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A
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Dear Alice. Today we have another masterclass for you, another remodel masterclass, if you will. I think you guys have been loving this series so far from what we've been able to tell. Always leave us reviews so that we know if you're loving these things. This is a project that we, we did around 2000. 18ish.
B
17.
A
That we started in 17 pictures.
B
Yeah, yeah, 2017.
A
Yeah. So. And then we completed it in 18.
B
Early 2020.
A
Oh, early 2020. Yeah. Guys, you're going to love this house. Yeah, we have before and afters for you, which are so much fun to see what it was and the potential we saw in this project. And I still feel really proud of this house. I'm so excited about the solutions that we were able to come up with. So if you're embarking on a project in this new year, I think some of these solutions are going to really get your brain going as you're working through ideas and Pinterest boards and see some of the problem solving that we did with space that was already existing. So buckle up. This is going to be a really fun one. I want to tell you guys, Christmas is almost here. You can still get a gift from Alice Lane. Our gift cards are available now and we have something we've never done before. Corey, tell them what we have.
C
So we have some of our product that's on Amazon and on our own website, alicelanehome.com we have a collection of those things that are on Amazon that you can buy from prime right from our website.
B
Last minute shoppers. We're here for you. Yeah, because that's me.
C
Yeah, me too. I'm one of those people. So yeah, go to alicelanehome.com and we have an Amazon collection. And you, like I said, you can buy everything from it with prime ship dates. So awesome.
B
I also want to plug gift cards, y'. All. A gift card can go a long way, especially because we have this amazing service called home furnishings design. And you can surprise your special someone and to say you, you deserve a new living room like you've been asking for all year long. And you wanted new furniture. So I have a gift card to help with just the furnishings because our HFD program is all complimentary. So we have designers on staff, have degrees, they'll put your room in CAD and work with your beautiful partner, whoever they may be, on making it exactly what they want it to be. And so all that gift card money that you just threw down so gracious can go toward the furniture. So really, I think a slick trick.
A
The ultimate gift.
B
Yes. Oh, my gosh. If I got a gift card to go toward furniture. Yeah, you're gonna get a big fat kiss. So happy, happy Christmas.
A
And if you wanted to surprise them and have that consultation set up for them, tell them how to find. It's the design services tab on the website.
C
So alizanehome.com go to the design services tab. And then home furnishing design. That'll pull up a form. You fill that out. We'll get back to you the next 48 hours.
A
Love it. That's great.
B
Slick.
C
Okay, so maybe before we get into the house, let's tell people, like, about the project. Obviously, pre covered different world back then.
B
It is.
C
But, yeah, kind of like set the scene for us, I guess.
B
Okay, so the home is in Highland, Utah, which is actually where we both reside.
A
Sue and I both live in Highland.
B
Which is just like in the north part of Utah County. It's a really beautiful area. And the home was a pre existing home that they had been living in for a while. Um, but it just wasn't one that they got to build. This. This family is, you know, they're. They're successful, like later forties, I would say. The kids are growing up. They have, like, some teenagers happening, getting into that spot where they actually can do something, you know, with a home and like, kind of start to put their mark on it. So they came to us and just to see kind of what was possible.
A
I also feel like they were in this place where their personal style was evolving and they were starting to. To make other big decisions with their life. And they were. They were kind of like coming out in. I know, like, she was starting to get into fashion, and they were getting into, like, cars and also, like, traveling. And so that was starting to influence some of their decisions. And you can kind of feel this, right, like in your 40s, you're like, you finally know who you are and you've got the confidence to do it and, you know, the disposable income to do it. And they. They were just primed and ready and really just like such a fun, fun family and fun couple to get to work with on making their own home that they were living in. They love the neighborhood. They like the home. They understand it. Just turning it into something and seeing the potential in it. And you guys are going to die over what. What came to be. Yeah.
