CasaSugar -- Home sweet home.

Before: A Community Center in Need of Renovation

casasugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:50 -0700

Years ago, I lived in the same neighborhood where this Boys and Girls Club is located. Community resources are few and far between in West Oakland, and the Boys and Girls Club is a welcome refuge for kids who need a place to hang out after school. The center, though, is in need of some renovation. Luckily, a very cool designer is soon going to transform the center. To find out who's going to renovate the center, check out the slideshow!

Before and After: DeJaVuE's Basement Remodel

casasugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:30:09 -0700

TeamSugar member DeJaVuE recently remodeled her basement, which had red brick and stone foundation walls and a dreary striped carpet. She installed wood floors and soft beige carpet, as well as drywall, but she kept some stonework on the wall as an accent. She painted the walls an army green, which lightened it up and gave it a more serene vibe. To see this fantastic remodel,

Before and After: Erin84's Bathroom Makeover

casasugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:45:00 -0700

Su Casa member Erin84 recently gave the "ugly 70's-style bathroom" in her new condo a major overhaul, and the transformation is a vast improvement. She gutted the space, and then "used subway tiles on the floor and ceramic tiles on the walls." She says, "A new vanity and chandelier make it look like a completely different space." While the original bathroom may not be the biggest eyesore you've ever seen, the new vanity and tiles certainly are much more sophisticated and classic, and the chandelier adds a touch of glamour. Replacing the original trifold mirror with a single wall mirror opens up the space, relieving the bathroom's former cramped feeling. To see the after,

Open House: Where Do You Cut Back?

casasugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:15:29 -0700

Unless you're a celebrity with money to burn, or just one very successful lay-dee, most of us have to cut back somewhere when it comes to furnishing and renovating our homes. I myself have been known to drop big bucks at high-end design shops and haggle over flea market finds in the same day. And although I'll concede that spending money on my house itself is in most cases a better investment than purchasing furnishings to fill it with, sometimes I just can't restrain myself from bringing home a beautiful lamp or having a chair reupholstered. Some of you may be renters, and it wouldn't make sense to spend on renovations. Or maybe you'll splurge on an antique dining table, but pair it with Ikea chairs. Maybe you spend on your interiors, but haven't given a thought to buying even a plant for your front stoop, let alone hiring a landscaper. Maybe you don't spend any money on your home at all. Tell me where you fit in by commenting below!
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Before and After: A Charmer in Charlottesville

casasugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:00:31 -0700

I recently read about architect Madison Spencer's renovation of his own 1950s Charlottesville, Virginia home (known as Rabbit Run), which was featured in the April issue of Southern Accents, on Style Court. I was bowled over by the drastic change, which took advantage of existing features like tall windows and Chippendale accents, but made changes inspired by Thomas Jefferson's designs for the University of Virginia (Spencer's alma mater). The renovated building is impressive and elegant, rather than gauche and unremarkable, as it was before. To see the after,

Before and After: Twinkle's Modern Kitchen Renovation

casasugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:15:43 -0700

TeamSugar member Twinkle recently renovated her kitchen, and the results are magnificent! She designed the new kitchen layout for her Scandinavian home herself, and her husband assembled and installed the cabinetry (by Danish company Kvik) himself. The couple hired professionals to knock down a wall, put drywall up, rework the plumbing, do electrical work, and lay the oak floor. The kitchen used to be divided into a small galley kitchen and a very small bedroom and closet. She and her husband knocked down the walls to make a larger, more open space. To see postrenovation photos and hear details about the layout and her resources,

Before and After: A Little Paint Transforms These Lawn Chairs

casasugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:45:39 -0700

Su Casa member NdChristine sanded, primed, and painted her three 1950s-era lawn chairs. Here's what she started out with:

To see the chairs after she worked her magic,

Cool Idea: Rooftop Bedrooms

casasugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:00:41 -0700

Since many families choose to build their bedrooms onto a separate wing, or far end, of a home, doesn't it make sense to put them on another level altogether — such as on a rooftop? Built in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, by the firm MVRDV, is this very cool rooftop house extension, which was added onto an existing home. I love the look of these little house bedrooms, which offer privacy to each family member, and appear to be a tiny village growing atop the existing home's roof. I'm also completely in love with the unexpected, brilliant blue color of this addition.

Other features of these rooftop bedrooms include open-air showers, benches, trees, and parapet walls with windows. I find this addition so charming, and though I'm sure some fuddy-duddy neighbors may be complaining, I certainly wouldn't be one of them. In fact, I'd be the first one over with a basket of cookies, asking if I could get a closer look at the addition.

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Before and After: A Kitchen Goes From Drab to Delicious

casasugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:15:11 -0700

Interior stylist Janet Grey was in for some hard work when she was commissioned to redesign this dull and drab kitchen.

To see the transformation, just

Before and After: Bathroom Beautiful

casasugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:30:13 -0700

This bathroom, whose renovation was recently featured on This Old House, was marred by a dated '80s design, leaky plumbing, tiny windows, and bad tilework.

