apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wow, the befores weren't really all that bad, and looked brand new. Granted, the afters are still a vast improvement (the end result is gorgeous), but sometimes remodeling seems so wasteful, when the starting product is really serviceable.. or even slightly better.

I hate to say it but I liked the original better. It worked with the house. The remodel looks impersonal.

I liked the original better, too--definitely liked the original kitchen better, though the new cork floors are nice. And I feel like I'm being completely negative (sorry) but I think the remodeling money would have been better spent on storage. I fight being clutter-y myself, and I feel like they needed to put some storage in their living area.

The kitchen looks great!

But those little white tiles in the bathroom...I just think they end up looking cheap. And the shower niche is so small! What happens if you change products? You would need to have little containers and just refill them, I guess. It would have looked just as cool to have a long rectangular niche...even if you didn't use the whole thing. Maybe a candle at one end, products at the other?

Oy, I hope it was not I who opened the can of negative worms.

Just to clarify-- I DO like the end result very much (and the most important thing is how much you love it), but was just musing about the semi-inherent waste to remodeling for personal reasons (as opposed to updating/need). But Juliet, I was not singling you out specifically!

I'm clarifying my comments a little. First, it's hard to see what a place is really like from photos. (Anyone who has rented or bought a place and looked on websites knows that photos are often totally different from reality.) Second, if something is just not the owner's style and won't make them happy--well, then, there's nothing wrong with changing things. I probably sounded overly critical. The after is very nice and it's a great space.

i love this house... I saw photos of it somewhere else online a couple months ago... I think it was a on a bedding site. I love the renovations! The old ones better? I think you're nuts...

FWIW I prefer the after to the before.
My thing is I do not like tile countertops and I do like the ones they went with. Also prefer the kitchen cabinets and the new bathroom.
I think the mosaic tiles in the bathroom are glass and translucent with a pearlescent (sp?) quality - I have seen those before - so I don't think the pictures do the tiles justice.

the original kitchen looked really cute with the white tile (though floor could've done with some work). in comparison, the new kitchen and bath seem a bit condo-bland. it's nice enough, but definitely has less character than the old.

i do like the cubby-holes right next to the toilet. i thought i saw roland barthes' camera lucida in one, but perhaps not.

anyway, looks like a really nice house.

Love all the work you put in. Before was o.k, but after is great. Clean and simple. I live in L.A and know how tough it is to find such a great house with all the elements. Who did the remodel, my husband and I own a condo in Venice, and it needs a new kitchen and bathroom. Can you please let me know?

So sad to see the originality wiped out from this lovely old house. Sure, the latest products are functional and modern but the original state the house was in was lovely.

I'd imagine that an item on Juliet's detailed list was that the house be priced for significant rehab because potential buyers weren't liking the kitchen and bath.

Judging from the photos, the old version was more my style -- but I have to applaud her for knowing what she wanted in a rehab and managing it so efficiently. If she's still a reader, ask her to write a series of posts on doing renovations without undue pain!

I think it's a matter of taste. I like the original kitchen and bath, except for the tiled counter in the kitchen. We had that in our condo in LA. I'm not sure why it's so popular out there, I suppose because it's cheap, but it's not practical or good-looking, imo. I like the materials used in the new versions too - love that wood in the cabinets.

It's a lovely home altogether. And Juliet is to be congratulated for acting as her own g.c.!

I too liked the original kitchen and bath better. However, it is their house, not mine, so they are entitled to remodel to please themselves.

I hate to say it but I think the house had been remodeled previously and I'm guessing it's from the late 40's-50's era house to start with.

What was in there was all white to begin with and that to me it's bland, bland, bland add to that white walls it's more of the same and looked fairly new style wise too.

I loved the cabinet choices they made, very reminiscent of what would've been found in the mid 50's to early 60's, even down to the knobs used.

If there is one thing to nitpic is that it's still bland color wise. The walls are more or less white/off white with nice woodwork and white or brown counters and little other color through out the house, even the furniture didn't veer much beyond the neutral colors in many cases.

Overall a pleasing place but needs much more pop to bring pizzazz to an otherwise nice place.

Congratulations Juliet and Matthias. Your house is charming. I love the vegetation in the backyard. After living in Manhattan long enough, greenery gets me swooning. The sunshine coming in the windows is beautiful too.

As for the renovations, I'm in the (apparent) minority that prefers the kitchen after the renovation.

I miss miss miss LA...you're gorgeous backyard reminds me of the one I grew up in--all xeriscaped native california flora and fauna in the Valley.....

it has inspired me to pot some of the plants I miss and set them on my kitchen windowsill during this incoming, bloody miserable winter new york city months.

Nice joint! Any chance we could gat a peak at the budget?

When I was looking at the slideshow I honestly felt the before kitchen and bath were fine. I like the cork floor in the kitchen now but I agree with the person who said it ended up making him/her wonder about all the waste involved.

ackshully . . . and I am truly against negativity here, honest I am, but this just ain't the kind of post that seems to fit on AT. I mean, I'm not the editor, but it always seemed to me that AT was about celebrating ingenuity and creativity on the part of homeowners/ renters who imbue their homes with personality. If I want to see how lots of money can be used to make a space, um . . . "inoffensively au courant" is the phrase that comes to mind, I can always pick up Met Home.

That's just my .02 worth. sorry if I'm offending anyone.

"Inside Out: A showcase for those who transform their residences into homes via innovative intervention"

Hmm. I too seem to be missing the "innovative intervention" used by J & M. The write-up seems to indicate more use of privilege than anything else. Nor do these photos reflect much of a transformation from a "residence" to a "home". Maybe it's just the photos. Do they not reflect the painting done "over a series of weekends"?

While this particular post elicits a mere "meh" IMHO, I am always thrilled to get an inside peek into other people's spaces and thank J & M for sharing.

you know, just because they remodeled doesn't mean they are creating mass amounts of "waste". much of what they took out can be recycled and reused. and they put in materials that will wear better over time (cork floors, cherry cabinets)...

i think they took a very dated house and brought it back to life with simple, clean improvements. come on, when you buy a house, you want to make it your own and make it something that you will appreciate every day.

and for all of you complaining about how this post just glorifies people who can spend a lot of money...cork floors are actually quite affordable. and i applaud Juliet for saving lots of money by wearing the hat of General Contractor and painting the whole place herself.

I admire Juliet for managing the whole project-- not an easy job by any stretch. I also really like the choices she made-- what matters is that she is happy living there, as many have said.

The write-up seems to indicate more use of privilege than anything else.

Why? Because Juliet planned the rehab properly and got it done instead of stumbling through it haphazardly? A lot of Inside Outs involve much more substantial renovation -- that had to cost more -- and no one objects.

I prefer the "after." Just my opinion, but I don't see a lot of charm in the before spaces. It looked like someone chose bland, cheap materials and I don't blame Juliet for wanting to upgrade materials and match her style. Maybe she can provide some more info on what was done with the tear-out? When we redid our kitchen, we posted the old kitchen cabinets on Craig's List and someone picked them up, so they didn't get trashed. That's one advantage of diy... you can choose to take the time to disassemble rather than demolish.

Maybe some of the charm people feel is lacking in the new space is simply because they moved in not long ago and it takes time to get settled and put your personality into a home. Even after a redo, the "life" isn't there right away.

Oh, just realized the original post is from 2 years ago. Hm... maybe it's time for a House Tour Revisited to see the house today.