B
And they're both like, they're so. They're so good. In addition to all those, like, they're just like such good humans. It's like the whole, like, magnetism, you know, just like, good. Good goes toward good, you know? Like, I. I was just. I'm so happy for him. Like, all of our clients, I'm just like, when you see a finished product, you're just. I look at these pictures, I'm like, gosh, how many years later? I'm so happy for them that they get to still live like this. I would make those decisions today.
A
I would, too.
B
I really would. I think it's so smart, and it's so completely them. So anyway, it's. It's fun to be a part of, but let's get into it. We're going to go through a few different spaces in the home. The dining room, the formal dining room, the butler's pantry, the kitchen, and then their primary suite. So let's get into it.
A
There's more rooms that we did, but we'll just cover these five spaces for this episode.
B
So the first one is the dining room. This is. Right. It was. It wasn't an office, y'. All. This was an office right when you come into the entry. It was kind of that typical thing where you have a living room on the right and a office on the left at that point. And so they were at this point, too, where they just realized they didn't use their office. We were just talking kind of funny because this is, like, pre Covid. I still don't think they would have ended up using the office as much as they get to use this, but they had this office that they just. They weren't using. Like, their kids were at a point where they didn't need it for homework, they didn't need it professionally. And so something that was always on their wish list was a dining room that they could fit their family at, because they only had a dining nook at that point off the kitchen. And so it made really good sense to, I don't know, take a space that wasn't being utilized at all and turn it into something that could be great.
A
Kind of the dark and dreary world. Here it was. And there was a closet within the office that we saw potential in and suit. What do we do at the closet?
B
Yeah, there was a closet. The picture we're looking at, you can't. Could see it in this picture, but it's. Well, yeah, you can. It's just that door right here. There's actually a. It goes into a closet that was just for storage, but on the opposite wall, this is their kitchen. And it was just tall storage. And we were going to be remodeling the kitchen anyway. So as we got the floor plans and started to really kind of study, like, what could this be? What. What could make this? Like, if we make this the formal dining, we. What would be a smart thing then to have to, like. Because sometimes you're like, okay, that room could be a formal dining, but I have to walk all the way through this other hallway and to access, you know, a space that should be more. More close and adjacent. Um, and another fun thing is that she had just a lot of things that she wasn't able to store. China and glasses and stemware. Um, and she's like, gosh, I would love, like, a butler's pantry. And so. Drumroll. We turned that closet and, like, just popped open that wall on the kitchen side and created a butler's pantry that was like, a really easy pass through. That's honestly, like, it's such a small pocket, but I know it's one of our favorite little notes in the whole house.
A
Well, and we all just experience Thanksgiving. And you know, when you're trying to get all of the dishes timed and ready and into the dining room at the same time, you don't want to have to walk down hallways with hot plates of food in your hand.
C
It's a 20 pound turkey.
B
Exactly.
C
That's how big my turkey was, by the way. Yeah, I know, right?
A
So, yeah, you want to be able to have a shortcut through the butler' pantry right into the dining room from the kitchen. And so now these rooms are right next to each other with this short little butler's pantry, which is going to be stocked with all your drinks or desserts or whatnot. So it really just, like, wrote itself. It was so great. I think enough said. Let's show them the afters.
B
Here. You can see. Here's the. Looking straight at that same view into the dining room. You can see that we did a wall covering. She loved textures, and. And she did, like, color, which was fun because this was 2017-20. They we were entering, you know, still a light climate for most people's interiors. But we started to introduce color, which was really, really fun. And she wasn't afraid. Um, and so we have a grass cloth, a dining table, and again, it's not massive. Right here we have six dining chairs, but they want to be able to see eight. And so you can see on the sides of a sideboard in the back, we have two slip covered chairs that we can pull. Like, we can Squish eight here and then add a leaf to the table and have like their whole family sitting there, which is so great. Also, you can kind of see a peekaboo of that butler's pantry, which is green there on the right.
C
So did you take the French doors off?
B
Okay, but we left the casing. 1. One thing that they really, really loved and they, they made very clear at the beginning is that they loved the wood basin case.
C
It was dark, so it was darker than most.
