Cristina & Dylan's New Home Makeover

When one of my best friends came to me for help with her new house I felt honoured and excited to take on the project. Cristina and her fiance Dylan recently bought a charming new home that was in need of some TLC. At the beginning of the project I asked Cristina what she envisioned for the space and what style suited both her and Dylan. She started sending me some inspiration pictures to give me an idea of the look she wanted. This did not help me much since each photo she sent me was a different style… (you’re so cute sweetie). After spending weeks DM’ing each other with photos of living rooms and kitchens one day I sent over a picture from “Amber Interiors” Instagram. Right away Cristina fell in love with the look and aesthetic of the room in the photograph. The style I wanted to achieve for her was set. We were going for a cozy and inviting mid century modern meets bohemian vibe. When I would ask Cristina if there was any must haves for the space she would continue to say “just do whatever you want.. but not too much white”. I started sourcing furniture for the living room and coming up with some ideas starting with the area rug. From there I pulled some colour through. Cristina has always been a fan of the colour green so I made sure to incorporate some deep rich hunter green accents in my plans. One night I stayed up late and put all of my top picks for her space into a mood board.

This is what I came up with :

After viewing the boards we both agreed on the style for the space and the shopping began. We headed over to Burlington for the day and spent hours shopping at Structube, Homesense and IKEA. Cristina pushed the cart as I ran around the stores grabbing everything that I thought could work for the space. When ever I gave her options for items she would say “choose whatever you think will look good”. Its amazing to have your client trust you and your vision which made my job so much easier. Once we had all our pieces ready to go I was eager to start the transformation!

Here are some of the before photos:

I am so happy with the way the the living room turned out. We were sure to add a ”wow factor” with texture and layering. We also achieved this by adding oversized art and pillows, an accent wall and a complementary colour pallet. We wanted to create a space that could be a relaxing get away for tv watching and entertaining with family and friends.

Since this is Cristina and Dylan’s first home we wanted to make sure to get good quality furniture pieces and decor on a budget. The artwork was going to be a main focal point in the space so we wanted it to look beautiful but not cost a fortune. We ended up finding downloadable artwork for a great price on Etsy. They both decided that they wanted to go for more of an abstract look and I think these three pieces turned out great and didn’t break the bank!

The rug is the pop of colour in the space. I love all of the burnt oranges and blue tones in it. We went more neutral with the pillows and added the deep green in the velvet pillows, curtains and on the accent wall. Another way to add some life into the space was by adding a large Fiddle Leaf Fig tree. I have been talking about these babies for years to Cristina and now she finally has one of her own, she even picked this one out herself!

Remember that accent wall I was talking about? Well BOOM here it is baby. I am so in love with this space in the living room. I love the richness of the deep green wall mixed with the gold accents. This IKEA Malm Dresser makes for great storage as well in the space! Love it.

The kitchen was a whole different story. From the beginning I had told Cristina that she should paint her cupboards. I envisioned them being a beautiful olive green paired with gold hardware. We sourced photos, made a few boards and got super excited about her new green kitchen. Unfortunately the material of the cabinets weren’t the best to paint over and we feared that they would chip. I quickly came up with Plan B and we decided to keep the cabinets, paint the silver hardware black, add a new backsplash and countertop and paint the blue walls more of a neutral colour.

Here are some before photos:

Its so amazing how a few little steps totally transformed this kitchen! I love the gold flush mount light and the modern black and gold pendant light above the dining table. The black hardware looks amazing against the wood cabinets (thanks to Cristina for painting those). The art work adds some colour and the accents make the kitchen feel livable but not overdone.

We found these beautiful Mid Century chairs from Homesense and added IKEA’s navy cushions to the seats. We also added some IKEA fabric to the table and made it a runner. The placemats we bought didn’t fit on the table so I hung three of them on the wall and I love the warmth that it brings into the space.

This kitchen is stunning and I am so excited for Dylan and Cristina to enjoy it. (and have me over for dinner, of course) I have already had the pleasure of enjoying a pizza night at the dining table with our girlfriends and a coffee date with Cristina’s nonna, mom and brother. Can’t wait to make more memories in this space!

On the day of the reveal I told Cristina that she wasn’t allowed to be home or look at Instagram because we wanted the transformation to be a surprise. Cristina is bad with surprises and she asked if she could cut the grass as we set up…. I told her that she wasn’t allowed on the premises until the rooms were complete (incase she tried to sneak a peak through the window). Our friends Sara and Kat helped set up along with my handy sister Melissa who helped us hang some of the items on the wall. When everything was set up I was so nervous to show Cristina her new home. I just wanted her and Dylan to love it.

Check out the transformation and reveal video below. I am so happy we were able to capture this special moment!

Its amazing what we achieved in a few short months and I am thrilled with the transformation. Cristina and Dylan love their new space and I am so happy that I was able to be a part of turning their first house into their home!

Until next time,

Marcy

Xo