We did it!
Now it was time to start the design process (my favorite!) with the challenge of making this quick remodel look custom and beautiful, and as cost efficient as possible.
We got the keys to our 2 bed/1 bath San Diego property (read the purchase story) and set a goal of getting our condo fully remodeled, listed and rented out in 6 weeks. I was well aware that this was an AGGRESSIVE timeline. But you know #goals. I wanted the design of the home to be timeless yet modern.
Although the home is pretty spacious for 950 sq ft, it did have the laundry section right smack dab in the middle of the kitchen, blocking part of the view of the living/dining area. We couldn’t change that due to the electrical and duct work.
In an ideal world, I would have removed and put in a kitchen island. Anyway, I had to work around the constraint of a big clunky column literally cutting the space of the home (which is bad feng shui) but not as bad as having your front door facing an open staircase.
Budget
This post wouldn’t be complete without speaking about our budget – our motto was ‘how low can you go?’ without compromising design, durability and quality. This home was going to be a rental and we wanted it to withstand the wear and tear of unpredictable renters. So that nixed my DIY ideas of painting the outdated floor tiles or using peel and stick kitchen backsplash. 🙂 We just threw an estimate out in the air of $20K without really knowing the costs of replacing all windows/doors and getting HVAC installed.
Design Inspiration
My goal with the property was to create a space that feels:
timelessly modern, custom, cohesive and clean
The color inspiration was:
black, white, neutral
Will this color palette ever go out of style? I doubt it. These are classic colors and a great base for versatility. You can always change the style by adding pops of color and accessories. Everything will STILL MATCH. It’s a no fail technique – the way I like my recipes too. You can see my design inspiration photos below.
The kitchen
The kitchen is small with not much storage. I wanted to brighten the room and create as much storage capacity as possible. I like the look of open shelving because it creates openness and airiness. But I’m always thinking of functionality, practicality and efficiency. Whenever I consider having open shelving, all I think about is dust, grime and the high maintenance to keep the area clutter free. So we were not going with open shelving.
The bathroom
I wanted the single small bathroom to appear larger and have a ‘wow’ factor – like walking into a luxury hotel bathroom. My ideas going in:
- Convert bathtub/shower to standing shower
- Utilize a frameless sliding shower door
- Optimize pattern and size to create visual cues that lengthen and widen the space
- Add dimension and depth through color and material combinations
The Floors
We were originally not going to change out the tile floors because they were durable and because of costs. And honestly they weren’t a complete disaster. It would have saved us money and time but if we did nothing, the floors would really bring down the whole aesthetic I was going for and defeat the purpose of transforming this home.
We also needed to do something about the super tacky outdoor patio astro-turf – flattened into a slipping hazard by 30 years of traffic and diminishing the curb appeal of the home.
Should we DIY it with interlocking acacia wood flooring or just re-tile the entire patio?
Coming up…the reveal!
I’ll leave you some demo photos below. But stay tuned for Part III: The reveal where I’ll breakdown EVERYTHING we did, including the materials, tips and tricks, and the total cost. Did we stay on budget? What did we learn? Sign up and never miss a post!
Read Part I: The Purchase – how we got an amazing deal on this property, while in the middle of the hottest real estate market
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