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Risk and its rewards Her real estate agent advised against it. Her in-laws begged and pleaded. But designer Lauren Liess saw an opportunity in an eyesore of a house in Herndon.
Designer Lauren Liess sits with her son, Christian, 4, in their Herndon home; her husband, Dave, holds Justin, one-and-a-half years old. The Liesses used $35,000 in savings and no-interest credit cards to transform their entire home and Lauren's career as a designer and blogger. "It was scary," says Lauren, "but it worked."
Katherine Frey
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The Washington Post
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The exterior of the 1970s bi-level in Herndon before it was renovated. When the Liesses moved in, the home was an architectural eyesore with an equally bleak interior. "It was the most hideous house in the neighborhood," says Liess.
Lauren Liess
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LAUREN LIESS
The exterior of the house as it looks today. Liess started a blog, www.purestylehome.blogspot.com, where she recorded the details of the transformation. An editor from Better Homes and Garden saw the project online and in December 2010 the Liess home appeared in the magazine.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
An orange front door with a whimsical door knocker greets visitors to Liess home. "I wanted it to be a fun, happy color," says Liess.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
The Liesses' entry foyer before the renovation. It was "scary and dingy" when she and her family first moved in, Liess says.
Lauren Liess
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LAUREN LIESS
Liess walks into her home's two-story entry foyer. Repainting, removing the carpeting, a new light fixture and quirky wall art enlivened the space.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
Using lots of white paint and 30 framed Leonardo da Vinci sketches torn out of a book, Liess transformed her lackluster entryway into one of the most welcome spaces in her home. She admits the large vintage portait painting, right, doesn't quite match, but that's what she loves about it. "I always like to add something 'off' in every space," she says. "Something that shouldn't quite work, so the room doesn't feel perfectly done."
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
In the Liesses' living room, a vintage camed saddle hand-me-down was reborn with a new cushion; it can be used as a footstool or extra seat.
Katherine Frey
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The Washington Post
The entry to Liesses' kitchen, which was transformed with $2,000.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
The Liesses' kitchen before the transformation. When the Liesses moved in, the kitchen had recently been "upgraded" with vinyl flooring, builder-grade maple cabinets and Formica countertops. Some of the appliances were almond-colored.
Lauren Liess
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LAUREN LIESS
The remodeling of the house began in the kitchen, where the Liesses removed the upper cabinets, installed bead board from countertops to ceilings and hung rows of open shelving from Home Depot. They painted the lower cabinets and the front of the dishwasher a dark sage (Witch Hazel by Behr) and added brushed nickel hardware. They replaced grimy white linoleum flooring with engineered hardwood in a rich walnut. A butcher block-topped island from Ikea was placed in the center, and a vintage chandelier Liess found at a New York flea market was hung above.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
A breakfast nook sits adjacent to the open kitchen.
Katherine Frey
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The Washington Post
A grouping of collected art and a tufted chaise help create a cozy reading nook in the youngest son Justin's nursery. "We can all fit on here together," says Liess about the lounge chair. When decorating the space, Liess made an unexpected and bold choice: navy walls (Commodore by Sherwin Williams). "I had already done a light and cute nursery the first time around," she says.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
Son Christian has a bright and cheerful bedroom. The easy-to-clean Dash & Albert area rug is layered over the white wall-to-wall carpeting, which was there when the Liesses moved in.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
The cypress tree root that hangs in Liess's office space was found 20 years ago by her father while he was fishing in Georgia. The office space is on the lower level of Liess's home, along with the family room, laundry room and two bedrooms.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
Lauren Liess arranges fabric samples on her sea grass floor in her basement workspace. Liess recently participated in the D.C. Design House, where she debuted her own line of fabrics. She currently has a 10-piece furniture collection in the works and blogs at www.purestylehome.blogspot.com.
Katherine Frey
/
The Washington Post
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