Houzz TV: A 1961 Home Opens Up to Fearless Color and Fun
A clever open plan, secondhand finds and personal details have transformed this Texas family home. Take the video tour
Janet Paik
December 17, 2016
Houzz Associate Editor. Passionate about creative homes and the people behind them. Loves thoughtful design, improving her family's 1950s fixer-upper and VW buses. Former designer at the San Jose Mercury News.
Houzz Associate Editor. Passionate about creative homes and the people behind them.... More
“Smelly, dirty, dated and very compartmentalized” is how Heather Banks describes the state of the 1961 fixer-upper she and her husband, Mike, bought in 2012 after seeing it on Craigslist. Mike, a construction manager for PSW Real Estate, and Heather, a photographer, interior decorator and Houzz contributor, took on the project of transforming their home during an eventful period in their lives. “We knew we would have to live in the house for what we thought was a few months as we made plans for an addition and complete renovation, but those few months turned into a year,” Heather says. An addition eventually turned out to be too costly for them, and with a second child due in two months, they decided to renovate instead.
Now on Houzz TV: Get ideas from this creative transformation in Austin
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Heather and Mike Banks; their daughter, Zoey, 6, and son, Cash, 2; and their two Boston terriers, Linus and Louie, and mixed-breed puppy, Petey
Location: Allandale neighborhood of Austin, Texas
Size: 1,780 square feet (165 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1961
Their son, Cash, now almost 3, arrived a month early as they were in the midst of downstairs renovations. “I came home from the hospital with one working bathroom and no kitchen, but we made it work and finished a few months later,” Heather says. With a clear vision, the couple transformed their home with reimagined secondhand finds, DIY savvy, a fearless use of bold color and midcentury-inspired eclectic style.
“We wanted the kitchen to have an eclectic feel, so I found some lanterns at the local antiques mall and had them converted into pendants,” Heather says. For the waterfall-edge bar top, the couple cut down a couple of slabs of old wood that they had found on Craigslist years ago. “We dragged them with us from house to house until we had a place for them,” Heather says. “This was a tricky task, but my handy husband, Mike, and contractor uncle, Chris Reeves, got it fitted perfectly.”
Mosaic backsplash and island tile: Savoy Hive in Ricepaper, Ann Sacks; bar stools: Bend Goods
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Heather and Mike Banks; their daughter, Zoey, 6, and son, Cash, 2; and their two Boston terriers, Linus and Louie, and mixed-breed puppy, Petey
Location: Allandale neighborhood of Austin, Texas
Size: 1,780 square feet (165 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1961
Their son, Cash, now almost 3, arrived a month early as they were in the midst of downstairs renovations. “I came home from the hospital with one working bathroom and no kitchen, but we made it work and finished a few months later,” Heather says. With a clear vision, the couple transformed their home with reimagined secondhand finds, DIY savvy, a fearless use of bold color and midcentury-inspired eclectic style.
“We wanted the kitchen to have an eclectic feel, so I found some lanterns at the local antiques mall and had them converted into pendants,” Heather says. For the waterfall-edge bar top, the couple cut down a couple of slabs of old wood that they had found on Craigslist years ago. “We dragged them with us from house to house until we had a place for them,” Heather says. “This was a tricky task, but my handy husband, Mike, and contractor uncle, Chris Reeves, got it fitted perfectly.”
Mosaic backsplash and island tile: Savoy Hive in Ricepaper, Ann Sacks; bar stools: Bend Goods
BEFORE: Dated cabinets, appliances and flooring dominated the kitchen. The couple gutted the space and focused on knocking down the wall on the left to open the room to the living area.
AFTER: “We fit as much cabinetry and storage as we could into this space and tried to make it as functional as possible without moving around a lot of the plumbing for budget reasons,” Heather says. The cabinetry is custom. The back wall and upper cabinets are walnut, and the blue cabinets are paint-grade.
