The design team gathers in the premiere episode “Home Sweet Om” Annie and henry, parents of two who recently purchased a new home in Roswell, Georgia for $725,000. They wanted their home to be a relaxing sanctuary and asked Sherrod and Jackson to use the Japandi style. Japandi style combines Scandinavian and Japanese influences with natural elements to create a minimalist yet cozy space.
“It’s very elegant and has a lot of movement and flow,” Sherrod says.
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Sherrod and Jackson spent $70,000 renovating the kitchen, dining space, office, and even created a yoga room. Here’s how they did it successfully. It contains many lessons that you may want to try in your own residence.
Leave no wasted space
The first thing Sherrod needs to do is make sure the layout of the house is as functional as possible. There’s a lot of empty space between the kitchen and dining area, so she suggests reconfiguring the kitchen, removing the peninsula and adding a long island that extends further into the distance. This will fill the awkward empty space and expand the small kitchen.
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On the day of the unveiling, Annie and Henry are impressed. The island has been lengthened and cabinets and appliances have been placed along the back wall, transforming the kitchen from a small corner room into a huge entertainment space.
Sherrod tells customers, “We’ve actually doubled the square footage of our kitchen.”
This is a reminder that good design starts with good layout. The footprint of this large kitchen is reasonable, allowing for plenty of additional counter and cabinet space.
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Create a natural atmosphere using tambour
Once the layout is decided, Sherrod fills the kitchen with Japandi-inspired finishes, including light wood cabinetry, white stone countertops, and a backsplash, as well as tambour panels on the island and a new built-in banquette. Tambours are wood chips that are pasted together to create a grooved look that helps create a calm and relaxed look.
Sherrod notes that the tambour will eliminate “that cold, sterile look” of the original kitchen. The warm wood color and unique texture create an attractive finish.
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Backdoors are not always necessary
While discussing plans for the kitchen and dining space, Annie and Henry realized they were missing one big thing. That’s the back door.
The kitchen originally had an opening to the backyard, but the homeowners noticed that Sherrod’s design eliminated that feature, but they weren’t sure if they liked the change.
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Details from the real estate agent:
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But Sherrod insisted the door should be removed, saying the new kitchen design was not balanced by the intrusive door.
“To create this kitchen, we removed the door, and now we have this gorgeous focal wall, and at the end of it is this gorgeous banquette,” says Sherrod. “And you can’t do that if the door is in the right position.”
She added that the family has access to the backyard from the laundry room, garage and yoga studio, so a kitchen door is not necessary.
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The homeowner ultimately agrees to remove the door as planned.
add interest to the ceiling
The house has an enclosed porch, which Annie hopes to use as a yoga room. Sherrod happily created a relaxing retreat for his client, adding new flooring, new glass doors, and curtains.
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She also added acoustic slat panels to the ceiling, “to bring out the fluted features we’re doing in the outdoor kitchen,” she says.
Unfortunately, on the day of installation, the team discovered that the box for one of the panels had been delivered broken. Sherrod improvised and instructed Jackson to draw around the ceiling. No panels are needed and green paint will help bring the outside in, she says.
Ultimately, this ceiling features beautiful wood accents and relaxing deep green tones. The perfect combination for Annie’s quiet yoga room.
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Glass door blocks out noise and lets in light
Sherrod and Jackson also renovated one of the rooms on the main floor and turned it into Annie’s office. We filled the space with plenty of storage, painted the walls a light green, and added a light wood desk. Next, install a glass door at the entrance.
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See-through doors are modern and minimalist, allowing light into the room, while also helping with soundproofing.
“You can close the door and actually make a business call,” Sherrod says.