Full Home Makeover & Architectural Redesign | Highland Manor Remodel Masterclass

Summary

Dear Alice | Interior Design

Episode: Full Home Makeover & Architectural Redesign | Highland Manor Remodel Masterclass

Date: September 4, 2025
Hosts: Jessica Bennett ("Jess"), Suzanne Hall ("Sue"), and Corey

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Dear Alice team—Jessica, Suzanne, and Corey—take listeners through a full-scale, three-level home remodel: the Highland Manor project. The hosts share a candid, masterclass-style breakdown of their renovation process, focusing on how they reimagined an inherited home to suit the needs of a newly blended family. The conversation covers architectural fixes, practical design solutions, reuse strategies, and their signature approach for making spaces both timeless and deeply personal. The episode is packed with technical insights and joyful storytelling, making it both educational and entertaining for design enthusiasts and homeowners.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Project Backstory & Approach

• Context (00:42 - 02:46)

  • The remodel was for a long-time client and friend who was transitioning into a new marriage with four stepchildren, requiring the merging of two households.
  • The house, built in the early 2000s, reflected an outdated Tuscan architectural style with challenging inherited features.
  • This project was a "remodel, not a new build," with an emphasis on reusing what they could, integrating input from both spouses, and working within a one-year-and-one-month timeframe.

  "We've done other homes for her... she's always like, all gas, all in... now she wants to bring us in to make this meaningful for the whole family." – Jess (02:48)

  • Importance of balancing practicality and creativity, especially considering time, budget, and a mix of family traditions.

2. Design Diagnostics: Where to Start

• Entryway as Experience (05:52 - 06:57)

  • The hosts highlight the power of the entryway to establish a home’s feeling, and the need to create harmony amidst conflicting existing elements (multiple flooring materials, heavy columns, clashing metals).

  "As you're remodeling, think of, like, what experience do I want to have? Is there a different way to enter into a space, to experience that space, to give the space back a little bit more richness and presence as the entry?" – Sue (00:04, repeated at 14:42)

  • Key insight: Visual clutter and unnecessary architectural divisions should be edited to create cohesive, peaceful transitions.

  • The original space had a "flooring decor showroom" feel with too many patterns and boxed columns that disrupted flow.

  "It kind of felt like that because, like, it just, like, wasn't harmonious... if it's not exactly straight, like, it's off." – Sue (08:31, 08:58)

3. Strategic Reuse & Architectural Enhancements

• What to Keep, What to Replace (13:35 - 16:34)

  • They reused the front door, some cabinetry, base built-ins, and wood floors where possible—updating via paint, plaster, or gold leafing for cohesion rather than ripping everything out.

  "We have a really great collection. So we used his office. The best I've ever seen of all the closets we've ever done." – Jess & Sue (14:26-14:28)

  • Architectural corrections: Simplified flooring transitions, plastered walls and ceilings, added tile borders for a custom, tailored look.

  "If you have borders around your tile areas in your bathrooms and your entries... doesn't feel complete, it doesn't feel finished. This really defines the shape of that." – Jess (17:45)

  • The use of graceful curves and circular motifs in floors and railings to soften the home’s geometry and reference personal symbolism for the client (eternity and wholeness).

  "We wanted to use circles... those non-directional shapes to sort of soften all the angles of this home." – Jess (11:46)

4. The Kitchen: Transformative Minimalism

• Clever Updates, Maximum Impact (23:03 - 27:48)

  • The perimeter cabinets were retained and painted; dated built-ins and trims were refined with new finishes to disappear rather than stand out.

  "You're not even to believe us when we say this... but we kept the perimeter cabinets. We just painted." – Jess (24:56)

  • Two new islands: one fully clad in marble slab ("baller move") for a Parisian feel, the other topped with custom butcher block and gold leafed ironwork for warmth and artisanal flair.

  "I think it just needs to be all slab, and we just wrap that around." – Sue (26:24)

  • Trim and existing built-in elements matched to the wall/plaster color for subtlety.

  "Let it kind of like, especially if it's something that you're like, we're not going to replace it... Just help it to disappear." – Sue (27:24)

5. Living/Family Room: Editing for Grandeur

• From Heavy to Airy (28:03 - 31:43)

  • Dark, bulky built-ins and Juliet balconies were removed or softened; cabinets and mantles were painted and gold-leafed.
  • Upper-level study was opened up with new railing, increasing shared light and connection between floors.

  "We just did railing on that whole thing. So when you are up there, you just can like overlook and, like, share light." – Sue (29:36)

  • TV was relocated to a built-in nook, so the fireplace and mirror (a feng shui trick for energy balance and visual expansion) became the room’s core.

6. Personalized Artistry in the Primary Suite

• Emotion & Heirloom Integration (31:55 - 38:45)

  • A fine artist and plaster specialist created a custom, gold-leafed chrysanthemum mural in the vestibule referencing the client's family heritage.

  "When they come home from a day of exhausting, you know, engineering, technical... you just kind of let your shoulders down because it's like you're entering another world." – Jess (33:19)

  • The bedroom was enveloped in deep midnight-blue plaster, creating a cocooning effect, while taking advantage of the high ceiling.

  "Her directive was just, like, she wanted her room to feel just like. Like a dark night sky." – Sue (35:08)

  • The fireplace mantle was softened with curves and new finishes; a four-poster bed added intimacy within a grand volume.

