and several coats of paint.  

   

• A few of  you asked about the bird cages seen in the guest room. I used to carry them on my website, but I don’t carry them any longer

 

Lastly, on behalf of my parents, we wish to thank you for your kind comments and emails. My mom and dad are getting such joy from reading each and every one.

 

 

Live Q&A with Barbara Jacksier

I realize this is brief notice, but wanted to let you know Barbara Jacksier, author of the coastal decorating book Waterside Cottages, is doing a live Q&A session on the Home Front page of the Washington Post today.

 

Have questions about coastal decorating? Seeking help choosing paint colors? Need inspiration for a summer beach party?

 

The live Q&A is this morning, from 11am – 12 noon, although you can post your questions on there now. Here’s the link, and be sure to let her know The Old Painted Cottage sent you.

 

You can also visit Barbara’s blog here. Please do, it’s a great read!

 

Cottage of the Month, and a Recap

During the past few months, I’ve featured some pretty fabulous homes. Since I don’t always get a chance to remind you to check them out each month, I thought I’d do a little recap along with direct links for you to explore them further if you haven’t already.

So let’s recap, shall we?

 

May 2010

 

May was the month I featured Lisa and Rich’s darling ranch style home in Thousand Oaks, CA. I got so many emails and inquiries about this one.

 

There was so much to love…

 

Such as their newly expanded bedroom suite. The old grainsack panels came from 3 Fine Grains, and the bedside lampshades were made by my talented artist friend Rosemary.

 

 

Even in my dreams, walk-in closets don’t come even close to this one…

 

 

 

Here’s a peek inside. And that white pickled flooring that continues into the closet, don’t even get me started..

 

 

They had a new bathroom added on to their extended master suite…

 

 

I can just picture myself slipping into that soaking tub at the end of a long day. See that little twig object on top of the white chippy cabinet, Rosemary made that too…

 

 

A laundry room much unlike any I’ve ever seen, another new addition to their home…

 

 

I sold Lisa the old French rack, which now hangs on her laundry room wall and displays laundry whatnots…

 

 

Lisa doesn’t have a blog, so if you have any questions for her you can use my Contact Form at the very top of my blog, and I can forward her your questions.

 

June 2010

 

For the month of June, I featured Melanie’s home in Michigan. Something happens to me when I look at these photos. They remind me to breathe…

 

 

Just breathe…

 

 

I can stare at this photo over and over. It just feels right.

 

 

 

The built-in cabinetry and clear glass island pendants are pretty much perfection in Melanie's kitchen…

 

 

Did you know Melanie is an artist? Her paintings are seen in most every room of her home. I am in envy of her amazing talent…

 

 

This is Melanie’s office. Those fabulous word art paintings are her work too…

 

 

Are we seeing a reoccurring theme here with the soaking tubs? If only the two bathrooms in our house weren’t the size of shoeboxes. Sigh…

 

 

Melanie has a great blog which you can visit here.

 

July 2010

 

And now we come to this month’s feature with July's Cottage of the Month, the ever fabulous Melaine from My Sweet Savannah.

 

For me, there is only one word that sums up her home: MAGICAL

 

  

 

Melaine planned ahead, ready to celebrate the 4th of July with family and friends. I love how she pulled these shelves together with a patriotic theme…

 

 

 

 

See what I’m saying? Simply MAGICAL…

 

 

Loving that large chalkboard wall serving as a background for her children's framed photos…

 

 

A old Coca-Cola tray turns into a caddy for serving guests at a moments notice…

 

 

I love the tiny American flag in the background of this photo…

 

 

 

So there you have it! A recap of May, June, and July. And remember these are just little peeks. To see each feature in full length, just click on the links provided!

 

I hope you have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!