It was nice to see the before photos and all the cute little things they had around their home, but it was hard to get a sense of what exactly After looked like. Would have been nice to see more of the rooms rather than the doodads.

Unbelievable. The before was truly terrifying, what an amazing transformation. Way too many macro shots in the house tour though, it was very challenging getting an idea of the overall space when half of the photos were close-ups of vases, etc.

Really, so beautiful!!! I, too, wish I could see more!

that was a gorgeous, 5-star inspirational treat! m

I want to see this house so bad! I can tell it is amazing. But I can get very little sense of the overall space from the photos. Please, get some overall shots and re-post~!

Like the others, I can get no sense of the space. I'm sure it is lovely, but I really wish there were more whole room shots. I especially wanted to see that bathroom, and the room with the pipe coming out of the wall. Bummer.

Chiming-in too, really wanted to see a comparison to before and after, and am not getting it from the photos (although lovely photos)...want to see the 'actual' house, not just close-ups of pretties. Need to see more photos please.

I'll echo everyone else--I would love to see whole room shots similar to the before pictures to get a better sense of what was done. Lovely vignettes and I'm sure it is a lovely home.

More and more of these house tours are focusing on decorating vignettes and less on overall furnishings and layout. A bowl of pumpkin seeds and the toothpaste and brush?? When you have whole-room shots, you get more of a sense of the atmosphere of the room and pleasant (or not) furniture layouts and ideas. I think you're focusing too much on the peas and not enough on the meat.

After seeing the "before" shots, I was so excited to see how they addressed many of the bathroom and kitchen layout issues I face in my own home. However, the "after" shots, while lovely vignettes, really don't provide any insight into the new room layouts, so we can't see how they dealt with the house's challenging rooms. It's a bit frustrating, and my sense is that the work they did could be really inspirational...if we could only see it.

I agree with those above. It's all well and good to have lots of little trinket shots in a 500sq foot studio tour but this is a renovation. We need proper before and after room pictures from the same angle. This is disappointing.

From what I can see it appears very attractive and clearly completed to a very high standard however I must express a degree of disappointment at the kitchen which, whilst shabby before, had some very nice cupboards and that sink !?!? I can't believe they took out that sink. Please tell me it was damaged.

Also is it wrong that I like the before kitchen wallpaper?

I love the before so much. I want to pinch its little cheeks. So sad that they couldn't save the vintage sinks from the kitchen and bathroom... or the kitchen cupboards... they were adorable.

Any idea where the bathroom sink/vanity came from? It looks like IKEA but maybe not?

Can we do less of the closeups of measuring tape and seeds and more of entire rooms/walls? I'd like to see how the finished product actually turned out.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I agree with all of the above readers who mentioned the ratio of vignette-to-whole-room shots. Also, I would love to have taken scraps of the two wallpapers featured and framed them!

Oh noes!! What happened to the gorgeous (original) kitchen sink??

Too bad most of the "after" shots are vignettes of objets.
Matched before and after shots would have been much more interesting.

Agree with everyone else regarding the 'lack' of pictures of the rooms. What happened to the after shot of the outside of the house? And why was my original comment removed when it echo's everyone else?

The house was shot for a Rue Magazine feature so the shoot was focused more on details. Though other then the master bedroom which wasn't shot you can see just about everything in the shot's shown. The outside landscaping isn't done yet as well as the porch so we didn't shoot it.
We opened up the entire first floor into one large space and you can see the plans on my blog under renovation-http://www.astylistslife.com/search/label/renovation. You can alos see more pictures of the space without furniture.
The second floor is essentially the same layout other then some minor adjustments between the bathroom and second bedroom to make the bathroom better. Otherwise we added dormers to make more headroom.
The sinks are both from Ikea and the kitchen faucet is Brizo.
Our original plan was to resuse the old kitchen sink, cabinets and doors, but the sink didn't end up working with the layout. Meanwhile it's sitting in our barn for the future somewhere else. Saving the orginal doors and kitchen cabinets didn't make sense as they were covered in lead paint and rickety.
I did save some of the wallpaper but didn't use it here as the space was designed for the tenants.
Raina

Alas, a missed opportunity. The focus of the before and that of the after appear to be apples and oranges. I would also love to get a better sense of what was done. It appears a lot of substantial work was done to this house that we only get hints of, ie: interior walls removed; windows added; structural elements exposed; and plumbing moved. Please show more!