  "This is so romantic... It can still sort of feel intimate even within a grand space with a ton of volume." – Jess (38:34)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Remodeling vs. New Build
  "This is a brand new relationship... Often they say this is the most stressful thing you’re going to do is build a home together or remodeling too." – Jess (09:45)

• On Removing Visual Clutter
  "It was heavy. You were just like, pinball... it just wasn't harmonious." – Sue (08:31)

• On Entryway Tile Borders
  "This to me is one of the things that separates the good from the greats... it looks so much more classic, like going to a tailor." – Jess (17:45)

• On Embracing a Home’s Personal Story
  "You buy a property for a reason... But just like understanding who you are, what you love is so key as you start to make these big expensive decisions." – Sue (09:18)

• On Using Color in Restful Spaces
  "People don't. Don't be afraid of color in your bedroom... when you can go somewhere dark... you can actually allow your whole body to calm." – Sue (35:50)

• On Design Legacy
  "I can't think of a time in history as long as we've been doing interior design, you and I, both over 20 years, where this wouldn't be so beautiful... I will always love this entry." – Jess & Sue (22:49-23:03)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:42 – Backstory: The client, marriage, and project goals
• 06:13 – Design critique of the original entry: flooring, columns, clutter
• 11:10 – Railing inspiration and eternal motif for client symbolism
• 13:35 – Elements kept (front door, reuse, closet expansion)
• 17:45 – Design tip: Important of tile borders
• 23:03 – Kitchen reveal: What was reused vs. replaced
• 26:24 – Marble slab island and "baller move" insight
• 28:03 – Family room transformation: editing built-ins and balconies
• 31:55 – Artistry in the vestibule; chrysanthemum mural story
• 35:08 – Bedroom retreat: Dark color, plaster, and cocooning effect
• 37:04 – Overmantle redesign, bullnose details
• 38:34 – Four-poster bed, intimacy in volume
• 38:59 – Reflection on reuse and final thoughts

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Practical Tips & Takeaways

• Reuse and Transform: Sometimes, painting and finishing existing cabinets or trim can be just as impactful as replacing them.
• Edit Ruthlessly: Clear out visual clutter—remove mismatched patterns, unnecessary curves, and heavy built-ins to create a calm, organized space.
• Entryways Matter: Define them purposely with special tile borders, a sense of arrival, and scale-appropriate lighting.
• Integrate Meaning: Use heirlooms, motifs, or client stories for personalization; don’t shy away from color or texture that resonates emotionally.
• Create Flow: Prioritize direct pathways, harmonious flooring transitions, and open sight lines wherever possible.
• Lighting & Finishes: Upgrade lighting generously, soften architectural details with plaster, and don’t overlook the impact of finishes on overall atmosphere.

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Conclusion

This episode is a tour-de-force exploration of thoughtful, practical interior remodeling—blending technical details, personal storytelling, and adaptable design tricks. The Highland Manor project is a showcase in how to reuse, refine, and reimagine a home for new beginnings, with timeless style and soul.

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For more design inspiration and project photos:
Highland Manor on Alice Lane Portfolio (referenced by hosts)

To inquire about interior design services:
Visit alicelanehome.com → Design Services tab → Alid (for full-scale remodels/builds) or Home Furnishing Design (for decorating help).

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Contact:
[e-mail] (for feedback or episode suggestions)

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Jess]

This is a three level home, and we did it all in one year and one month.

[Sue]

As you're remodeling, think of, like, what experience do I want to have? Is there a different, like, way to enter into a space, to experience that space, to give the space back a little bit more, like, richness and like, presence as the entry?

[Jess]

This is one of those things designers out there listen in. This, to me, is one of the things that separates the good from the greats. Hi, guys. Welcome to dear Alice.

[Sue]

Thanks, Jess. Yeah, I'm happy to be here.

[Jess]

I am too. We're gonna do another one of our remodel master classes. I think this people love the last one.

[Sue]

I know. So I'm obsessica, as they say.

[Jess]

We're deep diving into another one of our projects from Alid. That's the design firm side of our business, where we're doing full remodels and full builds. And so we're focusing in on the remodels because there's so many things to learn. And I know you guys are in the middle of project, and we want to show you some of the things that we figured out along the process because it's kind of remodels are a little bit. Build it while you fly it. You know what I mean?

[Sue]

It's a design build.

[Jess]

It is a design build. Yeah. And this house that we're about to show you, it's our highland remodel project on the portfolio. And it is near and dear to sue and I. It's actually one of our dearest girlfriend's homes. And she had been single her whole professional life into her early 40s.

[Sue]

Single, like executive. Just. Yeah, yeah.

[Jess]

Just amazing.

[Sue]

And I decided my mom's voice came into my head. It's like, don't swear, Sue.

[Jess]

Yeah. Anyway, anyway, she's.

[Sue]

That.

[Jess]

You know what I'm talking about. High praise. We love her so much. And we get a phone call from her back in 28, 2018, and she's.

[Corey]

Like, where were you guys actually?

[Jess]

I'm getting married.

[Sue]

We were. We were actually at a. A matinee, which is like our favorite thing. Right. We're just. Now we're at a mat with our design team, like, as a reward goal for, like, hitting a number or something. And it was like the very. The credits. And we get a text from our girlfriend, and she said, I think she sent a picture of him.

[Jess]

Yep.

[Sue]

And said, I think. I think we're. We're gonna get married.

[Jess]

I'm getting married. And I wanna know if you have room to take on a remodel. And we were like, the best news ever. And we start crying, and we're covered in cold chills, and we didn't even know she had been dating this guy. And all of a sudden, they're gonna combine their life. She's never been a mother. He has four children, and his wife passed away from cancer years ago, and they find each other. So now all of a sudden, she's going to be this mother of four children, preteens and teenagers, and they need a home to raise this family in, and they want to combine their households and how they feel about life and everything else, and they happen to purchase a home in my neighborhood, so now I get to be neighbors with her.