Kitchen cabinet paint: Bosporous, Sherwin-Williams; laminate flooring: Lamton Exotic Basilica, BuildDirect
Kitchen cabinet paint: Bosporous, Sherwin-Williams; laminate flooring: Lamton Exotic Basilica, BuildDirect
Heather and Mike got the idea to use a live-edge wood slab for their bar counter on Houzz. They had it for 5 years before finding a use for it on the counter between kitchen and living room.
The countertops are White Zeus Extreme by Silestone and were purchased through TreeHouse.
Hear the story about these creative pendant lamps on Houzz TV
Hear the story about these creative pendant lamps on Houzz TV
BEFORE: A breakfast nook was a must-have for the kitchen renovation. Heather and Mike wanted to remove the wood paneling and envisioned adding a cozy nook in this corner of the kitchen. They moved the kitchen door closer to the window to accommodate more kitchen cabinetry.
AFTER: “We made sure the post-remodel space would fit this banquette I found on Craigslist even before we moved into the house,” Heather says. The couple had the tufted curved piece reupholstered with a gray marine-grade vinyl. “It’s one of my favorite areas in our house and the space that gets the most use, apart from our living room.”
The banquette also turned out to be the couple’s biggest splurge during their renovations. “It probably cost close to $2,000 once we had it redone, but it was worth every penny as it has held up really well to the messiness of the kids and we spend so much time there,” she adds.
The banquette also turned out to be the couple’s biggest splurge during their renovations. “It probably cost close to $2,000 once we had it redone, but it was worth every penny as it has held up really well to the messiness of the kids and we spend so much time there,” she adds.
“The breakfast banquette with marble table … makes me happy to hang out there eating breakfast with the family or helping Zoey with her homework,” Heather says.
The wood mosaic is a DIY art piece Heather made with leftover scraps of walnut from the kitchen cabinet frames.
Vintage Saarinen-style table: Carrara marble, antiques show; midcentury hutch and bar cart: Room Service Vintage; pendant light: Urban Outfitters (spray-painted yellow)
The wood mosaic is a DIY art piece Heather made with leftover scraps of walnut from the kitchen cabinet frames.
Vintage Saarinen-style table: Carrara marble, antiques show; midcentury hutch and bar cart: Room Service Vintage; pendant light: Urban Outfitters (spray-painted yellow)
BEFORE: The dining area was cut off from the rest of the house. During the renovation, the couple removed the wall that separated this space from the kitchen and removed the green floral carpet.
AFTER: “We moved the front door farther from the staircase, as it made more sense for flow,” Heather says. The couple also removed the old carpeting from the stairs and refinished the original hardwood underneath. “We removed the original banister and railings, and replaced them with something more architecturally interesting,” she adds.
Dining set: Room Service Vintage; pendant lights: Four Hands; bench: John Vogel for West Elm
Dining set: Room Service Vintage; pendant lights: Four Hands; bench: John Vogel for West Elm
The space under the stairs was previously a storage closet. They opened up it up and converted it to serve as a homework nook for the kids. “The little space under the stairs houses my daughter’s desk,” Heather says.
The couple bought the vintage-looking screens at a deep discount from a now-closed local company called Crestview Doors. “We cut open the wall between the dining area and the hallway to add some architectural midcentury modern style, and it also filters some natural light into the previously very dark hallway,” she says. “They make a huge impact as you walk into the house.”
Art: Room Service Vintage; desk: Austin Auction Gallery; clear dining chair: Cove, LeisureMod via Overstock
Art: Room Service Vintage; desk: Austin Auction Gallery; clear dining chair: Cove, LeisureMod via Overstock
The living area was a difficult part of the renovation. “We couldn’t figure out a way to make the spaces work to fit everything we knew we wanted — breakfast nook, bar area, formal dining and living. So we ended up taking about a 10-foot-by-10-foot area from the garage to expand into,” Heather says. That area now serves as the family’s main living area.
“We had a slab of pretty walnut left over from a previous kitchen renovation, so we sealed it and mounted it onto the wall with equally spaced nail holes so we can hang with clips a rotation of art that the kids bring home from school and day care,” she says.
