6 Old Home Renovations So Stunning, You'll Get Chills
This La Grange, Illinois, Victorian just got a major makeover — thanks to Frank and Sherry Fontana of Downtown Shabby.
EPISODE 1: Large Victorian in La Grange, Illinois
When Tim and Ashely Folger made the decision to buy this Victorian beauty a few months back, they'd only been inside the house for a whopping 30 minutes. Flash forward to moving in and actually living in the space, and they realized that the house's impractical design and lack of amenities really weren't working for their family of soon-to-be four (Ashley has a baby boy on the way!).
Enter master renovators Frank and Sherry Fontana of FYI's Downtown Shabby, who worked with the Folgers and their $100,000 budget to redo this space for episode one of the new season. The Fontanas have been renovating homes together for more than 15 years — and were certainly up to this challenge. The original exterior of the home, pictured here, was fine as-is, but the couple wanted to repaint it white. Sherry had a concern that, without replacing the siding, white could show the house's age.
AFTER: A Brighter Look
But everything worked out just fine. The white adds an element of modern crispness to the 120-year-old facade.
BEFORE: A Cramped Master Bedroom
With no space and even less storage, the functionality of the Folger's bedroom was limited. "The challenge here was creating more space when there was none," Frank says. Aesthetics were also seriously lacking — Frank called this space a "basic blah bedroom."
AFTER: A Streamlined Couple's Retreat
Giving the Folgers the bedroom of their dreams took work. "We borrowed from another room and made a new entry for the master bath," Frank said, on how they created more space out of thin air. "This master bedroom is somewhere I would now want to retreat to at the end of the day!" adds Sherry.
BEFORE: A Hopeless Master Bath
The master bathroom, which was already in the stages of demolition when Frank and Sherry met the Folgers, didn't work for the family — in function or in style.
AFTER: More Modern Glam
Pearl gray cabinetry and gold accents add cleaner sophistication to the Folger's new bathroom. "The challenge was blowing it out completely and modernizing all the electrical and plumbing to accommodate the new glamorous design," says Sherry. "Moving plumbing stacks allowed us to create the entry for the walk-through closet and master bathroom."
BEFORE: A Nonexistent Nursery
At the beginning of the Fontana's intervention, Ashley Folger was a mere 10 weeks away from her due date with baby number two. The countdown to baby meant prioritizing the nursery, which hadn't been set up yet. The Folgers were using the "nursery" as a catch-all storage space.
AFTER: A Baby Boy's Fresh Start
Calm colors and wooden toy ships bring to mind a peaceful night at sea. "This is now a precious space to bring home a baby with soft color pallets, nautical accents and rich furniture," says Frank.
BEFORE: An Empty Parlor
"In the early 1900s, the Parlor room was used to view the deceased," explains Sherry. Yikes! No wonder the Folgers weren't using this space.
AFTER: An Entertaining Space Comes Alive
The Fontanas envisioned this forgotten room as a hub for entertaining — think holiday parties and cocktail hours. "The parlor room now has a show-stopping bar area with seating and style," said Frank. "It was a glorious transformation, chock full of ambiance and function."
BEFORE: A Disjointed Living Room
The family hated the original design of their living room — the TV, popped forward and hanging over the fireplace, was the (unfortunate) focal point of the space. "The living room had some character but needed a complete update to meet the homeowner's needs," Sherry says. "The challenge was merging these spaces and expanding the fireplace to fit the large television. "
AFTER: A Comfy Family Center
Ahh, so much better. Previously dark, dingy, and cramped, the Folger's new living room is a bright and cheery oasis for their growing family. "The living room now has multiple areas of entertaining. It turned out glamorous, functional and full of character that fit the homeowners taste," says Frank.
Tune in to "Downtown Shabby" on Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on FYI. For more info, visit www.fyi.tv
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