[Corey]

That's awesome.

[Jess]

Which was so fun.

[Sue]

Jelly? Yeah.

[Jess]

And anyway, so she had all this inherited architecture that we're about to show you, and there sort of this, for the first time, you know, she has somebody else in the kitchen with her in the. With the finances. And so we've done other homes for her. And she's always like, all gas, all in. Just really thoughtful, wants it to be meaningful. And now she wants to bring us in to make this meaningful for the whole family. But, you know, sometimes men and women feel differently about finances. And so for the first time, we're like, well, let's be reasonable during this remodel, and let's make sure and hear his ideas, and let's reuse a lot of what's there, and let's. Let's just really try not to throw the whole baby out with the bathwater. And I think this is a really great remodel to talk about because we want to share with you all the things that we reused and just what we felt like we needed to replace to be able to get the look. So a lot of this is cosmetic. We didn't really move many walls. We just closed off a doorway to be able to make a really great closet for her and changed up finish work.

[Sue]

As far as just, like, some things that were just, like, really bad architecturally for your eyes as you're kind of meandering through the space, the distance, the shapes needed to change. So we were able to. Again, structurally, we kept the post there, but we changed the cosmetic around it so that it would make sense. Better sense for the space as a whole.

[Jess]

Yeah. So I feel like there's a lot of practical learnings here. And that's why we were like, even though this remodel was completed, this was a one year remodel. I'm guess.

[Corey]

Which is insane.

[Jess]

It's insane because I bet the house is like 8 to 10,000 square feet.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Jess]

So it's a large home. We didn't do a lot in the basement. We just did a couple bedrooms for the kids. Again, all cosmetic, but really spent the budget on the main level. So this is a main level. There's a smaller upstairs and then there's a basement. So this is a three level home. And we did it all in one year and one month. So we're going to get into that. But first, I just wanted to tell you guys, we have a really fantastic service. If you are not in the middle of a big remodel and you're just in the furnishings portion and feeling stuck. We have a fantastic team of interior designers. They have degrees. They are working in AutoCAD and they know all of the lines and all of our resources here at Alice Lane, all of the original product we're creating, as well as the 200 vendors that we create or that we work with. And they can get a really beautiful look. All they do is furnishings and they're really good at understanding you, your story, and how to put a home together. So if you are stumped and you'd like help from interior design designers, service is completely free. It's called Home Furnishing Design. Corey, tell them where they can. Where they can fill out the form to get started.

[Corey]

So just go to alice lane home.com and at the top bar there is a design services tab. Hit that and go to Home Furnishing Design. The form will be there and we'll get back to you.

[Jess]

Yeah, that's great.

[Sue]

Amazing.

[Jess]

So good. Okay, we're gonna get into this, but we're gonna fit. We're gonna save Susa's favorite space for last. So stay tuned for that. And yeah, let's get into it.

[Sue]

Okay. Okay. All right. We're going to show you some, just like some general befores right now so you can kind of get a flavor. You're going to kind of walk through this house a little bit to kind of see what we started with so that you can appreciate where we ended with it. Okay? Okay. All right. So the tile's fun. Okay. We walk into this house. This is. You walk into the entry, and there's a medallion. Do you remember those guys?

[Jess]

Let me just say, this is probably built in the early 2000s. So we're walking into. I think it's a fake travertine.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Jess]

And they did. You could get those big tile medallions. That were, like, 36 inches round. It looks like a compass, like northeast, west, south on the ground right under the main chandelier in the home. So you're. You're walking in to that, and it's very brown. The world was Tuscan at the time. So we've got a lot of naughty alder, we've got a lot of brown. We've got curly iron railings. And then this homeowner was trying to take the house, I think, a little more contemporary with a few updates. So then we've got a polished, like, chrome chandelier, a silver chandelier in the entry, possibly.

[Sue]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jess]

So we've got a lot of different ideas going on. No one idea serving any master. But one of probably our favorite details of what needed to change was that there were so many flooring. Flooring patterns happening in one area. And this is the area that transitions you from the kitchen, the entry into the great way and the entryway. And they decided to create with flooring, not with walls, some divisions, a pathway.

[Sue]

But it kind of feels like a flooring decor, you know, like when. When you see, like, it's a sampling style showroom.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Sue]

They were trying to show off a few things which could have been the result of, like, different remodels at different time, but they just, like, ignored that. Or maybe it was, like, initial decisions.

[Jess]

Much like every Dear Alice podcast you tune into, we always say, you're really going to want to check this one out on either SP or YouTube. The visuals are just so fantastic. You're gonna love it. So, yeah, anyway, we're looking into. On the. In the one image with all the different flooring samples, it feels like this is actually a residence. These are choices that were made. And you're looking toward the entryway, and you're standing in the kitchen, and you can see all these different flooring patterns happening. And to make matters worse, they went ahead and put columns. Boxed columns, mind you.

[Sue]

Yes. Square columns.

[Jess]

Yes. To sort of create walls for each.

[Sue]

Room, like, and support the load. Like, we couldn't get rid of them.

[Jess]

Even though it's an open floor plan, it feels closed off because of all the flooring changes and all the columns.

[Sue]

Yeah, no, it was. It was. It was heavy. And you were just like, you know, like, when you. Like a pinball, you know, when it's just like hitting an angle and hitting angle and hidden angle. It kind of felt like that because, like, it just, like, wasn't harmonious. And, like, let's. Like, I want to. Like, I was about to say remind you, but tell you that this client, she loves like non directional. She loves like peaceful space. She's an engineer, so she deals with exactness all the day long. So straight. It's like if it's not exactly straight, like it's off.

