Our Renovation Journey of Before & Afters

My husband and I only have about 38 years of DIY home improvement and decorating experience. 🙂 Although we are slightly less energetic now, we still enjoy collaborating to create beauty wherever we’re planted. Since our sons have homes that often need our help, there is always a project happening. A decade ago, we left a large home we built for our family and took on a neglected fixer upper half its size. A year later, we renovated a vacation getaway. Our most recent adventure finds us re-doing a Georgian stuck in the ’90s. Today we’ll peek at my favorite before and after renovations…I’ll share secrets behind the scenes.

Hello Lovely's renovated dining room with fireplace, antiques, pale wood floor and grisaiile mural contributing modern French charm .

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Our Renovation Journey of Before and Afters

The images tell the story so there isn’t much I need to add. But I’ll share a few stories and lessons learned along the way.

before pic of Hello Lovely's fixer upper bathroom with jacuzzi and strange fixtures
BEFORE

Our Renovations at the Georgian

Our home was built 33 years ago, and we wanted it to feel at least 100 years old. We love 1920’s, classic, European inspired, Hamptons, coastal, and traditional styles. I wanted to calm down the formality and fuss. But I also wanted it to be atmospheric, poetic, and meditative.

Cozy Up This Formal Dining Room!

When we toured our house the first time, we liked the built-in china cabinet but didn’t want to set any sort of formal tone. Since we don’t live or entertain in a formal way, it made sense to rethink it.

Construction during renovation of Hello Lovely's Georgian dining room where a china cabinet was ripped out and cherry stained oak floors sanded down.
BEFORE – Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations

We repurposed the built-in in our kitchen pantry and replaced it with a gas fireplace. A lot of work for sure, but now the room can be a study, music room, cozy breakfast room…My husband refinished dark cherry stained oak floors himself, and it was one of the first DIYs we tackled here.

Hello Lovely's foyer with scenic tree mural and peek into the dining room wtih fireplace, antiques, and modern French style.
AFTER – Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations

What a change! A new wall between dining and foyer, refinished floors, a fireplace, and a new lease on life for this sweet space where I play piano everyday.

Our Bedroom’s Sitting Room

Our home is located on a forest preserve with amazing views from this turret in our bedroom. All of those exterior walls and windows made proper heating and cooling a headache. I designed this wall with an arched doorway for an antique exterior door to keep drafts to a minimum.

Construction zone during the renovation of Hello Lovely's bedroom sitting room turret with wall framed and dark trim surrounding windows.
BEFORE – Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations

We like it so much more now, and the function of this space also improved.

SW Agreeable Gray in Hello Lovely's bedroom and sunny turret sitting room - a new wall defining it with archway.
AFTER – Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations

1990s Kitchen Became Timeless

We were grateful this custom kitchen already had high quality, solid wood cabinets, and I reconfigured them. Some were even placed a few in the adjacent laundry room. While the breakfast nook held potential, it was clunky and wrapped in brown…not a look I could live with.

Hello Lovely's kitchen before renovation with ceramic tile, dark stained trim, French doors, black granite, and cherry-stained cabinetry.
BEFORE

We painted the cabinetry, left just one wall cabinet, expanded the island, swapped the brown granite for white quartz, changed the flooring, upgraded lighting, added a calacatta gold backsplash, and spent weeks painting trim.

Hello Lovely's renovated breakfast nook in sunny turret with Elizabeth chandelier (Visual Comfort_ in gilded iron and linen slipcovered dining chairs.
AFTER

We reconfigured the corner sink base and added a farm sink as well. If you decide to DIY your marble backsplash, bear in mind that the stone tiles will soak up the mortar and change colors (ours turned yellow) until they are fully dry (our took a week). There may have been some tense days wondering if we had made the worst mistake! I have since seen some tile installers soak the marble tile in water first before applying adhesive. Also wondering if we could have sealed the back of the tile first. We’ll be more cautious and do a couple trials if ever we attempt this again.

Hello Lovely's kitchen before renovation with ceramic tile floor, black granite counters, and cherry stained cabinets.
BEFORE

One of the more challenging tasks was installing a gas cooktop and range hood where you see the wire basket on the counter above. Lots of electrical and technical work involved in addition to my husband creating a custom range hood. There was originally a wall oven and microwave, but we placed our new oven in the island out of sight. Our microwave is also hidden so that everything feels serene and living room like.