B
Yeah, most of that naughty alder like, of that era was just like kind of this honey orangey color. At least this was like a little bit more of a walnut stain. Still a lot of nuts. But they did keep it. And so we worked with it and I'm just thrilled with how it all turned out. But I think the chairs are probably one of my favorite things. The rug I love so much. It's again, because you're not a massive space. It's a, it's a decent sized room, but not like the biggest. Right. We opted to not do a rug that had a border on it, being that sometimes when you get like an actual bordered detail, it just like creates more definitive walls that start to leak into the space. Instead, the pattern just bleeds edge to edge, which I think was really successful here and allowed us to again, just be able to stretch that table when we need to add more people.
A
I, you know, if you kind of think about what probably some of our listeners are thinking about, and that is when you do a remodel, you don't have to make that room the same thing it was once before. Um, and maybe you're in a situation like, like myself or even my sister I was just talking to last week, and she's like, gosh, you know, I think I might turn that bedroom into a closet for myself. Because, you know, she built her home at the very beginning of the early 2000s, and it used to just be that there was a walk in closet and the wife had the right side and the husband had the left side. And today closets have become more robust and people don't have dressers anymore. And so the closet really does all the work. And you get dressed in the closet today and there's usually a mirror and, you know, a place where you can keep all your, your jewelry or, you know, like some sort of built in dresser situation. And so what we've, what we've learned about homes is like, they can, you can do so much more with spaces and they can become a different thing than they once Were you don't have to. Just because it was an office, you don't have to do an office. And so you can reimagine these spaces as something new. And I think that's what's so fun about this before and after is looking at this sort of sad, dark office. And then it becomes this living space where lots of bodies can come in and enjoy it and make memories and, you know, have all these conversations and pass through the kitchen. And I don't know, I just. You can just see this. This house being alive again, you know, And I just feel so excited for people that are going to embark on a remodel. And maybe you're looking at less used rooms around your house and going, gosh, you know what? This could really serve my hobby or this could really be, I don't know, an X for me or whatever it is.
B
I remember, like, going into the home too, like, after it was done to, like, do some finishing touches and feeling like a real, like, hole into this space and knowing that it connected so immediately to the kitchen, being like, oh, yeah, I won't have to. Like, it's not going to take me off course shortcut.
A
But.
B
And I think too, even, like with through covet and through all the things, food has just become so and always has been so celebratory that, like, that's where I would go. Even with the dining nook, that's where I would probably take my meal.
A
Yeah.
B
In here. Just to kind of get away and make it an experience.
A
So. Yeah.
B
Let's take you to the butler's pantry. Okay. This is that you can see a peekaboo right here of the dining room. And that sideboard with the slip covered chairs. This is the butler's pantry. Again, it's not huge. I want. I want to say you're like maybe 40, 42 to 48 on each side. One side we opted to just do lower cabinets, drawers specifically. And then we did antique mirror all the way from the back of the, like, the countertop all the way to the ceiling to just grow the space and like, just make it a little smoky mirror, like, as you pass through. And then we floated brass shelves in front of it for her stemware and bases. And then on the opposite side, we did more clothes storage, but it's still glass so that you still feel this, I don't know, this reflective fanciness.
A
Yeah. I have to give a shout out to this. We don't ever like to be a one trick pony, but if you are going to embark in On a bar or a butler's pantry. Probably 99 of the time, we're going to employ this trick of using an antique mirror as the back. You can get antique mirror as tiles and install them that way. And they're beveled, and that look is really cool. Or you can get your mirror shop. Your what? Your glass shop. To do a full sheet as the backsplash, or you can do it as a full wall. And it just absolutely brings the magic. It ignites something. It's like does what fire does to a living room. It is the most magical thing you can do in a bar space or a butler's pan pantry. Or if you have a china cabinet, even doing the antique mirror behind that, it's going to double your stuff. It will be reflecting back in itself, and it gives more depth to a really small space. Makes it feel larger, makes it feel fancier. Everything looks like it's on display. I just love this trick. So it's one that you can think about. I know you guys love home design. If you're listening into this and I don't know, that is just. I'm never going to be sick of this.
