It’s #TransformationTuesday all throughout cyberworld, so we figured we would celebrate by checking out some impressive transformations that are taking place in the Omaha area. And no, you won’t scroll down and find shocking before-and-after weight loss photos. We’ll instead highlight local interior designers, focusing on a project of theirs that underwent a serious transformation. We’ll unpack details of the project and talk about the style of the designer as a whole.
But at the end of a day, to really understand the true colors of an interior designer’s design style, you should take a look inside their own home. That is exactly what we’ll be doing in the first installment of our #TransformationTuesday series.
Welcome to the home of Courtney Otte, interior designer and owner of The Modern Hive. This 1923 home is located in the Aksarben/Elmwood Park area of Omaha, surrounded by older homes soaked in history. Otte said she has always been drawn to areas like this and fell in love with the home when she and her husband, Eric, purchased it in 2013.
“There is just something about the energy that exists in those settings that really inspires me,” Otte said. “When we found this home, I knew right away that we could create a great space that reflected our modern and urban lifestyle without disrupting too much of the original character of the home.”
And they did just that.
Overall, the goal of this project was to take elements of their modern style and blend them with the existing structure of the home. It’s noteworthy to mention that no walls were torn down during the process, which is unbelievable given the drastic changes accomplished. However, Otte mentioned plans to eventually remove a wall dividing the dining room and kitchen in order to connect the space and add more counter space in the kitchen.
So with paint — and lots of it — and the replacement of furniture, light fixtures, window treatments and decor, Otte and her husband were able to completely transform this dark, vintage and traditional home into a space that was youthful, modern, bright and airy. We honestly can’t believe that the “before” photos and “after” photos are of the same home!
The complete finished product took about a year to complete, as they slowly pieced together the decor and furnishings over time. During the first month of living in this home, the Ottes tackled the daunting painting project, and covered every square inch of the home in a new coat of paint. To brighten up the space and provide a neutral palette that could accompany rotating accent colors, Otte decided to make the base paint color a bright white. However, she had fun adding a pop of color to some rooms, as she incorporated aqua and navy blue paint as well. Otte also updated the kitchen with light grey walls and dark grey cabinets, which she feels completely changed the feel of the kitchen. And we agree!
In her favorite place within the home, the home office, she coated the walls in bold black and white stripes and included a purple wallpaper accent wall. Otte describes the office as now feeling inspirational and energetic, which is vital for the entrepreneurial work she does.
“Any entrepreneur who works from home will agree that in order to be productive you need to feel inspired, and the office space does just that,” Otte said.
Otte has been an entrepreneur since she started The Modern Hive in September 2012, but has been working in the interior design industry since 2011. She graduated from University of Nebraska Omaha in fall 2011 with a bachelor’s degree, and graduated from Metropolitan Community College in spring 2013 with an associate’s degree in interior design.
Since completing several projects during her professional career, Otte says she loves design for both the creative process that ensues and seeing how interior design can dramatically impact a space or even a person’s quality of life. She’s so right! A person might start to feel depressed while living in a dark, outdated and enclosed space. Otte’s bright and cheerful renovation instead emits a feeling of comfort and energy.
The name of the game for Otte was increasing the pre-existing natural light that filters through the home during the day. To further this enlightenment, she installed brighter light fixtures and light-weight drapery. She also removed the dark colors and over-scaled furnishings that previously dwarfed the rooms. On top of that, she installed picture molding in the living room in order to show off the height of the room, allowing the space to open up dramatically.
Okay, enough details! What you’re most eager to see is the visual transformation. So check out these photos for yourself and tell us what you think of this remarkable renovation.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: The Modern Hive