To see its transformation, just

Coveted Crib: A Weekend Cottage

casasugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:00:50 -0700

Cottage Living's From Neglected Schoolhouse to Chic Cottage shares the story of Gotham magazine lifestyle editor Jason Oliver Nixon and decorator John Loecke, who purchased a run-down Federal-style former schoolhouse for $30,000 in New York's Catskills. In just one year, they revived the c. 1840 building to what I suspect may be more glorious than its origins. Check out this slideshow to see some of my favorite rooms, and be sure to read the article and check out more of their photos. Source

Open House: Spring Projects

casasugar — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:21:17 -0700

Spring has officially sprung! That means several things. A) I need to start shopping for some fab sandals. B) I need to befriend someone with a sailboat. And C) I've got to get my house into shipshape for warm weather fun. One of my friends recently built herself a deck and is digging a ditch and ordering concrete in an effort to build herself a pool. Impressive, right?

Wherever you are, the heat is just around the corner, and I'm sure there's something you'd like to get done so you can enjoy it when it comes. So, for this Open House, I want to hear what's on your To Do list for Spring. Does your garden need a reno? Should your pool be filled? Need to hire a landscaper? Build a balcony or give your patio a makeover? Does your AC need to be fixed? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
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Before and After: Squalid Domicile Transformed Into Amazing Abode

casasugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:00:59 -0700

"Lisa and Todd's PDX Bungalow" on Design*Sponge chronicles the makeover of makeovers. Creative couple Lisa and Todd purchased a foreclosed Portland home which had been "occupied by various squatters and approximately 50 cats," and which Lisa says smelled, "so bad people had to cross to the other side of the street when they came near the house." Ten dumpsters and a lot of hard work and devotion later, the place looks fabulous — a coveted crib, you might say. To see what their kitchen looks like after the impressive makeover,

In the News: A Renovated Cancer Hospital Chapel

casasugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 06:45:44 -0700

Cynthia and Dan Lufkin turned the chapel of New York City's first cancer hospital — New York Cancer Hospital, built in the 1880s — into a three-level Manhattan apartment. The hospital had been in a state of disrepair for 25 years, with "rats, holes in the roof, dust, a wooden ceiling that was falling apart, missing windows, [and] plaster walls that had rotted away to the bricks." Instead of trying to recreate all of the original architectural details, they "tried to preserve a feeling of its history." What that resulted in was a vaulted wood ceiling mimicking one in an old photo of the place, period hanging globe lamps, a new spiral staircase and Gothic-style fireplace, and stenciled plaster walls actually inspired "by a medieval tapestry in a 19th-century British abbey," not original to the house. To see an interior shot of the house, and find out some more interesting details about this couple's story,

In the News: Front Door Tradition, Back Door Innovation

casasugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:00:10 -0800

Hard as it may be to believe, these two pictures are actually of the same house. This 1890s Federalist home, located in Manhattan, has a traditional facade when you face it from the street, while its backyard view reveals a sleek, modern renovation. Owned by Ellen Weiman and Dubi Silverstein, the couple honored the Landmarks Commission's wishes by remaining faithful to the building's original facade in front, but then let their hair down with the building's back facade and its interior, which is closer to a loft inside. To see more lovely photos of the home's interior (chock full of midcentury furniture) read the whole article at the New York Times.

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Guess Who Is Making Eco-Friendly Renovations?

casasugar — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:00:53 -0800

An Oscar-nominated actress is throwing down nearly $1.5 million in eco-friendly renovations on her home Down Under. Do you know who it is? Source

Room Therapy: Renovating a Bookcase

casasugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:00:37 -0800

Bluesuze recently posted a picture of an old bookcase in need of a new look in the group Vintage/Antique Furniture Wabi Sabi.

She writes

I picked this old bookcase/china cabinet up a few years ago. It has since moved around my house but has found a place in my living room. The colors don't go at all, it's a forest green and my walls are a light tan, and my furniture colors are dark cranberries and browns. I guess I'm just sick of looking at it but don't know where to start.

To hear my suggestion and to leave your own idea for Bluesuze, just

Coveted Crib: San Francisco Ex-Brothel Rowhouse

casasugar — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:41:58 -0800

This Italianate townhouse, featured in This Old House was for years a brothel in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood, then sliced into seven poorly-constructed apartments, and has now been returned to its original form as a single-family dwelling, built in 1878. The current owners, the Wynnes, recently hired "architectural designer Amy Hall McNamara and general contractor Eric Maykranz, a specialist in old-home restoration" to remake the building to meet their family's needs.

Along the way they uncovered and restored many wonderful, original treasures like an intricate floor medallion, a once gas-lit light fixture, an ornate mahogany staircase, walnut-inlayed maple floors, several stained glass windows, and a trio of magnificently cased, tally bay windows. Mixed with quietly traditional decor, and a few updates like a marble-top double bathroom vanity, a built-in glass-front cabinet bar, a circular kitchen floor plan, and handsome, wide openings between the living and dining rooms, the house pays tribute to its 19th century heritage without being hindered by it. For a tour of the elegant rowhouse revival,