B
I'm not either.
A
Yeah.
B
And I feel like it's the trick that, like, has been used for so long. If you think about, like, you know, vintage antique bars and things like that. I've always used antique mirror. They used mirror that has naturally antiqued.
A
Yeah.
B
And now we're trying to rip it off.
C
Exactly.
B
You know, and so I will say, like, all antique mirror is not created equally. Some of them look contrived and they don't look authentic. You don't want one that's gonna. Some of them get really black and splotchy. Like demons are coming out. Just do something that just like, feels like light antiquing like this. So. And that was the butler's pantry. Okay, let's go to the kitchen. Kitchen is such a stunner. Okay, here's our before kitchen. Again, we mentioned it's not a huge space. We have a back wall, you know, for the actual range, with an island that's, I imagine probably around like nine, like eight, nine feet right there. Um, so not huge. And then we had just like one additional wall, and that was just like tall storage for your fridge and freezer. So again, not a ton of. Of just like, I don't know, unusable space. So again, we utilize it the same way. Definitely smarter for the actual homeowners.
A
And this shows that vertical wall bi level islands that they used to do where you'd be at counter height, where the sink is to sand and do dishes, and then it would pop up and become bar stool height or counter stool height. Excuse me, bar stool height. Yeah, the higher height. So we don't really do bi level islands anymore. This is definitely an early 2000s trick. This gives, if you're watching, this gives you the straight shot to that full height wall where we've got double ovens, a refrigerator, and a little sort of catch all station. So this almost reads like a galley kitchen.
B
Yeah, it really does.
A
Right. You've got a back wall with your range hood and then a front island. And that's really it. And for having six kids, this is not a ton of kitchen, especially actually for the size house that this is. But I think that this, the new look that we were able to have in this kitchen and just sort of leveling out that island, the range hood tricks, everything else just made it feel so much larger.
B
Let's go to the after. Great. There you go. Mic drop. There you go. A few things that we did in this space I think were really, really impressive is that she was open to a really interesting marble. And so it is a, it's a white field on the marble. But she was like really open to like doing an interesting vein. So this was like pretty. The like Viola, you know, like Viola is like so hot now. We love it, we see it, we use it. But she was like willing to do it then, which I'm like, I'm so like pleased that we were doing this back then.
C
I mean that in green cabinetry and the butlers, it's like, gosh, you're half decade before your time.
B
Seriously. Well done, well done. But I think some of the fun things that we did with the slab wasn't only the actual countertop for the island. There's some really cool tricks that we're going to kind of like show you on the island. Um, but also I just want to point out that we took it all the way up and around because that back wall was only the range and two side cabinets, which we still needed to keep. It's not like we could like omit those just because we needed that storage for plates and bowls and such. But we took that slab all the way around that door threshold on both sides. And so I think that that really helped. Anytime you can do that, just like expand a material like that, it just makes a space grow tenfold.
A
I feel like this space looks so much bigger having that marble stretch up. Yeah. And behind the range hood Obviously around the door and just really connect with that, that full height wall. It feels all inclusive. And then that little pantry door, don't forget that with the little circular window in it right of the range.
B
There's a pantry door so good.
A
And then the marble goes up and over that. You're buying a lot more slabs. But I just tell you, this kitchen looks so much more rich. This, of course, the year is like sue said, 2017, 18. When we started, gray was the color. And I think it's nice that it's not just a white kitchen. This feels still sophisticated. It's a warm gray. And I think one of my favorite tricks in this kitchen, when I think about this kitchen, I think of two things. I think of the hood, which was a hood. In a hood. We put a metal hood and then we did a glass hood over the top with polished nickel straps and. And this sort of window into the hood. Just felt so editorial. It's so cool. It cleaned it all up. And then the other trick that I still go crazy for is that we did double slabs on the waterfall island. You get a green slab peeking out underneath this Calcutta viola slab. And it's like one of those. I don't even know what to say. It's just like, you know, remember when the Louboutin shoe was so huge and they had like red on the bottom? You never missed it, even though it was on the bottom. And I think this little under layer of the green marble, or is it a granite?
