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lynneve_komaromi

Before and after condo remodel

Lynn Eve Komaromi
10 months ago

After years of dreaming and finding inspiration on Houzz, we completed the renovation of our condo. I'm posting highlights below, but you can see all the photos in my ideabook here (https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/169408752/thumbs/condo-renovation).



Condo Renovation · More Info

When entering the condo, you came right into the kitchen. Low ceilings with bad lighting, little counter space, and tiled countertops. Not a functional space at all.



Condo Renovation · More Info

Putting up a wall to define the kitchen, while maintaining an opening to the living room, has made for a much better sense of welcome into the space. The lighted niche also creates a focal point, showcasing a cherished Turkish plate from our travels.



Condo Renovation · More Info

My main goal with this remodel was to create a more efficient layout so two of us could work in the kitchen at the same time.



Condo Renovation · More Info

We did this by moving the range to the adjacent wall. Raising the ceiling and having some open shelving helped create more openness. We also used smaller appliances (24-inch fridge and 18-in dishwasher) which bought critical inches when it came to counter space and storage. For two people, it's just the right size.



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Before, the living room had lots of light (which was why we could have such dark walls). But we chose to brighten everything up.



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All of the texture was removed from the walls and the ceilings. French doors into the den bring in much more light. And the peacock blue tile bring a punch of color.




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What used to be our son's bedroom is now our den/office/guest room. We converted the closet into a built-in office space.



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A little alcove in a corner of the room is now home to a built-in daybed and reading nook.



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Another dramatic change was saying goodbye to this decrepit bathroom.



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The bath is now set up for true "me time" with a soaking tub. The vanity is an antique Chinese cabinet that I bought years ago. We purposely did not put a shower in this room as we have a fabulous shower in our other bath, and we do not plan on selling our home - it's a forever space. The only thing left to do here is some decorative painting on the walls. An artist friends will be painting some blooming magnolia branches to bring home the Zen quality of the space.


Hope this serves as some inspiration as I found so much inspiration on Houzz when designing my space!

Comments (41)

  • cpartist
    10 months ago

    Stunning!

  • Lynn Eve Komaromi
    Original Author
    10 months ago

    Thank you!

  • darbuka
    10 months ago

    Nicely done! Enjoy!

  • jackowskib
    10 months ago

    Amazing transformation!

  • rebunky
    10 months ago

    Bravo! Great job and I love how clean and modern it looks!

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    10 months ago

    Fantastic! I love the colors you chose in the kitchen and the adjacent teal wall and how you carried the teal into the bathroom and other spaces. Great vanity -- it's an interesting piece, and I like how it juxtaposes with the modern-ness of the rest of the condo.

  • Rho Dodendron
    10 months ago

    Stunning! I'm sure you are spending more time at home now.


    If the chair in your son's X room is rosewood I have 8 more just like it plus the matching table.

  • Lynn Eve K
    10 months ago

    @Rho Dodendron, indeed we are spending lots of time at home…our nest! And the desk chair is one of a pair. The other sits in the sitting room off our bedroom and we add them to our dining room when we have dinner parties for six. Being in a small space calls for us being inventive and flexible, a way to keep our home from getting too cluttered. And aren’t rosewood chairs just beautiful?! Nice to hear you enjoy yours as well.

  • course411
    10 months ago

    Beautiful! Well done :)

  • RedRyder
    10 months ago

    All well done! You must be so pleased.

  • theresa21
    10 months ago

    Wow! Well done!

  • Lynn Eve K
    10 months ago

    Thanks, @blfenton. I designed the space, and to be honest, I was nervous about putting up the wall. But after I made some renderings, even taking photos and drawing on them, I felt much more confident in the decision. And raising the ceiling was game-changing.

  • acm
    10 months ago

    Wonderful job! The kitchen is a stunner, inside and out!

  • Karenseb
    10 months ago

    Beautiful! The kitchen is fantastic.

  • Rosie G
    10 months ago

    A beautiful space. Thank you for sharing.

  • PRO
    OTM Designs & Remodeling Inc.
    9 months ago

    Looks great !

  • jakkom
    9 months ago

    Amazing redesign - you have a real eye for balance, scale, and color! Congratulations, you did a better job than many professionals could have managed.

    It is not easy to take a small space and rework so that it "lives big". That's a tremendous achievement!

  • thinkdesignlive
    9 months ago

    Looks great!

