You may have read about a house we designed in Key West in the June issue of Traditional Home magazine.  Shortly before the article went to press, the homeowners had the opportunity to purchase the house immediately behind theirs.  This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to combine two properties with such historic significance in the heart of old town Key West.   On March 14, 2010, I did a blog post entitled “Southernmost Before and After” showing pictures of what is now the guest house in the following series of photos.  Check those out first, and you will not believe the transformation shown in the following images.  The photos are arranged as if you were walking through the space.

Our goal was to make the two houses seamless, as if it has always been the way it is now.  The property behind the main house had the same size lot, but a much smaller house.  We were able to remove all the un-historic portions of the house, and add on a fantastic guest house.  The original part of the house is now the “dining pavillion”, an outdoor dining and seating area that is perfect for entertaining.  In order to complete the picture, we added a master bedroom suite, a loft sleeping area, a small kitchen, powder room, and a small sitting room.  It really is paradise transformed. 

In order to maintain the casual feel the owner wanted; we used linen fabrics, comfortable upholstery, original old house details, and striped the floors with white a green paint to really enhance the cottage feeling.  We also intensified the same color palette that was used in the main house.  It really got punched up for more impact.  The results are pretty dramatic.

We worked on the main house some too.  New French style doors were added to the master bedroom, allowing direct access to the pool area, and a former deck space was converted to an office for the homeowner.

On our trip to Nashville, we visited our friend Sarah Ross.  Sarah is a friend of mine from high school, and she is a great customer at our shop, Bobby Todd Antiques.  We stopped by to see the progress on her house, which she has done entirely by herself.  She has done a great job, and I wanted to share her look.  Sarah grew up with parents who collected primitive antiques.  The look was great, but as she began furnishing her home, she realized she wanted something a little more glamorous.  She loved the color palette of soft blues and browns, and wanted to introduce a few modern influences as well as some painted Italian pieces.  She has done an amazing job.  The house looks fresh, youthful, and sophisticated.  She used a wonderful mix of antique pieces from Bobby Todd with some new things, and the look speaks for itself.  Congratulations Sara on such a beautiful job.