We've Moved!

I'm thrilled to announce that BRONWYN Designs has a new home!  Please visit us at our new website and blog at www.bronwyndesigns.com, and bookmark our new site.

Thanks!
Bronwyn

A big thank you

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed my absence over the past month.  Until last week, I had sadly neglected to post any new updates due to a flurry of new projects, old projects, events, and activities that had been consuming my time.   One such project has been the design and development of a new brand and website/blog that I plan to rollout in the next few weeks.

It has been a lot of work, but I've been tremendously lucky and thankful to have three incredibly talented women help me pull it all together:

First, Christine Dryden of Stir Studios is my marketing and graphic designer and has designed my new logo and website.   Check out her blog and some of the interesting projects she's been working on (including Scott Avett's recent art exhibit!).  She has a wonderfully elegant, yet modern and whimsical approach to her work, which I admire.  

Photo courtesy of Stir Studios

In preparing to launch the website, I've been busy putting the finishing touches on several projects and having them photographed.   Which brings me to the second wonderful woman I've been working with: Ashley Sellner of Ashley Sellner Photography.  I had previously gushed over her beautiful children's photography work, and I was even more impressed by the interiors photography she did for some of my fellow interior designers in Charlotte.   She has an amazing eye for composing the right shot and evoking a certain warmth and emotion in her work.

Photography by me, of Ashley at work

Last but not least, I couldn't have made it through the past 6 weeks without my eagle-eyed, on-the-ball, sharp-shooting intern/design assistant, Katie Mininger.  Katie is a junior at Queens University in Charlotte, majoring in Interior Design.  She's been more helpful than she will ever know, and I hope  she's getting a sense of the business and the "busy-ness" of the interior design trade.

I look forward to launching my new website soon, and sharing photos of the projects that have been keeping me so busy these past few weeks!

Thanks for reading,
Bronwyn

A love affair with a house

We bought it in 2004.....we weren't really in the market yet, but we loved just looking at houses.  We had already compiled our wish list of 'must haves', and when we found this house we realized it had every one of them.....large yard (1+ acre), established neighborhood (house was built in 1952), large kitchen (it had been renovated by a chef), and at least 3 bedrooms.  We were so smitten.  We both saw so much potential in it.  

But there was so much to be done - walls needed painting, carpet and flooring needed replacing, and the yard needed weeding.  Though we could see through the bad finishes - our friends often could not.  We did our best to keep a positive attitude when they tried to say nice things about it, like what a great deal we got and how nice it was to have such a large yard for our dog.   They were all enjoying brand new carpet and sparkling white kitchens and could not understand why we felt compelled to live in a house with dark paneled walls and a bedroom with hot pink carpet.

Exterior front 2004

Kitchen in the MLS listing, 2004

Keeping Room, Circa 2004

It's been nearly 8 years (to the day!) and we have poured blood, sweat, tears, and hard earned dollars into our home.  It's not nearly perfect...even after this much time I still have a tremendous list of things to-do / to-buy / to-reupholster / to-replace.  But I still love our house.  I love the great view of our backyard through the outdated windows in the terra-cotta tiled sunroom and the odd 'panic room' in the basement that has become our laundry room.  My styles and tastes have changed so much in these past eight years - partly because I've gotten older and wiser but mainly because I've stopped trying to make the house something it isn't.  I would love a house with taller ceilings and larger windows but that just wouldn't work with our fifties ranch.  I've learned to embrace the pink and grey tile bathroom floor and simply let it be what it is.  I've made plenty of mistakes choosing products or colors but I am slowing trying to fix those mistakes or accept them.  

Before - Kitchen 2011

BEFORE - Fireplace

In my mind, the renovation project we undertook in December was huge.  We had been waiting for months - maybe years - to get some of this work done.  But in reality, especially compared to some of the projects my clients undertake, this project was small.    We ripped out and replaced ugly crown and baseboard mouldings.  We paneled over a very outdated stone fireplace.  We painted (eek!) beautiful cherry wood cabinets, doors, and paneling.

I hesitate to say these are the 'after' photos.  Because I don't know if I will ever be finished with my own home renovation enough to announce that it's done.

So let's just call these the 'during' photos.   I think it's been quite a transformation thus far.  What do you think?

