Design*Sponge » Blog Archive » before/after + sneak peek: alyson fox

i can’t believe i had the self discipline to hold this post for an entire week and not use it right off the bat. i’m such an antsy blogger when it comes to anything vaguely sneak peek related. one of my favorite artists, alyson fox, was kind enough to share a seriously fantastic before + after project that has become more of a mini-sneak peek! alyson and her fiance derek were kind enough to share a sneak peek into their austin home last year and now they’re giving us a peek into their recently made-over kitchen. the project took six months and the final results are in-credible. using countertops and a sink from ikea, alyson and derek made over their existing kitchen to create a warm, modern space. for those of you curious about details, alyson and brian used a spray gun to paint the cabinets (which they matched to alyson’s beautiful orange/red desk. others were stained), used steel for their backsplash, microlam for the shelves, ikea for the table and classic thonet chairs and barstools from homegirls. alyson says they were going for, “a really open simple kitchen with a pop of color” and i think they achieved just that. thanks so much to alyson and derek for sharing their project and another glimpse into their lovely home. great work guys! (be sure to check out all of the photos below the fold, too)

[click here for full sized photos of alyson’s home]

[image above: the kitchen before]

[image above: halfway through the process]

[image above: front of the house before]

[image above: front of the house after]

I love this kitchen makeover! The warm tones are wonderful and I think the open kitchen makes the space look huge.
I’d love to know who the artist is who made the painting/print of the girl that is hung over the Eames rocker in the living room.

Em-design-
The Keep Calm posters are sold several places. SFGirlByBay blogger Victoria sells them here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5244654

And the company Keep Calm, out of the UK, sells them here:
http://www.keep-calm.com/

Well…I guess you could say “mission accomplished”. Um, A LOT!!! What a transformation. Well, done you guys! (Love the Mr. & Mrs Jones juicers on the counter!)

Em-design….the Keep Calm posters are from sfgirlbybay.

Gorgeous! I’m just wondering how the adjustment from a full size refrigerator to a counter height refrigerator has been? It looks great and it’s something I’m thinking about, but will I be able to store a week of groceries in there? I eat a lot of dairy, fish and veggies.

Hi Everyone. Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments. We really appreciate it. I will answer the questions so far:
Nada- we used carbon metal steel for the backsplash that we coated with polyurethane t0 protect it from rusting. Then we just used screws to install it that matched the steel right into the wall.

Cat and Odessa- the barstools are from Homegirls. They are found pieces. I wish I knew who made them. Oldies, but goodies.

Helena- the artist is Sean Mahan

Sarah- the half fridge can hold a weeks worth of food for 2 people pretty easy. I have no complaints thus far excet that I could use a tad higher space ( lower shelf) in the fridge for more beverages.

http://www.keep-calm for great stuff.

great! i loved the proportion of the house from when i saw it the first time, but now much improved. alyson and blake
are making me want to move to austin!

p.s. just learned of her small collection (and this sneak peek) thanks to abigail.

It’s great to see a kitchen on d*s! Love this remodel. As a kitchen designer, I’m wondering about a few things (for one, is there a door opposite the refrigerator?) Just curious! All in all, REALLY great! Enjoy it, it must be very enjoyable to be in.

Would it be rude to ask for a ballpark figure on how much this cost? We are going into a piecemeal/DIY kitchen remodel and I am torn between using IKEA cabinets and salvaging the ones we have. Cost (of the IKEA cabinets and the installation) will be the deciding factor. If you don’t want to answer, though, I completely understand.

Me again. Thank you again for the amazing compliments. Here are some more answers to questions.
Emily- the couch is from Design Within Reach- it was actually in reach becaus it was on sale. They still carry it.

Susan- there is no door opposite of the fridge. The window by it was the exterior window of the bathroom at one point. It’s sort of a funny little space, but the friedge actually opens a far as you would need it to.

Lulu, we did not get the cabinets from IKEa, just the sink, counter tops and table. The cabinets we odered online. There are a few places that make wood cabinets in various dimensions.

Allie, not a rude question at all. We were able to do it for $10,000 ( applicances and all). If you have the manpower ( an amazing father-in-law and family like we had ) you can save a lot.
Thanks again!

Alyson & Derek you guys did ALOT of work. Your kitchen is amazing. I love all the openness and how the color pops. The interior photos were a treat to see as well. What is the next project??Also, I adore all your pottery pieces and how it is all displayed.

LOVE IT. Can you please let me know where to find shelves like that? I renovated my kitchen six months ago, and thicker versions of those are EXACTLY what I want, but I haven’t been able to source them. Thank you!

Kristina and Jennifer,
The shelves were custom made from Microlam, which is an engineered wood and then secured to the studs with heavy duty metal brackets that were then dry-walled over to give the effect that they are floating. You can find the wood at most lumber yards.

Lulu,
The Cabinets we got from a company called cabparts. They were prefabricated to our specific order and we got ours in an oak veneer that we then painted the redy-orange color for some and stained the others.
Thanks!

Overall lovely job; I’ve already ordered the “Keep Calm..” print and can’t wait to frame it and find a perfect spot for it! Could you please share the exact paint color and brand you used for the light blue/gray color? I’ve been hunting for a color like that for my kitchen. Thanks in advance!!!

Alyson your home is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing it. We’re bogged down in the middle of major renovations in our home.
Your finished pictures are inspiring:) I love your paint colors. Do you mind sharing those too?

Thanks again!
Jillian and Carrie please e-mail me at alyson@alysonfox.com. I have to search our shed to look for the pain colors.
Donna, yes the cabinets were primed. We used a spray gun that we put our primer in first and then we did our color. I say we, but Derek did it. He painted 3 coats of the color which you have to let dry between coats (and you have to watch for drips.) We used an oil based paint becasue it’s supposed to hold up better with day to day use. You can rent a spray gun from a few places if you do not want to buy one. Clean up is no fun!
Courtney- you are too kind.

i’m totally inspired. we have kitchen-talk all the time about 0ur 1960’s rancher. this has inspired me to knock out a half wall and create a little bar area overlooking the livingroom.

thanks for sharing so many great photos of the before and after, you guys did a beautiful job!!!!!

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