Before and After: Make it modern in Bachelor Gulch
A redesign project by Jacobs + Interiors
Jess Blackwell Photography
Sometimes, a home just needs a little freshening up, rather than a full-scale, tear-down renovation. Such was the case with a home in Bachelor Gulch.
The homeowners moved into their previously part-time home full time and just wanted to modernize the furnishings, as opposed to removing all of the home’s wood and stone, which gives it that mountain aesthetic. The couple had spent a lot of time in London, so they tended toward more traditional taste. Yet, the home’s palette originated in a different era, with yellowish faux finish and over-accessorized, bulky furniture in predominantly reds and dark browns, says Yvonne Jacobs, owner of Jacobs + Interiors in Edwards.
“They didn’t want a full-on remodel, deleting the stone and wood, so we executed (the remodel) nicely with paint and fabric color,” she said. “It’s a good example of how you don’t have to completely re-do everything.”
The entryway affords a gorgeous view from a wall of windows, accented by vaulted ceilings lined with timber. Before, some of the best “seats” in the house weren’t fully utilized; instead, a game table near the windows, along with two chairs 鈥� one with its back facing the view 鈥� limited its use.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a better layout for how they entertain and for their lifestyle.鈥� Yvonne Jacobs, owner of Jacobs + Interiors
Meanwhile, the main area of the open great room felt a bit boxy with its dark furnishings, consisting of a leather sofa, two reddish, overstuffed chairs next to each other, a smaller loveseat opposite the chairs and a bench 鈥� all surrounding a somewhat dark, metal-based, stone-topped coffee table.
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When the couple moved in full time, they wanted multiple seating areas in which to entertain, so Jacobs + Interiors expanded their use of the great room by creating a light and airy seating area next to the expansive windows. The team removed the game table and chairs and created a welcoming seating area, with a blue sofa, which remains backless in the middle and allows guests to recline comfortably on each end closest to the windows, and two curved, white seats arranged around an oval coffee table. This area now acts more like a sunroom, where the couple and guests can enjoy coffee or evening cocktails with amazing views.
The other seating area, next to the fireplace, replaces the former dark furnishings with a blue loveseat, a white sofa and a bench that blends the white-and-blue color scheme. Two modern leather seats add an earthy tone, complementing the wooden timber above.
“All of the sudden, the stone fireplace didn’t look as heavy,” Jacobs said, adding that since the homeowners loved blue, the team included a nice thread of the color throughout the home.
She also reframed a beautiful work of art previously framed in gold with a white oak frame to match the lighter, brighter aesthetic.
The dining room benefited from a new table and chairs grounded by a light area rug, as well as the removal of a big, heavy hutch. That modernized it enough so that the chandelier, which has been in the family and reflects more of a traditional style, now looks modernized.
“Now, it’s a beautiful, elegant dining room,” she said.
Before the remodel, the kitchen seemed a bit heavy and dark, with a floral valence over the window above the sink and brown wooden cabinets that extended to the ceiling. The team, which included Genesis Innovations in Edwards, removed some walls to create a more open, functional layout. What was a pantry now contains the refrigerator and freezer 鈥� before, those appliances sat to the left of the window, where the oven is now located. White cabinetry brightens the space and allows room for a hidden coffee bar to the right of the sink. The team also added a wine cooler. They brought in the blues of the great room furnishings through the base of the island, as well as its chair seats.
“It’s a better layout for how they entertain and for their lifestyle,” Jacobs said, adding that the bar stools are “elegant, yet communal.”
Additionally, the mudroom is now connected to the kitchen, so the entire space, which used to be separate, feels larger.
The powder room on this main level features wood-veneer wallpaper and white oak cabinets with handmade bronze handles and a stone vessel sink.
“Before, it looked like a chest-of-drawers-type vanity. It was very old-fashioned with lots of curly-cues,” she said.
The bedroom looked heavy with a large, studded leather headboard and footboard and heavy drapery. New carpet and paint, light window treatments and a new bed transformed the room from sleepy to dreamy. The team reupholstered the chairs, inserted a white head- and footboard grounded and lined with wood, and brought in modern nightstands, lamps and bedding.
“We followed the theme of keeping everything light, with an elegant feel,” Jacobs said.
Before, the homeowners struggled with having enough room to store bathroom items in the somewhat small space, so the team outfitted the primary bathroom with a tower of cabinetry between the double vanity for extra storage. Decorative mirrors, which the homeowners prefer, added a jewel-tone touch. They also replaced a built-in tub surrounded with tumbled, yellowish-brown tiles with a freestanding tub, grounded with a white marble floor.
“Now, it’s a beautiful, clean white space,” she said.
As in many remodels, the homeowners initially didn’t think they’d refresh every room downstairs, but once they saw how wonderful the rest of the home looked, they decided to dig into all of it.
They kept the downstairs vanities but redid all of the tumbled tiles with large-format tile and small grout lines, creating a white, bright space, since none of those bathrooms had natural light. Now, under-mounted sinks replace older-style sinks installed upon countertops.
“It was a nice refresh for the whole house,” Jacobs said.