Thanks for reading,

Bronwyn

Revisiting the Farm

Nearly 10 months ago, I shared photos and designs for a farmhouse that I was renovating in Chester, SC.  I had been working with my client on a complete redesign of the home, which had been built originally in the late 80's and not only had a very strange floorplan, but was also completely lacking in any true farmhouse charm.

Now, more than a year after we started working on the initial designs, the construction is nearly complete!  I had the opportunity to visit the site last week and check out the progress.  It's hard to believe it is the same house.

Here's an exterior shot of the 'Before':

And here's the progress in mid-August . . . .

And here is the house now . . . (!)

Unfortunately it was a miserably cold and rainy day on Monday, so i decided not to traipse through the mud for a front shot of the house.  But even at this angle, you can tell that it has gone through nothing short of a major transformation!

In the original structure, there were only a few windows on the front of the house, and no porches or patios to sit and enjoy the expansive view.  Though we only increased the footprint of the home by about 200 SF to create a new master bedroom, we added nearly 2,500 square feet of porches to the front, side, and back of the home.  

Almost the entire front facade of the house was removed in order to pull the front entry forward and add fourteen french doors across the front to open up the rooms to the beautiful views.  Three interconnected, gabled porches were added, with a large outdoor fireplace. Another striking change was replacing the asphalt roof singles with this gorgeous cedar shingle roof.  It entirely changes the look of the house and will only grow more beautiful with time.  

New outdoor fireplace, with log storage below, and pizza oven

On the inside of the home, only a few of the rooms remain recognizable from the original floorplan.  For example, here's how the kitchen looked 'before'. You can see the original front door to the far left of the photo:

 . . . the progress in August:

. . . and now the new kitchen, still in progress, relocated to the opposite side of the space where the living area used to be:

Here's a few shots of the great room, before:

This is where the new fireplace will be located

Before view of windows towards pool

Before shot of fireplace wall

In August:

And now:

Picture windows replaced with pairs of french doors

This is where the window used to be. . . 

The fireplace in the 'before' photos was completely removed and relocated to the exterior wall.  Now bookcases and a desk area line that wall:

Soon there will be a large, rustic barn door on an iron track that will conceal the desk area as needed.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the back of the house will now become the main 'front' entrance to the home.  We've changed the window pattern and added (per the advice of our feng shui expert) a large solid - not glass - front door.

Original back of the house (in August 2011)

View of the mudroom, interior

New front door

We're in the home stretch, but there's still lots to be done before it's move-in ready.  Over the next month, the painting, cabinetry, countertops, and flooring will be installed, followed by all of the 'pretty' stuff - lighting, furniture, rugs, artwork.....etc.  I am giddy to see it finally all come together!

Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with me as I've been working on this project.   It will be exciting to share the final 'after' photos with you and hear your feedback. 

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Bronwyn 

2011 Lessons Learned

Via Rifle Paper Company

Happy New Year!

You may have realized by now that my absence from the 'net has been a result of my extremely overzealous, overachieving alter ego who decided it was a good idea to renovate and redecorate her house during the precious few weeks leading up to Christmas.  I know you are anxious to see how it all turned out, but i'm still working on the finishing touches, so those before and after photos must be saved for a later post!

The start of a new year is a great time for reflection and fresh starts (and top 10 lists) so I thought i would gather my personal and professional list of 'lessons learned' in 2011.  Some of them are a little cliche, but they are still worth remembering:

My top 10 lessons learned in 2011:

1. Great rewards cannot be enjoyed without taking great risks. 

This applies to quitting your stable job with good benefits to start your own design firm to painting your kitchen cabinets.  Which leads me to my next lesson learned . . . 

2. Painting is the number one way to make the most impact with the least cost.  

And don't listen to your man when he says those dark wood, paneled walls and wood beams are cozy and woodsy.  Most likely you dont live in a mountain cabin.  Paint them!  Check out this amazing transformation from blog Young House Love:

From this . . .

To this!

3. Use color on your ceilings and doors.  

Yes, they can be something other than white, and once you do it you will be amazed at how cool and wonderfully subtle it is.   My painted doors are my favorite thing in my 'new' old house.

Here's a little peek at my new front door

Source Unknown

4.  Stage to Sell

If you are trying to sell a house in this economy, it is imperative that you spend the time and money to thoroughly clean, repair, update, declutter and stage!  Here's just a little example of how making a small change can make a big impact:

Before . . . 

