Before and After: A Dated House Becomes a Fresh Mid-Century Modern Home

I think it's time for an awe-inspiring 'before and after', don't you? It's the only way to truly understand what can be achieved with a little (OK a ton) of vision and hard graft! Even if your home is just the way you want it, an incredible reveal is a pure joy to ogle at. In the case of this beautiful house in Ottewell, Canada, it took the masterful eye of interior designer Kristina Lynne to transform an outdated, stuffy living space into a light and airy mid-century modern home. Let me talk you through it. I hope you feel as mesmerised by the transformation as I am!

Kitchen before

Kitchen after

Kristina opened the kitchen out and used high end warm wood cabinet fronts from Kitch on IKEA units. This is a trick I've grown to love. Using IKEA basics helps to keep the price point down while adding high end pieces where it counts (cabinet doors, worktops, taps etc) will evoke a unique, high end look and increase your enjoyment of your new space!  

I also really like the concrete countertops which add an industrial touch while a textured honeycomb backsplash and open white shelves keep the style fresh and relaxed. Lovely! 

Sitting room before 
If it weren't for the wall-to-wall shag carpet (I mean, seriously, that had to go, right?!) the before is pretty cool in a whisky swigging, mad-men-esque kind of way. But wait until you see the 'after' and you'll quickly decide, like I did that light and bright is the way to go!

Sitting room after

At a first glance I wondered if Kristina had raised the height of the ceiling to reveal beams - and then I realised that actually it's just the effect of the white paint! Painting the beams in a contrasting colour also helps to bring this wonderful feature to life - they were completely lost before!  

One of the biggest changes was blocking off the second door - which served no purpose, making space for useful built-in shelving and a reading corner! The whole room was also given a fresh white update which helps to capitalise on the light pouring in from the panoramic window. Love it! 

An Eames lounge chair* , but of course - what better piece to use in a reading corner and help create a mid-century modern vibe? The only problem is, you could get stuck there for hours! 

Bedroom before

Bedroom after
I am so glad that I was not the one to have to scrape all that stuff off the ceiling. I've done something similar in a previous flat and to say it was unpleasant job is an understatement! But whoever put the hard graft in to even out the walls and white wash them has done a sterling job!

 Bathroom before

Bathroom after
Moving the loo to the side of the room to create room for a shower was key to the success of this space. It's even making me wonder if we should do away with our bath upstairs and put in a lovely shower like this instead. I wonder if I'd miss the bath? Do you enjoy baths?

A huge amount of work also went into tiling the space, re-plumbing it, laying a new floor, as well as fitting a new bathroom cabinet.

Entrance before

Entrance after

Kristina ditched the small closets, red carpet and linoleum floor in favour of hand cubbies, a great bench / coat hook area and tiled floors. The result is a fresh and clutter free hallway. 

What an incredible transformation! Great work Kristina! 

I'm going to look at the Malmö house market in an entirely new way from now on! 

What did you think off this renovation? 

You can see more of Kristine's projects (as well as some really inspiring 'before and after reveals' here). 

If you love a before and after as much as I do, check out this archive (there are some incredibly talented people out there!). 

Have a lovely, sunny day friends. Stay safe, stay well. 

Niki

Photography courtesy of Kristina Lynne, shared with kind permission

*affiliate links

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Before & After: A Swedish Kitchen Gets a DIY Makeover!

It's Friday friends, FRIDAY! Eeeeee! This weekend I'm planning a few home DIY projects to make our home as cosy as possible for the next coming weeks (we might even hang a mirror that's been lying about in our landing for two months - who knows?!). How about you? In case you're also looking for DIY inspiration, I thought I'd share this wonderful kitchen make-over by Swedish interior designer Johanna Bradford. Johanna and her husband Adam bought their former apartment in 2016. The kitchen was nice enough (see below) - but missing that extra 'mys' (cosy) factor.  Check out the changes the pair made using a DIY carpentry and a splash of paint to transform a basic, narrow kitchen into the cosy heart of the home!

Before

Formerly a maid's room with a separate entrance to the back stairwell, the previous owners moved the kitchen into this room in 2014. The kitchen units and fresh white cabinets ran along one side of the room and include double cabinets which extend the entire way up to the ceiling (perfect for maximising storage space! The stainless-steel worktop was beautifully fitted, and all the appliances were in good working order. The kitchen also featured a dark stained solid oak floor. 

Johanna and her partner wanted to leave the fully functional and perfectly planned kitchen intact but at the same time were keen to make their mark on it. 

The process

Prior to moving in, Johanna sanded down the oak floors and treated them with natural oil so that they would match the flooring in the rest of the apartment. 

They also wanted to make more of the right side of the kitchen - and make room for more people. Adam built a wall-to-wall bench using a long plank of wood mounted on solid brackets. He also added a wainscot using wood panels. And finally, he created a raised wood shelf. All of the equipment was bought from a local hardware store. 

Once the work was completed, the kitchens painted in calming Little Greene. 

After

Ta daaa! The work has made so much more of the right-hand side of the kitchen, and up until they sold the flat, they could accommodate up to 10 people for dinner! The update also helps give the illusion that the kitchen is wider than it is - and the wainscoting adds a really cosy touch. I also love the soft green shade, it's calm yet cosy and also adds a traditional touch to the space. Beautiful!

The table was custom made by Friends & Founders. A Flos light* hangs from the ceiling.  

What a great transformation! 

