Hi,
I hope you enjoyed reading about my renovation in part 1 and part 2 where I explained my rationale for the choices we made while renovating.
Part 3, which is the final part, details the upstairs floor and outside, which we optimized according to Feng Shui principles, all the while retaining the spirit of “staging” our home for sale (meaning nothing too personal or too unique or costly).
The upstairs accommodates 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms which we redid entirely. Our bedrooms had popcorn on the ceiling, our bathroom showed humidity damage (coastal city) which we remedied.
For our principal bedroom, we accommodated the energies required by the gua that it was in, the Wisdom Gua (calm, earthy, minimalistic). We achieved an interesting look in the bathroom thanks to having found a vintage dresser which served as the vanity. The tiles represented some necessary Earth and Wood (off-white and green colors) as well as Fire (hexagonal shape), so as to absorb the “wetness” that comes with wet rooms. We always try to dam/reduce/contain the influence of the Water element thanks to Wood and Earth and some yin Fire to increase the Earthy properties.
AFTER
The vanity was hard to work with. Redesigning the drawers to accommodate the pipes was a strenuous journey (you have do it well or you won’t have much space inside your drawers). It was important to varnish the dresser since we used it as a vanity. The wall paint color is “marshmallow” by Sherwin Williams, an off white with a tinge of pink.
BEFORE
Removing the wall and a closet revealed some water damage which we were able to remedy and installing a double vanity proved beneficial for resale.
For the bedrooms we kept everything very simple with accent colors that matched the guas (green for Ancestors and Wealth, pink for Romance, etc.). We could have done more with these accent colors, but kept them quite discreet.
I just want to give you an idea of the BEFORE photos for reference…
Now, onto the most fun part. I resisted it for a long time… because I am wary of painting bricks… But ultimately conceded that the white painted brick would give our house a WOW factor, that bare brick could not…
What do you think of the photos above (AFTER) versus the photos below (BEFORE)? Honestly… Please share your thoughts in the comments.
I designed new shutters and had them made, I changed the dated outdoor lights and cut the strange 80s acorn piece above the front door. We fixed and repainted the fence to elevate the pool area.
Please see the BEFORE photos below… Look below at how much brush we had to remove from the fence before fixing and painting it!
By the end of the renovation, all we wanted was to stay in our house, and not have to move… But life is life… Now a new family will be able to enjoy a move-in ready house. I’m excited for them.
We are now in a furnished rental apartment in Charleston. I would make a post about how cringe the furniture is… but I will instead focus on how grateful I am for the peace that a rental gives my family right now… Nothing to worry about.
We will take our time before we embark on a renovation journey again…
Much love,
Marianne