B
I think that we went a little bit less expensive here since our marble.
A
Was so expensive since we were doing slab on slab. Yeah. And I love that we went shorter on the hemline of the, of the over waterfall.
B
Just cuff those pants right there. I want to see an ankle.
A
This trick is just so good. We've never done it since. This is just original to this house. And the green connecting with the butler's pantry and the green counter stools. It's just such fashion points. I absolutely love how these little details turned out in a not very big kitchen. The design is really big and we took some risks, especially at the time.
B
I know I was looking back at like just the documentation and the drawings. And we did this what's called an axonometric, which that was like pre. All these, like renderings and AI, you know, days that we're in now. But it's. That's basically like a three dimensional study that you're doing to like show a builder the details of how you want this constructed. And I just love and like we, we did, we showed them that like pop out the dimension that, that stood proud and how that interacted with the floor at the base and anyway it looks exactly like it and it's just so exciting.
C
Jess, when the holidays wind down, what's the one thing you crave the most?
A
You know that moment when like you put on the holidays for everybody. Kids are loving their gifts. The garbage has been cleaned up. The one thing I crave is just like going and getting in my bed and just taking a nap. And I love the cozy Earth bamboo sheets. It is just the gift of better sleep and it just helps you feel snuggly on those winter nights. And it's got this really soft sort of silky hand about it that really does just feel so luxurious. So for me I'm craving that nap and that time alone in my sheets.
C
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A
I love a small space dressed to the nines. Me too. I don't know what it is but when you, when you just sort of showed that last shot with the Rocky Mountain Hardware. We all know those of us in the industry when you say Rocky Mountain Hardware, you're like, you big pervert. I can't believe you spent I can't believe you spent $300 on a knob. But it feels so good when you look at it. Especially those appliance poles. You're probably upwards of over $1,000 for one of those.
B
You betcha.
A
But when you see them all in a row and there's only so many, there's just a few of them, it's just, it's just like so Tom Ford, you know, it's really, really good. And the, I have to say the shade of gray with the veining in the marble, it's really nice. It really looks good.
B
Yeah, I'm going to call it more taupe. Yeah, I'm going to call it more of a taupe.
A
Yeah, you name it whatever you want to. I love it. Yeah, it looks really good here.
B
I also going to name it, I.
C
Also love like the glass like display cabinet above the fridge and freezer. Because some in cabinetry that is such a hard space to allocate for because it's like, what the hell are you doing with it? It's such an awkward depth and nobody can reach up there and open a door, you know, so that's awesome.
B
And one thing that we did, because again, it's not big enough to do like two doors. Like you're. They just become skinny, weird things. The previous one had like this arch niche over. I don't know if you remember, on the before arch niche over the fridge. This one we decided to do a glass panel. So at least like whatever you store up there isn't just gonna be just like open to dust in the elements and never ever get touched.
C
Exactly.
B
Yeah.
C
And then it's kind of tying into the glass like with the hood too. So it's. Yeah. Bringing that all together. It's red.
B
Okay, let's go into the primary.
C
Sweet.
B
This is the last space we're going to take you. But again, this is the space that the husband's like, I just want. I think they just got done some European traveling. He's like, I just want to have. I want to feel like I'm in a castle. This. And also the. The client is like the most robust Viking of a dude I've ever, ever seen Vikings.
A
Probably like six, five. And he's. Who's Gaston? He reminds me of Gaston. Yeah, he's built. He's got. Are they called traps? Yep, he's got traps. Muscles that you don't see often on a lot of people that are 65 and just a rack of shoulders. And he could bench press me. Yeah, yeah. Or anyone. Yeah.
B
He's like, I want a castle. I'm like, whatever you say, sir.
C
Yes, you do. Whatever you say.
B
But a couple of things about this is the befores obviously underworld. They had a four poster bed, but really nothing else. It was just furnishings in here. But one thing that he really like would. He's like, I would love a fireplace if we can get one. And actually it worked out well because again, as we stared at the floor plan, the op. The wall that shares his bedroom is the same wall that shares the great room fireplace. And so we're like, this is actually.
