One of our favorite examples of this process is a residential rebirth from Toronto designer Tiffany Leigh. The home renovation completely transformed a gloomy beach house into an illuminated, airy oceanside getaway. The results are beyond impressive and show what some serious ingenuity, along with color upgrades, fresh flooring, and updated hardware, can do!
The Beach House Before:
According to Leigh, the home’s prior interior contained design relics that could’ve come straight off the set of That ’70s Show, including shag carpeting and dimly lit rooms, plus some majorly outdated cabinetry, window treatments, and furniture. Under Leigh’s direction, the home blossomed into a beautiful beach haven that she now uses as her holiday retreat when it’s not serving as an Airbnb rental.
Get the Look:
“Every decision was made with the bottom line as a short-term vacation property,” she says. “We selected product that is hard-wearing (like strong quartz countertops) but also felt like the nearby beach. I tiled the kitchen backsplash myself!” The floating shelves are another DIY solution. Leigh installed new white cabinetry from Home Hardware, adorned with bronze pulls and knobs from Hickory Hardware. As for transforming a lifeless kitchen into a light-filled spot, Leigh has advice on accomplishing this by rearranging cabinetry while simultaneously increasing storage capacity. “If you have a dark kitchen, try removing some upper cabinetry, which can feel heavy as well as cast shadows,” she explains. “Since this is a short-term rental, we don’t need a ton of kitchen items, so we removed all upper cabinets along the long wall. We put a full-height pantry beside the fridge to make up extra storage.” A sleek chrome kitchen faucet with a pull-down spray wand matches the newly modernized kitchen.