Where are the yellow pendant lamps in the kitchen from? Thanks!

Going to echo what others have said: it looks like a trememdous transformation, but we don't really get a sense of it - just a sense of their belongings. I'd much rather see a shot of the whole bathroom rather than a shot of toothpaste in a cup.

And I'm with Ruthtooth - I like the 'before' kitchen wallpaper. I probably would've tried to save a few pieces of it and either framed them or had them made into laquered trays or something.

Holy moly, I would have said the original condition was tear-down. This is a brave couple! The finished condition is beautiful; incredible work. Very, very well done!

Where are the yellow lights in the kitchen from?

I would also have loved to see more shots of the structure of rooms, but what there is is lovely. Kudos to the owners and what lucky renters.

It is amazing what a difference taller ceilings make!

To AT photogs, vignettes are fine but pretty useless when presenting an AFTER of a BEFORE/AFTER tours. We don't have a sense of what was done to the space.

What an incredible make-over! They have taken a sad, dilapitated house and given it a whole new lease of life. It looks so fresh and vibrant. I love it!

Everyone should at least pay attention to what the homeowner posted above. The photos are from a magazine photo shoot - so though they may not be the most helpful when looking at a true before/after, it's not AT's fault because Rue did the photo shoot.

This is exactly what my husband and I did. We bought the worst house on the best street. Then we did a lot of work to fix it up. We originally passed on the house because we thought it would go in to a huge bidding war based on the neighbourhood. Nobody else saw what we saw in it, though, and we got it for less than asking as the only bidder. Now, after all the work, we adore our home. I love watching people's reactions when they walk in for the first time since they saw the 'before'. Although, our kitchen is still ugly. That's next.

So, I completely appreciate the work and effort that was put in to making this house what it is now. I would also love to see some more wide shots to get a sense of the rooms. I have a feeling I will love them.

It is disappointing to see only vignettes instead of the actual After photos.

Wide shots of entire rooms for the before shots and close ups of things like a bowl of pumpkin seeds for after shots??? Ummmm, Mr. Photographer it was next to impossible to get any idea of what they did to this house with all close ups and no wide shots of rooms. It looks like they did an awful lot of work to it but who can admire their hard work if we can't see it?! I'm getting a little frustrated with all artsy macro shots of peoples knick knacks and not full room photos. Also, I can't believe that original kitchen sink didn't stay! If they don't want it I will take it off their hands!!!!!!!

Agreeing on the lack of overall shots; can't the owners take them ? I don't care if there are not perfectly lit or stylized for a magazine - it would be even better in my opinion. Take the same angles as the "before" shots, and send the result !

While I love the overall palette used, I feel very cold looking at the rooms. I miss textiles I guess, some cozy element to balance the harshness. That being said, it is an amazing transformation ! We also bought a house in a terrible state (everything but the bones and the plumbing had to be redone), and I really love the renovation process, although it's taking a long time. I love the yellow lamps in the kitchen.

I don't think it is even remotely a challenge to see the potential in that house -- even run down it is very cute. I'm sure I would have been put off by the amount of repair needed, and scared of what I might find under those dropped ceilings!

Was going to post something critical about dumping those lovely kitchen cupboards, but I guess they were too rickety to save. That's a shame! I think my house once had a kitchen like that one, remodeled away by the owner before me.

Pass.

Not enough photos of the actual room to get any kind of feeling for it. I'm also curious how much input the tenant had into renovations because I got the impression that it was renovated with a certain person in mind (not sure if that is the case, that's just the impression I got from owner feedback).

After photos are those that only a stylist would love. I don't get the disconnect between the before whole room shots and the after vignettes.

I wish there was an after shot of the outside of the front of the house. It's such an undertaking to do all the alterations on an old home, but clearly-it is rewarding! Job well done!