[Jess]

Her brain just sits and looks at it and tries to re engineer it to make it right. But you, you can't change it unless you go into construction. So she let us know that on her first project just that she, she deals with exactness all day long. So she needs these soft, soothing and plaster walls are for her because it does give you that beautiful soft movement.

[Sue]

And it kind of pillows around you. And so not just even the walls, but the ceiling, everything plastered. So it just completely encompasses you in a feeling like that is the client. So to have all these like jogs and streets and everything was just, it wasn't for her. So I think understanding yourself, when you buy a property, you're buying it for a reason. Whether it be location, size, it functions some way. But just like understanding who you are, what you love and is so key as you start to make these big expensive decisions.

[Jess]

So also she went with a remodel instead of a new build because this is a brand new relationship. Right. They need to be able to move into something pretty quickly.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Jess]

And so if they would have had to embark with an architect in finding land, this is a lot for a brand new marriage to have to come into. Often they say this is the most stressful thing you're going to do is is build a home together or remodeling too. This is a ton of huge permanent decisions you're making and it's probably the most money that you're going spend on, on a project together like this. So. So also time frame was important. So getting an existing home and making it theirs made the most sense.

[Sue]

Okay, now welcome to the, to the great room. This is in the living room. And again you can kind of see those square columns. We're looking, we're in the corner of the gate. Great room. Looking into the kitchen on our left and into the entry. Kind of goes down that little hallway, the yellow brick road to our right. And you have this upper thing with all these really romantic Juliet balconies, which they're lovers. There's lovers not once, but twice in third time just for funsies. Anyway, so again you do have like just a lot of things happening that just needed to be mitigated and cleaned up. So anyway, so you're gonna see, see that's where that flooring came in and then. Okay, the railings. I think that that was a big. Let me, let's. I'm going to show you a before right quick.

[Jess]

Right here.

[Sue]

So this on the. This is the railing that we were working with. It's iron, it's fancy, it's. It wasn't our client. Nobody liked the railing. It needed to go. So. So I remember like being in the design center and looking Jess and one of our seniors, Maddie, who was on the project, they were like, this is calculus. Because like the client had a very specific as far as just like ethos and like mission statement to like their relationship and how they met and all these things. And it was kind of this like eternal non ending. And so that was I think a theme that you. As far as when designing this that really came into play.

[Jess]

Yeah, we wanted to. This eternal round idea. So we wanted to use circles also those non directional shapes to sort of soften all the angles of this home. So you can also see in the after image the floor tile that we use two marbles. And then we had water jet cut the black marble circles. And then that same size circle exists in the railing. You get this circular, circular detail. And then these never ending sort of arcuated lines at the top, long straights, which. Which made it feel a little bit more cleaned up, a little more modern. Organized. That's a great word. And I just think those soft shapes, they really do feel Parisian, I think. And it felt like her. It was very original to the project. We haven't seen anything like this before. And I'll tell you, this was hard math. We worked on this so, so long and once we got it, it was like oh my gosh. That's it.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Corey]

You know those black circles that you're talking about and kind of them being the same diameter radius as the ones in the railing was like cohesion top of mind. Because it was, it was the exact opposite before.

[Jess]

Especially when you work for an engineer. Right. Because these things are all playing into her mind. And so yeah, I mean you can see here's the afters of the entryway. We used two marbles or sorry, three marbles, it's black marble to make that circular shape. And then we've got a really beautiful veiny black and white Calcutta or Carrera and then a warmer cream marble in the middle. And that warmed the whole, make it.

[Sue]

More organic so it didn't get too cool, too icy.

[Jess]

Yeah, definitely.

[Sue]

Kind of. See like these are just the cell phone images which are probably almost truer to the actual color of the marble then.

[Jess]

And you know what? We did reuse in that entryway. Go back the front door.

[Sue]

We did.

[Jess]

We kept that front door, which felt sort of. It now all of a sudden feels Parisian and not Tuscan because the railing isn't in that gang fight with the front door iron.

[Sue]

What is a gang fight? Yeah, this was a rough hood before.

[Jess]

And then the other thing that we did in this entry was we sealed off. There was a door that you would go into to go into the his office. And we just wanted to create a sense of entry because this whole room was just never ending. Lots of floor changes, lots of columns, Lots of things going on, but lots of directions. Yeah. But you also didn't know where to rest your eye. And there wasn't a sense of entry. So closing off the store gave her a closet because that connected with the master suite. And girl loves to shop. She has a really great collection. So we use his office.

[Sue]

The best I've ever seen of all the closets we've ever done.

[Jess]

So, yeah, so we used his office as her closet. And we got to wall off that whole thing and put a large mirror there. A beautiful sh. Days. And we all of a sudden have this great entryway.

[Sue]

Now, this is funny because we in our first remodel master class on Lovers Lane, we did the very same thing. Because I think a lot of homes, you walk in and you have, like, a room to your right and a room to your left and a room in front of you. Yeah. And so, again, as you're remodeling, think of, like, what experience do I want to have? Is there a different, like, way to enter into a space, to experience that space, to give the space back a little bit more, like, I don't know, richness and, like, presence as the entry? Because I do love a good entry.

[Jess]

I do, too.

[Sue]

Anyway, and it really. It just completely cleaned that up. And you know where to go. You're like, okay, I can, like, go right to go toward the kitchen, or I can go up the stairs to ascend. And, like, I only have two options.

