Ninety-Nine Percent Purgatory
We came back from an unplanned Pittsburgh detour to a welcome surprise: the kitchen backsplash was finished. Apparently, dragging magnolia leaves from the tree just outside the kitchen window through 21 tile shops to find the right tone and hue paid off. True to mid-century design principles, it pulls the outside directly into the kitchen—way better than we imagined.
High-variation, handcrafted Riviera series deep green tile from Italy now anchors the kitchen’s back wall and carries through to the island’s knee wall. From the living room, those continuous surfaces create depth, and paired with the quarter sawn oak cabinetry, the space feels less like a kitchen and more like it’s set within the landscape—just with walls, a roof, and air conditioning.
The main level has tipped from construction site to something resembling a home. The office and family rooms are fully complete—enough that I’m moving my home office in and starting the very next workweek here. That’s a meaningful threshold. The living and dining rooms close the loop: a reproduction steel-and-globe chandelier reinforces the mid-century design without trying too hard, while the Regina Andrews sconces style the room, further framing outside views. Furniture is arriving, and with it, the shift from build to living. “Living the layout” is no longer theoretical—it’s happening in real time.
A deep construction clean helped too. Not just visually, but spatially. With the dust and debris gone, the textures and materials are finally coming to life.
Chaos to Cohesion
1 – Kitchen hidden from dining behind wall, weird wasted space to the right
2 – Steel beam opens kitchen up
3 – Kitchen now integrated with entertaining spaces
4 – Plaster and paint complete, kitchen cabinets taking shape
5 – Countertops, backsplash, lighting underway, furniture arriving
Closed off to Connected
“Two weeks.” — Tom Hanks as Walter Fielding Jr.
At this point, work is 99% done. Two rooms—one guest bedroom and family room—are fully complete. Everything else is one or two minor tasks away. Close enough to feel finished, but not quite call the win.
Upstairs, Ramiro and I are within inches of completing the primary bedroom dual, mirror image walk-in closets. Easy Closets systems are in, layouts work, even accessories are in. Only baseboards stand between installed and complete. A lingering reminder that even the last inch matters, so to speak.
The bathrooms are in a similar holding pattern. Everything functions, but not everything is finished. Integrated heating still needs timer switches (Ramiro wants to “idiot-proof” the heating systems—I’m sure there’s a compliment somewhere in there if I look hard enough). Frameless glass shower doors are still pending: the final layer between design and daily use.
Ramiro and I installed solar shades across the bedrooms. What was supposed to be a one-hour task turned into a six-hour Sunday, effectively replacing the gym with a step (ladder) workout. The shades solve for privacy, but now we’re shopping for curtains—something mid-century, with enough weight and texture to deliver blackout sleep, while still adding color and calm to the rooms.
Then there’s the punch list. We were adamant that every closet have built-in lighting. Most are done and functional, a couple are in progress, and one is done but not functional. Naturally, the closets that matter most for this weekend’s pre-move are still connected to a circuit that isn’t fully functional. Nothing major, but enough to keep a few spaces out of the complete column.
This final stretch isn’t about building, it’s about closing loops. Even with all the planning, all the “drywall is a deadline” discipline, the last few inches demand patience, perspective, and partnership with your builder. Because this is when it gets hardest, the end is close but not quite there. Having CJ and Woodpak Builders alongside us has made our final push manageable.
Before and Now – Dining Room
1. BEFORE – Dining room, closed off galley kitchen and wasted space (right)
2. APRIL – Open concept dining room, island filling the void
The wall between the dining room and kitchen is gone. Previously dead space has transformed into a generous new island. Midcentury wood and paint tones are reinforced by layered lighting: recessed for ambience, a mid-century chandelier for presence, and sconces that frame views of the Japanese garden. Still some plaster work happening above the island but you can get a peak at the playful pendants, very excited about those.
Before and Now – Living Room
1.BEFORE – living room with stairs
2. APRIL – living room with stairs
The living room changed the least—if you can believe it. In most renovations, the updates we made here would be the renovation, but here, relative to the rest of the house, not moving walls feels less overhaul and more makeover. Floor ducts were sealed and replaced with ceiling vents, and the new hardwood flooring—continuous across the entire house—started here. Hardwood planks in terra brown replace a mid-2000s peel-and-stick “herringbone wood-look” vinyl experiment with something far more intentional: natural oak with no hint of orange, red, and absolutely zero millennial gray (a combination that proved surprisingly hard to find in showrooms still filled with drab, unsold inventory). Sourced from Sweden—a birthplace of mid-century modern design and a culture rooted in natural materials—the floors align as much philosophically as they do visually. Wall sconces now frame the floor-to-ceiling windows, pulling the gardens into the room at night.
And the original details we saved… Ramiro and I restored the 17′ African red mahogany ceiling by hand—with a 25-foot telescoping pole doing most of the reaching. We brought in the flooring team to refinish the original mid-century staircase and upstairs railings to align with the new floors. The Sputnik chandelier got its own revival—ladder, metal polish, and a swap from grocery-store candle bulbs to clean, tubular Edison replacements.
Before and Now – Kitchen
1. BEFORE – closed off galley style kitchen
2. APRIL – open concept, detached L-shaped kitchen with island
The kitchen changed the most. Other than the sink and dishwasher remaining under the large window, everything else was up for grabs. Removing three walls allowed us to completely rethink the space—transforming a closed-off 9×11 galley into an open 14×15 “detached L-shaped” kitchen anchored by a central island. Two built-in pantries now flank the refrigerator, and around the corner, a walk-in pantry is concealed behind oak paneling, extending the kitchen without interruption toward the family room.
