This before and after is my own house. My husband and I bought the house as a great place to live with less. I wanted to showcase this project to show you that you can downsize from 1600 square feet and live beautifully with less.

The home is a small Scandi-style cottage, only 850 square feet, with high cathedral ceilings in the common space. I absolutely fell in love with the natural wide plank floors - the type that only gets better with age.

The homeowner had attempted to design with a modern but rustic farmhouse style. Butcher block countertops and dark navy and white mosaic tile made the space feel dark and heavy. The lighting throughout didn’t fit the farmhouse look they were going for. It all felt a little disjointed.

My heart felt the house wanted to be Scandinavian in style.

I pulled estimates to have only the backsplash, countertops, sink & faucet and lighting changed.

This renovation happened during the pandemic when supplies for tiles were on the 4-12 week wait list. So, I opted for something high-end and available at my local big box store. I kept it white, neutral and timeless - which opened up the space.

Paint came first. I removed the backsplash myself and sold the butcher block counters, sink and faucet on Marketplace to help recoup costs and upcycle.

I changed the countertops to white quartz (Iconic White) everywhere except the island which had a light grey veining. (Eternal Straturio).

Lighting was all swapped out for Hinkley brass domes, glass pendants and wall mounts.

The sink was replaced with a Blanco white basin, paired with a Moen brass touch faucet.

The renos were a personal preference but made a huge return on investment to the property.