[Jess]

I also want to teach this little point. You can see in that stairwell. There's a sconce in the before, which is a single sconce in the after. We used a single sconce that has three heads, three different shades on it. Stairwells are really big walls. They're running two full heights from the bottom FL floor all the way up to a top floor. And you gotta do something with more commanding presence. This Is where you call on those triple sconces. You can do the single ones over your fireplace mantel or in smaller areas, but when you have these big areas, you've got to go larger on those sconces. We pulled golden and brass finishes in for her. The sort of. The icy. The icy fixtures that were there. And I'm just going to say this. This is general rule. For the most part, in every remodel we've ever done, we completely scrap the lighting. It is one of those features that will really date your home. And so I would always plan on having a really healthy lighting budget that is going to change everything. Paint's going to change everything. And then I love the tip for the door that we gave them, right. Just have your finished carpenter come in and add that little. That little molding detail, right? And then your railings, I also feel like, are something that can go in and out of fashion, I'd say.

[Sue]

I mean, we do this when we're styling, where we, like, pull everything back and, like, edit the. The whole thing. We kind of did this, and we do, like, in public spaces. Most of the time, you're going to be fairly neutral. Just by that first spray. Before the plaster even came on, you walked in. You're just like, oh, my gosh, I see the bones. I see what we're working with. Before, like, it was so hard to see past the yellow brick road of tile and, like, all the weird plaster anyway. There was just so many hard stops that you're just like. You just, like, can breathe, like, when you do have that edit. So sometimes, like, I did it in my own house, like, you. You kind of, like, you paint everything. I paint everything white so I can feel it, I can understand it. I can work with it and see, like, what my. How my stuff interacts with this space. And then you can start to incorporate color where it feels like you need a moment and experience. So I think that's a really, really hot tip, especially when you're dealing with the previous choices of a different owner who love different things than you did and allow yourself to. I think it's a really nice. I think a grace thing that you can allow yourself to kind of figure out who you are, who you're becoming, or what you want this space to be by just, like, just give it a clean wash. Like, paint the place white for a second until you understand where you want to go with it. So I like that.

[Jess]

I want to do one more call out in this entryway. You can see the before has tile that runs all the way to the base mold in the after, you can see that we added a border just probably like 6 inches off the wall and the stair, because this fireplace, or I'm sorry, because the stairwell comes down and that bottom step is rounded, it's arcuated. We had to water jet cut the exact template to get this border. But look at the difference with that little liner. This is one of those things designers out there listen in. This to me, is one of the things that separates the good from the greats. If you have borders around your tile areas in your bathrooms and your entries, a lot of people don't do it. And they just run that tile all the way to the wall and it doesn't feel complete, it doesn't feel finished. This really defines the shape of that. And I just feel like it looks so much more classic, like going to a tailor too.

[Sue]

Do you know what I mean? Because it's so well appointed. And again, doing this like, again, there's not a lot of curves, there's a lot of straights, but this is like where you actually get some of that arculation with how that barrels up on the stairwell. You don't see it in the left like you do. You have square tiles that are meeting up with this curve and you're like, what curve? But here you finally get to feel intentional. It feels intentional.

[Jess]

Yeah. That. That's scribed around the whole shape of the room. And also because that is a soft shape, those non directional shapes that we're talking about, it really pulls attention to it. Right? Those things are. It's always going to be more affordable to build something straight than to do it round. So the fact that we have that echo on the ground of shape, I feel like just makes this entry feel so, so sophisticated and just finished.

[Sue]

It's. It's funny you say that too because I'm like, when we're, when we're styling and you're looking around in your eye, your eye kind of starts to travel and your eye stops. Sometimes it can be a good stop because you're trying to draw the eyes attention. But a lot of times like, it's just like if it stops at something, you're not happy with it, then that needs to go. I think that's just like a good exercise because I'm like, in that before shot again, your eyes stop so many different times where when you are able to like call it out in a really edited way with the border, it's just, it's a fluid, organized movement that you can understand. This space and like carry on to the next space and like you know what to expect. So I love that.

[Jess]

Good points.

[Sue]

Right.

[Jess]

Cozy Earth's pajamas and blankets are so soft and breathable and good looking. I actually started planning my evenings around them. Right when I get home from work, I'm jumping in my bamboo stretch knit pajamas and I'm run for that bubble cuddle blanket. Now we've seen faux fur blankets before, folks. This is different. This is faux fur on the front and back. And the way that they've married or matched the bubbles, you're getting this dimensional blanket both front and back. So it's not like just the top of your body is having fun. The outer part, it's like the inside is experiencing it too. I don't know how they do it. It was this distinctly textured bubble design that's intricately woven from ultra soft fibers. And it, it's so beautiful. I want it on my bed, but I also want it in my living room. It's divine. You guys are gonna die over it. I cannot recommend it enough. And indeed my mom is getting one of these for Christmas.

[Corey]

Just so you know, Cozy Earth stands by their quality. Their blankets come with a 100 night sleep trial and a 10 year warranty. That's crazy. And their apparel, it's backed by a lifetime guarantee. So go to cozyearth.com and use code Dear Alice at checkout for up to 40% off your new favorite pajama set and blanket it. That's cozyearth.com code Dear Alice. And if you get a post purchase survey, let them know you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Elevate your downtime with Cozy Earth.

[Sue]

Also we brought in this tr. This bamboo on top of the table which I think again when you have a two story space, we've done this in entries before where you have the volume and I think that that's such a great trick. And again that's just like topical buts just adding something that's living with like all your windows and everything. You feel green outside and pulling that green in I just think is such, such a key takeaway. Again, that's top level. That's something out we all can do. And it's so impactful. Yeah.