C
He's already gas there.
B
I know. I'm just like, you guys have been righteous. Things are just coming at us and we can just tie right into that same flu. So that's cool. So we did. So we gave him. We'll show you the afters here in a Second, but. Well, actually, let's just go to them. Here's one more. Before. This is where that wall that shares the great room wall that has a fireplace on it where we installed a fireplace. And we did a lot of tricks and things to make this space feel like a castle. So here we go with the afters. Okay. I love how this room turned out so much. Okay. A couple things that we did. I'm going to show you that fireplace since that's what we just spoke about. This is that wall that we were just at where there was no fireplace. And now you have a. Not just a little fireplace, but a fireplace. We did a full mantle hearth, small hearth with an over mantle because we had the height to do so. So have a full fireplace for him. And the things that were like, what could we do to make it feel more like a castle? And he had. They had some concepts with finish work and things. We had all this height and we're like, that's actually a really great idea. We didn't. We chose to do wallpaper on the ceiling with finished work details. But then we just decided to just like go paint again. Not to blow the budget. I'm really happy that like with how it turned out, the depth of color, using a strong color that has some depth, like it made it feel so expensive from where it was before.
A
So expensive. And I want to say we're probably sitting at a 16 foot ceiling in this space. 15 or 16ft. I don't know. I was looking at the. The man door next to the fireplace and a typical mandor is what, six, eight?
C
Yeah.
A
So if that's six, eight, almost doubling that. Don't you think that you're like 12.
C
It's like another six feet. Yeah, it's another six feet above that. So it's probably. Yeah. 12.
A
12 to 15 somewhere there.
C
Yeah.
A
So that's why we had room for that over mantle and lots of finish work. This isn't your typical ten foot ceiling room. And I have to just pay a quick homage to the floor detail. Yeah. And the ceiling detail. Because these were both brand new and took lots of. Lots of thinking. Lots of work, added cost to the project. And they were all in on it. Tell them what they're looking at on the ceiling right now, Sue.
B
On the ceiling, we. We separated it into four quadrants. But instead of having it squared up with actual like parallel with the wall of the fireplace, we actually turned it on the angle on a 45 and to again, anytime that you can like add angles or it just Stretches your eye. And we did that exact same thing on the floor detail. We threw that on an angle so that again it would stretch the eye. And we did a combination of this. It's like a limestone with basically it's kind of like a premium alder to match the rest of their floor so it transition nicely. So we didn't do carpet like Walt's wall in here. We did do a tile wood combination again to just.
C
Wood is real wood. Yes. Not yes, yes.
B
It's all real wood.
C
I was gonna say the thing about like going back to like elongating things with the applied molding on the walls, going from the before straight to the after, it looks like there's two feet added in that ceiling.
A
That's why I was like, it's got to be like 16ft. It really is elongating. The diagonal lines or space expanding. And you get that both on the floor and the ceiling. And there's like there's not a stone left unturned in this bedroom. And we the limestone situation on the floor, it's almost an in law an enlarged like lattice pattern if those of you can't see it. And the lattice is making this framework for the wood floors to sit down within. It's so rich and unexpected. And the limestone floor connects with the pre cast fireplace detail. And it feels really fresh even though the walls are this really beautiful sort of darkened peacock navy situation.
B
And it's kind of like. It means it's essentially. I know we're not totally dark on the whole ceiling, but it is that color drench where on the befores you had just like a light wall that met up with a dark crown that your eye kind of just like stops there, cuts it in half. And then just like you don't even like pay attention to the ceiling where we really obviously did a lot to draw attention to the ceiling and do that applied molding.
C
And you didn't cut the applied molding off at like the waist or something like that. So that elongates it too.
B
And these are single tall panels.
C
Yeah, they're tall to begin with. But if you have shorter ceilings and you're going to do applied molding or you're doing a remodel where you are thinking about it, make that one panel. Because even an eight foot ceiling, if you cut that off, it's just going to make it feel short again. So have do a single panel. Applied molding is going to stretch that every single time.
