ALI MESSER has been working on her 100-year-old South Hill home since 2016. "Remodeling the kitchen was the largest project in my home," she says. "I was very lucky to find a contractor who worked with me and let me do demo and prep work, as well as some finish work and floors." She was initially hesitant about cutting out the upper wall between the kitchen and dining room, as it felt dated to her, "but now that it's finished, I love it. It's a feature that saves me so much hassle with a toddler running all around the house and allows more light to move between my very large 100-year-old dining room window and the kitchen!"
SARAH GRANT wasn't quite ready for a full kitchen remodel. "But," she says "I just couldn't groove with the existing look" of the dated 1960s gold flecked countertops. After scuffing the surface with a belt sander, she painted them with several coats of white paint. Then, using simple acrylic craft paint in varying shades of grey, she mimicked the lines and patterns you see in natural quartz stone. "I painted the greys into erratic lines," she says, "and while the thicker grey lines were still wet I would sprinkle silver glitter on them." After her handiwork was dry, she poured a thick coat of acrylic epoxy resin to seal the design.
LACY HERT had been meaning to find time to redo this table and chair set, and decided that self-isolation was the perfect opportunity to do it. "I already knew I wanted to paint the metal copper, but just had to decide on the table wood and chair wood and cushion color. I thought white would look crisp and match the other white furniture I had." Lacy says the biggest challenge was not being able to shop for new upholstery fabric in person. "I had to order online and hope I chose something I liked!"
Watch for more Before & After in our next issue!
Have you made an amazing transformation in your home? Send your home renovation and DIY Before & After photos, with a brief explanation of what you did, to [email protected]