The lights are from West Elm.
We did all of the construction before having a tenant. The interior design was done in 2 weeks for the tenant that moved in with the thought that they would add to it. It is a weekend place for them so less stuff then a full time home.
thanks Pi for your comments.
Meanwhile I posted more afters that are larger shots paired with before's on my blog, please check them out
http://www.astylistslife.com/2012/04/before-and-afters.html

It's likely a stunning transformation. Too bad AT didn't show it, focusing instead on stuff. (Toothpaste/toothbrush? Really?) Either show us the whole thing, or don't bother.

An earlier commenter mentioned wanting to see more long shots than vignettes to get a sense of the updates and I agree. I'm now working on my third fixer-upper (which have started in similar condition) and I would love to see how problems were solved and which new materials chosen. It's hard to tell, but I get the sense it's a spectacular reno.
On the other hand, a bowl of measuring tapes does nothing for me.

Wowww! Your home is dripping with style! One of my favorite tours ever. So much wonderful attention to detail, and your artwork is amazing! Thank you for sharing!

Aside from what everyone else had to say about the close-ups (which I agree with), I was a bit disappointed that the original stove and sink were not kept. From the looks of the before photos they appear to have been in good shape. And I think I would have tried to keep, or at least replicate the original cabinetry.

Just my two cents.

There are way too many 'detail' photos of random decor around the house as opposed to actual pictures of the house. I got bored midway through and stopped looking... Although the house, from what I could see, was rather splendid.

Again:
A wonderful artful showcase in photography, but this house tour was a big let down. Would love to have seen direct before and after photos. A grand showcase of the house and its layout, spacial transitions is not displayed. I was shocked when I scrolled up and noticed that great blue accent wall, as I completely missed that in the house tour due SO many detail photos.

I would love to revisit this home with additional, larger photos.

It actually makes me weak in the knees that anyone would tear out those kitchen cabinets and replace them with IKEA.. Nothing against IKEA. I've used them and recommend them for quality vs. price as the best buy possible in fitted kitchens. But there already WAS a fitted kitchen in that house. I don't care how beat up they look. I've renovated two homes of that same era and both times was able to refurbish cabinets that looked, if anything, worse than those. Yes, it's more time-consuming to clean, sand, and repaint than just rip them out. But it should bring people to tears.

And the sinks, both kitchen and bathroom ... really? Yes the kitchen sink is not as deep as we're used to today. It's shallower. Just like the ones fancy Italian designers are charging top dollar for today.

I'm not asking for slavish restoration of common houses. If you hate the wallpaper, remove it. Of course the dropped ceilings should be removed and the floors probably must be replaced for safety. The remodel in those pictures is quite attractive superficially, but so is much crime. If the owners wanted a new house, why didn't they buy one?

"Hudson Valley - New York, NY." Last time I checked the Hudson Valley was outside of the city. I could say "Niagara Falls - Toronto, ON." The distance would be about the same.

Nice job on the renovations.....I've been through a similar experience over the past two years but it is most certainly worth the time and expense. Thanks for sharing.....your home is beautiful.

I agree with the commenters who say there are way too many close-up shots of vignettes, not enough wide shots of rooms and layout as a whole. I've noticed this seems to be happening more and more with AT posts. What gives?

The best thing about this renovation (among the many good things) was the removal of the low living room ceiling. The higher ceilings make the space 100% more inviting.

Dream renovation! Kudos!

Nice and clean BUT such a shame not to salvage those kitchen cabinets and awesome sink.

I think I am tuning out on those housetours with too many macro shots and too little other.... This is not a before and after.
It probably is a gorgeous transformation but I cannot see it.
AT should send their own photographer.

People, you should check the link to her blog: much more interesting photo, no toothbrush in sight. The transformation IS impressive, and this article doesn't do it justice because of the vignette shots.

The full tour of the kitchen on her blog really shows what a lovely job they did. I think that the new cabinets and other fixtures look like a cool version of "modern farmhouse."

I wish people would read the older comments before commenting. the homeowner explained what happened with the cabinets and sink. Even if you disagree with their choices, it's not like the choices were made without careful consideration and planning. (And I will be tempted to link to this post thenext time somebody complains that AT doesn't allow any negative comments!)

It's an impressive transformation, but what sticks out for me are two comments made in the preface, the first one by the poster and the second one by the homeowner:

1. "She had to call the real estate agent to ask to see it." (Well, yes, that is how these things usually work.)

