Is there anything better than the happy reveal of a successful Before and After project? How about a house full of them, like this Long Island seaside cottage? From a bedroom with style to spare (the navy wall color is perfect for a design conscious summer getaway spot) to a grand bath for showering off after the beach to an inviting indoor/outdoor space to while away the evenings, this totally reinvented home has it all.
The former master bedroom became the bath - one that really feels luxurious, like a high end hotel. A space like this truly makes you feel like you are on a getaway and it is a simple enough design that it will work for a long time; nothing to get outdated quickly here.
An old upstairs sitting area became the master bedroom - it features "sharp enough for the city" style, thanks especially to the Benjamin Moore "Blue" wall. I love the use of such an architectural bed frame in a room with interesting pre-existing angles - it really makes for an energized space.
The outdoor area was previously just an open space between the house and garage, now its an open-to-the-outdoors dining room - a super clever use of space that retains the rough and rustic feel of the exteriors of the two adjacent buildings.
The cottage is featured in the new "Makeover" issue of Country Living and it's just one of several features full of excellent transformations and projects - it's the September issue which just came out this week and is on newsstands now.
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Cook Rice on the Stove
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
OoooooooooOOOOoooooOOOOOOooooooOO!!! I NEED that bathroom!! Love love love love love.
I want to go to there.
Wow! I mean WOW! Terrific job.
It it just me, or do these (at least the top 3) look computer generated? I love the updates, but something just seems off to me. I've noticed it in a few recent posts--but maybe it's just a new type of camera filter or something?
Love it.
@mimimargarita It could be that all the "after" photos were shot with a wide-angle lens, so that more of the room is visible. The lighting is also a lot better in the "after" shots.
mimimargarita, it's not just you. the after pics look normal to me (very pretty), but the before pics look photoshopped.
WOWsers. The bedroom alone made me scroll back and forth a few times. I love the black, red, and blue combo. Totally unexpected, out of the box, and truly breathtaking.
All is very nice but I have to agree there's something weird with the photos. The before photos definitely looks photoshopped to me. Also, are they mismatched? Doesn't it look like the "bedroom before" should go with the "bath after" and the "bath before" should go with the "bedroom after". Maybe it's just me. I couldn't link up the bef/aft photos when I first looked.
Bedroom clearly set up for a photo shoot. That bed is far too big for the room. But, it does look striking in a professional photo.
I like the concepts of the after shots - the angles, colors, freshness. But there's just something about them that's a little too stagey and catalogue-like for me. It makes it harder for me to really relate to the space and the idea that people actually inhabit that space. Sometimes I wish "after" shots were a bit more realistic and lived in.
Beautiful! But what is going on behind the bed? It looks like they added a closet and a half wall, is there a new set of stairs behind that wall, or is it dead space? I'm a little confused... because it looks like the "befores" are reversed - or maybe I just need to put my glasses on ;)
I usually don't like black and blue together, but that bedroom is divine!
k8ty - thanks for catching the caption cut and paste mix-up - it's fixed!
Ah, makes sense now.
I l-o-v-e the outdoor space redone. It probably freed up a lot of space in the kitchen or the living room. I totally want a space like that at my future house. Love it. Love it. Love it.
That bathroom is KILLER!
@Aninhas - looks like it's the staircase behind the bed (can see in the before). it appears they added a small closet to the right side of the bed.
Something about the geometry of the shower head to the water controls is off in the attic bathroom. You turn the water on and then have to step 3 feet to be under the spray. And could the shower head not be lowered? And showering in front of an open window? It's just odd.
I agree that the before photos all look fake. What type of camera/lens did they use?
I don't think the "fake" look is a result of the camera/lens but probably photographing with artificial lighting that's too even and/or heavy handed shadow/highlight adjustment in photoshop.....take all the shadows out of a photo and it's not going to look natural
sousa609 has the answer -- what we're seeing here are the 'shopped versions of too-dark, lower-res original "before" shots, which look even more fake when juxtaposed with professionally lighted and photographed series of "afters." The missing shadows in the altered before shots make everything look flat and fake; what we see in real life has subtleties of light/shadow and small variations in color intensity that we don't always notice until they're gone!
Just amazing! Tasteful and appropriate for where it is!
love it!
That shower is cool, but way impractical - the controls are too far from the shower, the water would splash all over that window and curtain, and if that plug hole became even partially blocked it would flood the entire room.
And knowing me I'd probably stub my toe on the potted plant every single day ;-)
Thanks to everyone who wrote such nice things. A few responses -Yes, the plants are impractical -they added them and the side table in the bedroom at the shoot, without me knowing. But the bed fits really nicely actually. The shower is awesome, never overflows due to the raking of the tile work, and having a shower fit for a rugby team is like buying a big Christmas tree. Over the top but really worth it. And no, nothing has been photoshopped, unless you count an iphone before the flash a "look". Big shout out to my friend and architect Larry Bowne. He made it all fly.
I forgot to say, new to this forum, but this is my house, and thanks for liking it.
Drew