DEL.ICIO.USAvondale Estates couple fits modern design into budget
Research, patience help designer achieve look
Associated Press
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
AVONDALE ESTATES — Keith Brown and Karen Hennessey wanted to give their ranch house the sleek, modern style they had come to appreciate from stays in boutique hotels in cities such as Paris, Cairo and Johannesburg.
To keep the budget as minimalist as the design, however, they had to plan carefully. The keys, says Brown, have been patience, persistence and discipline.
JOHN AMIS/AP
Keith Brown wears a T-shirt bearing a message for do-it-yourselfers while he works on the light fixtures.
JOHN AMIS/AP
Keith Brown shopped around and found a $7,800 refrigerator for $2,500.
“You get caught up in the trappings of looking at these (home decor) magazines,” says Brown, a designer himself. “Most people try to figure out, ‘How can I get that look?’ and that’s when you have to get really creative.”
Not that Brown wasn’t seduced by the glossy pages of modern mag staples such as “Dwell” and “Wallpaper,” which are piled in stacks around the house. That high-end influence is evident throughout the home, in touches like faucets, bathroom vanities and marble floors.
But look again. The vanities in the master and guest bedrooms? A repurposed television stand and bookcase from IKEA. The kitchen sink faucet? Home Depot.
Brown says he and Hennessey, an epidemiologist, began the renovation nearly two years after moving into the house, which he describes as “a California ranch-style house with great bones.” Brown admits that as a designer, he has an advantage over the average do-it-yourselfer, but he insists the deals are there for those willing to look.
“You have to simply figure out how to use the Internet to your advantage, and shop wisely and get good deals and take the risks that are associated with not being able to go into a showroom and see something,” he said.
Not that he wasn’t willing to get out and shop for a deal.
“Two or three times a week, I would get in my car and go to these places,” he said, rattling off bargain electronic stores and discount appliance retailers. “We hunted. And there’s nothing defective about any of the products we bought. It was almost just like going on a scavenger hunt.”
Brown seems to relish the process nearly as much as the finished product. He is especially proud of the kitchen, a study in high gloss white minimalism. He estimates the high-end version of the space could have cost $150,000 or more, not including the appliances, but offers a glimpse into what he was able to save by shopping around:
• A $7,800 refrigerator for $2,500.
• A $1,600 convection oven for $300.
• Dishwasher drawers, normally $1,200 to $2,000, for $700.
Though the house is still months from completion, Brown said he is already satisfied that it conveys more of a modern than a luxury aesthetic — a more realistic goal for those on a budget.
“Overall, we’ve been able to do what we did with modern because we’ve been smart,” Brown said. “There are days when I look at this house and say, ‘I know I can do this, and I wasn’t dealing with half of the money some of these other people are dealing with.’”
Patrick Johnson, an architect with the Atlanta-based design firm AI3, worked with Brown on the project. He said the Internet, IKEA and magazines like “Dwell” have done a lot to further the resurgence of modern design.
“I don’t like the word ‘elite,’ but there was a symbolic quality that modern design had, probably until the last five years,” Johnson said. “There’s an acceptance because it’s more accessible now.”
The key to keeping costs down, Johnson said, is being hands-on. “There are ways of getting a look with standard, off-the-shelf building materials. But you’ve gotta be willing to hunt.”
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