Houzz interview: Sherry and John’s charming makeover

Three years ago, Sherry and John, a young couple in their 20's, bought their first home in Richmond, Virginia. Using a limited budget but armed with artistic skills and a lot of enthusiasm, the talented couple turned their 53 years old house up side down. Along the remodeling process, they got married in their own back yard and started blogging about their house projects. Later, the couple also added an online design service to their blog, helping other people transform their homes. It's my great pleasure to introduce you to the youngsters from young house love and their beautiful home.

Please tell us about your “first meeting” with your house to be

We first laid eyes on our house by doing a little drive by to scope it out... but we could hardly see it through the forest that existed in front of the small ranch! We liked the neighborhood and the fact that it was definitely a fixer-upper though, so we asked our realtor to give us a tour (at which point we fell in love with the backyard and there was no going back).

The first step of your remodeling process

The very first thing we did was remove all the gross matted carpeting (there was even some in the bathroom!) that covered up much better tiled and hardwood flooring beneath it. We also ripped down all the dated blinds and window treatments and let in the sunlight. And a fresh coat of paint made everything feel eons better as well. It was all super cheap elbow-grease sort of work that really made things feel a lot more fresh in a matter of weeks.
See here for the before photos.

The biggest renovation challenge you faced

Redoing our 50-year old kitchen from the floor to the ceiling was definitely the hardest challenge we took on (it took almost four months to complete, so we were without a sink and a place to cook for a looooong looong time). But it was all worth it in the end when we gained about 60% more cabinet and counter space and actually converted an adjoining dining room into a third bedroom in the process. Now our entire home is so much more functional (and easier on the eyes too).

Your favorite style and colors

Picking one favorite style is a hard one. We consider our home to be a mixture of beachy, modern and classic decor and we love to layer textures and materials to create an interesting and collected over time look. As for favorite colors, you can find crisp white, creamy tan, moody gray-blue, and fresh pops of green pretty much throughout our home- and we love dark wood when it comes to furnishings.

A spot in your house that makes you very happy/proud

I think we love our sunroom the most- and we certainly try to spend as much time out there as we can. It only took a few simple changes to get things spruced up (painting the cement floor a deep chocolate brown, hanging breezy white curtains, bringing in a plush daybed) but it really is a great place to enjoy the backyard that hooked us from day one.

Your precious accessory/furniture/art

Our most treasured furnishings and accessories are our framed photobooth pictures from our wedding that we hung by the front door, our cream Rowe sofa in the living room, our sunroom daybed (a wedding present that we LOVE), and our Ikea wardrobes in the bedroom that we converted into two built-in closets- they're just so functional and beautiful!

Your next house project

Hmm, that's tough since we always have so many things on our list. We'd like to retile the fireplace hearth in the living room (maybe with river rocks, maybe with glass mosaic tiles, maybe even with marble), take on a super secret paint project in the half bathroom, create shelves in the hallway (which has zero interest going on right now) and about a million other things. If only there were more hours in the day!

5 things that houzz readers need to know about your blog

1. It's our baby. We love blogging and we're super enthusiastic and excited about anything home related.

2. We try to post tutorials because we believe if we can do it than anyone can, so it's full of step by step advice (and we even have a How-To page).

3. We actually offer custom mood boards to help our readers totally transform their rooms on their own without breaking the bank.

4. Our blog is the first thing we think about when we wake up and the last thing we think about before we go to bed. Dorky? Yes. But we can't help loving what we do and doing what we love.

5. Our virtual door is always open, so we'd love for you to drop on in and tell us what you think!

Best tip for the remodeling beginner

With a little bit of determination and a whole lot of research you can do anything that you set your mind to. We've taken on plumbing projects, electrical projects and even wall-removal projects just by doing some research and having faith that things would work out in the end. And you know what? They always did!

Last but not least: as a houzz friend, you get to choose a giveaway gift to one of the lucky readers that will share their thoughts about your house and interview.

Here's our little giveaway gift choice.

We love this chic faux-clam shell, and we actually use it in our kitchen as a fruit bowl. It's a great showstopping little accent that won't break the bank!

Thank you for sharing your charming home Sherry and John!

For your chance to win this Z Gallerie chic Large Atlantis calm shell, selected by Sherry and John, comment on this interview by Sunday, May 31th at 5pm EST.