2. "The real estate agent that showed it to me apologized and told me she wouldn't have shown it if she knew how bad it was." (Then that is an agent who isn't worth her commission.)

And, while the anti-vignette comments are valid, I'm totally craving that flood-mark ruler.

@pi
Why couldn't AT do their own photoshoot rather than (apparently?) regurgitating content from ruelala? They've done their own shoots of properties featured in other publications/blogs before....

Since the original farmhouse was already butchered, it's too bad the pictures from the after show little, if any of the original woodwork. I personally would have tried to incorporate the vintage stove. It seems mentioning it was a farmhouse was almost an afterthought.

While i love the palate and some of the vignettes of the after I too would have liked more overall shots of the place.
Also, when I saw the old kitchen I was hoping that they would restore it and incorporate the old with the new. Now it seems like all that was left of the old house (which to me had it's charm) is the shell and nothing else. That being said - maybe it was in too bad condition to save?

I bet you have a beautiful house.. unfortunately it seems like the photographer was more concerned about taking editorial shots than actual pictures of the rooms. I really don't care so much about seeing a tape measurer curled up on your coffee table. This tour deserves a re-do

Great job! The house looks beautiful. Although, call me crazy, but I would have kept the original kitchen sink/stove and incorporated them into the remodel. Call me crazy, but I love vintage. I am currently in the process of remodeling an old 1915 home that looked a lot like your BEFORE photos. Only the prior owners ruined the kitchen and threw out the original sink and stove. :( Oh well.

It looks like an amazing project. I do have to agree with the comments above that it was incredibly frustrating to look through the photos. I'm not sure who is editing this, but as a reader I was left with no sense of the overall space at all. Anyone with an iPhone app can create the vignette shots. Please focus on the architecture and design of the rooms vs. the piles of books and bowls of seeds.

To the commentors complaing about the fact that we did not use the orginal kitchen cabinets, stove and sink - This house was designed from the beginning to be a rental therefore keeping cost and time down was high on our list. Also having something that was easy to maintain was important. The stove was an expensive repair as were the cabinets (which were flimsy and not in good shape in addition to being covered in lead paint). We had hoped to save the old interior doors but they were also covered in lead paint and did not fit the new proper height doorways. There was no interior trim of any value. This house was unlivable and likely to be torn down. It had flooding issues and no insulation in addition to what you see in the pics. Yes we used Ikea cabinets, but again people it was a rental and we had cost considerations. We felt that by supplementing the cabinets with vintage wood for the shelves and bar that we were making it more interesting. We kept the paint colors mostly off whites because it was a renatl but added the blue wall, yellow lights and exterior doors to liven it up a bit. This is a rental we don't plan on living in it or selling it, and I don't know about all of you but nicer then any rental I ever had. We were able to rent it even before it was finished and the tenants are thrilled.

Wow! Wish we had more pictures of the after...showing actual rooms by comparison, instead of just detail shots.

Great renovation. I love the before shots. Some of that old wallpaper is so charming. Believe me this is not a rant about keeping the wallpaper, it obviously had to go. But back in my college days my sister and I had an apartment with great old wallpaper. It lent a certainly quirky vintage vibe combined with our vintage furniture and crazy college kid stuff.

This is exactly the kind of house I remodel in my head dozens of times a day on my daily walks! I would have tried to reproduce some of the funky vintage wallpaper though.

Too bad elements of the original kitchen weren't saved. The new kitchen, although nice in a modern sense, has nothing to do with the farmhouse architectural character of the original house...

Love the lines of the console table in picture 26 - it's gorgeous. Who makes it?

Raina, I think it's gorgeous. Speaking as a renter myself, I'd love to have a place like this! Definitely not cookie-cutter -- and I agree with you on easy maintenance. Tenants don't want to have to call the landlord every week for something else that's falling apart! Excellent job redoing this. Your tenant is very lucky to have y'all for landlords!

I adore the translation of the farmhouse and barn into a modern living space! I posted about this a weeks back actually:

http://difference-design.blogspot.com/

Loved seeing the before photos. They really helped accentuate the peaceful calm throughout the renovation. Nice work!