SW Eider White in Hello Lovely's renovated kitchen with light grey cabinets, Muse (Viatera) white quartz counters, and Nantuckets Sinks farm sink with linen skirt.
AFTER

I have always wanted a skirted sink and joyfully got one this time around! It’s wonderful to live with.

Excuzzie, Jacuzzi

Hello Lovely's bathroom BEFORE renovation with its raised Jacuzzi tub and awful mottled brown tile covering everything.
BEFORE

The brown tiled platform tub situation was only working as a death trap so it had to go. We gutted this entire bath and changed everything.

SW Repose Gray walls, carrera marble herringbone mosaic tile floor, and vintage clawfoot tub in Hello Lovely's renovated classic primary bath with Louis style French armchair.
AFTER – Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations

Now it’s a classic white marble tiled beauty and a pleasure to be in.

Awkward Bedroom to Dressing Room

This small spare bedroom with a view of the backyard didn’t have much going for it. It has a linen closet in addition to a closet with bifold doors in addition to a door to the hall in addition to a door to a Jack and Jill bathroom. Just too many doors and an irregular shape.

Hello Lovely's dressing room before renovation and addition of Modular Closets towers and modules for the custom closet.
BEFORE

But now it’s packed with function, storage, and cuteness.

Hello Lovely's renovated custom DIY closet with help from Modular Closets white Shaker style towers, drawers, shelves, and accessories.
AFTER
Vintage desk under window in Hello Lovely's renovated custom closet and dressing room at the Georgian.
Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations – AFTER

Busy Foyer Grows Gentle

The staircase is so dramatic and fussy that we just wanted to calm down everything around it. We started by painting the stairs white and painting the doors and hand rail a wrought iron color. Then we refinished the hardwoods and built walls on either side of the staircase (where the columns are) before wallpapering with a poetic scenic mural.

Fancy Georgian entry in Hello Lovely's Georgian BEFORE renovation.
BEFORE – Hello Lovely’s Before and After Renovations

The vintage window is one we collected and were so excited to repurpose. On the other side of the window is a small living room/parlor.

Scenic grisaille tree mural (Photowall Sweden) in Hello Lovely's renovated foyer with antique gilded French console. Walls are SW Repose Gray and oak floors stained light grey.
AFTER

So much easier to furnish the foyer, sunken living, and sunken dining rooms after the construction of walls. Huge projects for my husband! The smartest thing we did was not live here for the first half of the renovation. So messy, and soooo depressing! We stayed in our perfect “done” house so we could escape, rest, and recover. We didn’t even have to list that home when we were ready to sell. 🙂

Before/After of Our First Whole House Reno

We renovated the whole house entirely ourselves back in 2015 and learned so much!

Hello Lovely's renovated European Country living room, entry, dining, and hall with white oak hardwoods, BM OC-51 for walls and trim, and Belgian linen upholstered furniture.
AFTER

Living Room Re-do

Here’s how it looked initially…mauve-y carpet, yellow walls, and headaches. But I could see the potential. Unfortunately there were costly hidden problems (bad subfloor had to be replaced) and surprises (we couldn’t knock down the wall between dining and kitchen)…

Hello Lovely's living, dining, hall, entry BEFORE renovation with carpet and antique white walls.
BEFORE – Hello Lovely’s renovation journey before and after

But it all worked out. The original white painted fireplace surround you see above came out quickly when I found a French surround I loved. But we didn’t toss the old one…it’s what you see in our Georgian dining room! And a perfect fit.

Hello Lovely's renovated European country inspired cottage with white oak hardwood flooring and Belgian style furniture.
AFTER – Hello Lovely’s renovation journey before and after

Dramatic Changes in Kitchen

Things get worse before they improve.

Hello Lovely's gutted kitchen with damaged hardwood floor demo'd before the redesign.
BEFORE

So I hope seeing process photos encourages you to see what is possible if you’re half crazy like us.

Hello Lovely's breakfast nook after renovation with round dining table, linen chairs, and window seat.
AFTER; wall paint color: BENJAMIN MOORE White OC-151

The kitchen needed a full gut, and we decided to keep the window seat even though its presence limited the design.

Hello Lovely's breakfast nook with window seat, maple hardwoods, and patio door BEFORE renovation.
BEFORE – Our renovation journey before and after

It became a cozy space, and even though it was 1/4 of the size of our prior kitchen (that was a HUGE dream kitchen!), we made it work.

