southern interior designers – Dana Wolter Interiors

Living Well

Living Well: A Beautiful Kitchen Makeover — Before and After

We love when a client emails us for help with a home renovation, and with all of the time we’re spending in our houses these days, this particular before and after kitchen makeover for our clients in Birmingham, AL, happened just in the nick of time.

It was quite the transformation.

We first renovated and furnished the entry, dining room, family room and the husband’s study. After seeing how well they turned out, the homeowners focused on the back of the home and asked us to renovate the kitchen, dining, office and laundry.

The tired kitchen needed not only updated finishes and details but to function better for this active family.

Rework The Existing Space

There was a lot of wasted space in hallways and angled walls, so squaring off walls and moving others around was a must for more livable space. Jason Robb did a great job drawing the plans.

We reclaimed square footage from hallways and created a walk-in office and a butler’s pantry that now connects the kitchen and dining room.

Stayed tuned on a future before and after post on the butler’s pantry- you won’t want to miss it.

KITCHEN AFTER:

Dana Wolter Interiors Kitchen Makeover — Kitchen Renovation, Dana Wolter Interiors

KITCHEN BEFORE:

Quite the before and after kitchen makeover, right?

Create A Timeless, Functional Kitchen

To create a more timeless space that didn’t feel dark and heavy, we removed the dark painted cabinets and replaced them with quartersawn white oak ones. They now feel more like furniture than built-ins.

A custom wax finish enhances the elegance of the wood and reflects the light beautifully.

Everyday appliances are cloistered behind paneled fronts to create a seamless yet functional space. The La Cornue range is like the perfect accessory to a little black dress.

The large center island was also replaced and given a more elegant, furniture-like design with quartersawn oak legs and fluted details. The main sink was relocated to it and a prep sink installed under the window.

This is a great #entertainingtip so the island can be used as a serving area while prep is out of the way.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Kitchen renovation, Dana Wolter Interiors.

Customize The Details Throughout

Unlacquered brass accents are found throughout in the faucets, pot filler, island lanterns and on the black La Cornue range and hood. Tile floors were replaced with light blond oak to complete the light, airy palette.

The finishing touch is a large-scale, honeycomb coffered ceiling. It is an interesting detail that catches your eye but doesn’t distract from the timeless quality of the kitchen.

Adjacent to the kitchen, we incorporated a breakfast area with a custom banquette that looks like a sofa. It’s perfect for family meals or morning coffee.

Breakfast Room for family meals and coffee, Dana Wolter Interiors

I hope you like the before and after of this home renovation and kitchen makeover as much as we enjoyed working on it. If we can help transform your home into one you love, email us here. We would love to discuss your project with you.

Dana

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Living Well

6 Bedroom Design Ideas To Create A Room You Love

I have been talking a lot lately about the importance of making your home one you love, and your bedroom is the perfect spot to begin.

Your bedroom should be a room that allows you to #livewell by surrounding yourself with things that help you relax and rejuvenate.

Here are six must-follow bedroom design ideas for creating a room you love

**1. Use colors that SPEAK to you**

I normally keep colors in the bedroom soft because I need tranquility in my life (Ha!), but if a bright color speaks to you, then certainly use it.

Bedroom Decorating Tips — Bedroom created a few years back for a favorite client; Dana Wolter Interiors, Jean Allsopp Photography

2. Mix your Furniture Pieces for a Collected Look

Gone are the days of matching bedroom sets, so mix your finishes. This means strategically including stained woods, painted finishes, iron and metals that blend with your color palette.

3. Layer

Bedrooms can have quite a few hard surfaces, so it is important to add softness through a rug, window treatments, pillows, bedding, etc…

I love this upholstered niche by Circa Interiors

4. Add in the personal

Incorporate touches that are personal to you, such as your favorite photographs and artwork.

5. Keep it simple…

Don’t clutter or overcrowd your bedroom with too much stuff. Make sure the room can breathe, so you can as well.

6. Incorporate seating

While you don’t want to overcrowd, I always try to add some sort of seating in a bedroom. A place to lounge is ideal if you aren’t quite ready to curl up in bed.

A leather or upholstered chair are pieces that can enhance a bedroom space and make it feel like your very own private suite. #Livewell in your home by making it your own.

