My Houzz: DIY Remodelers Find a Surprise in Their 1903 Condo
A Washington, D.C., couple stretch their home improvement dollars with elbow grease and upcycled budget finds
Ariel and Mark are pictured here with their newborn daughter. The couple stumbled upon their English basement condo, which is partially below ground level, almost by accident. “We were walking around the Logan Circle neighborhood on Super Bowl Sunday nearly three years ago and decided to pass through an open house in the area,” Ariel says. “The moment we stepped into the private back patio, it was love at first sight. It felt like our own little oasis in the city.”
Ariel works as a Spanish teacher and, in her words, has “a surplus of creative energy.” “When I’m not coming up with lesson plans and activities for my classroom, I’m sewing, painting, cooking, thrifting, decorating, DIYing or blogging at District of Decor and Fashion of Goodwill,” she says.
Ariel works as a Spanish teacher and, in her words, has “a surplus of creative energy.” “When I’m not coming up with lesson plans and activities for my classroom, I’m sewing, painting, cooking, thrifting, decorating, DIYing or blogging at District of Decor and Fashion of Goodwill,” she says.
“Our home is truly a hodgepodge of thrifted or DIY items from a plethora of sources. I tend to get a little nutty about throwing too many styles and colors together,” Ariel says.
While the couple love their newly restored brick wall, exposing it created some design challenges. “We discovered a doorway in the brick to our neighbor’s unit, which we had to patch and soundproof. Eventually, we’d like to build a bookshelf, bar or storage in that nook, but for now it’s home to a cabinet that we purchased years ago when we lived in Japan,” Ariel says. The brick wall also instantly made their living area feel dark, especially since their home is a basement unit that doesn’t receive a lot of natural light. “To help offset the darkness of the wall and draw attention to the unique brick detail, I whitewashed stripes into it. I also tried to keep the rest of the decor light and fun to brighten up the space,” Ariel says.
These sleek white cabinets in the living room were a DIY project using Ikea bathroom cabinets. “They sell the Fullen sink cabinet for less than $10 each, so I was able to create an incredibly inexpensive storage and desk area for less than $100, once hardware, new legs and a top were purchased. It’s one of our favorite spots in the condo now,” Ariel says. “We plan on adding some shelving above it for additional storage, but it currently stores seasonal decor and baby items.”
A thrifted $10 bar cart displays glassware and accessories. “My No. 1 tip for people interested in thrifting is to find a few spots near your home or work and stop in frequently,” Ariel says. “Thrift stores have a fast turnover of products, so I tend to frequent several places near my work each week. I often walk away with nothing, but it’s exciting to find the perfect piece to ‘complete’ our home.”
After thoroughly cleaning this secondhand piece, Ariel spray-painted the frame gold and painted each tray a minty green.
“My friends love coming over and pointing out all of the changes that we’ve made. Our home looks completely different every few months,” she adds.
Browse vintage-style bar carts
After thoroughly cleaning this secondhand piece, Ariel spray-painted the frame gold and painted each tray a minty green.
“My friends love coming over and pointing out all of the changes that we’ve made. Our home looks completely different every few months,” she adds.
Browse vintage-style bar carts
After. “We didn’t want to do a full kitchen remodel, so to save money, we framed out the cheap laminate doors to make them look like Shaker cabinets and painted them a crisp white and vibrant green,” Ariel says. The couple kept the existing black granite countertops. Mark installed the backsplash tile after borrowing tools, including a tile cutter and spacers, from a friend. “He replaced the faucet with a more modern brass version, and our entire kitchen update was achieved for less than $600,” Ariel says.
Cabinet paint: Emerald Green milk paint, General Finishes
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinet paint: Emerald Green milk paint, General Finishes
How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
Ariel ripped up carpet to discover a beautiful wood floor that the couple had refinished.
The dining room receives the most natural light. “We spend a lot of time cooking together and we eat all of our meals in our dining room,” she says. “The antique dining table is a family heirloom, and I love that our daughter will eat at the same table that I did as a child.”