B
So also Matt appreciate for the window treatments and taking that all the Way up. We always say that. Take it as high as you can. That's what we did here. And it was interesting because we're like, do we. Do we open up the widow treatments for the actual photo shoot? But, like, when these guys are closed, there's, like, nothing that feels like more like safe and sexy than this window treatment.
C
Yeah.
B
When it's completely drawn.
C
That's the antique mirror window treatment right there.
A
Amen.
B
Amen. Amen.
A
You don't see a lot of pattern window treatments, but this one, we did have a small pattern on it. There was a pattern on the window treatment in the dining room as well. So I think we were doing more patterned window treatments in the 2000 aughts than we are today, probably. But I do have to say, this looks so great. And the treatment textural, too. The treatment on the ceiling in the bedroom, it's a cork wallpaper. Is that right? Yeah, it's a gold cork wallpaper that Philip Jeffries. Yeah. It's so handsome in person. Yeah. Really good.
B
So let's talk to. Let's. I want to mention the chandelier because it's such a great. It's a stunner because you. You walk in, you see the chandelier. That, again, feels like. It feels like it's vintage. It. I don't know. There's just, like, such a cool factor to it. It has these, like, glass globes at varying sizes, but it's stacked in a really organized way, so it doesn't feel like old lady. It feels hip, and it feels like.
A
It feels 1960s to me.
B
It totally does.
A
Yeah. Definitely vintage vibes. You can't quite put your nose. Your. Your finger on the nose. But it definitely just feels fashion combined with the gold wallpaper. Almost feels leafy up top. The pattern drape, the peacock.
B
I love the medallion, too.
A
Like, ceiling medallion. You wouldn't think to do with this style of fixture, and it's just so good.
B
I'm gonna do more ceiling medallions. Yeah, you are now. Yep, yep. Let's talk really quick. Okay. I just mentioned off of the bedroom, you go into their primary bathroom, and it's, again, not a huge footprint. And so sometimes when you get so many, like, door swings, it just takes up more room, more real estate on your actual floor plan than inhibits, like how you lay out your furniture, the size in which you buy furniture. And so we're like, oh, gosh, barn door. You know, even at that point for us, we just didn't employ them a lot. Felt like swear word. We're like, we don't want a barn door. But we. I love the function. We love the functionality of just having something that could either. If it couldn't pocket, like, what can we do that could make it fashionable? And we're like, if we made. Had like a really clean rail system and we did great art on one side of the door and had it all painted the same color as the wall, maybe it just disappears and it just becomes like this really cool art feature. Yeah. And tada.
A
And actually this was leather panels, wasn't it, at the top?
B
Yes, we did do a leather panel. And then the client, they found this amazing piece in Park City at a gallery of all. They. They love books. They love, you know, they collect books. And this was just like all these like old book covers that had been like shellacked onto this massive piece that became what the door is. And so when it's closed, you do see the metal rail above, but it just. It feels like Smart gave some of.
A
That castle energy that he wanted to. It's so handsome. And really like the biggest piece of art in the room becomes this barn door, if you dare call it that. I mean, it functions like a barn door, but it really is like an art installation that slides left to right to allow you to go and pass through into the primary bath.
C
Exactly.
B
Oh, oh, here's that peekaboo. So here's that being drawn a little bit to the right. Just how beautiful is that? Just that. I don't know, just even feeling that depth of like one room in the next room. Because really that wall where you're seeing that other piece of art with the art light is actually like on the way toward her closet. Like, anyway, I just. We always talk about transitions.