My daughter’s bedroom, Dana Wolter Interiors, Graham Yelton Photography

Bedrooms should have all of the things in it that you love. It should be the place you cannot wait to get to at the end of your day or sneak off to when you just need a moment to yourself.

If you want help or need guidance on how to make your bedroom feel like its very own getaway, call us at 205-938-4848 or email us here.

Here’s to creating a bedroom you love and #livingwell in your home.

xo- Dana

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Living Well

5 Must-Follow Tips When Building Or Renovating A Home

Building or renovating a home is a huge investment with your time and more importantly, your money.

And when a client hires us, we work to protect their investment and become their advocate, all while investing their money wisely and (hopefully) taking away the stress. I often see the same pitfalls to avoid when renovating or building.

Here are 5 must-follow tips on building or renovating a home:

1. Order the Size Window the Architect Specs Sometimes in the bidding process, it’s discussed replacing a custom window with a standard size one to save a little money.

Don’t do it- window size, type, and placement are extremely important when building a home, and this small change can dramatically alter the look of what has been professionally drawn.

2. Buy Right the First Time. Let’s face it….Life gets busy and all of us have good intentions to go back later and switch something out. I know building can be draining and tiring, but once you have moved and settled in, the last thing you want to do is spend money to replace something.

Buy the best you can afford on the front end and you will enjoy it for many years to come.

3. Use Classic Building Materials Save the trends for things that are easy to switch out such as pillows and accessories, and keep your building material finishes classic. You will thank me in the long run, especially if you decide to sell.

4. Set Money Aside for the Furnishings Budget appropriately for the building process (this is another post I need to write) and be sure to leave enough money to properly furnish the home.

Dana Wolter Interiors, Graham Yelton Photography

5. Think Long Term on Your Needs How long are you going to live in this house? If you plan on staying for five years or more, you need to take into account what your needs will be down the road.

Are you an empty nester building your final house? Be sure to think ahead on bedroom placement, stairs and other simple things that could be a hindrance down the road.

A custom-designed #island for an #emptynester couple, Dana Wolter Interiors, Graham Yelton
Photography

Do you have children who will be teenagers in five years? If so, they (and their friends) will only grow bigger and need more space..

Be sure to think long term and hire the best architect, designer, landscape designer and builder your budget allows. I promise you that in the end, it will save you money and hassle.

If you are building or renovating and would like to discuss your project with us, email us here. I would love to talk with you.

Have a great day-

Dana

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Living Well

Living Well: 4 Ways To Create A Home You Love

Potential clients will often reach out to us for different reasons.

Sometimes they can’t quite put their finger on why they aren’t happy with their home, but it is intuitive- it feels like wasted space or it’s dated or just not quite right.

Some are even embarrassed to have visitors over because of how it looks.

You can’t put a price tag on some things, and a home that offers a place to retreat is one of them.

Here are four ways to create a home you love:

Have a well-thought out design plan created for your home. After the purchase, furnishing your home is the second largest investment you will probably make.

Furnishing a home isn’t cheap, and you want to make sure you are spending your money wisely the first time….

You see- designing a home is an investment, so hire a professional to give you a detailed plan on how – and where- to invest in the furnishings of your home.

Think long term with your investment and life.

2. Include pieces that speak to you and that you love. When we begin a turnkey project, there is a lot of conversation with our client about their dreams, what’s important to them, etc… Your home needs to be a reflection of you and what makes your heart happy.

3. Give a room a purpose, and work the furniture around it. Unfortunately, you can’t have a home that feels good and works for you unless it works for your needs.

Cant figure out one? Contact us here to assess your needs and to help you invest your money wisely.

4. How can you add to the quality of your life through your home? Do you want to expand your circle of friends and want to invite more people over to dinner on a regular basis? Great- let’s make sure your home will flow like it needs to do so.

Life is too short to not love the place you spend the majority of your life. Your home should be a place that feels good, rejuvenates you and gives you a place to restore and rest.

Here’s to making your house one you love-

Dana

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Living Well

What’s New With DWI

It’s hard to believe summer is in full force AND 2018 is half way over.

And while my blogging has taken a nosedive the past three months (so sorry!!), it’s been for good reason. We’ve had lots of EXCITING things going on and I thought it would be fun to share a few highlights.

