Budget-Friendly Home Makeovers

Planning more storage was critical. “We used custom fir plywood doors to make the Ikea cabinets under the marble countertops special,” Lexie says of the kitchen. Joining simple white chairs around the dining table are red Tripp Trapp high chairs from Stokke—the same model Casper had as a child.

The kitchen of this Brooklyn brownstone features a brick backsplash with a metal panel connecting the Bluestar range to the Viking chimney wall hood. The mashup of materials preserves the personality of brick with the ease of cleaning stainless steel. The island and cabinets are fashioned from remilled Douglas fir beams salvaged from Upstate New York.

The Torroja pendant light by David Weeks hangs in the dining area, standing in sharp relief to the home’s original brick, now painted white (in Benjamin Moore Paper White)along with the wooden floorboards (in Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter). Radiant heat underfoot means a toasty interior even without a surfeit of textiles. Photo by Matthew Williams.

There were numerous design parameters to consider, from adding space to staying within budget to matching the scale of the neighborhood's housing stock, all while remaining as green as possible. (Cue open cell foam insulation at the roof, reclaimed longleaf pine at upstairs bedrooms, metal roof, reclaimed travertine pavers at porch, tankless water heater, 2-speed furnace and condenser, Andersen 100 Series composite low-E windows.) The addition can be seen from the exterior, where Schmeil rotated the roof 90 degrees so the gable faces the street, and stepped the second floor back at a dormer that brings light into the upstairs bathroom and music room. Photo by Whit Preston.

The front door opens onto a combination dining/library, with a vaulted ceiling. The entry wall features a floor-to-ceiling custom bookcase with a window set high to capture light and a view of the ash tree in the yard. Whitewashed maple plywood strips in a vertical running bond pattern act as a warm “tile” and are the sole decorative flourish for the adjacent wall. Photo by Patrick Wong.

Frank retained the closet at left for storage and integrated shelves into the space. Frank found the Peill & Putzler pendant on eBay. The teak coat hooks are from Germany.

Donut sits on a custom bed made by craftsman Pete Deeble. “Above the bed I hung a vintage Evelyn Ackerman textile discovered on eBay,” says Frank.

The front door hallway flooring features original turn-of-the-century floor tiles in this renovated first-floor apartment in Barcelona, Spain.

This unique plywood-and-slate combination makes a great choice for small bathrooms that require a corner bathroom vanity.