Joe and his neighbors made a deal with a developer to sell their homes, and unfortunately, after 90 days, the deal fell through. All Joe really wanted was to sell his Edmonds home so he could buy a house closer to the water with a view and plenty of room for his computers! Joe’s home was beaming with potential once you looked past the traditional 1970’s style, and we knew that for this home to sell at top dollar in this neighborhood, we needed to give this home a more sophisticated look.
Location and Inspiration
Edmonds is a charming city, about 20 miles North of Seattle, nearly a 20-minute drive from our office in Snohomish, and is right on the Puget Sound. Edmonds is known for its cute shops, fabulous restaurants, waterfront, arts, culture, and ideal commuting location.
With the price point and the location, our potential buyer would probably be a more established client looking for higher-end finishes, unique details to make the home stand out, and something that’s move-in ready with functional spaces.
This house already had beautiful architectural interest, with soaring ceilings, custom built-ins, and impressive stonework, so we had that working on our side! That, combined with Joe’s love for computers and his analytic thinking, inspired me to do a Dark Academia design (a “moody smartness,” duh)
Fun Fact: Dark Academia is heavily inspired by Gothic architecture or Cambridge University!
Key Updates
Living Spaces
In the 70s, sunken living rooms were the thing. The sunken floors in Joe’s living room create a very hard separation between the dining room, entry, and the living room. To bring this a modern feel we:
- Raised the sunken floor to create one continuous living space
- Removed the railings and posts
- Removed the coat closet near the kitchen
- Painted the original wood-paneling and built-ins, Urbane Bronze from Sherwin Williams
Kitchen
To give the kitchen much-needed breathing room and make it stand out, it needed to be reconfigured and updated with a unique style. To do this we:
- Raised the ceiling and added in canned lights
- Removed the peninsula and extended the counters
- Create a new dining area
- Whiskey bar, with beautiful arch and unique pattern backsplash from Arizona Tile
- New backsplash, light fixtures, cabinets, hardware, and stainless steel appliances
- Luxury stainless steel appliances,
- Quartz countertops,
- Modern soft-close cabinets from our good friend, James, at Evergreen Cabinets,
- Matte Porcelain Tile patterned backsplash Floor & Decor
Primary Bedroom
The primary bedroom, while already spacious, lacked a wow-worthy ensuite and closet. For a fresh, bright, and modern feel we:
- Removed the shower wall and replaced it with a walk-in shower with a glass enclosure (done after filming/photography due to a delayed installation)
- All new flooring, vanity, and fixtures
- Had our good friends at Closet Creations install a custom luxury closet system
Exterior Paint
As much as I wanted to paint the home’s exterior, I was surprised at how much of a difference painting the trim made!
It looked like the entire exterior was painted, and we saved a TON of money.
Hanging Plant Shelf
Sometimes, it can be challenging for buyers to imagine what they would use a specific space for, which is why staging is so necessary! We didn’t want buyers to be intimidated by the angeled ceiling in the guest bedroom, so I came up with the idea of adding a hanging plant shelf.
This shelf was super simple to make (so I’m told, thanks Leslie and Ryan!) and only cost around $40 to make. So cute!
Other Key Updates
Modern Flooring
When we renovate homes, we almost always go with LVP because of its strength, affordability, and durability. For this Dark Academia reno, we used:
AquaLogic Ultra in Beech from our favorite flooring company, Feather Lodge!
Fixtures, Hardware, and More
To make sure the entire home was updated and refreshed, we replaced all light fixtures, hardware, trim, base, and more throughout!
On our Amazon Storefront, you can shop the details used to achieve the Dark Academia look, including the hardware, lighting, fixtures, and more. #FoundItOnAmazon
Get the Lamb & Co. Look
Products seen in this photo:
Products seen in this photo:
The Numbers
Unsellable Price – $815,000
New List Price – $975,000
Offer- $975,000
Final Profit After Spilt- $25,000
Thank you all for an incredible, record-breaking Season Three of Unsellable Houses!
We have so many exciting projects coming up and we can’t wait to share EVERYTHING with you!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more inspo and to stay up to date on all things Unsellable Houses and Lamb & Co!
XO
Lynds