We installed the last two rooms of a home recently built. It’s hard to believe this is a new home as the interiors are beautiful and classic and timeless. I can’t share too much, but warm weather is here and it’s time open up that pass-through window to the pool…..

We’ve also been on the road quite a bit….

Projects in and outside of Alabama have put some miles on our cars. Lots of wood shavings and dust are flying around with renovations and new builds, and some are being updated with new furnishings and decoration…

My one-time 3.5 hour consults are going strong as it is a great way to have a plan for your home that you can implement as your time and money allow.

For the second year in a row, we were nominated for the 2018 ADAC and Veranda Southeast Designer of the Year awards. It’s a huge honor and we were thrilled to be recognized for two years straight.

Robert Brown Interior Design of Atlanta, GA, walked away as the winner of the award. If you aren’t familiar with his work, look him up. He’s a super nice guy and his work is beautiful.

As mentioned here, we designed a lounge and bath in the Southeastern Showhouse in Atlanta, GA. The Showhouse did not disappoint so be on the lookout for pictures this fall in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles.

I just came back from visiting my daughter in Charleston and then drove to Asheville with my husband for a few days. We slept too much, ate too much, and might have had a drink or two every night. I think God meant for life to be just like this- slow, easy and stress free.

In the meantime, I am headed back to ~~reality~~ Birmingham with my roller skates on and my eyes to the ground.

XO,

Dana

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Living Well

Living Well: 4 Problems With Your Home And How To Solve Them

With as many homes I am in and out of, I see recurring problems that come from everyday life and living.

I love seeing a home transform from one that’s cluttered, dark, and doesn’t work for a family to one that allows them to Live Well in their home.

And while your definition of Living Well may be different than mine or your neighbors’, I’m giving a few tips to solve some common problem areas.

Clutter: Organize your home so everything has a place. Incorporate hidden storage where you can create a visual calm and remember to store alike things together.

If organizing overwhelms you, start by cleaning out a small space, such as the towel drawer in your kitchen.

wolterhome_2016_gyc_367-2484x3726 — The hidden door under my stairs allows for all kinds of hidden storage for my family, Dana Wolter Interiors

2. A room that is a catch-all for stuff because it isn’t being used

Find a Purpose for every room in your home. No room should serve as a “walk-through” or a one that is used once or twice a year. Once you give the room a function, take a step back and assess the items in it. Do they bring you joy or are they useful? If neither, it is time to give them away or throw them out.

This may also mean switching rooms around, or changing how the furniture is arranged in a room.

Take this home below that we worked on recently. The living room was never used, the family room wasn’t working for the family, so we flipped the two.

Dana Wolter Interiors | Luxury Interior Design — Looking Into The New Family Room, Dana Wolter Interiors, Graham Yelton Photography

Because of where these two rooms are placed in the house, the family now finds themselves using both spaces on a regular basis.

3. Dark, cramped spaces that don’t function well.

Find a Balance with how your home flows and functions. To Live Well in your home, it should work hard for everyday living while easily transitioning to host a party when needed.

Does the kitchen allow for quality work space? Is there a place for guests to sit and linger? If not, it may be time to renovate your kitchen.

We took this outdated, dark, cramped kitchen and made it accommodate today’s living. By raising the ceiling, taking the sunroom into the kitchen space and adding a wall of hidden storage, we created a kitchen that is functional, bright and works hard for this family.

AFTER:

Dana Wolter Interiors. Photography by Graham Yelton

I also love adding a banquette when I can in a kitchen. It allows for more seating AND it adds a layer of softness to a room filled with many hard surfaces.

Recent Breakfast Room completed, Dana Wolter Interiors. Graham Yelton Photography

4. Spaces in your house that don’t feel like home

What makes you smile and brings you joy? Whether it is a sparse room, layered objects, bright colors, or a wall filled with books, use discernment in adding these touches to your space. Find ways to add what makes you smile to bring you Warmth and Joy in your house.

Sentimental family photos are added into this new, casual space, Dana Wolter Interiors, Graham Yelton Photography

I hope these tips help you make an honest assessment about your home so you can find ways to add to your quality of life.

If you need help turning your house into one you love, reach out to us here. We would love to hear from you!

Here’s to Living Well in your home, whatever your definition may be.

Dana

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