Do you ever have a friend that does something and you’re like, I didn’t even know you could do that?!?? Turns out, I do. Her name is Kelly. She has five kids, three dogs, two cats and a gerbil. And in her spare time (HAHAHAHA) she, and her husband, Matt, like to plus the heck up out of their home.
I only recently stumbled upon this fact when I listed their house and it headed into a multiple offer sitch in two days. It’s a gorgeous home, no doubt, with an incredible pool and an HOA membership that includes access to walking trails, Pickle Ball courts, man-made sandy beaches and several freaking catch-and-release lakes. It’s in a cul-de-sac, too. All total pluses, but what really sealed the deal were the custom touches they created. It helped their house stand out and snag a sales price so big it gets caught in your throat.
The first DIY home reno they completed was a facelift on the fireplace. It was born out of necessity. They had to repair the chimney and that left a hole in the drywall. Where some saw a tape and texture repair, these two knuckleheads saw an opportunity. They added patterned (encaustic!!) tile around the fireplace, channeled Chip & Jo and added shiplap up top. Here’s why it works… it’s not an overwhelming amount of shiplap. Just a nice little pop.
When they were getting ready to list, Kelly had the idea to wrap the structural columns in worn wood. She headed to Lowe’s and discovered that you can buy weathered wood, pre-whitewashed by the bundle. As she was setting up her project, she realized that was way too many wood cuts and it wasn’t giving her the look she was going for.
Always one to avoid a return, she started looking for somewhere else to install the bundle. That’s when she stumbled into her formal living room with the comfy couch. She realized this was her wall and got to work. Not unlike Drake, she started from the bottom, now we’re here. She stacked the first row of boards on top of the baseboards, nailed each in place with white finishing nails and worked her way up. Matt then trimmed the boards so they fit horizontally. She swears it was really easy, but then again, she has five kids, so difficulty is on a bit of a sliding scale.
As the dutiful real estate agent that showed up to sell the heck out of that house, I can say this wall was one of the things that people commented on most. It’s great on its own, but the fact that Matt and Kelly paired it with a modern gold chandelier and a few sprigs of greenery woven on a brass loop, made it extra. It also creates a real nice little vignette. Ta da.