A Bright & Unique Labor of Love in Florida

Name: Isabel
Location: Emerald Hills — Hollywood, Florida

My name is Isabel and I’m so excited to be writing this right now! My husband and I bought this 1600 square foot town home two years ago and trust me when I say IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS! The house had been abandoned for two years when we first came to see it, and even though there were piles of trash, and roaches that belonged in Jurassic Park, I immediately fell in love with it. This neighborhood has the most amazing oak trees you’ve seen in your life, and although it’s very close to everything, it feels very secluded and quiet.

It’s not common to find a home like this in South Florida, the architecture is very special and my designer eyes just light up with all the potential this house had.
The first thing you notice when you come in are the high wooden ceilings, and this is my favorite feature of the house. I also love how bright and open it is.
Believe it or not, there was a wall dividing the kitchen and the dining area which was the first thing we got rid of when we started remodeling.

It’s been two years of non-stop construction, and more set backs and frustrations than I could possibly share, but the satisfaction of seeing this abandoned house turned into our dream home little by little has been a source of great pride and accomplishment for us.

Our style I would say is industrial/mid-century/rustic/modern. We LOVE LOVE thrifting and this house is full of treasures. Because our budget has always been quite small, this house is basically one BIG DIY project. We’ve learned to tile, paint, drill, you name it. The only things we didn’t touch were plumbing and the floor of the house, but everything else you see has a story of blood, sweat and tears (oh the tears!).

One of my favorite DIY projects is the coffee table which we found pretty much destroyed at an antique fair, and thought I could repair in a few hours… two FULL weekends later, I had the coffee table of my dreams. I also love our gallery wall, which is also a collection of paintings and drawings made by me, thrift store finds, and online purchases.

The house is not done yet, and I almost wanted to wait to submit it *when* it was. But I’ve come to realize that owning and remodeling a home is a never ending process so here I am.

We have big plans for the loft upstairs to be a movie/family/board game room and it’s getting there. There’s also a nice terrace which hopefully next year will be done. For now, we are enjoying what is done. We love to have people over and we feel like the openness of the house is perfect for parties and family gatherings. Our dog Charlie is the king of this castle and we think we really likes it here too.

I run my design business Black Lamb Studio from home, so it was extremely important for me to have an inspiring and beautiful place and I can honestly say I feel like I have achieved it

Thanks, Isabel!

• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour & House Call Submission Form.