We finished this renovation a LONG time ago but never posted the before & after shots… and we know how everyone loves those, so take a look!
Living Room:
60’s wood paneling nightmare to light, bright & open! We tore out all the wood paneling and dropped ceilings to reveal 12′ high ceilings. It still amazes me that in the 60’s and 70’s everyone covered all that up!
We also opened up the wall between the living room and bedroom and put in big barn doors so the apartment could flow as one big open space. A+
Kitchen:
Sadly (haha) the 60s wallpaper had to go! We also relocated the entry door so that you enter into the living room instead of the kitchen. That made the space in the kitchen a lot more usable. The kitchen layout wasn’t bad, with all the cabinets along one wall, but we did add a center island with a sink to make it ultra-useful.
Bedroom:
Again, got rid of the wood paneling and dropped ceiling to reveal the brick chimney. The fireplace surround was so cool we just left it there and didn’t even bother painting it because I liked the color. The original plan was to have walk-in closets on either side of the door to the living room, but we needed to keep access to the basement door, so this apartment just has one closet instead of the two I originally envisioned. Compromises!
Living Room and Bathroom:
Bye bye paneling and dropped ceiling! We also added a glass entry door so there would be nice access to the back yard, as well as more light into this space. We took out the wall between the living room and kitchen as much as possible. The chimney splits the space, and we originally wanted to keep it exposed but it was in such bad shape that wasn’t possible. I wouldn’t have thought of separating the living room and kitchen, as the trend these days is to have them together, but it’s actually kind of nice to have them separate, yet semi-open to each other. Constraints can lead to good design sometimes!
Exterior:
Tore off the side porch and added a full wrap around deck for the upstairs apartment (before & after post on that one coming soon!) Totally re-did the back yard, adding a grassy area, concrete patio, and privacy fence. This place is a total oasis right in the middle of the bustle of Lawrenceville!
This apartment is going to hit the market for the first time in a few weeks… give us a shout if you or a friend is looking!
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