  • Ellen-Fay Simmons
    9 months ago

    That is just gorgous!

  • PRO
    Aardvark Architecture
    9 months ago

    Great kitchen, great blue color on the wall.

    Interesting choice to go with a tub that size in a narrow room. Why did you go for that instead of a tall plane of glass for a shower?

    Lynn Eve Komaromi thanked Aardvark Architecture
  • Kay p
    9 months ago

    Beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us.

  • Lynn Eve Komaromi
    Original Author
    9 months ago
    last modified: 9 months ago

    @Aardvark Architecture: Our other master suite we renovated six years ago with a glassed in shower (https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/80391399/thumbs/condo-master-suite-renovation). I wanted a soaking tub and this suited me very well. We also don't plan on moving, and with just the two of us, this bathroom is rarely used. The photo makes the room seem more narrow than it is, but it is a small tub at about 56" long.

  • arcy_gw
    9 months ago

    Always LOVE seeing before and after's. It's gives one soo much to think about. Curious that taking a wall out of a bathroom but putting one up in a kitchen made you feel you added needed inches. For sure the smaller appliances made a huge difference! We needed a new fridge and it took us sooo long to find one that fit that by the time we did the kids were gone so the smaller was aok after all!! Thanks for posting!

    Lynn Eve Komaromi thanked arcy_gw
  • K P
    9 months ago

    I love it! The lighted niche and the reading nook are really nice personal touches, and I love that it's modern yet warm and inviting. Do you happen to know the name of your kitchen backsplash tile?

    Lynn Eve Komaromi thanked K P
  • Lynn Eve Komaromi
    Original Author
    9 months ago

    @arcy_gw: Yes, it's funny how putting up a wall and taking one down can change things. For the kitchen, it feels bigger because we lifted the ceiling and were able to create more counterspace with the smaller appliances. Putting up the wall really helped to define the space so you didn't feel like you were just walking into the kitchen when first entering the condo. I was really worried about the wall, so I took pictures and literally drew on them so I could imagine what it would look like. When I saw that it would be fine, I went for it, and I'm so glad I did. And then, of course, removing the wall in the bathroom makes the room feel twice as large.


    @K P: All the tile is from Fireclay tile. The kitchen tile color is Salton Sea.

  • Lynn Eve K
    9 months ago

    Ha! He’s the king of this castle!

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    9 months ago

    A stake driven through the heart of the abominable open concept. Bravo.

  • anna_682
    9 months ago

    Beautiful!

  • Kendrah
    9 months ago

    I love seeing condo renovations and yours is great. It has so many personal details, which is a delight to see.

    Lynn Eve Komaromi thanked Kendrah
  • Priya S
    8 months ago

    Looks great! I also have tile going up the wall in my bathroom and I absolutely hated it but this gives me ideas on how to make it looks nice

  • vicbayside
    8 months ago

    Love the defined spaces! Love that blue as well, great job!

  • PRO
    OTM Designs & Remodeling Inc.
    8 months ago

    Great work!!

  • PRO
    PRM Custom Builders
    8 months ago

    This is fantastic! The tile selections are great in every room.

  • PRO
    Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
    8 months ago

    What a great transformation!! Congratulation on your project.

  • PRO
    May Construction, Inc.
    8 months ago

    Looks great, love the colors that you chose throughout. Also where will you be adding the Magnolia blooms, that is a very nice personal touch to have your artist friend come in and paint that. You renovation looks stunning and seems to be just what you wanted.

  • zealart
    8 months ago

    I really like what you did with the kitchen and living space. What a difference to come home to the after compared to the before.

  • PRO
    Norwood Architects
    8 months ago

    I love the extra wide plankin flooring in your kitchen!

  • Lynn Eve K
    8 months ago

    @NorwoodArchitects, thank you. I chose the wide plank because I wanted to carry it forward as an edge around the perimeter of the dining and living area. Because I live on the top floor, our condo CC&Rs require carpet. So the wood edging helped give the look of hardwood with carpet overlaid. It’s a detail I’m really appreciating.

  • Jj J
    8 months ago

    Lovely changes! I had to smile when I read how you changed your son’s room to an office… made me remember an old commercial on TV where a young man comes home with a big duffel bag, walks into his old room (which has been repurposed) and he just stands there and says, “Mom?”

  • PRO
    Norwood Architects
    8 months ago

    Also love the vanity!