Michelle & Brian

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Michelle and Brian’s forever home has been in their family for 20 years: 10 years with Michelle’s mom, and now 10 years with Michelle and Brian, who added twins to the happy family. After two decades, it was time for a little more space and a lot of updates. We got to work opening sight lines and adding storage to the kitchen and dining room while tackling a beast of a fireplace in the living room. And, despite Drew’s misgivings, we moved the ping pong table to the basement and made the sunroom into a comfortable seating area.

Resource Guide

FHS02E07 Michelle Brian

Click below to see all of the items featured in this episode!

wdt_ID	Room	Product Type	STYLE	Product	Company	Product Code/Sku
1	Main Floor	Hardwood Flooring	White Oak Hardwood Flooring - Genoa	White Oak Hardwood Flooring - Genoa	CRAFT Artisan Wood Floors	N/A
2	Main Floor	Pot Lights	HLB4LED	HLB4LED	HALO	HLB4 LED
3	Hallway	Lighting	Bangor Flush Mount Light	Bangor Flush Mount Light	Lights Canada	1440-PN
4	Office	Lighting	Orion Table Lamp	Orion Table Lamp	Lights Canada	HL206201S-OB
5	Kitchen	Sink	QUATRUS R15 U 2 - Stainless Steel sink	QUATRUS R15 U 2 - Stainless Steel sink	Blanco	401519
6	Kitchen	Faucet	CATRIS - Single-Lever High Pressure	CATRIS - Single-Lever High Pressure	Blanco	401918
7	Kitchen	Accessory	Sink Grid	Sink Grid	Blanco	406349
8	Kitchen	Refrigerator	KitchenAid 238 Cu.Ft. French Door Refrigerator	KitchenAid 238 Cu.Ft. French Door Refrigerator	The Brick	KRFC302S
9	Kitchen	Dishwasher	KitchenAid Stainless Steel 24" Dishwasher	KitchenAid Stainless Steel 24" Dishwasher	The Brick	KDTE204G
10	Kitchen	Stove	KitchenAid 7.1 Cu.Ft. Slide-In Induction Range	KitchenAid 7.1 Cu.Ft. Slide-In Induction Range	The Brick	KSIB900S
11	Kitchen	Microwave	Sharp 24" Drawer Microwave	Sharp 24" Drawer Microwave	The Brick	SMD2477S
12	Kitchen	Decor	Scott Living Oasis Clear Glass Vase with Bamboo Band	Scott Living Oasis Clear Glass Vase with Bamboo Band	Scott Living	N/A
13	Living Room	Lighting	Dainolite Tripod Floor Lamp	Dainolite Tripod Floor Lamp	Lights Canada	OD3-F-698-MB
14	Living Room	Lighting	Koleman Floor Lamp	Koleman Floor Lamp	Lights Canada	461
15	Living Room	Side Table	Luda Accent Table	Luda Accent Table	The Brick	LUDABACC
16	Living Room	Furniture	North Avenue Storage Bench	North Avenue Storage Bench	The Brick	NORTHBNC
17	Living Room	Basket	Scott Living Large Water Hyacinth Basket	Scott Living Large Water Hyacinth Basket	Scott Living	N/A
18	Living Room	Decor	Scott Living Luxe 8-Inch Brass Finish Metal Birdcage Candleholder	Scott Living Luxe 8-Inch Brass Finish Metal Birdcage Candleholder	Scott Living	N/A
19	Living Room	Sofa	Gena 2-Piece Linen-Look Right-Facing Sectional	Gena 2-Piece Linen-Look Right-Facing Sectional	The Brick	GENACOSR
20	Living Room	Armchair	Kylie Linen-Look Fabric Chair	Kylie Linen-Look Fabric Chair	The Brick	KYLIPECH
21	Living Room	Decor	Scott Living Luxe 10-Inch Brass Finish Metal Birdcage Candleholder	Scott Living Luxe 10-Inch Brass Finish Metal Birdcage Candleholder	Scott Living	N/A
22	Sunroom	Ottoman	Gena Linen-Look Fabric Ottoman	Gena Linen-Look Fabric Ottoman	The Brick	GENACOOT
23	Sunroom	Armchair	Ivory Leather-Look Fabric Accent Chair	Ivory Leather-Look Fabric Accent Chair	The Brick	IVOBRLAC
24	Sunroom	Lighting	Vintage Hammered Metal Table Lamp	Vintage Hammered Metal Table Lamp	The Brick	ST9104LP
25	Sunroom	Accessories	Rain Accent Pillow	Rain Accent Pillow	The Brick	72940ADP
26	Sunroom	Lighting	Black Arc Floor Lamp with Gold Metal Shade	Black Arc Floor Lamp with Gold Metal Shade	The Brick	LL1330AC
27	Sunroom	Sofa	Kylie Linen-Look Fabric Sofa	Kylie Linen-Look Fabric Sofa	The Brick	KYLIPESF
28	Dining Room	Dining Table	Theo Dining Table	Theo Dining Table	The Brick	THEOBDTL
29	All	Tools	Tools	Tools	Milwaukee	N/A

Before & After

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

TAKE IT TO THE BANQUETTE

Michelle and Brian wanted multiple seating areas throughout the house, and a breakfast banquette was the perfect way to accomplish the goal. We ran the new, white cabinets all the way over to the seating area so they would have plenty of storage and prep space. With natural light from the window streaming in, this little nook is going to be the perfect place for morning coffee.

MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE

Michelle made no bones about it: she did not like this fireplace. More accurately, she didn’t like how big it was, and once we got into it, we understood why: the bricks were mortared with concrete! Once we got all the old materials out, we surrounded the new gas insert with a patterned tile and low-profile frame, so it wouldn’t stick out (literally). As a bonus, we also replaced the frame on the lovely painting from Brian’s grandmother and hung it with care once again above the mantle.

ELEVATION CHANGES EVERYTHING

Our kitchen redesign came with a view—namely, the one out the window right above the new induction range. But to keep that view, we had to go way up with the vent hood, and install one powerful enough to make up the distance. We built a special casing to house the vent hood, and kept a clean look that tied the kitchen together.