Around the Web
enter your email


powered by FeedBlitz

Around the Web
Design Sponge
May 1st, 2008
before and after: sarah’s home


today’s last before & after belongs to photographer and vegan cookbook superstar sarah kramer. sarah has done a number on her once-traditional home, updating it with fantastic vintage furniture and a wall full of one of my favorite all-time wallpaper prints. i hope you’ll enjoy the checking out the results of sarah’s before & after home makeover as much as i did. if you’d like to see additional, full-sized photos of sarah’s before & after home, click here. thanks so much to sarah for sharing!


[image above: dining room "before"; top image above intro is sarah's dining room "after"]


[image above: hallway "before"]


[image above: hallway "after"]


[image above: living room "before"]


[image above: living room "after"]

35 comments
Melanie said:
May 1st, 2008 - 1:35 pm

Whoa! I’ve never seen a turntable like that - anyone know anything about it?

Gillian said:
May 1st, 2008 - 1:46 pm

Please please please tell me what sort of table that is, where the chairs fit in perfectly. It is WONDERFUL!

Abby said:
May 1st, 2008 - 1:50 pm

Wow! What a change. A lot of the spaces we see on here show gradual or predictable changes where people add to or improve a small aspect of their environment. It’s nice to see a complete overhaul because it shows that a stark difference is sometimes the thing most called for. Great job!

Karen said:
May 1st, 2008 - 1:53 pm

I love this house sooo much! from the beautiful color conbos, to the vintag touches, to that blue velvet poster in the living room, its gorgeous. this is a gal after my own heart!!!

May 1st, 2008 - 1:58 pm

who knew velvet paintings would look so well in a modern hip space and I just love the contrast of the two styles!! I think its so funny to see how we all are so incredibly different.

sarah said:
May 1st, 2008 - 2:15 pm

Hi Everyone.
To answer some of your questions …

The record player is a electrohome bubble record player. I believe they were only sold in Canada. If you do a quick google search they are always some up for grabs.

The dining table is a 60’s design. Hans Olsen by Frem Røjle

If you stop by the flicker page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahkramerphotography/sets/72157600685981029/
I explain some of the finer details of the house.

So happy you all like it! :)
xoxo
SARAH

turtleesq said:
May 1st, 2008 - 2:18 pm

The Hans Olsen table was blogged extensively on apartmenttherapy.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/good-questions/good-questions-dining-set-like-londong-urchins-023563

It comes in two versions - chairs with three legs, chairs with four legs. You can do a search on apartmenttherapy.com for “Hans Olsen” and it will come up.

stacy said:
May 1st, 2008 - 2:20 pm

WOW what an amazing change. I need someone to come do that to my place.

May 1st, 2008 - 2:32 pm

Wow, I love the “after” photos but, above all, it’s astounding to see the transformation! Congratulations!

Bridget said:
May 1st, 2008 - 4:20 pm

I LOVE the credenza that the TV sits on….

megan said:
May 1st, 2008 - 5:05 pm

what a great makeover! thanks for sharing. :)

lulu said:
May 1st, 2008 - 5:16 pm

did you get hit by lightning? i mean that in the kindest way, because the before and after pics look like the homes of two TOTALLY different people. i love the new you!

Heather said:
May 1st, 2008 - 5:25 pm

I LOVE That lamp! Where can I get one, too?

Thanks! & AWESOME accomplishment!

Becca said:
May 1st, 2008 - 5:51 pm

Possibly my dream house?? no, no, definitely. I would love love love to do that to my boring place….so beautiful.

sarah said:
May 1st, 2008 - 5:55 pm

Lulu … the ‘before’ photos were of the house before we bought it. There was a 89 year old woman living here before us. *laugh*

Heather… the lamp was a thrift store score and is one of my most treasured items.

Dani said:
May 1st, 2008 - 6:32 pm

This is amazing. I’m glad you posted this, D*S, because often I look at the “sneak peaks” and I think, “sure, I’d have an amazing house, too if *I* had built-in bookshelves and fabulous molding around my fireplace and exposed rafters. One request: can you find someone who has done something innovative with neutral, wall-to-wall carpeting? I *love* the hardwood floors that show up in all of these homes, but they are beyond my budget at the moment. Please give me reason to believe that all is not lost!!

Lisa Grover said:
May 1st, 2008 - 8:03 pm

looks great Sarah you did a fantastic job!! Congrats

Jessica said:
May 1st, 2008 - 9:01 pm

Great job sarah!

I love how you made the house unrecognizable and totally you

it looks as if you’ve lived there for years- congrats!

May 1st, 2008 - 9:59 pm

Wow!!! What an incredible transformation!!!! Serious props for this! And hey everybody, don’t forget to enter Urban Flea’s weekly contest; this time, it’s beds! So check it out, and keep spreading that sweet Urban Flea gospel!
xo Katherine aka. Urban Flea :)

leeloves said:
May 1st, 2008 - 11:10 pm

i absolutely adore the dining room.

alivicwil said:
May 2nd, 2008 - 2:47 am

I adore that photo of the pouting girl in the hallway (after)!!

I was going to ask if it was you, Sarah, but I just looked at your Flickr page, and found that it is :) What a brilliant idea.

May 2nd, 2008 - 8:44 am

wow, this is stunning. what a feel and flavor you have added

Henry said:
May 2nd, 2008 - 9:29 am

Sorry to sound a little negative amongst this concertos of “ooos” and “aaas”. This is not a makeover, whats the point of having the “before” pictures, since you are just removing everything and replacing it with your own. Sorry but there is no real design approach here, you simple took a box and filled it with your furnitures…
had you done something with the existing furniture, now that would have been a tour de force….

May 2nd, 2008 - 11:01 am

I can not contain my love for before and after pictures.

We’re looking for a house right now…and I’m really excited about being able to post before&after pics…it will be a little bit before we get to that stage…but stay tuned! haha

Btw, that standing record player rocks!

alison said:
May 2nd, 2008 - 11:02 am

looks like she changed out the flooring and the wallpaper. i’m not a professional designer, but to me those changes are a tour de force.

May 2nd, 2008 - 1:15 pm

Viva la black velvet paintings!

Petchy said:
May 3rd, 2008 - 4:54 am

Love it! And this is a rather funny coincidence: the wallpaper in the diningroom “after” photo… Mum and Dad have that exact wallpaper in their bedroom :)

Melanie said:
May 3rd, 2008 - 11:02 am

Wow! So amazing. Love the floors and use of colours! Also amazing art collection.

May 3rd, 2008 - 12:19 pm

The minty green paint color is so nice! It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint, eclectic artwork, and some cool mid-century modern furniture can do for a space. Love it!

Lillian said:
May 3rd, 2008 - 2:13 pm

Love it! Would you share your wallpaper source? Thanks!

sarah said:
May 3rd, 2008 - 5:51 pm

Wallpaper is from: http://www.grahambrown.com

Just do a search for Matchstick :)

May 3rd, 2008 - 9:54 pm

Sarah IS a cookbook superstar! And a decorating superstar! Thanks for sharing her great place.

May 4th, 2008 - 11:28 pm

i love the dining table. over the weekend i saw a coffee table with the same concept–with stools. very cool.

Nate said:
July 21st, 2008 - 11:49 am

whoa that house was so drab!
design rules :)

Ross said:
July 29th, 2008 - 4:04 pm

It is absolutely different from what it was. The question is… Is it better?

Write a Comment:
Design*Sponge reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks or seek to promote a personal or unrelated business.

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Website