T
he three-bedroom, two-bathroom home was purchased from the original owners, and the Neffs soon realized it was a blend of the 1950’s elements with 1970’s updates.
“It had some funky lights up here that we took down that were colored pink and green,” described Matt. The first big project was to remove all of the carpet from the bedrooms and bathrooms. “We signed the papers and we had the carpet lined up outside,” laughed Lauren. “There was some laminate out [in the main area], but once we opened up the kitchen, it had different flooring in there. So we had to redo all of this flooring since it had to change into a big room.” The couple worked on the remodel themselves to create an open-floor plan, tag-teaming the kitchen. Matt took down the wall that caused separation from the entrance and living room, and a pregnant Lauren assembled all of the IKEA cabinets. “I was 8 ½ months pregnant, sitting on the floor putting cabinets together,” said Lauren. “Yeah, there were definitely ups and downs,” recalled Matt on the projects that took a year. “We gave ourselves a real deadline, and that was good for us." They lived in their home throughout the remodel and didn’t have a kitchen for months, which made them get creative by doing dishes in the bathtub.
THE CABINET UNDER THE BUILT-IN BAR HUTCH LEADS TO THE GARAGE, SO RESIDENTS CAN STORE LOGS.
A happy accident occurred when Matt knocked a hole in the ceiling, forcing him to put his DIY skills to the test. “I put in a skylight,” he said. One of the biggest transformations was painting almost everything white. Lauren, a stay-at-home mom and part time photographer with her company Picturesque Photography, chose the home almost solely for the large windows in the living room, and imagined the space from a photographer’s viewpoint. “When we were shopping for a new house, I wanted more windows, and the photographer in me wanted the bright white,” she said. “We fell in love with the floor plan and space, and you kind of go with what you’re working with.” A self-described minimalist, Lauren’s décor choices are simple, but are purposeful. Midcentury was brought in with replicas of
THE CHANDELIER IN THE DINING ROOM IS FROM REJUVENATION AND THE LIGHTS ABOVE THE KITCHEN ISLAND ARE FROM OVERSTOCK.