[Jess]

And look at now the pathway. It runs straight from the front door all the way to the great room. No diagonal pathways trying to take you into the kitchen. Right? This is a straight shot. You get to see these big, beautiful, commanding views. The eye knows where to go. We have plaster finishes which you can't Fully appreciate in the images that we're showing right now. But it also completely softened the whole look of it. You've got the Doric columns, which are feeling really classical. I mean, this before and after is so great. We did not involve an architect in this. We just switched out some columns, the flooring, the railings, the lighting.

[Sue]

Right.

[Jess]

Plaster. Anyway, you can see the old in the new. But I just. This feels so gorgeous.

[Sue]

So much more organized to the eye.

[Jess]

And I say classical, too, because I can't think of a time in history as long as we've been doing interior design, you and I, both over 20 years, where. Where this wouldn't be so beautiful.

[Sue]

Yeah. Like, I think forever and always. I. I will always love this entry.

[Jess]

Me too.

[Sue]

It's so stunning.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Sue]

Okay. Okay, let's take you to the kitchen. Okay. Here you are in the kitchen again. A lot. A lot. We're in the before shot right now, and there's a lot of things happening. You have, like, a dark problem. I'm gonna. I'm gonna say it's an alder. Yeah, I'm gonna say an alder. Maybe in a couple different finishes. We have a light one over the hood kind of. Again, just kind of compressing you in there and putting you in timeout. You have a dark one on some of the perimeter. Then we went to it. They hopped to a black paint. On the island, you have this combined family, you know, where. You know, you have. Have. Mom and daddy have four kids, and they. They needed seating at the island, and there just wasn't that. And it just wasn't a beautiful space for her to actually, like, consider herself home and, like, live there and cook there and have this new family. So we scraped it all off.

[Jess]

Yeah, we did.

[Sue]

Here's another angle of the kitchen again. Kind of see this, like, porcelain. Porcelain tile that looks like dirt. I'm gonna be straight. You have two islands. There's only two bar stools. That's strange. Yeah. In the entire. So their kid. They must have been empty nesters. Their kids had fled, and so there was probably just mom and dad in there, and that's probably where they sat and feels lonely shoulder to shoulder. Imagine looking into the car. Daddy's at work, and you have to sit there by yourself. You're like this. Yeah. Serious. Oh, man. Okay. They did dark trim, too. Yes, I will say that. Wooden trim. And we have done remodels where they decided not to allow us to paint the trim. And that's the thing that just, like. That's. That's the hill I should have died on. I should have. Yeah. Because we're gonna go ahead and again. This is the thing that we kept.

[Corey]

Yeah, you just painted trim out.

[Sue]

Yeah, just painted it. Yeah, we did just paint it, but it makes a big difference. Okay, here's your after.

[Jess]

So here's. Here's what I want to say that we kept.

[Sue]

Yes.

[Jess]

You're not even to believe us when we say this, but that we kept the perimeter cabinets.

[Sue]

We just.

[Jess]

We just painted. Yep. We took out that big. That big range hood element that comes down to the countertop on both sides. We removed that, and we put in a new stainless steel, really awesome rain range hood. And I think we did a new stove, too.

[Sue]

We did a new stove, and we kept majority of, like, the bottom perimeter cabinets. There's that little. The left and right side of the actual hood. We expanded that whole thing just to make it feel more gracious. Put a new range in, expanded that footprint, and then lifted your eye up without. With removing the walls and adding the stainless.

[Jess]

Yep. And then we completely got rid of both islands. Of course, we got rid of all the lighting and go back to the afters.

[Sue]

My pleasure.

[Jess]

So we still did two islands in the end, but you can see we've got this model that we worked with European marble at here in Utah, and they're one of the best fabricators of slabs. And this is a study we did with the slabs that we selected. The rep was so thoughtful. We mocked it up so we could figure out exactly where to use each slab, how we were going to marry these together in the middle to book, match them and when, which, you know, which one would be best for each of these elements. We completely clad the entire island that you're looking at right now in slab, which was kind of a baller move, right?

[Sue]

Baller move. No. I remember sketching this one out. I'm just like. I think it just needs to be all slab, and we just wrap that around.

[Jess]

But by doing it like this, it feels more Parisian. We've got that brass bar below to hook your heels on, especially if you.

[Corey]

Weren'T doing new cabinetry elsewhere. The drawer rhythm on that existing island was nuts. So I think. Yeah, right. Call.

[Sue]

And on that, like, we have the all stone one and then. But the other one we actually did keep, that we took away like this. There, like, some funky, weird, like, barley twist columns on it. We kept the boxes again. We kept the boxes, and then we ended up again. Our client loves Paris and loves Frenchie things. We're like what can we do to like extend that? Because it would just ended there, which like felt like a short sentence or. And so we actually created this like walnut butcher block with these like this iron work that we disassembled on site. And then we had our plaster worker, he gold leafed everything. So to just kind of create this like little moment which turned out, I think so beautiful.

[Jess]

Love it.

[Sue]

I love it so much.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Sue]

But okay, so. Okay. And then in the dining room, we did the same thing. I just wanted you to see just like that trim, it kind of disappears when you can just like let it melt. We're not calling attention to it before it was contrasting in the wood stain. Let it, let it kind of like, especially if it's something that you're like, we're not going to replace it. You know, we're going to be kind, gentle to our finances. Just help it to disappear. That's the goal.

[Jess]

Yep.

[Corey]

Same paint finish and paint color obviously as the wall.

[Jess]

We're plaster on the walls and so we're more of a satin probably where we'd usually go semi gloss.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Jess]

On a trim just to help this melt into that plaster look. And yeah, I think it, I think it worked.