It's really lovely and well done. I miss some of the character, although that is personal preference, in that it could almost be a new build (if there is such a thing as a quality new build these days).

Although, yes, the "after" images are nice (would have liked more "room" shots instead of just details) I'm saddened to see all the beautiful characteristics of such a lovely home erased. I actually loved all the "befores", with that old wallpaper & cottage feel... You could practically see the Gramma in the kitchen cooking dinner & kids running around. The "afters" make the house look so soul-less & cold, no feeling at all... this leaves me sad.

I understand the photos were taken for a photo shoot, but I would have at least liked to have seen an "after" of the exterior of the house.

Wow, that's a shocking transformation! I really love the rustic shelving in the kitch, I would love to know where the brackets holding the shelves come from. Please post more room shots of this place!

I'm so sorry you have to defend your decisions...ie the cupboards, wallpaper etc. I will take Ikea cupboards over lead paint any day.
It's a lovely home and you did an awesome job. I would love to rent this house.

The vintage kitchen . . . sad to have lost that . . .

Great pics. Loved the after. Can anyone tell me were I could find a nice large glass vase similar to the one in the lead picture? I think it looks great.

Loved the before & after pics on the homeowner site. They really gave a sense of the amount of work went into making this a liveable rental house.

Also I would not have thought about the danger of lead -- appreciate the explanation of how you decided on some of the features.

I have a friend who reinstalled all her 'vintage' cabinets in the garage when they remodeled the kitchen. One could also erect a lovely potting shed and relocate cabinets and vintage sinks. Or, relocate a vintage electric stove (maybe it was gas...) as well and make it a summer kitchen!!

Sometimes I think we have enough historically accurate renovations and cute vintage remodels. I love a fresh makeover. It often reminds me of the very modern interiors in far more ancient buildings in Europe.

Thank you so much, @A Stylist's Life for providing the context of the loss of the kitchen cabinets, sink and doors.

I think the photos provided on your blog which show more after pictures are awesome. (http://www.astylistslife.com/search/label/renovation for anyone looking!).

What a great second chance for an old house!

i must admit, i was a little sad to see the original sinks and stove go but man, you done good guys! this is magnificent and i want to book a flight to jet right over there and rent it out for the summer! this is such a perfect example of what good design is, it can make ANY budget work.

This house is spectacular - it honors the past and places it in the 21st century. You are so talented!

This is an unbelievable transformation! You are to be congratulated. Wish I could live in that house.

Great before photos, then a knick knack paddy wack tour. I really wanted to see
more of the actual room layouts.

Wow. So much hostility here.

Well, I think it's a delight. Truly forbidding 'before', lovely, airy, serene 'after'.

Yes, it was clearly styled and shot for an editorial, but beautifully so. And the renovators have responded to the comments by providing a lot of background info and links to their blog for more shots that convey a sense of the layout after.

Can't we congratulate them, comment on what we think could have been done differently or better, and spare a bit of the vitriol?

I think the photographer who shot the before pictures should have shot the after as well. I got a good sense of the before..by the way I LOVED the before. So old, full of character, yet I know, unlivable..but still stunning. Loved the old sink and stove and the little details that looks like from the after pictures were totally removed. The after looks really nice, wish I could see more of the actual space instead of the little vignettes.

Once again too many pics of bowls or knick knacks, I wanted to see the rooms. It looked great from what I did see, but yearn for more.

Raina, you did a fantastic job renovating this place - and indeed, the photograph's are beautifully styled. But of course you knew all this. I'd be delighted to live in this home.

-maria

I love Rue and i can see the styling for the shots - ive missed a stack of comments but what happened to that old vintage stove? It was beautiful. I love the re-model of the house and i bet its a joy to live in!

Raina and her husband did a tremendous job! I highly recommend going to Raina's website and view a more complete set of before and after photos.

I love this so hard. I want to see more. No. I want to move in. This is one of the best house tours I have ever seen on Apartment Therapy. This is the perfect blend of old and new, rustic and chic. Beautiful!

WOW, one of the most gorgeous house tours I've seen here. Well done, Raina!! I wonder...is it too invasive to ask what the total project cost was? I've always dreamed of doing something similar.