A Modern Make-over for a Classic Colonial | Season 1 Episode 2

The exterior of this house was a blank slate – lacking the charm and character reflected on the inside. To fit the era of the home, we added a front porch with a classic “eyebrow” shape to protect the front door as well as give the Neal’s a more formal appearance to the front of their home. The crumbling concrete sidewalk was replaced with a “new” (reclaimed) brick walkway to accompany new landscaping to warm up the entrance. Finally, we added real cedar shingles to the dormer siding to give it a slightly modern and warmer look. All of these seemingly small changes brought this adorable home to life.

Their biggest complaint with the kitchen was that they weren’t able to watch their kids while cooking, as it was closed off from the playroom. The small powder bath between the kitchen and playroom wasn’t often used and created a problem because it completely separated the two spaces. In order to make the kitchen more functional and family-friendly, we removed the powder room (with the Neal’s consent) in order to create one large kitchen with an island and plenty of pantry space.

Although this is a dutch colonial home, the Neals have a love for mid century design. We were able to introduce clean lines and laminate cabinets into their kitchen while keeping true to the classic character of their home. The bright laminate cabinets, white countertops and natural light helped open up the formerly cramped space.

We had to think creatively when it came to a new area for the kids and discovered a large space under the staircase that could become the perfect spot for a tucked away playhouse while still being visible from the kitchen. We kept the front portion of the coat closet in tact for storage and used the back half of the space for the kiddo’s new playhouse complete with custom wallpaper created from images I had taken at their family farm. We also matched details from the exterior of the Neal’s home to the playhouse facade which gave their kiddos their own little home for play time. The new built-in window bench seat in the dining nook also served as hidden storage and a place to stash toys when dinner’s ready.

(And don’t worry, we know how quickly kids can outgrow a play space, we made the playhouse facade easily removable for when the time comes that they no longer want a playhouse in their kitchen).