Hello Lovely's renovated kitchen breakfast nook with round dining table, floor lamp, and window seat. Walls are BM OC-151.
Breakfast nook with new white oak hardwoods, newly plastered ceiling, and new baseboards. Skirted armchairs (SIMILAR HERE); Rug: HERE; Candleholders: FIND HERE.

The vinyl cabinets were worn out and well past their prime so we removed them, repaired them, and installed them in a lower level workshop.

Hello Lovely's kitchen before renovation with navy blue laminate counters, white vinyl cabinets, and maple hardwood floor.
BEFORE

I designed a European-style modern French kitchen and finally got the farm sink I had always dreamed of. We were able to donate appliances and fixtures to Habitat for Humanity so as not to add to landfills.

Adding the vintage steel work cart was a gamechanger. Don’t ever think your kitchen is too tiny for a work table or cart of some sort. Keep your eyes peeled, and if it’s cheap, just try it!

Hello Lovely's sunny renovated kitchen with farm sink, bridge faucet, carrera marble subway tile backsplash, Minuet Viatera white quartz counters, and vintage steel industrial work cart.

Our Renovation Journey: Garden Matters

This home had been vacant for a long time, and the neglect showed.

Hello Lovely's entry courtyard overgrown with shrubs before renovation at the fixer upper.
BEFORE

Creating a French country courtyard was one of our favorite projects because it came together seamlessly and added beauty to the everyday. I loved having this sanctuary.

Hello Lovely's charming French country courtyard with bench, stone wall, pea gravel, lavender and boxwood.
AFTER

After clearing the overgrown shrubs and weeds, we added weed barrier, planted a few boxwood, then added pea gravel and stepping stones.

Hello Lovely's new country French courtyard garden in the woods with stone walls, patio furniture, pea gravel, galvanized buckets, and Bonjour pillow.
AFTER

This woodsy lot was so alive with wildlife, and even though the grass was hopeless to grow, everything else did.

Hello Lovely's courtyard and front yard before redesign with overgrown shrubs, weeds, and chaos.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's serene country French courtyard with French baskets, bistro set, boxwood, and pea gravel.
AFTER – Find my European bistro chairs HERE
Hello Lovely's redesigned French country courtyard with bench, boxwood, and lavender.
AFTER
Hello Lovely's dismal and forlorn  front yard and courtyard before the renovation.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's renovated courtyard and entry with its woodsy private setting and stone steps leading up a hill.
Black bistro chair and Turkish throw with country French books and basket in Hello Lovely's courtyard garden.
Hello Lovely's front door, entrance, and courtyard before renovation.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's new rustic alder front door with speakeasy and French courtyard with stone wall, pea gravel, boxwood, and pale wood furniture.
AFTER
Hello Lovely's redesigned courtyard with French country elements and rustic elegance.
AFTER

Replacing the front door was actually not a priority since I knew painting the existing steel door could make a big difference. It was after we collaborated with Pacific Entries to replace most of the hollow core interior doors with solid, rustic alder planked doors that we realized we could transform both the interior entry and exterior porch in one fell swoop!

Hello Lovely's front door, porch, and courtyard during the renovation with grass and weeds cleared.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's front door and courtyard with overgrown weeds before renovation.
BEFORE

For under $40 (concrete pavers were under a dollar each from Home Depot), this solution served us well.

Hello Lovely's renovated courtyard with stone walls. French farmhouse furniture and vintage accents.
AFTER

Creating a Peaceful Entry

I’m not exaggerating when I say the tile near the front door was the precise color of an awful bruise…that whole house had been walloped.

Hello Lovely's foyer before renovation with ceramic tile on the diagonal and builder-grade doors.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's renovated foyer and stairs with new rustic alder wood door with speakeasy, antiques, and white oak hardwood floors.
AFTER
Hello Lovely's staircase before renovation in the fixer upper.
BEFORE – our renovation journey before and afters

The stairs were the open riser type I associate with the Brady Bunch, and they can be charming in the right MCM project when they are wood and not wrapped in cheap carpet. We needed a budget friendly fix! Oh, and this was the view initially out of the front door:

Hello Lovely's courtyard and forest (view from front door) before renovation.
BEFORE

We closed the risers, installed a linen-hued durable carpet (yes, WE did the carpet…total DIYers!) then painted everything except the handrail white. I sanded most of the existing stain and varnish from the rail and then rubbed on a clear wax.