[Sue]

But new lighting and then just. It speaks right to the kitchen. Okay, now next to the kitchen is that family room. And I have a before picture of it on the screen right now. And again here we see again, alder, naughty alder, dark stained and really, really heavy. We have like two closed and built ins on each side of the fireplace. We have a mantle in that same wood. And we have a TV housing unit above the fireplace on the overmantel with.

[Jess]

Speakers mounted on both sides. And then the built ins had these bonnet tops, these arced tops. So really tall room. I just have to say, like, this is a two story room. This is something that is. It needs a lot of grandeur. And so we actually were like, you know what, let's keep the lower built ins. Let's rebuild the tops and do open shelving. We'll just spray everything. And then let's also just spray that existing mantle and we'll gold leaf the beautiful finish work. You know, box, box panels within them. So this is the. After you guys. That's pretty dramatic. You can see the flowers.

[Sue]

Camera two, camera one, camera two.

[Jess]

Yeah. Big mirror of the fireplace. This is always a trick we like to use in interior design. It's feng shui. We don't always talk about it, but this is a really nice balance for a fireplace because they say the Fireplace is a hole in the house where energy can escape. And then the mirror brings that balance back in. What I love about it is that you can see the upstairs library in the mirror and you get to see the chandelier again. So you get two of them.

[Sue]

Yep.

[Jess]

Which is great.

[Sue]

And we did remove that before a picture that had all those like, bonnet like Juliet balconies. Those were all scraped off and we just did railing on that whole thing. So when you are up there, you just can like overlook and like share light. Yes, exactly.

[Jess]

It brightened up the whole space.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Jess]

And then felt really smart.

[Sue]

We had built ins up there and kind of created a study.

[Jess]

You're smart.

[Sue]

Smart too.

[Jess]

Thank you. Did you.

[Corey]

So you opened up the pathway up there, like the hallway.

[Sue]

It was like such a gorgeous day when the builder's like, you can get rid of all of it. We can just do railing. We're just like, Jesus, man.

[Corey]

That's a miracle.

[Jess]

It was a miracle for this house.

[Sue]

And I want to say we do this trick a lot. And I think this is one of the best, like cases where we have the TV not over the mantel, but over in this built in that it is like, like again, we kept the base cabinets. We had those painted, we had those leafed and those that pinstripe detail. But then we just kept the top open and then just floated a frame TV on top of that. And so we built a block to mount that onto it so it can kind of pull out and like actually angle so that everybody in the room can see it. But it's not like the headliner of the room. You have the mirror. So I think this is a really, really great example of that trick.

[Jess]

I just love how this room turned out.

[Sue]

And then we went ahead and did hand painted drapes, like linen from Italy or something crazy. Anyway. Sure did.

[Corey]

Taking. Taking them all the way up to like, kind of soften that arc in the window too.

[Jess]

Story drape and the contrast of that black chandelier, the black railings, and then these open weave, gauzy black linen drapes. And then the artist that does the plaster, he came in and did like botanical, like, flower, like details. Dry brush on top of. On top of the drapery, which I think it looks really great up close. You can't really appreciate what's happening here, but it's got a real laid back attitude. We've got the rug, brings in the blue from the kitchen. Bar stools and no, no one chair is the same. We did twin sofas in here, big Moroccan ottoman in the middle so people could kick their feet up. And it makes the space feel more casual for that, you know, conducive family living. And I just think this room turned out so great.

[Sue]

You can kind of see in that top right corner that like where all those balconies were removed. And you can see that railing kind of like up there overlooking. So I'm like the shared light again, the shared space. I just think it's so great. So great.

[Jess]

Okay, the last of the spaces we're going to talk about in this remodel is the primary suite. We again, she had a great relationship with this fine artist that did a lot of the gold details and the drapes. And he did work in her last home. He's a fine artist. And as well as plaster. And like a magician. He is like a magician.

[Sue]

He just like starts like putting like butterfly dust on his thing. He's like, I think we're do this here. And I'm just like, cool.

[Jess]

It's always a fun conversation with him because he changes your brain. But this is a vestibule that goes back to the primary suite. If you're watching. And she had one of the things that she inherited from her grandfather was his paintings. And they were on this like almost like rice paper rolled up in these, in these canisters. And when you pulled them out, they were chrysanthemum calligraphies. And so chrysanthemums have always meant so much to her because it reminds her of her grandpa. And the artist said, let me do a take on chrysanthemums in this hallway. So what you're looking at is not wallpaper. This isn't a muraled wallpaper. He paneled off with gold leaf pinstriping and made these separate panels. And then within those he did different chrysanthemums. Different, really extruded large scale. So you're completely enveloped. And when they come home from a day of exhausting, you know, engineering, technical, both of them are executives. And you get into this hallway, you just kind of let your shoulders down because it's like you're entering another world. You can't think a normal thought while you're walking through this. It just takes your breath away. And even the ceilings are plastered. You can see there's no can lights. We use these little alabaster, tiny little flush mount pen pendants that are like 4 inches around. And the beautiful flooring takes you back to the primary suite.

[Sue]

It's like the high end version of just like walking in Alice in Wonderland. And Having, like, all the flowers, like, just kind of singing to you. Yeah.

[Corey]

Yeah, that's awesome.

[Sue]

In a more magical plaster. So good. So good. Okay, now we're gonna enter into the bedroom. Okay, so here are some before pictures of the bedroom. Again, we still have that heavy, heavy. These. The plaster on the wall that the previous owner had. Again, the dark casing. The dark casing under those windows.

[Jess]

Yeah, the views are amazing.