Agate-topped side table: HomeGoods; coffee table: Austin Auction Gallery
“We had a slab of pretty walnut left over from a previous kitchen renovation, so we sealed it and mounted it onto the wall with equally spaced nail holes so we can hang with clips a rotation of art that the kids bring home from school and day care,” she says.
Agate-topped side table: HomeGoods; coffee table: Austin Auction Gallery
The couple tried to make the most of every inch of space and created a mudroom-like area near their front door. Hooks provide a place for the kids to hang backpacks, and a little table next to the door serves as a place for keys and other necessities.
Door paint: Freshwater, Sherwin-Williams
Door paint: Freshwater, Sherwin-Williams
Dogs Linus, foreground, and Petey enjoy resting on the plush area rug.
Vintage credenza: Prototype Vintage Design; vintage Bose speakers: Round Top antiques fair; trellis-patterned rug: Alexa, NuLoom via Overstock; white vase: Target; marble tray: HomeGoods
Vintage credenza: Prototype Vintage Design; vintage Bose speakers: Round Top antiques fair; trellis-patterned rug: Alexa, NuLoom via Overstock; white vase: Target; marble tray: HomeGoods
The new living space has an easy flow that works well for the family.
Leather sectional: Hamilton, West Elm; throw pillows: Target
Leather sectional: Hamilton, West Elm; throw pillows: Target
Heather bought an assortment of vintage letters from Etsy to put their family’s last name on display in the hallway that leads to the master bedroom and hall bathroom. Petey, their newest dog, walks on a vintage Oushak rug from Etsy.
The couple installed laminate flooring throughout, but Heather says she probably would not recommend it because of warping that they’ve experienced when it has come in contact with water. “If you don’t clean up the water right away, the floors will swell. We had a leak in our HVAC unit in the hallway closet, and it went down to the floors in the hallway and warped them. We now have a pretty vintage hallway runner covering them up,” she says.
The couple installed laminate flooring throughout, but Heather says she probably would not recommend it because of warping that they’ve experienced when it has come in contact with water. “If you don’t clean up the water right away, the floors will swell. We had a leak in our HVAC unit in the hallway closet, and it went down to the floors in the hallway and warped them. We now have a pretty vintage hallway runner covering them up,” she says.
BEFORE: “Zoey’s room smelled as horrible as it looked,” Heather says. “We had to clean the walls with bleach, remove the gross and smelly carpets that had countless pet stains, and use the best primer on the walls. We painted the room white and painted the built-ins in the reading nook gray.”
AFTER: Daughter Zoey’s room features a bold palette of hot pink, brass and gray. The vintage twin-size bed is a Craigslist find that the couple had lacquered in white, with the headboard reupholstered in a gray velvet. The table that displays the doll house was made using a piece of scrap walnut plywood and hairpin furniture legs purchased at a garage sale and spray-painted gold.
Zoey made the splatter art above her dresser as a collaborative project with friends during a party for her sixth birthday at Smudge Studios Austin.
Dresser: Uptown Modern; vintage brass globe lamp, Lucite-and-gold dressing table and bench: Round Top antiques fair
Dresser: Uptown Modern; vintage brass globe lamp, Lucite-and-gold dressing table and bench: Round Top antiques fair
Hot pink pillows and a pouf create a cozy reading nook
BEFORE: Two closets with folding doors provided great storage in Zoey’s room but were in need of a makeover.
AFTER: Rather than replace the closet doors, the couple removed them and hung curtains from Target to soften the space, match the room’s color palette and provide easy access.
Heather’s compact home office was created during the renovation from half of a previous bedroom. (The other half of the bedroom was connected to the master bedroom and now functions as a walk-in closet.) She uses this space for editing work as a wedding and portrait photographer and in managing her interior decorating business, Cary Paul Studios.
Heather keeps her desktop accessories organized in a handmade tray.