Knotty alder front door with speakeasy in Hello Lovely's renovated European country cottage.
AFTER
View of arched transom above Hello Lovely's dark stained alder front door with speakeasy in entry with white oak hardwood floors.
AFTER – our renovation journey before and afters

We even painted those two story vaulted ceilings ourselves!

Reflections from a Real Life Renovator

Paint made such a huge difference, and since the shady woods could make some rooms feel pretty dim, the reflective cool white countered that.

Hello Lovely's modern French kitchen with white walls, window seat, Belgian linen, and serene tone on tone vibe.
AFTER – paint color: BENJAMIN MOORE White OC-151

What helped this kitchen feel airy more than anything was removing those wall cabinets flanking the sink window.

Hello Lovely's kitchen before renovation with white vinyl cupboards, dark laminate counters, and damaged hardwood floor.
BEFORE – our renovation journey before and after

I didn’t lose storage space since I opted for floor to ceiling cabinets on the frig/pantryoven wall:

Hello Lovely's gutted kitchen with cabinets and appliances removed from wall where a European style design using every inch from floor to ceiling was added.
BEFORE

Not an inch of space wasted on that wall!

Hello Lovely's renovated kitchen with peninsula, Viatera Minuet counters, beverage frig, white oak floors, European appliances, and cozy breakfast dining pieces were added.
AFTER – Beverage frig under breakfast bar: FIND HERE.

My favorite custom cabinet feature in that kitchen? The cabinet for appliances that lifts up (on left, below).

Viatera Minuet quartz counters. farm sink, and Venatino marble mosaic tiled backsplash in Hello Lovely's renovated romantic kitchen.
AFTER

Minuet quartz was a brilliant choice for this kitchen since it reflected so much light and felt like a French kitchen.

Simple Scandi Christmas decor at Hello Lovely's kitchen farm sink with wreath, wooden candelabra, Minuet quartz counters (Viatera), and fairy lights at the window.

This was my first cooktop, and I liked it enough to buy the exact same one for our current house. Bear in mind you will probably pay an upcharge when you buy countertops just to have them remove material for the cutout.

Hello Lovely's renovated white Shaker kitchen with Viatera Minuet counters.
AFTER

I never regretted preserving the window seat. The birds that kept me company there at those windows? Priceless.

Hello Lovely's renovated kitchen and sunny cozy breakfast nook with Belgian linen and window seat.
AFTER

Not every kitchen needs to have a monstrous island or any island at all. I kept the peninsula.

Hello Lovely's kitchen before renovation with dated, nearly non-working kitchen.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's renovated kitchen with breakast bar, Viatera Minuet quartz counters, marble subway backsplash, window seat, and white oak floors.
AFTER

A simple but smart addition to the breakfast bar: horizontal installed solid wood beadboard which I painted white. It took all sorts of abuse. You can read about my journey to find the right white countertop RIGHT HERE.

Glimpses of the Afters

Hello Lovely's white kitchen with Viatera Minuet quartz counters and Venatino marble subway tile backsplash.
AFTER
Viatera Minuet quartz counters, Bosch cooktop, and Venatino polished marble backsplash in Hello Lovely's DIY renovated kitchen.
AFTER

Can you believe how dark this kitchen felt? It needed love!

Hello Lovely's kitchen before renovation at the fixer upper.
BEFORE
White roses and antique Belgian ironstone pedestal on Viatera Minuet quartz counter in Hello Lovely's renovated kitchen with marble subway tile statement wall.
AFTER (Polished Venatino marble subway mosaic tile RIGHT HERE)
Hello Lovely's catwalk cluttered with tools and debris during renovation of fixer upper.
Toilet on the catwalk…it happens
Hello Lovely's guest bedroom with grisaille mural (Photowall), rustic alder interior door (Pacific Entries), and Belgian linen egg chair.
AFTER
Hello Lovely's bedroom with carpet and yellow walls before renovation.
BEFORE
Hello Lovely's renovated cottage style romantic bedroom with beautiful window flanked by sconces and pale color story.
Wall paint color: BENJAMIN MOORE White OC-151
Hello Lovely's renovated country French cottage bedroom with white oak flooring and crochet lace bedskirt.

