A Place to Heal

When I first met Mrs. Kim and her family, I could feel their warmth. Their beautiful century-old home on the Cottonport bayou helped with this feeling, but mostly it was their gentle demeanors, kind words, and sweet spirits. Just good people who had been through a lot and were ready for a refresh. Their home needed updating, but they wanted to retain the character, so we set about doing just that.

In the kitchen, it meant keeping the wood cabinets and brick floors that Kim loves dearly, but brightening everything else. She thought she would have to paint her cabinets, but I let her know that if she loved them, we were keeping them! But I knew we needed to keep the rest light and bright, so I opted for white quartz with some veining on both the counters and the backsplash to juxtapose the dark wood. White walls were also a must and we also extended the island to give them double the space from before. The before...

And the afters...isn't it amazing what white can do for a space? We opted to keep a darker color on the island to keep in line with the feel of the other cabinetry. A new light and some new accessories and you've got a fresh new space that still feels warm.

If the kitchen was to be light and bright, I went the complete opposite direction in the adjacent dining room. The soaring ceilings and plethora of natural light in this space make it feel so dreamy and I knew it could handle a darker color. The ceilings and floors were already so warm with the original wood and I opted to color drench the rest of the space in a dark gray and take the fireplace all the way up. The contractor was able to match the existing fireplace beadboard perfectly, so that it looks like it's always been this way. We kept all of Kim's antiques in place and just recovered the chairs to freshen them up a bit. This is one of my favorite rooms ever.

The next room over from the dining room is the foyer, which just got a refresh with white paint and a new light.

The befores...

And after...

A sweet guest room was next up. A deeper color for this room, beautiful new drapes just like the dining room, and the sweetest twin metal beds go a long way in making this room feel updated but still full of character. The original beadboard is everything.

And finally we have the master bedroom and bath. They started out as red and dark...

And ended up bright and fresh and new...

THAT TUB AM I RIGHT?! It may be my favorite design decision yet. I love how the black brings a little touch of modern to a very traditional piece. The rest of the bathroom was really just changing out the floors for something classic and bright and painting the existing cabinetry a beautiful deep gray and adding new hardware and lights and mirrors. The existing countertops even work!

The bedroom is a testament that you can keep your dark furniture and add fresh paint, drapes, bedding, and accessories for a fresh look. I love how peaceful it feels.

When we began this journey, Kim was a cancer survivor. During the process, Kim got more bad news and had to undergo more treatment and fight again, but she came out victorious. She is so incredibly strong and encouraging and an inspiration to me. When we last met before taking the after photos, she told me that the changes to the home have made it a wonderful place to heal and that she has felt so at peace there.

I'm not sure there's any better justification for why I do this work. Now this home's interior matches its beautiful exterior and the spirit of the beautiful family that dwells there.