Perhaps you have a kitchen that needs a simple update (this is certainly proof that you don't need to do a lot to add your mark!), or looking for a project at home this weekend? If so, I hope this Swedish kitchen make-over has inspired you.  

Johanna frequently shares other DIY projects and news about her house renovation over on her wonderful blog here. 

If you love an awesome 'before and after' as much as I do put your feet up this weekend and take a look at these - so inspiring!!

A Mid-century Danish House Gets a Fabulous Makeover

A Dated LA House Becomes A Light & Airy Family Home

A Rundown Flat Becomes a Stylish London pad

A Miami Penthouse Gets The Royal Treatment!

So guys, that's all for me for the week. I hope My Scandinavian Home has provided just the bubble of respite you've needed this week and you've felt as inspired as I have!

Wishing you a lovely weekend - take care, stay home and relax (unless of course, you're planning an awesome DIY make-over!). 

Niki

PS I am not sure if you saw that Holly Becker of Decor8 and I started a #30dayhomelove challenge on instagram. It centres around providing a positive challenge each day for everyone at home. The daily themes include plats, shelves, coffee table etc. The hope is that it will help the home be an even brighter place to be. We're thrilled to see more than a thousand entries from all over the world. If you fancy participating, you can read more about it here. It's not to late to join in! 

Photography: Johanna Bradford 

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Before And After: A Dated Cabin Becomes a Modern Scandinavian-inspired Colorado Retreat!

It's Friday friends - and that calls for something extra special, don't you think? And I have just the place! A few days ago, this magical cabin in Twin Lakes, Colorado dropped into my mail box. Photographer, author and teacher Christine Bayles Kortsch and husband Daniel Kortsch (also a photographer) had always dreamed of owning a remote cabin to visit at the weekends, as well as offer as a property for workshops, photoshoots, elopements and more. After years of drooling over cabins online, their dream finally came true in the shape of Alpenglow Cabin which they purchased and renovated together with Daniel's brother Jon-Marc and his partner Laura. Surrounded by rugged beauty and wild nature, the location was perfect, the cabin itself however, was in need of a little TLC. I caught up with Christine to find and out more. 

Kitchen - Before

Christine, Daniel, Jon-Marc and Laura completely gutted the cabin, before painting the pine paneling white.

"We did the entire renovation ourselves (except the hardwood floors) and found primary inspiration in Scandinavian-influenced design. This included talks with our Danish brother-in-law and admiring photos of his family's summer cottage."

Kitchen - After 

Dated upper cabinets were ripped out and replaced with wooden open shelving for a light, relaxed and contemporary feel. The lower cabinets were given a lick of white paint and moved around to give the entrance more breathing space. 

"The copper collection is antique and was passed down from my sister-in-law Laura, whose heritage is Norwegian and German."

Main Living Space - Before

Nothing can take away from the staggering view of the mountains - but the hot tub was fairly dominant and there's no denying that the living space was incredibly dark and lacked cosiness! 

Living Space - After

A fresh lick of paint (I like how they still have wood on the ceiling and around the windows) and wood floors have helped turn the cabin into a fresh and airy, yet cosy and comfortable living space. The hot tub exterior has also been given a makeover - making it less dominant while still providing a dreamy spot from which to gaze out over the mountains. 

"My husband is a woodworker and he made the live-edge dining table."

"My brother-in-law Jon-Marc is a sculpture fabricator and had the wood stove hearth pad custom-made." 

Master bedroom - Before

Master Bedroom - After

A wall-to-wall carpet was ripped out and replaced with a dark wood floor for a modern feel. 

Simple, soft furnishings like this woven wall hanging by Sweet pea Artistry Co help to add a cosy alpine feel. 

Bedroom 2 - Before

Bedroom 2 - After

You can really see the Scandinavian feel coming through in this bedroom: the minimalist feel, botanical touches and the chequer detail!

"We are so proud of this cabin. It is tangible evidence of our blood, sweat, love of nature, passion for beauty and daydreaming. We felt a sense of real pride when our Danish brother-in-law Rune announced we had achieved a hygge feel!"

The beautiful surroundings - which offer endless options for hiking, back-country skiing, snowshoeing, paddling, rafting, rock-climbing and mountain biking - inspired the name 'Alpenglow' which according to Merriam-Webster is the "reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains". Christine, Daniel, John-Marc and Laura also use the word to describe "that cosy feeling you get curled up by the fire with friends after a day of fresh air and adventure." 

Both versions sound wonderful to me, what do you think? 

Alpenglow cabin is now available on Airbnb for others to come and enjoy. You can also find more information / pictures on the Alpenglow Cabin website and instagram. 

Perhaps it's time to start searching for that dated property that's waiting for someone to come along and give it the TLC it deserves. Who knows, this time next year, we could be sitting in a hot tub overlooking Colorado's highest peaks! 

More cabin love / inspiration to be found here:

An idyllic Finnish summer cabin

A magical Norwegian mountain cabin

before and after: a dated property becomes a dreamy cabin in the woods

Thank you so much to Christine for submitting this project! If you have a project / home tour you'd like to share do send it my way. I can't promise to feature all of the submissions but will certainly keep an eye out for homes that are a perfect fit with My Scandinavian Home!

Right friends. I believe it's time for the weekend. WOOHOOO! Wishing you a relaxing, cosy weekend vänner! Thanks for a great week - I've loved reading your comments! 

Vi ses på Måndag!

Niki

Photography Christine Bayles Kortsch / Daniel Kortsch except the hallway which was shot by Molly Lo Photography.

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