Hope you enjoyed these before/after favorites!

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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Cross Back Dining Chair
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French Industrial Metal Chairs (4)
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Holborn Lantern Pendant
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Tray Side Table
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Wicker Trunk Set
French Ticking Stripe Pillow
Jute Area Rug
Mohair Throw
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Scrubbed Wood 5-Light Chandelier
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Moravian Star 1-Light Pendant
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Cashmere Throw With Fringe
Wreath Doormat
Fireclay Farm Sink (Reinhard, 30″)
White Waffle Coverlet
Light Grey Vienna Quilt
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Linen Duvet Set
Round Marble Side Table
Rustic Pedestal Farm Table
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2 Comments

  1. Joanne
    January 21, 2025 / 6:22 pm

    Unfortunately all your sponsors and ads make it impossible to load and read. It is so frustrating not to be able to follow and I think you have much to offer and enjoy what I can read☹️

    • Michele
      Author
      January 22, 2025 / 12:24 pm

      Thanks for letting me know – sometimes I forget to click the box to remove most ads! I know how cluttered and chaotic it can get and apologize for the frustration.

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Let’s SHOP!

White Slipcovered Sofa
SHOP MY HOME!
29″ Whitewashed Table Lamp Set of 2
White Matelasse Quilt on MY BED
SHOP MY BATH!
Trees White Wallpaper Mural
Round Farmhouse Table
Myla Slipcover Sofa
Deconstructed Wingback Bed
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Milagro Heart
Slipcovered Dining Chair
Rustic Farmhouse Stool
Edgecombe End Table
Parisian Style Iron Table Lamp  33.5″
Black or Bronze Accent Table
French Stripe Basket Set
White Cotton Crochet Bed Skirt
French Country Rattan Basket Set
Marble Subway Mosaic Tile
Rattan Basket With Lid
White Ruffle Bedding
Seagrass Basket Set
Schumacher Wild Things Wallpaper
Slipcovered Sofa
Upholstered Dining Arm Chair
Shop My Breakfast Nook
White Matelasse Quilt
Tree Mural Wallpaper
Faux Potted French Lavender
Shaw Daybed
Distressed White French Country Chandelier
French Country Headboard
Oval Back Counter Stool, Set of 2
Antique Brass Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Round French Tufted Ottoman
Kinston Wood Bench
Italian Candelabra Chandelier
Slipcovered Linen Chair
Warner Upholstered Bench
Rustic Country French Dresser
Laurel Wreath Mirror
Round Farmhouse Dining Table
Reclaimed Wood Dresser
Louis Upholstered Bench
Pardon My French Doormat
Stripe Turkish Towel Throw
Pamela Arm Chair
Sweater Weave Basket
French Carved Wood Chandelier
Terracotta Pots & Basket
French Country Wood Chandelier
French Linen Dining Chair
Gustavian Cabinet
French Farmhouse Dining Table
Bar Stool
Beachy White Slipcovered Sofa
Rattan Armchair
Diptyque Oyedo Candle
Cross Back Dining Chair
French Country Candle Holder
French Industrial Metal Chairs (4)
Designer Favorite Wall Mirror
Holborn Lantern Pendant
French Country 6-Light Chandelier
Tray Side Table
French Country Upholstered Arm Chair
Wicker Trunk Set
French Ticking Stripe Pillow
Jute Area Rug
Mohair Throw
Rustic Industrial Farmhouse Shelves
Belgian Linen Sofa
White Duvet & Bedding
Rustic Wood Candlestick Set
French Market Basket
Linen Modern Wing Chair
French Country Farmhouse Baskets
Concrete Pillar Table Lamp
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Style Lamp
Kendall Skirted Dining Chair
White Charleston Sofa
Scrubbed Wood 5-Light Chandelier
Arched Champagne Wall Mirror
Moravian Star 1-Light Pendant
Highback Armchair
Mini Pendant Light
White Vase Set
Round Woven Placemat Set
Cashmere Throw With Fringe
Wreath Doormat
Fireclay Farm Sink (Reinhard, 30″)
White Waffle Coverlet
Light Grey Vienna Quilt
Boheme Madera Bench
Belgian Linen Duvet Set
Round Marble Side Table
Rustic Pedestal Farm Table
Rattan Hanging Chair Swing