[Sue]

Yeah. The views are, like, unmatched. But you can see, like, you have these kind of eyebrows, but then they're meeting up with angles. And so, again, how do we soften the space? And one thing that the client. There was a fireplace that we did keep. I just want to say that in both spaces, we kept them, but we resurfaced them, so.

[Jess]

And we kept the wood floor in the primary suite as well.

[Sue]

We have the wood floor here and the family rooms.

[Jess]

Yeah. Yep, yep. We just changed the overmantle detail to create some drama. And then, of course, more modern. Yeah. And of course, we got rid of the lighting. And I just want to give a side note here. If you're watching, there's really no need to ever do a square chandelier. I think what you want in the middle of a room is to sort of take the edge off of walls and just to keep your eye moving around it. So this is. I think. I think this is a really positive move. To get rid of all the hard angles is one of the objectives of. Of creating restful master suite.

[Sue]

Okay. All right. One thing that the client. Her directive was just, like, she wanted her room to feel just like. Like a dark night sky. Like. And so we had this picture that we had exchanged back and forth, and we're trying to figure out, like, what we knew. We want to do plaster again, because the artist was already there. And again, with all those angles and everything, plaster just has such a pillowing effect where it can just, like, soften the edges and just, like, make it feel like you're in a cloud. And that's what the goal was. And so we had her paint. We gave that kind of midnight sky color to him. And this is kind of a process picture of the team going to work.

[Corey]

It takes advantage of the height.

[Sue]

Yeah.

[Corey]

But then also, like, kind of distracts from the angles, which is exactly why I feel like you need it in that space.

[Sue]

Yeah. We said this on previous podcasts too, but, like, people don't. Don't be afraid of color in your bedroom or, like, in a space where you have a focus when you go to your Bedroom it is to sleep. We spent a lot of time there. If you paint it white, like, the. The mind just keeps racing. But when you can go somewhere dark and like go to study in an office that's steep or go to sleep in a space that's deep, you can actually, like, allow your whole body to calm. And so I'm so glad that she was like, cool with us going as saturated as we did. And that's why this is one of my favorite spaces. Again, you just feel. You feel something when you walk into this room. This is a study of this, that overmantle that Jess was talking about where again, they're. They're young still, they have a young family. And so this was a really cool way. And it's been fun to like, be with her through so many homes because, like, what she's like, purchased in art, what, like, things that she started to express herself. And like this whole discovery has become like more modern, more funky. And so that kind of gave us some liberties to do something like this, which I think turned out so great that I love, I love this overmantle in this fireplace. Again, we kept the actual, the existing mantle and it was really yellow and kind of dirty before. But our plaster guy, he just, he worked his magic on this.

[Jess]

And you can see one of the details we did on the over mantel. It's this big bullnose effect which you feel on that pre cast mantle itself. And we bullnosed the edges. We are curated those back to the wall. Because when you enter the space, you enter this and you see the fireplace mantle from the profile. And you can see in Susan's sketches, this is where we were studying it out, what we were going to do, how that would feel. And we felt like if we could really arcuate the wall surrounding it to bring you around front, that it would soften that edge, which was, of course the whole goal of this room was to deepen it, soften it, pillow it. And I think it also turned out great to really love it.

[Sue]

Okay. And this is the after. So again, you see that midnight blue. You see that kind of more like limestone, limestone Y color on the actual mantle. And we can. You can even see that he. He's brilliant. We even arced the hearth there too, so it matched that overmantle at the same depth and the same width.

[Jess]

Also matches those beautiful columns in the front entryway where all of these details feel like limestone now.

[Sue]

Yep.

[Jess]

Instead of travertine.

[Sue]

And I love too just that small little mirror there. I just think it's just like a little small punctuation.

[Jess]

Yeah.

[Sue]

Yep, exactly. And then this is the room. So I love this room. Again, you got rid of all the angles. We have a circular, you know, chandelier dropping. We. I love the four poster again with the space with this much volume. It's. Four posters are awesome because it creates that room within a room and so you don't get lost in your space. I think this is so romantic.

[Jess]

It can still sort of feel intimate even within a grand space with a ton of volume. I think if you do have a room this big, you've got to use the four poster trick to just create some intimacy.

[Sue]

Yeah. And then is a space too. We're able to like use her pink chair from her last house anyway, just like you're reusing like the key pieces that you love in your collection as you go through. So that. That was the last of the spaces we get to share with you today.

[Jess]

Yeah, I think we did a really good job of reusing what we could and making. Making really lemonade out of so many of these things. I feel really proud of us for. For the reuse of so many things and then also making it feel completely new and like her and. And just getting to have those views be the feature and the focus in some of these spaces without having to compete with all these dark lines of the molding where your eye stops inside the house instead of continuing into the outside. Anyway, you guys, that completes our second remodel masterclass. Again, this is called Highland Manor on our portfolio if you want to check out how the rest of the home turned out. Thank you so much for tuning in. I wanted to also point out this is the work of Alid. This is our interior design service where we do full remodels and builds. And if you are embarking on a full scale remodel or a new build, we would love to help you. We just completed a whole ton of projects this year and so we have a little bit of room to like to let a few projects in the back door. So we wanted to offer those up to you first. Since you're our closest friends. You listen to us each week and I just wanted to thank you for listening and for tuning in. If you are interested in any design work. Corey, how do they get a hold of alid?

[Corey]

Go to alicelanehome.com and the design services tab and scroll down to Alid and there'll be a form there. Fill it out, we'll get back to you.

[Jess]

That's great. Thank you so much. If you guys have any episodes that you would hope that we cover, send those in to dear Alice alicelanehome.com and we'll catch you next time. Hey, thanks for listening. If you like our show, please leave a five star rating.

[Sue]

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