A
I was just gonna say let's just take a moment here for sight lines because in remodels particularly, you can take the time to get your sight lines right. And if you're watching this and you're seeing this. This shot of this barn door being pulled to the right so that can allow you into the bathroom. What are you going to be looking at? And we were able to find a piece of art that looks really great in concert with the other piece of art, art light over it. And the two together are so great in that depth of field. Nothing is left unturned here. It looks so fashionable and so extraordinary together. And so just pay attention to those things that. What are you doing? Even, like, if you have a hallway, what's happening at the end of that hallway? Do you have. Do you have room for a little commode and a big piece of art. Do you have, you know, like, let's really pay attention to those sight lines as you enter a new space. And I think hallways are often left undone. I think entering into rooms and what's right in front of you. And let's make sure and treat those things because that gives back to the room that you're in. And I think one of my favorite things in my house, and even in your house Sues, is the transitions between rooms. I love standing in your family room and just, like, looking down your hallway. Either of them are just so fun to look at these. These galleries, and those are just big moments. And if you want to work on your home, pay attention to your sight lines, pay attention to your transitions between spaces. Those are spaces that you can work on that will really just like, pull the whole house together and give you new excitement for your house.
B
And I think the temptation for a lot of people is just like, yep, take out the walls. Take out this wall. Take out that wall. Open it all up.
A
Yeah.
B
You know, and I'm like, I know I teached with that in my house. I'm sure, you know, at times you're like, maybe you probably haven't because you did a new build. But I'm so glad I didn't.
A
Yeah.
B
You know, that I did pay attention to that, and you helped me. Like, we talked about space planning, how we could, like, spin my room in a different way, keeping the walls. Because those transitions and those vantage points were so critical.
A
Yeah.
B
And I needed a wall space.
A
So you do for your art galleries. Yeah. So, yeah. Anyway.
B
So, yeah, I think that. That. I think that's a really great tip for everybody just to consider. But, yeah, I love that shot.
A
It's just a money shot in the whole house. It's so good.
B
Anyway, so that concludes our grand tour estate.
A
Yes. This is like the whole main level of this remodel master class. I hope this sort of opens up new windows and pathways in your brains as you consider your own projects. Or maybe you're an interior designer working on a remodel. And I just think looking at other people's remodel and some of their. Just some of their. Not just space planning, but problem solving, helps you think of things in new ways. And this had quite a few tricks that we're still excited about in Buzzy and wanted to talk about all the way back from 2017 and completed in 2020. I think it's very individual to who the client is and we continue to, to know that that is a trend that you should always lean into is tell the story of the folks that live there and, and design for the way that they live. And I think we were really able to do that in this Grand Tour estate. So thanks for tuning in, you guys. Remember, you can still get a gift card from Alice Lane and you can also get items on our Amazon page. Right, Corey?
C
Yeah. Or@alicelanehome.com on our Amazon collection. So again, all of that stuff is buy with prime and you'll get it next day or the day after.
A
Yeah.
B
Secret safe with us.
C
No one will ever know you're gonna be the hero.
B
Congratulations.
A
Thanks so much for tuning in today, you guys. I hope that you're enjoying the season and we'll catch you on Christmas Day. We're gonna record a new episode for you, so. So we'll catch you on that one.
B
Merry Christmas.
A
Hey, thanks for listening. If you like our show, please leave a five star rating.
C
And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug Limu. Is that guy with the binoculars watching us? Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com savings. Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.
Hosts: Jessica Bennett (B), Suzanne Hall (A), and Corey (C)
Date: December 18, 2025
In this “Remodel Masterclass” episode, the team at Alice Lane Interior Design—Jessica Bennett, Suzanne Hall, and Corey—walk listeners through a transformative remodel of a family home in Highland, Utah. They delve into their design process for five principal spaces: the dining room (formerly an office), butler’s pantry, kitchen, and the primary suite. With before-and-after insights, clever remodel tips, and personal anecdotes, the episode aims to inspire listeners embarking on their own renovation journeys to rethink and reimagine their home’s potential.
[05:13 – 09:45]
[11:51 – 13:51]
[13:51 – 22:10]
[22:10 – 33:49]
The episode is upbeat, witty, and unpretentious. Jessica, Suzanne, and Corey combine actionable design tips with storytelling, making high-level design accessible and relatable.
For more inspiration or to book a home furnishing consultation with Alice Lane, visit alicelanehome.com and check out their Amazon collection.
End of Summary