Katie & Patrick’s Renovated Former Foreclosure

Name: Katie Rozycki and Patrick Moore
Location: Plaza Midwood — Charlotte, North Carolina
Size: 702 square feet
Years lived in: 6 years; Owned

Katie—a private school fundraiser, entrepreneur, and flower crown designer—and her audio engineer/tour manager boyfriend, Patrick Moore, completely overhauled this once-neglected one-bedroom loft in Charlotte, North Carolina. With the help of family, they opened up the kitchen, replaced the flooring, and turned this former foreclosure into a cozy home.

Inspired by their world travels, Katie and Patrick’s decor is personal and meaningful. This little home has come a long way from its soiled past and is now the perfect place for this artistic couple and their two rescued pups to settle down.

Our Style: Comfortable, sentimental, colorful, modern

Inspiration: Music and touring, our neighborhood, our talented and creative friends, time spent in the Middle East and Asia.

Favorite Element: A lot of our favorite elements were generated from a problem that needed to be solved, motivated by budget. For example, we have a skyline view that lets a generous amount of light in, but needed privacy from our parking lot. We put film up on the bottom of our windows only, allowing for a consistent look with our kitchen and dining area cabinetry, and giving us privacy where needed without sacrificing light or a decent view.

We’re happy with our unexpected ways to add storage. When we knocked down the wall between our kitchen and dining area, we rebuilt the counter pass-through with IKEA cabinets, which was actually easier than drywall and provides a ton of useful storage space.

We also love the record player that Patrick built. Since we don’t have a fireplace, it’s the hearth of our home.

Biggest Challenge: We tackled the smelliest, lowest, most poorly rigged dropped ceiling in the universe in the kitchen. It shrunk our ceilings to about six feet—crazy! Tearing that down, fixing the nail holes and removing glue residue, and clearing all that disgusting nonsense away on our own was quite a feat.

(→ See the Before & After of their kitchen transformation: A Smelly, Dated Dropped Ceiling Gets the Boot)

What Friends Say: Bright, open, airy, modern, cheery, and personal

Biggest Embarrassment: We only have one bathroom and did an entire gut job of it last year. Enough said.

Proudest DIY: The day we officially moved in, this is what we found: a foreclosure notice, a bullet, an inmate identification card, and a dead pigeon. Coming so far from that first day is our proudest DIY. We tackled about 90% of the renovations on our own, and could not have done it without the many hours of guidance and free labor provided by our parents.

Biggest Indulgence: Jonathan Adler is Katie’s best friend in her imagination, so having his wallpaper design in our home is a real treat.

Best Advice: Measure like crazy, think about scale, tape things out (we use gaffe tape to mock up measurements), always consider opportunities for storage, and don’t settle for anything less than what you love even if it means waiting for it. If you’re unsure about the direction of an idea, whether purchase or project, wait it out. You’ll usually come up with a better plan during that time.

Dream Sources: The many creative craftspeople of CharlotteInstallations by Kathryn Godwin, Slate Interiors, Modern Fabrics, markets everywhere, Yerevan’s Vernissage Market, Hong Kong’s Night Market, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Brimfield’s, Sayulita’s Mercado del Pueblo

• Walls: Valspar Lunar Eclipse
• Baseboards and railings: Martha Stewart Picket Fence
• Bathroom upper walls: Benjamin Moore White Dove
• Bathroom wainscoting and vanity: BEHR Evening Hush

• Floors: Pergo Bamboo
• Wallpaper: Jonathan Adler Greek Key Wallpaper in White
• Wipe board: IKEA
• Screen printed concert posters: Mile 44
• Picture hanging system: IKEA

• Side table: Red Rooster in Denver, N.C.
• Coffee table: Red Rooster, repainted
• Sectional: Rowe
• Pillows: custom with fabric from Modern Fabrics
• Scrolls: purchased in Beijing
• Credenza: CB2
• Lamp: Overstock.com
• Candle: Let’s Put A Bird On It
• Side chair: Sleepy Poet, recovered with fabric from Modern Fabrics
• Red bowl: purchased in Armenia
• Books: Katie’s father’s from his childhood
• Five candlesticks: White Owl Antique Mall
• White bowl: The Ivy Cottage
• Sweetgrass bowl: Charleston, S.C., City Market
• Candlestick pair: purchased in Armenia
• Record player: built by Patrick Moore
• Storage boxes: IKEA
• Rug: antique
• Curtains: IKEA
• Watercolors: made by children in Turkey
• Portrait: Allison Purmort
• Frames: Crate & Barrel

• Light fixture: IKEA
• Table and chairs: Outlook International
• Cabinetry and hardware: IKEA
• Art: Stephanie Hagens

• Appliances: HHGregg
• Countertops: IKEA
• Cabinets: IKEA
• Sink: IKEA
• Hardware: IKEA
• Dog bowls: Southend Exchange
• Rug: purchased in Armenia
• Art: Gabriel Devereux

• Wallpaper: Jonathan Adler Greek Key Wallpaper in White
• Lamp: vintage from grandmother
• Jewelry box: Tiffany
• Perfume bottles: The Ivy Cottage
• Tea tins: Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
• Mirrored tray: The Ivy Cottage
• Bedding: IKEA
• Coverlet: purchased in Sayulita, Mexico
• Ikat pillows: custom-made with fabric from Lewis & Sheron Textiles
• Bamboo pillow: Jonathan Adler
• Bookcases: IKEA
• Reading lights: IKEA
• Picture rail: IKEA, goldleafed
• Lyrics sheet: Craig Finn
• Map: Red Tag Outlet in Denver, N.C.
• Pins: Nate Berkus for Target
• Dreamcatcher: Artefakto in Sayulita, Mexico
• Wooden tulips: Amsterdam’s Flower Market
• Lamp: HomeGoods
• Mint green vase: Southend Exchange
• Candle: Voluspa
• Jewelry chest: The Ivy Cottage
• White buffalo vase: Cline’s Country Antiques
• Rug: Craigslist
• Desk chair: Overstock.com
• Pelmet box: handmade with fabric from Lewis & Sheron Textiles
• Desk lamp: IKEA
• Print: Diane by John Kacere
• Gold frame: Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
• Art: Gabriel Devereux
• Picture frames: The Ivy Cottage

• Sink: HomeGoods
• Vanity: HomeGoods
• Fixtures: Overstock.com
• Tea light warmer: Nancy Boy
• Storage baskets and boxes: IKEA
• Linens: IKEA
• Lighting: Overstock.com
• Tile: Overstock.com
• Mirror: The Depot at Gibson Mill, painted
• Shelving: The Depot at Gibson Mill, painted
• Floor mat: Target
• Toothbrush holder: Target
• Art: Stephanie Hagens
• Tour Poster: The Decoder Ring

• Rug: eBay
• Pendant light: Southend Exchange
• Art: Gabriel Devereux

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