As you probably know from reading my first post about our new home or following my Instagram stories, the 113-year-old fixer upper we bought in August 2020 is a huge undertaking. It's also our chance to fulfil all my Pinterest-mood-board-interior-design dreams. Above all, our goal is to restore and enhance the existing beauty of our 1907 split-level duplex. The exterior of our home has some quintessential Portland Craftsman architectural features, like a covered front porch and second story dormers that give it a lot of character. The interior on the other hand is a slightly different story.
Upper Unit: Done!
Each of the units definitely has its own unique thing going on. The upper unit, which we currently live in, was more recently renovated by the previous owners, so it mostly just needed aesthetic updates and deep cleaning. It is a 850 square foot 2 bedroom with slanted ceilings and dark wood-look floors. Being the tallest house around means that we get a ton of natural light, and having windows facing every direction has been so great for my plants because I am able to experiment with what kind of light works for each plant and fill every space in the unit. My plants love the bright indirect light from the north facing windows in our living space and have been putting out new leaves even into the middle of winter. We painted everything white to give the space a clean airy feel and contrast with the floors to make them pop. I still can't commit to painting the wood French doors to the bedroom we currently use as a sunroom/workout space but I don't plan on doing any more work up here until we move downstairs anyway. We also switched out all the light fixtures and door hardware for updated matte black fixtures.
In the kitchen upstairs, we painted all the existing cabinet fronts, refinished the butcher block countertops, and added some nice brick moulding to cover the gaps between the counter and wall. Truthfully I did not have a whole lot of faith that the counters would be salvageable - the wine stains, mold, oil stains, cracks, and discoloration were discouraging for sure. But, with a whole lot of sanding, bleach, Waterlox wood sealer, and elbow grease they came out beautifully! We have this quirky corner sink that I don't think that I would put in a new kitchen, but I kind of love it. I also probably wouldn't have put butcherblock in a rental unit because of the upkeep it requires, but it does add a really nice warmth to the kitchen. Overall, the upper unit has a fresh contemporary attic vibe and we have loved living up here for the past 6 months. It will definitely be hard to say goodbye to it when we hand the keys over to a tenant, but with all the work we are putting in downstairs, I'm sure it will be a treat to move.
The Real Action: Lower Unit
Our main opportunity to put our mark on this house is in the lower unit.There is no real way to tell the last time the lower unit was renovated, but my guess is that things were replaced only as they broke and as cheaply as possible. So far, Noah has rewired all the electricity to bring it up to code (he's a madman), we've ripped up all the old tile flooring, and repaired or replaced all of the drywall. None of the kitchen or bathroom was salvageable other than the stove and the toilet, so that has all been trashed as well. Taking things down to the studs in most places has meant that we get to start fresh and implement some big changes. After years of studying design, we are finally able to put our skills to the test. This process has given me a whole new appreciation for interior design. There are so many decisions to be made! But with all this decision making comes a lot of second guessing. From high impact choices like the new flooring to little decisions like cabinet pulls, there are about a million options to pick from. Pair that with my perfectionism and obsession with buying the right thing the first time, and you'll get... well a whole lot of open browser tabs is what you'll get. I would never have guessed that it would take me hOuRs of research to find a ceiling fan, but here I am, 2 weeks into looking and still fan-less.
It has been liberating to realize that we have full control over this space, but this house is also a test of compromise. Because it's our first home, we want to do everything right, but being 25 years old means we have a budget that we need to fit within. In that budget is the amount of time we can afford to be working on the house and paying the full mortgage before having a renter cover half. Basically, we have to find a balance of "well, we might as well do this too" and "my time is valuable and could be spent elsewhere." Two cases where the former has won out are the moving of the kitchen wall and the bedroom door frame. We moved a door frame slightly to the west, and moved a wall in the kitchen very slightly to the north (4 inches to be exact) all in the name of good design. Ultimately, we weighed the cost of our labor against the benefit to the design of moving the wall and door, and the design won.
Moving the front bedroom door frame
This was a very exciting part of the project because it was the first time we ripped into drywall and my first time doing any framing work. Before, the door to the front bedroom led straight into the room, and the closet had two (annoyingly) unequally sized spaces for doors, that took up the whole wall. To improve the privacy and the flow of the bedroom, as well as the layout of the living room outside, we cut one of the closet door openings in half, and shifted the bedroom door framing into where the wall of the closet used to be. We closed off the closet so it is still 3/4 of the size it used to be with only one door opening. Now, you can't see into the bedroom from the living room so there is more privacy, and the living room has a longer wall opposite the windows to place a TV. Noah also brought the level of the trim on the closet down to be equal with the door and the window for a more refined and intentional look. Scroll through the photos below!
Transitional Design
Because the downstairs was in such bad shape and in need of so many repairs, we have to be careful to not renovate out, but instead uncover and highlight all of the existing character. Modern detailing will definitely have its place in our home but the Craftsman exterior lends itself to a more traditional style. This is where "transitional" design comes in.
Transitional style is a balanced mix of traditional and contemporary.
The two may seem to have opposing ideals, but when used correctly they can create a polished yet approachable space. The contemporary characteristics we are choosing include minimalism, clean lines, and symmetry. At the same time, we are prioritizing the comfort, character, and timelessness found in traditional design.
Existing Character
Many of the existing traditional elements in our home are in the millwork. The casing trim around the original 5-panel doors and original wood windows is wide but simple, and each room has crown moulding and tall baseboard. We will pair warm-toned wood flooring with the newly-white walls for a bright and fresh feel, and to accentuate the 9-foot ceilings. One of the first things you notice when you walk in the front door is a 2' x 2' brick column floating 2' off the main living room wall. Before, when the living room was painted yellow and red, the column, which ushers the exhaust pipes from the furnace and water heaters in the basement up to the roof, looked out of place and in the way. Now that everything is freshly painted white and the door frame is moved farther back from the front door, the red brick of the column is a nice focal point that adds warmth, character, and texture into the space. I can't believe we almost wanted to take it out! For the moment, it still looks a bit in the way, but the plan is to add built-in shelving between the column and the wall to both anchor it in the space, and to create a division between the front door / living room area and the back door / kitchen area. I will share exact design plans as I make them, but think vinyl record storage, open shelves, books, and plants. I'm a sucker for any built-in storage, so I think I am more excited about this sliver of space than almost any space in the house.
Flexible Space
If this was our forever home, maybe I would be pushing for some different design choices, like more built-ins or some of those fun Tik Tok interior design trends. But ultimately we will want to live in a single family home, or move on to another project, and this property will become two rental units. Therefore, the layout and finishes should allow for the tenants to use the space in a way that makes sense for them. In the rewiring of the unit, we added a bunch of new outlets and tried to envision as many furniture configurations as we could to make sure the space is adaptable. No one wants to feel constrained by their home. While there are some inherent restrictions when living in a rental, there can still be opportunity for personalization, creativity, and expression by providing a solid base to work from.
Not everyone is in the position to buy a home, but everyone should be able to live in a space that feels thoughtfully designed and custom.
We certainly still have a loonngg way to go with the downstairs, but it is starting to come together. With the drywall, electrical, and paint work all finished, I am starting to be able to really picture how it will turn out. We are finally at the stage of buying and installing finishes like door hardware, lighting, and flooring. Next up is tackling the bathroom, and once the rest of our Ikea kitchen order arrives, we will finally start assembling and installing our kitchen. Here are a couple of teasers for our kitchen inspiration, but I will be posting another full length post about our kitchen renovation vision and journey soon!
As usual, thanks so much for reading. Come back soon and be sure to subscribe to keep following along on this crazy journey!
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