After: Upstairs Guest Bedroom

The upstairs guest bedroom before the renovation featured blue shag wall to wall carpet and an accent wall of blue toile wallpaper.  The room was in dire need of a change.

Although the room is still a work in progress as of December 2010 (notably it awaits new bed linens), its transformation is evident.  Refinished hardwood floors, new paint, new plantation blinds, and refreshed furnishings and accessories make the room a bright, warm respite for guests.

After: Upstairs Master Bedroom

Unfortunately my before photo of the upstairs master bedroom shows it unfurnished after work had commenced.  The room had not been updated in quite a while, as exemplified by the dowdy blue and yellow floral cornice seen in the picture, and the plaster walls had many cracks in them.  The antique furnishings were beautiful but very dark.

Now, the room has refinished wood floors, new plantation blinds (over new windows, which evidence that the second floor now has its own heating and air conditioning zone), new paint, and antique furnishings from Jane and Van's old house.

After: Dining Room

Unfortunately my previously posted "before" photo shows the dining room after removal of its furnishings.  The old dining room had beautiful but worn silk wallpaper and off-white wall to wall carpet and draperies.  A portrait of Jane's grandfather hung above an antique buffet, and the dining room table was positioned perpendicular to the front hall.  A door between the dining room and the adjoining study/music room was never closed and always seemed to be in the way.

Now, the room bears a new paint scheme, newly refinished hardwood floors, new plantation shutters, and a rewired and cleaned chandelier.  The door to the study/music room has been removed and the door frame patched so that there are no scars from the former door hardware.  Furniture-wise, the dining room table has been shortened and rotated to be centered under the chandelier, and an additional antique corner cupboard from Van's family has been added to the room for additional silver storage and display (unfortunately I do not have a photograph of this).  A mirror replaced the portrait above the buffet and lightens up the room, and a portrait of Jane adorns the wall the door once blocked.  The look is clean, beautiful, modern, and classic:  

After: Downstairs Master Bedroom

Unfortunately for one 308's more dramatic before and afters, I do not have many good "before" shots. This is a glimpse of what the downstairs master bedroom looked like before the renovation. It had an accent wall of tobacco colored wallpaper and yellow-ish trim, walls, area rug, and curtains.

Now, the room looks crisp and clean, with plantation shutters, new linens from Cocoon Fine Linens and Gifts, new lamps, and newly placed antiques and accessories. An area rug will soon complete the room.

Additionally, the full bath  -- which was also yellow before the renovation -- received a refresh.  In addition to new paint, it received a new vanity and new toilet, new lighting, an exhaust fan, plantation shutters, and linens.

After: Den

The den -- a gorgeous and cozy pine cave in the rear of the house -- is probably the least changed room in 308 (which isn't really saying a lot...).  Its floors were patched, sanded and restained, its windows received new treatments, and its furnishings were refinished and substituted out.  A gi-normous television and state of the art audio visual equipment also now complete the room.  The end-result is a fantastic place to relax:

After: Living Room

Prior to the renovation, the living room looked a little dated and fell a little flat.  It featured off-white wall to wall carpet, off-white silk drapes, and a lot of off-white furniture upholstery, with green, gold and orange accents. The antiques were notable, but the room was not very striking.

Now, with new wood floors, new upholstered pieces, new plantation shutters, antique substitutions, and other accents like new lampshades, the room has a fresh, modern feel while maintaining the elegance the room calls for:

After: Foyer

Prior to the renovation, the foyer featured neutral, wall-to-wall carpet, silk wallpaper, a chandelier that hung too low causing many-a-head bumps, and an antique entry table and mirror. The look was not offensive by any means, but it just did not feel very fresh.

Now, the wall paper and wall-to-wall carpet are gone, the chandelier was swapped for one formerly at the top of the stairs that does not hang as low, the wood floors have been refinished, a custom wool runner now neatly runs up the staircase, and the beautiful antiques are showcased in style:

After: Plantation Shutters

When Jane and Van initially began planning this renovation, they seriously considered keeping the existing window treatments in the living and dining room (you can see these formal curtains here) and music room (you can view the old wood blinds here). As the project scope expanded with each day, it became apparent that the living and dining rooms' once elegant statement-making curtains would look a little dowdy and dated in their madeover home, so off they came. After thinking over the options, they decided to install three inch, solid wood plantation shutters on all of the first floor windows throughout the house (with the exception of the windows in the fabulous new sunroom/kitchen) for a beautiful and uniform look. The results are striking.

First are a few photos of the shutter installation in progress.  The first is taken from the living room looking towards the foyer (as a reference, check out this before shot from about the same place!), and the second from in front of the secretary seen in the first photo.

Second are a few photographs taken after the installation was completed.  The first photo is taken from the foyer looking into the living room.

Next is a photo from the stairs looking into the front hall closet and into the dining room.

And last is a photo of the music room.  Again, what a contrast to the before look!