Follow along as we transform a small, sad, dark condo into a beautiful, sunny part-time vacation rental. Watch the video for the tour and read the post for more in-depth tips on how to brighten things up, make ceilings look taller, increase functionality, and add architectural interest where non existed before.
How We Transformed a Sad Condo into a Beautiful Vacation Home
It was super ugly and I was super excited.
I’m not saying we found coffin dents in the carpet or a pile of rat skulls in the reach-in closet, but it was clear that the previous occupants had rejected sunny SoCal living.
Shutters covered the condo’s only three windows. More shutters covered the sliding doors to the patio, the primary source of natural light in the main room. The patio itself had a solid plastic awning so that you could sit outside without the threat of a ray of sun touching your epidermis.
To be fair, there were skylights in the kitchen, dining room, and bathrooms. These had textured plastic covers at the ceiling which gave the natural light a fluorescents-at-the-DMV effect.
Top it all off with a cottage-cheese textured ceiling that was only 7-feet 9-inches from the floor, and you had yourself a recipe for a miserable existence.
“This is a good one. I think you should make an offer.” I whispered to my client.
“Well.” She tried to smile. “I like the price. And it’s, um, big. Are you sure?”
I was. Because what it didn’t have was gray wood-ish vinyl floors, cheap-n-cheerful light fixtures, big-box store white cabinets, and the $100k markup of countless other “remodeled” condos. Previous viewings made it clear that a couple of contractors had been busy in the community and that they knew a guy with a truckload of gray vinyl plank.
I mean, the flipped units were fine. They were mostly B-minuses. But my client deserved an A+ and a gold star sticker.
There’s just so much…ceiling.
From the front door, it was all you saw: asbestos-laden cottage cheese ceiling with a single air conditioning vent hanging out awkwardly off-center. Even with a mirrored wall at the dining-room end, the combination living room/dining room/kitchen seemed small. Here’s how you make a small space look even smaller:
✔️ Make the ceilings extra low
✔️ Paint everything dingy off-white or beige
✔️ Do not add architectural features
✔️ Have only minimal utilitarian lighting.
When you do these things your eyeballs just slide right through the room with nothing to grab their attention. With no visual stopping points, you have no way of gauging distance or depth and your brain says “I just took in this whole space in 3 seconds, ergo, it is tiny.”
The room was actually decent-sized, so we added character with wall trim (i.e., architectural speed bumps.) We used classical proportions to define the spaces and add strong vertical elements and complemented the arrangement with wall sconces.
The strong verticals on the walls helped to visually raise the ceiling, and we continued the optical trickery with a stacked crown that, although it looks traditional from below, actually covers more of the ceiling than the wall.
After the asbestos ceiling texture was safely removed, we broke up the expanse with big, architecturally interesting light wells, added recessed LED lighting, and made thoughtful choices about the air conditioning vents.
(Note: working with a designer will help you avoid mistakes like awkwardly placed skylights or lighting. Before we even started meeting with contractors we had drawings showing where everything would go, from the kitchen cabinets down to the rugs.)
Click through for the before and afters. I think you’ll know which is which.
What time is it? What day is it? Where am I?
Since we couldn’t add windows (see: condo, connecting walls) we brought in natural light from above, with carefully placed skylights and sun tunnels. Normally these are a no-no in a living room because of heat and glare, but since there was plenty of distance between the ceiling and roof we knew that it wouldn’t be an issue here. We kept things interesting by exposing the ceiling trusses in the light wells and placing sun tunnels where they would have the most impact.
We added strategic overhead lighting and wall sconces on dimmers to act as a backbone to the decorative lighting throughout, so that our client, her future renters, and her housekeeper would always have as much light as they needed.
Skylights, wall sconces, LED ceiling lights, and decorative lighting. Photo by Christopher Lee Foto.
Why do my guests get the bathtub?
Even though the place was in a retirement community, the unit was (non) designed for a nuclear family with equal-sized primary and second baths. We reconfigured the bathrooms for the person who would actually be living there part-time by creating a luxurious, barrier-free primary bath (with a bathtub and shower) and a smaller but perfectly functional guest bath.
Note: because most falls happen in bathrooms, it’s important to consider how doors open in accessible design. We installed a pocket door at the primary bathroom and changed the door to swing out at the guest bath. That way if someone does fall, help can reach them quickly.
Remember those sun tunnels? We placed them in the bathrooms so that they would illuminate interesting features: the beautiful tile in the primary shower and the niche in the guest shower.
I never want to clean anything again.
Our client was just so over taking care of stuff. We haven’t yet cracked the code on self-cleaning houses, but we do know how to pick super durable, easy-to-clean finishes and furniture so you don’t have to sweat it too much. Here’s a quick run-down of what we used:
- LVP flooring (that’s luxury vinyl plank, and yes, I made fun of it earlier. The kind we used is way better. Look for LVP that can be used commercially, because if it can stand up to high traffic and frequent cleaning in a restaurant or hotel lobby, it will last forever at your home or vacation rental.)
- Seagrass rug. These are natural rugs that can be easily cleaned and don’t stain when you clean them with water. They can smell like hay and be a little greenish when you first get them, but they mellow to golden brown and have no smell after a few weeks. Not soft, so not great where people are going to want to plop down on the floor and watch tv.
- Performance fabrics, i.e., the secret to white sofas and dining chairs that stay white. If you have upholstered furniture that isn’t performance fabric consider getting it treated.
- Glass tabletops. The coffee table came with one and we added protective glass to the dining table.
- Porcelain slab countertops, i.e., how to get the white marble look without so much etching, staining, and crying. Make sure your installer knows how to fabricate them and has practiced at someone else’s house first. No sealing or special cleaners are required. Not the best choice for hard-working kitchens as the edges can chip, especially if you frequently use heavy pans.
- Porcelain tile with epoxy grout in the showers. Your contractor will hate you (the grout is hard to use) but have you ever remodeled a whole house and then been informed that you’re going to have to seal the damn grout every 6 months? Makes me stabby. Glazed porcelain tiles likewise don’t require sealing or special cleansers.
- Painted hardwood cabinet fronts, plywood cabinet boxes. If you’re putting in a new kitchen, plywood cabinet boxes are worth the upgrade, and painted wood (vs. a laminate) can be repaired and repainted.
- Good paint. We used Sherwin-Williams Emerald acrylic latex. Most brands have a similar “scrubbable” option. It’s worth the upgrade.
That’s it for our sunny So-Cal condo makeover. Our client reports that she’s thrilled with her cheery condo, and is proud to be the envy of the neighborhood.
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