What Lies Beneath That Old Linoleum Kitchen Floor?
The dining room receives the most natural light. “We spend a lot of time cooking together and we eat all of our meals in our dining room,” she says. “The antique dining table is a family heirloom, and I love that our daughter will eat at the same table that I did as a child.”
What Lies Beneath That Old Linoleum Kitchen Floor?
“Our condo was built in 1903, so it’s trickier to decorate than modern, more open homes,” Ariel notes.
A sunburst mirror and a gold side table make for a glam nook near the front door, creating an entry-area vignette.
Find sunburst mirrors
A sunburst mirror and a gold side table make for a glam nook near the front door, creating an entry-area vignette.
Find sunburst mirrors
Ariel painted a lot of the art on the walls, including this piece in their daughter’s nursery. Ariel’s sister has four kids and “gave us almost everything we needed for our daughter,” she says.
Woven baskets and wooden accessories complete the nursery. The ceiling was painted a light pink using leftover paint that had been used for the dining room walls.
Mark was an active-duty Marine for the first five years of the couple’s marriage. “We moved five times in those first five years, which meant decorating and furnishing five different homes and exploring five cities in different states or countries,” Ariel says. “Thrifting became a fun, budget-friendly way to accomplish all of that. I enjoy discovering new thrift stores in each community that we’ve lived, and I especially love hunting for treasures to make our house a home. I’ve thrifted in Asia, Europe and across the U.S., and I love that almost every item in our home has a unique story and past.”
The couple’s bedroom is long and narrow, with four doorways, one of which leads to the full bathroom and another that leads to the back patio. “Our queen-sized bed barely fit in the room, so I had to scour thrift stores to find narrow side tables with adequate storage,” Ariel says. “I scored a matching set for $20 after a long search, but they were in rough shape. After painting them with chalk paint and adding new hardware, they completed the room. My husband and I added the grid paneling behind the bed for additional interest in the room, and we also built and upholstered the headboard to save money.”
“My absolute favorite item we own that characterizes my personal style is the Persian rug found on eBay in our bedroom. It has modern, bright colors while still appearing traditional and comfortable,” Ariel says.
Ariel chronicles her crafty closet makeover on the Goodwill Fashionista blog. DIY art brightens up the space, and teacup hooks hold colorful necklaces.
The couple uses a thrifted bookshelf in the closet to organize their shoes.
“I love a variety of styles, so our home is extremely eclectic,” Ariel says. “I have traditional furniture mixed with midcentury and chinoiserie items. I’m more influenced by the story of a piece of furniture than by designers. Many of our items were purchased or thrifted from various places that we’ve lived, which contributes to their personal history.”
See more photos of this home
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
See more photos of this home
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Who lives here: Mark and Ariel Enoch; their 2-month-old daughter, Esme; and their cats, Romulus and Remus
Location: Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Size: 1,075 square feet (100 square meters); two bedrooms and 1½ bathrooms
Year built: 1903
While exposed brick is often a selling point for many homeowners, Mark and Ariel Enoch initially didn’t even know it existed in their Washington, D.C., apartment. “We decided to tear down our interior wall one day,” Ariel says. They removed drywall that previous homeowners had installed and uncovered original brick. “Imagine us on a weekday evening with a glass of wine in hand, laughing as we naively tore down the main wall in our home. That might have been our dumbest DIY idea, since neither of us had any clue about how to restore a brick wall.”
It turns out the brick behind their living room wall was in rough shape and needed a lot of repair work. “We hired a fabulous mason that let us be his apprentices. He taught us all about how to clean brick — with muriatic acid, in case anyone is interested — patch a brick wall, repoint brick, mix and dye mortar. I’d feel confident doing it again in a future home, but at the time it was a long, stressful project,” Ariel says.
Armchair and ottoman: Strandmon, Ikea