Before and Now – Family Room
1. BEFORE – Family room white on white, no lighting
2. APRIL – Wood floors, aesthetic white, depth in lighting
The family room refresh centers on a new tiled fireplace—a mid-century geometric pattern reinterpreted in black and white, a combination that’s become something of a signature in my renovations. Two modern circular pendants bookend the seating area, while the natural hardwood floors read as an extension of the garden when viewed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors.
Before and Now – Office
1. BEFORE – Two separate spaces with narrow cased opening, multiple flooring included vinyl gray and black granite
2. APRIL – Cedar clad wood beam unifies the space into a large office / yoga studio / first floor primary
What was once two rooms—divided by a narrow opening and mismatched floors—is now one continuous space. A new beam opened the wall to its full width, and instead of hiding it, we clad it and the far wall in fresh-cut cedar. We then leaned into color drenching—Ecological Green across walls, ceiling, and trim, differentiated only by finish—a trend highlighted by Architectural Digest. Paired with cedar and wood floors, the space carries a deliberate weight—part office, part zen yoga studio.
Before and Now – Main Floor Powder Room
1. BEFORE – Um… 1980’s “updated” Powder Room
2. APRIL – hand crafted floor-to-ceiling tile, widened shower, lighter terrazzo floors, floating vanity mid-century style
The main-floor powder room—now a Jack-and-Jill to the office / yoga studio / first floor bedroom—changed significantly. Wallpaper came out, the ceiling went up 7″, and the shower widened by 20″. The palette is intentional: Tiffany Martini Blue handcrafted tile in the shower, contrasted by white textured tile around the vanity and toilet. A floating vanity, new fixtures, updated lighting, heating system, and terrazzo floors complete the space.
Before and Now – Primary Bedroom
1. BEFORE – Small Primary, Only One Window Tucked into Corner
2. APRIL – Large Primary Site, 2 Large Picture Windows and Champagne Bar
The primary bedroom was expanded to take full advantage of two large windows overlooking the rear Japanese garden. New hardwood floors, updated trim, and 5-panel doors reset the space, along with a refreshed ceiling fan. The layout now includes dual walk-in closets that create a natural transition between the bedroom and primary bath. A small champagne and coffee bar, paired with a seating area, completes the room.
Before and Now – Primary Bathroom
1. BEFORE – That 70’s show called and want their Whirlpool Jacuzzi tub and shower curtain back
2. APRIL – tub replaced with dual walk in shower, now double vanity
The primary bathroom moved on from its 1970s builder-grade roots—platform whirlpool tub and single-sink vanity included. In its place: dual walk-in showers with rain heads, wrapped in a high-movement sage-green tile that carries across the floor and up the opposing wall. Relocating the toilet across the room made space for a dual-sink vanity and dedicated linen closet, both finished in the same cabinetry and countertop as the kitchen. All hardware is from Delta’s new Champagne Bronze line.
Before and Now – Primary Bedroom Closet
1. BEFORE – A single, cedar lined walk-in closet
2. APRIL – Dual, His-and-His, mirror image, designer walk-in closets
The primary closet came with a bit of heartburn—removing what was almost certainly the original cedar-lined room wasn’t an easy call. In the end, it was the right one. What was once a single walk-in closet and two inefficient hallways is now dual, fully custom walk-in closets—his and his—finished in light oak cabinetry with matte black hardware.
Before and Now – Upstairs Guest Bathroom
1. BEFORE – Very tiny, 1960’s original bathroom with 80s and 90s “upgrades”
2. APRIL – Room extended 5 feet by eliminating a hallway, dual vanity and custom luxury tile fill the space
A very small, 1960s guest bathroom—tight, dated, and defined more by what it lacked than what it offered—received a significant overhaul, made possible by the elimination of a hallway (the same hallway that enabled dual walk-in closets in the primary). The room gained five feet, transforming it into a functional, design-forward space with a dual vanity and handcrafted, high-variation tile running floor to ceiling. Finishes do the heavy lifting: Delta matte black hardware, a handle-less oak floating vanity, classic mid-century globe lighting, an integrated heating system, and yes—the all-important towel warmer (non-negotiable). Light, colorful terrazzo floors ground it all, adding a touch of playfulness.
Before and After – Guest Bedroom #1
1. BEFORE – Guest Bedroom #1
2. APRIL – Guest Bedroom refresh includes new floors, doors, trim, hardware, fan, paint, and solar shade
The first guest bedroom saw the least change—no walls moved. The updates were practical: HVAC moved from floor to ceiling, new hardwood floors, 5-panel doors, new trim, and a ceiling fan. One original detail remains—the 1970s track lighting, still earning its keep.
Before and After – Guest Bedroom #2
1. BEFORE – Guest bedroom or bowling alley?
2. APRIL – Resized to a normal guest bedroom, same refresh as Guest Bedroom #1
The second guest bedroom corrected a proportion problem. What felt like a bowling-alley layout was resized into a more functional 12′ x 16′ room. Along the way, we updated the essentials—new electrical, ceiling fan, doors, trim, hardwood flooring, and relocated HVAC to the ceiling.
What’s Next – Chapter 17 – All Moved In
At 99%, the house is no longer about construction—it’s about transition. The dust is mostly gone, the decisions are holding, and the spaces are ready to be lived in, not just looked at. There’s still a list, there’s always a list—but it’s shorter, and it matters less.
Next up: Chapter 17 – All Moved In, where the boxes are unpacked, the routines settle in, and we find out if all that design and usability planning actually works in real life.
