Before and After

Linda Applewhite & Associates strives to help clients express who they are while respecting the architecture and project site. Linda Applewhite feels the relationship between the structure and site is important and strives for connection between indoors and out whenever possible. The firm is very team-oriented, collaborating with architects, landscape architects and contractors to create homes where interior and exterior space reflect one another.
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Images 1 through 4 show a French Country Great Room Redecoration
1. Great Room
 

Before: Though the great room had good architectural bones, including a high ceiling, beams, lintels, and an 18th century fireplace, it lacked warmth and distinction. The fireplace surround looked somewhat stark and contemporary as well.
After: To achieve a French Country look, the fireplace surround was coated with a warm, textured plaster, then a rustic crown molding added to give a more traditional look. Finally the existing white stone mantle was painted a warm terra cotta and a handmade fireplace screen was designed and installed to compliment the room.



3. Great Room
 

Before: The great room walls and fireplace surround didn't have the richness and depth of old plaster, plus the tall niches and awkward ledges on either side of the fireplace created a challenge for placing furniture.
After: To continue the French theme, blue and gold leaf sideboards were installed in the niches topped by French style mirrors which covered the problem ledges. A lamp and French themed accessories were added to complete the furnishings



2. Kitchen
 

Before: The previously all white cabinets.
After: The dramatic change in the kitchen was achieved mostly through decorative painting using dark green on the upper cabinets, cream on the cabinets to the right and a wood tone on the island base and wine rack. A new pendant replaced the chandalier and the kitchen was accessorized to compliment the French theme.



4. Dining Room
 

Before: Window treatments frame the stunning mountain views, but could be taller to accentuate the elegant wall height.
After: In the dining room, the window treatments were lengthened with contrasting fabric added to the top and bottom to raise the draperies higher, bringing the eye up. The chandalier was painted a bronze to stand out more prominently than the walls, and two yellow chairs were added at either end of the dining table.



Images 1 through 6 show a Cottage Remodel
1. New Living Room
 

Before: The original living room had 8-foot ceilings, a contemporary opening cut in the wall, and an unassuming white brick fireplace that commanded little presence in the room.
After: The newly remodeled living room boasts pitched ceilings with 1-inch x 12-inch shiplapped pine and 3-inch x 6-inch recycled beams. Bookcases were added on either side of the fireplace, and an antique mantel gives the focal point new presence. Walls were restored to look like old plaster.



2. New Dining Room
 

Before: The dining room before the remodel, with contemporary smoked glass doors and exposed framing left by the enormous high-tech fixture that had been removed.
After: The remodeled dining room with a pitched ceiling and fat arched wall leading into the newly added family room. Recycled French doors with complementary side lights replaced the contemporary doors , while a light fixture custom made to emulate an old French meat and poultry hook makes a bold statement above the dining room table.



3. New Kitchen
 

Before: The dark '70s-era cabinets contrasted with the white Formica countertops, linoleum floors, and refrigerator.
After: The new kitchen boasts glazed and distressed knotty pine cabinets with rust-finished Bouvet hardware. The ceilings were faced with 1-inch x 12-inch shiplapped pine, and two skylights provide light from above. Antique French paver tiles cover the counters, and an old peely-paint green door found at a salvage yard keeps the washer abd dryer hidden from view.



4. New Bedroom
 

Before: The old master bedroom had two large double-hung windows on the only wall that could accomodate a bed.
After: The master bedroom is transformed with a raised ceiling, textured apricot walls, intriguing architectural elements, and a chandelier. The original windows were split apart and reinstalled on either side of the bed.



5. New Bathroom
 

Before: The only bathroom had a metal sliding window with frosted glass and a deep rectangular tub with no slope for relaxing.
After: The remodeled bathroom sports a skylight above the bathtub that reflects light off the handmade high-gloss apricot and rust-colored tiles. The curved iron element holding the decorative fabric panel was custom made by a local artist. It hides a second bar that supports the actual shower curtain, which pulls across on a wire that connects to the matching iron hook on the right, providing no interference to the incoming light.



6. New Exterior
 

Before: An exterior view of the smoked glass doors with their heavy metal frames. A contemporary overhang had been installed above the doors, conflicting with the existing lines of the cottage.
After: The rear view of the cottage with the new family room added to the left and a pair of old French doors and sidelights replacing the former contemporary unit in the dining room to the right. The modern overhang was replaced with a pitched roof to match the existing structure.



Bathroom Remodel
 

Before: A 13-foot long bathroom counter presented a challenge in remodeling this dark and dated master bath.
After: The new combination of stylized cabinets provides tall vertical bones to break up the long horizontal line and creates beauty, interest, and function while bringing a furniture-like feeling to the updated bathroom.



Fireplace Remodel
 

Before: A remodeled fireplace brought new life to this 1970s-era contemporary home. An overwhelming large and solid brick façade once rose almost to the ceiling, closing off the light (and, seemingly, breath) and dramatically dating the home.
After: Now, a streamlined charcoal-plastered fireplace - with a notch for extra surprise -- is a fabulously pleasing focal point. The smaller scale allows easy flow of both traffic and spirit between the two rooms and makes a thoroughly "today" statement in function and feeling.



Kitchen Remodel
 

Before: Transformation occurs in this newly expansive galley kitchen that underwent a simple face-lift from its former tiny, monotone, '60s self.
After: The bordering post and beam are beefed up with additional layers of drywall and wood-tone faux painting, while dated oak plywood is replaced with bead board paneling under the bar. Glass panels are inserted in the newly painted cabinet doors to create depth, exposing brilliant color inside and creating a warm and welcome feeling along with the preception of more space.



Fireplace Remodel
 

Before: An inexpensive fireplace makeover breathes new life into this tired pied à terre that feels stuck in time.
After: Painting the brick fireplace surround black expands the look of the opening, while the new bronze-colored mantel adds strength and presence. The salmon-colored overmantel provides a defining vertical line, which visually raises the ceiling and warms the feeling of the room.



Bathroom Remodel
 

Before: A cold and contemporary feeling is created in this 1920's Mediterranean bathroom with its glass and metal windows bordering a granite tub surround which was installed during a remodel in the 1980's.
After: Newly remodeled, the decorative wooden beams, warm plaster walls, rich mahogany windows and honed gold and terra cotta tile and stone; update the look and feel of this bathroom yet compliment it's vintage Mediterranean architecture.



Gracious Dining Room
 

Before: Having been stripped of its character and looking inexpensively built, this once-majestic 1920s Mediterranean home had lost all its soul through multiple remodels.
After: After we replaced the thin wall with grand old Ionic columns, added elegant new windows, and installed beautiful moldings and window casings, the renewed structure now soulfully reflects the feeling of its original architecture.



Living Room Remodel
 

Before: The fireplace overshadowed by a mirror above looks small and unimportant as a focal point in this 1920's Mediterranean home.
After: The new mantel and overmantel, both made of stained concrete tiles, now soulfully reflects the feeling of its original 1920's Mediterranean architecture.