Marylanders looking to spruce up their living spaces in 2015 can get some inspiration from former state senator, philanthropist and businessman Francis “Frank” Kelly and his wife, Janet. The pair recently renovated their Hunt Valley home after living in it for 26 years.
The project started out, Janet told Baltimore Magazine in late December, as a simple kitchen remodel. But when a friend who happened to be an interior designer stopped by, the project expanded to a first-floor transformation.
“Originally, my vision was to get new cabinets,” said Janet. “But then a friend of ours came by and she said, ‘Janet, why don’t you take this wall out? … And why don’t you open that wall? And why don’t you fix the step-down?’”
The result is striking and airy, featuring creamy white cabinetry, cream granite and chocolate-colored marble, accented with antique brass fixtures. The design, which features two kitchen islands and an open floor plan, also allows the Kellys to entertain up to 65 people for fundraisers or charitable events.
Perennially Reliable Advice
Of course, such a grand renovation probably isn’t in the plans for most homeowners this year. But experts say it’s possible to manage the costs of renovation and be smart about where in the home money is invested.
The adage from real estate agents is that kitchens and bathrooms sell houses — probably at least part of the reason that the cabinet and vanity industry in the U.S. has grown about 4.1% each year in the last five years.
But experts also warn that homeowners shouldn’t over-improve for their areas if they expect to get their money back by putting the house on the market. In other words, don’t embark on any renovation which would put your home in a much different league than your neighbors’.
Technological Assistance
Homeowners looking to keep costs down can also take advantage of the many home design apps on the market to help them plan a space, comparison shop or even solicit competitive interior design bids.
“In the past, [renovations] would require excruciatingly long visits to your neighborhood Crate and Barrel location. Bob at Customer Service would spend more time repurposing the awkward corner next to your sofa than you spent applying to college. But it’s 2015 now, and we do things digitally,” Emily Siegel quipped for Paste Magazine Jan. 14.
One free app, called RoomScan, renders digital floor plans when it is touched to each wall of a room. Another, FurnishUp, pulls furniture from popular sites such as Ikea and Pottery Barn, allowing users to try them out in the digital space — avoiding both the time of hauling furniture and the expense of paying restocking fees if an item needs to be returned.
And as the Boston Globe noted in its New-Year’s roundup of design apps, there are even apps that can help with the decorating process itself, such as one that replaces a level to assist in hanging artwork.