And after!
Photo courtesy of The W Realty Group

Removing the old screen door and a fresh coat of paint added so much curb appeal!  (Though I was pushing them to paint the front door aqua!)  

5. Multitasking doesn't necessarily mean you will get more things done. 

6. Don't overthink things too much.  

Trust your gut.  Your first instinct was probably right.  

7. Choosing paint colors is not for the faint-hearted.  

If you want a bold, intense color, choose a shade lighter or muddier than you think.  If you want a light color, choose a shade slightly darker than you want.  Don't be afraid to go dark - settling for a similar lighter hue will generally end up being softer and lighter than what you really wanted.

Source unknown

8. Mistakes, disappointment and failure are inevitable.  

Deal with it, learn from it, and move on.

9. Don't overdo it

No matter how simple it may seem, or how organized you are, it is not a good idea to start a major project right before the holidays. (Though it turned out amazing, and I can't wait to share photos with you once I get the hardware on the cabinets and the stone on the hearth!)

And last but not least, the most important lesson I learned in 2011: 

Via The Ugly Green Chair

12. The Law of the Ugly Chair

I read this post earlier this year, and it really stuck to me.  If something isn't working in your life anymore - a comfortable, but ugly, chair, a paint color, handbag, even a job or a person.....get rid of it.  You will feel an instant weight has been lifted, and it will free up a space in your life for something more wonderful and beautiful.

I hope you have a wonderful and beautiful 2012.  Thanks so much for reading my blog this past year, and I look forward to sharing more inspiring images with you in the year ahead.

Peace,

Bronwyn

 

A challenging project

I've been working on a very challenging project recently.  My client is updating several rooms in her house: her kitchen and keeping room, painting her dining room and master bedroom, purchasing some new furniture and lighting, and transforming her little girl's nursery into a 'big girl' room.  It's a fairly large project since so many rooms are being touched and it involves the coordination of several tradespeople: painter, trim carpenter, electrician, plumber, tile installer, countertop installer, etc.  There are lots of decisions to be made on styles and color, and it must work well with her existing furniture and paint colors. 

What makes it even more difficult is that my client keeps changing her mind.  She can't decide on what she wants.  We start to go in one direction (warm, cozy, deep colors) and then the next day she wants to go in the complete opposite direction (light, bright, lots of cool colors).  As soon as I think we have it all figured out, the rules have changed: there's more money in the budget (or less), the selections we decided upon are out-of-stock / in-stock / overstocked / sold / too light / too dark / too cheap / too expensive / too brown / too grey / too 'too'.   She's also extremely hard to get a hold of - she works full time and has two young kids, and the only time we ever get a chance to discuss the project is either late in the evening or squeezing in some time on the weekends. 

On top of all this, she wants to get it done by Christmas.  She has family coming in for the holidays and wants to get the work done and the house decorated by December 17th or so.  She's even considering hosting a neighborhood Christmas party at her house on the 18th.  

I have been blessed with so many wonderful, easy-going, decisive clients in my career.  Many of them have become friends.  I am generally not one to complain about about a client (especially someone who may read this blog!)  So why (you may ask), am I venting my frustrations with this client in such a wide and public forum as the internet?  Well, you see, it's because this difficult client. . . . is ME. 

So to all of my wonderful clients and future clients out there - I feel your pain.  I know it's hard to make all the decisions and commit to the budget and write all of the checks and have your house turned upside down for weeks on end.  I understand how disappointing it is when the perfect fabric has been discontinued, or that antique bench is just 2 inches too long for the space.  But in the end, your home will be put back together.  The colors and fabrics and lighting and furniture will be beautiful and you will love - love - coming home every night to your comfortable haven.

Well the painter will be here on Thursday, so at last there's no turning back.  I know that it's going to look great and I can't wait to share the before and after pictures with you!

Thanks for reading,

Bronwyn

Recently spotted . . .

. . . in the October issue of Charlotte Magazine!  Check out the photo of me with my beautiful and talented designer friends Julie Boyd and Katie Harrell Hoffman at the Thom Filicia event earlier this summer:

Photo courtesy of Charlotte Magazine

We had such a good time that night.  Thanks again to High Cotton Home for hosting us for the fun event!