Aaron and Kao. Kao and Aaron. First-time homeowners, full-time go getters and newest edition to that DIY Life.
Last summer after a very short search – these two are decisive as hell – I had the legit fortune of helping them buy a three-bedroom, two-bathroom traditional home in a killer location. It’s North Dallas, right by the Tollway in a convenient little pocket of a neighborhood that feeds into Plano ISD. Not at all relevant to this write-up, but now you know.
ANYWAY, like I said, the home is traditional on the exterior, but thanks to Aaron + Kao’s vision, she’s getting a real modern makeover.
Aaron and Kao have incredible taste AND they have that one very special quality, vision. They found a home with solid bones that needed a little updating and basically said in unison, we’re on it.
Before they even moved in, they got to work scraping the popcorn off the ceilings. Like, all the popcorn. Off all of the ceilings. And they did it themselves. Once it was time to smooth the ceiling, they discovered the most fun lesson of DIY, sometimes it’s better to call in the pros. Turns out hanging upside down with a tray of mud and a blade is a bit much.
After the ceilings were smoothed, it was time to pick a paint color…and flooring.
They went with luxury vinyl plank flooring from All American Flooring. It’s super popular because price + durability and there are SO many options.
Aaron wanted to go with commercial grade because he’s just that practical. (Lasts forever and ever.) But after seeing the limited options, Kao said nah. They settled on a flooring that worked with the existing fireplace, fresh new paint color and on-the-way sectional. The lighter walls make the room look so much bigger and brighter. And picking the perfect white is so much fun. That’s sarcasm. It’s a pain in the butt. Thanks to Kao, though, you don’t have to suffer. You can just borrow Alabaster from Sherwin-Williams which is what they went with.
Here’s one thing you’re not even thinking about, but at some point you’ll have to decide – which way do those planks lay?!? Kao said they deferred to the installer and went vertical. She said there’s an area where the hallway comes in at an angle and they wondered if they should follow the diagonal, but their main man said nope, keep it consistent
The results are nothing short of freaking ridiculous. It’s shocking what a little inspiration, a whole lotta hardwork, a few cans of paint and a full palette of gorgeous new flooring can do.
Aaron and Kao aren’t done yet, either. Kao said they’re still picking art for the walls, and they just finished sodding their yard. Up next: The Primary Bathroom that currently has brass fixtures and Hollywood vanity lights. Though I can honestly say, not for long and I can’t freaking wait.
