The original kitchen at this mid-century modern fixer-upper had a great layout, but was in dire need of a refresh. Our goal was to honor the original design, while breathing new life into this tired kitchen.

Although this one level house looked small from the exterior, it was deceivingly large on the inside, with spacious rooms and a great floor plan. The front door opened into the living room and featured a floor to ceiling divider that created a separate entry area with a coat closet.

As part of our Dwell October real estate service, we worked with a client to find them an abandoned and foreclosed mid-century modern fixer-upper and then transformed it into their dream home through our Dwell October design service.

As part of this #dwelloctoberstudio '90s builder grade transformation, we also updated the second floor of the home. The changes upstairs were mostly cosmetic and included new windows and doors, new white oak hardwood flooring, new trim with a clean, modern profile, and fresh white paint. It's amazing how something as simple as switching out door hardware can have such a dramatic impact on modernizing the look and feel of a home!

We're excited to share this recently completed #dwelloctoberstudio design project with you! Our goal with this project was to update a '90s builder grade house to create a bright, modern space with a more open floor plan.

Inspired by the symmetry of the floorplan, we chose to keep the finishes in the bedroom and bathroom at the #goldengirlscondo similar to those used in the primary suite.

When we first looked at the #goldengirlscondo, one of our favorite things about the unit was the layout. Reminiscent of a hotel suite, the two bedrooms and bathrooms were situated on opposite sides of the main living area, which offered privacy and made the unit feel spacious.

Through a short sale, we purchased a condo located in a mid-century modern high-rise building right on the beach in Lynn, MA. When we first saw the home, we fell in love with the ocean view and the layout and couldn't wait to transform the dingy, dated unit into a colorful, sun-filled space. The unit's floor plan was reminiscent of a luxury hotel suite, with two bedrooms and bathrooms separated by a spacious living area and a small enclosed kitchen space.

When we first purchased the #witchymodernhouse, we initially planned to add a shed dormer to the second level in order to make the house a two bedroom. The building already had a walk up attic that would make this possible. But while working with an architect, we realized it made more sense to rebuild the second floor entirely in order to increase the amount of usable living space.

Since the #witchymodernhouse included only one full bathroom, we wanted to make this space as spa-like and luxurious as possible. An oversized walk-in shower served as the focal point of this bathroom design. We carried the star pattern cement tile used on the floor of the bathroom into the shower itself to make the room feel spacious and cohesive.

While working on this project, we discovered that the right side of the building was actually the original structure and that the left side had been added on at a later date. As a result, the two halves of the building were on slightly different levels. This layout seemed like a natural division for a kitchen and living space, so we ended up keeping the floor plan pretty similar.

With most renovations today, homeowners want to remove walls to create larger, open concept layouts; but with the #witchymodernhouse, we actually found ourselves adding walls to carve out separately defined spaces.

One of our favorite spaces we’ve ever designed happens to be the kitchen at the #witchymodernhouse! As you can see from the before photos, the space was pretty much a blank canvas and was in desperate need of brightening up.

Our largest and most dramatic/transformative project to date has been the #witchymodern house. Originally a bait shop, and then a tailor's, we saw a lot of potential in this one story building located on one of the main entrance corridors into downtown Salem.

When we purchased the #sisterhouse, it only had one bathroom, which was located on the second floor. The bathroom had last been remodeled in the 1960s and featured a powder blue bathtub, vanity, and toilet. Personally, we loved the mod look, but the fixtures were starting to rust after 60 years and the plumbing needed to be updated. When redesigning the bathroom, our goal was to bring back classic finishes that tied in with the home's Craftsman roots.

Our decision to reconfigure the first floor layout reconfigure the first floor layout of the #sisterhouse was motivated by the desire to create a more functional kitchen with an open concept living area.

Shortly after completing the #startercondo, we tackled our next project, the #sisterhouse. We fell in love with this house the minute we stepped foot inside. An American Foursquare built in the 1920s, the house had been owned by another pair of sisters before we purchased it.

To kick off our blog, we're looking back at our very first project, an 800 square foot condo that was purchased as a foreclosure.