Splatter tray: CB2; brass desk accessories: Nate Berkus for Target; green vase: vintage; “Live, Laugh, Love” art: Hobby Lobby
Splatter tray: CB2; brass desk accessories: Nate Berkus for Target; green vase: vintage; “Live, Laugh, Love” art: Hobby Lobby
“We are very influenced by midcentury designs as well as the work of Jonathan Adler — bold and colorful with lots of patterns and textures,” Heather says. “We aren’t scared of bold colors, and we wanted our bedroom to be a happy place, so we decided to go with a deep blue accent wall paired with bold yellow accents.”
Wall paint: Jay Blue, Sherwin-Williams
Wall paint: Jay Blue, Sherwin-Williams
“The original house didn’t really have a master bedroom, so we tried our best to create one during the renovation by stealing some space from the previous closet and adjacent bedroom to create a little nook/dressing area,” Heather says.
The carpeting is one of the couple’s favorite things about their bedroom. “Mike really wanted carpet, and I’m not typically a fan of carpet, so I told him if we did carpet, it had to be really cool,” Heather says. They chose a pattern called Highrise Retreat from Mohawk (now discontinued).
Bed, brass task lamps and bedding: Target; nightstands: Room Service Vintage; credenza: Brasilia, Broyhill via Craigslist; mirror: Ikea; yellow lamp: HomeGoods; vintage metal bird art: estate sale
Bed, brass task lamps and bedding: Target; nightstands: Room Service Vintage; credenza: Brasilia, Broyhill via Craigslist; mirror: Ikea; yellow lamp: HomeGoods; vintage metal bird art: estate sale
BEFORE: The upstairs bathroom was really dark and odd, with tiny rocks glued to the wall like a chair rail.
AFTER: The couple worked with general contractor Ben Reese of Reese Remodeling and Repair to completely transform the kids’ bathroom.
Wall paint: Mindful Gray, Sherwin-Williams; vanity: Ikea; mirror: Target
Wall paint: Mindful Gray, Sherwin-Williams; vanity: Ikea; mirror: Target
The shower was finished with inexpensive matte-finish subway tiles in three shades of white and gray that form a herringbone pattern on the walls. They added wood shelving for storing additional toiletries.
“For the renovation of the main bathroom, we wanted it to have a calming spa-like feel,” Heather says. The couple installed a ceramic wood-look tile from The Tile Guy. The two mirrors are vintage, and Heather painted them white.
Ceramic vessel sinks: Elite Sinks via Overstock; wall-mount vessel faucets: Kingston Brass via Overstock
Ceramic vessel sinks: Elite Sinks via Overstock; wall-mount vessel faucets: Kingston Brass via Overstock
BEFORE: The exterior felt dated and in need of updates to match the couple’s eclectic style.
AFTER: To modernize the exterior, the couple removed the old vinyl siding and replaced it with cedar planks. “We added new siding everywhere else and reframed the roofs of the dormers to make them flat for a more modern feel,” Heather says.
Paint: Dorian Gray (exterior) and Marshmallow (trim): Sherwin-Williams
Paint: Dorian Gray (exterior) and Marshmallow (trim): Sherwin-Williams
The new door, moved from its original location, is painted a bright blue that echoes the colors in the home’s interior.
Door hardware: Samba, Rejuvenation; door: Crestview Doors; chairs: Target; door paint: Freshwater, Sherwin-Williams
When to Paint Your Door Blue
Door hardware: Samba, Rejuvenation; door: Crestview Doors; chairs: Target; door paint: Freshwater, Sherwin-Williams
When to Paint Your Door Blue
Heather, left, Zoey, Mike and Cash are pictured in the breakfast nook. “Looking back, there are definitely some things I would have changed about our renovation, and I wish we weren’t so rushed during it,” Heather says. “But, overall our house has a cozy and happy feel.”
Watch: Get loads of color and space-planning ideas from this creative transformation
Watch more Houzz TV
Houzz TV is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Watch: Get loads of color and space-planning ideas from this creative transformation
Watch more Houzz TV
Houzz TV is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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Pretty impressive house! I love how you used of the vintage wood screens. The tiled stair risers idea is simply brilliant! Kudos!