Category: Before & After

Completed Project: Before & After Photos in laguna Hills

11/10/2014

We're ready to unveil our finished project for our client in Laguna Hills. There were multiple changes throughout the whole house, however the biggest was bringing the look from a very tired 30 year old home, up to a fresher traditional look; updated with current fabrics, color trends in terms of our finishes, current stone, and other materials for our finished products.

The entry hall was an expansive area with a very traditional staircase, iron railing and wood handrail. My client didn't want to change this, but from a design standpoint it felt large, uninteresting and rather cold. Our solution was to bring in new wall covering and a new lighting fixture; making a dramatic impact when you first come in to the home.

Above Photo: Entry before with large mirror above the front door.

Right photo: Entry after project completion.

Our next biggest transition area was our kitchen where we had to work with 1930s style construction cabinetry. Since the client did not want to replace these, but did want a new look, we accomplished this by using a faux finish - ('faux' meaning a technique designed to replicate real wood or other material but done with paint in this particular case).

The new countertops were in granite, and the backsplash was a copper tile. We also provided new paint and furnishings.

Above Photo: Kitchen before

Right photo: Kitchen after project completion.

In our family room we provided a new entertainment area which we incorporated a built-in fireplace, new furnishings, and the complete refinish and reface of the existing bar. We used a lot of the client's personal art and accessories to give this room a very comfortable lived-in look. (Left photo)

Next, in the upstairs master suite, the master bath required the largest portion of construction for the project. Here, we were able to demo the entire bathroom and start fresh. We took a very old 1930's style bathroom and removed a very large jacuzzi bathtub that didn't function properly and was much too large (right photo), as well as a shower that was way too small (left photo below).

Removal of the jacuzzi bathtub allowed us to put in a brand new spa tub and gave us room to work with to double the size of the shower. The shower now has a comfortable seating area, built in steam unit, and multiple shower heads, including a rain head. In addition to the changes to shower and tub, we provided a large double vanity with sinks, ionized water system for the client's personal use and a separate sit down vanity in the changing area directly off the master closet; giving the entire bathroom a spa-like feel (right photo below).

From start to finish the entire project took a little over 3 months, and our finished product speaks for itself in that we created a space that was very much the needs and wants of the individual client.

We hope you enjoy these final photos, and the before and after comparisons. Please feel free to comment or contact us to offer feedback or discuss an design idea of your own.

Update: Transformation Of a Laguna Hills home

8/1/2014

In this post we’re going more in depth with parts of the project we discussed previously: the kitchen, the entryway and the master spa bath.

(Click any image to view larger)

Starting with the kitchen, we’ve removed old countertops, backsplashes, and the window and we’re prepping for our new finish as well as installing a new window.

There’s also a bar in the family room that needs to be addressed, and we’re stripping off the old finish (a dark stain that was poorly executed), sanding it and getting it ready for the new.

In the kitchen we’re using a faux finish designed to look more like a real wood finish, though done on materials that are typically suited for paint, not stain.

Next, we’ve removed the mirror in the entry, and created a new panel based on my design for the client. The panel you see in the photo will be stained to the match front doors, and a faux finish will go on the window frames around the 2 sidelights – giving the front entry a uniform look.

Through all of this, while in production and we have multiple crews there on a daily basis and we manage them to successfully execute each phase of the project.

In the master bath upstairs we’ve abandoned the old tub completely because it was so dated, and the client wanted a more spa like bathroom. By doing this, it allowed us to increase the size of the shower, which will now be a spa-like feature with multiple shower heads, and a steam bath. Take a look at the new framing in the photo to the left to accommodate the new tub and shower layout.

The spa tub that we’ve now dropped in is an air bath system designed to push warm air through small holes at the base of the tub so the whole experience becomes a warm bubbly sensation. In the photo above it’s being prepped and made ready for undermount installation. (With an undermounted tub (or sink), you see only the bowl or vessel portion, but you don’t see any of the support. It’s done to give it more custom look.)

This brings us up to date so far as to where the project currently stands.

In the next blog we’ll be showing more of the finished product being worked on here, including: countertops, stonework produced for master spa bath, cabinets for the master spa bath, stages of our new finish for the kitchen.

Your comments and feedback are always appreciated, so please let us know what you think!

The transformation of a Laguna Hills home

7/15/2014

We’re midway thru the year and this is typically the time of year people start projects in anticipation of the fall season. Our new blog series is going to show how we can take an older home and bring it up to current standards. This home is located in Laguna Hills and was built in 1981.

I’m going to be sharing with you before and after photos, in addition to photos that illustrate the process of what we do to transform an older home.

Take a look at the sketches we've created to help the client visualize the changes.

One of the first things we do is to sit down with the client and create a wish list or direction of where the client wants to take the home. In this particular project, they didn’t want to do a complete renovation on the kitchen, so the next option would be to provide a face-lift for the kitchen.

This is the kitchen in it's current state before the facelift.

The facelift will consist of new counters and backsplash, and for now we’re doing to do a re-finish of existing cabinets. However, we’re designing them in a way that if the client decides they want to do new cabinets down the road, we’re leaving that door open.

We’d be able to keep the original bodies of the cabinets and they will have new faces put on them, and all new doors and drawers, essentially giving the kitchen a brand new look.

The 2nd major portion of this remodel is the master suite where we are doing a complete renovation of the master bathroom. In this part of the project, I’ll show pictures of what the bathroom looks like in its current state, and drawings of what the proposed remodel will look like. Take a look at the actual photos before construction and during the process below.

This is going to be a step-by-step process where we take you through entire project of taking an older home and transforming it into today’s standards.

Above: Original entryway with the mirror.

Right: Entryway in progress, after removal of the mirror.

There are existing difficulties in this house when it comes to technology, however we have a few creative solutions to work around them and provide the client with the same finished look as if this home were being built in today’s standards to include wiring for computers, home automation, flat screen TVs, etc.

I'm looking forward to sharing more photos with you as the project progresses, so check back soon.

Rich's latest Project: Before & After

6/9/2014

Last year Rich was contracted to design the interior and exterior of a client’s beach home. The highly organized contractor on this project was able to move forward quickly, and construction was done in a very good time frame; from start to finish in about 8 months. We wanted you to see the final finished project with a few before and after photos.

As a part of any interior design project you have several stages: the rough stage (which is the very beginning of any project including the foundation, framing, rough in plumbing, drywall or plaster, etc.), the finish stage (cabinetry, finish carpentry, painting, carpeting), and once that is complete, we’re then ready to stage the house with furniture and accessories. Check out the before and after photos that first show the finish stage of the project, followed by the inclusion of furniture and accessories:

Before & After

Also, take a look at photos of a few of the other rooms in the house:

In addition to the furnishings, Rich made each bedroom with a unique design at the request of the client. Since this is a second home at the beach to be used by the immediate & extended family, (and not a primary residence), the client wanted it to be more of a fun place with character in each bedroom.

Completed Project: Before & After Photos in laguna Hills

Update: Transformation Of a Laguna Hills home

The transformation of a Laguna Hills home

Rich's latest Project: Before & After

Before & After

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