Artisan Built-ins, Asheville, NC
  • Home
  • Gallery
    • By category >
      • Benches, daybeds & window seats >
        • Built in benches around fireplace
      • Built in shelving >
        • Built in floor to ceiling bookshelves
        • Built in shelving with lighting and windowseat
        • Custom floor to ceiling bookshelves
      • Cabinets
      • Custom Closets
      • Entertainment centers >
        • Arts & Crafts fireplace
        • Built in shelving around a fireplace
        • Modern entertainment center
      • Entryway >
        • English style mudroom cubbies
        • Entryway cubbies with bench and shelves
      • Fireplaces >
        • Built in entertainment center near fireplace - Asheville NC
        • Dark gray mantel with bookshelves - electric fireplace
        • Half height bookcases around a Craftsman fireplace
      • Furniture >
        • Entryway tables and sofa tables
        • The Lyrical Furniture Collection >
          • Round dining room table
          • Cherrywood writing desk
          • Curvy TV stand or entertainment center with sliding shelves
          • Kitchen island with curly legs
          • A pair of cocktail tables in walnut and cherrywood
      • Kitchen and dining >
        • Custom kitchen banquette seating with storage
        • Kitchen island with breakfast bar
        • Modern farmhouse table
        • Rustic modern built in desk
      • Laundry >
        • Laundry closet with built-in shelving
        • Laundry room and mud room makeover
        • Small laundry room makeover
      • Living room >
        • Low horizontal bookcases around a fireplace
        • Tall modern cabinet
      • Office >
        • Mail sorter cabinet and art desk - Asheville, NC
        • Office bookcase for a printer
      • Secret door
    • By style >
      • Contemporary / modern
      • Rustic
      • Traditional / transitional
    • All projects
  • Quality
  • What to Expect
  • Reviews
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • Contact

Behind the scenes

This is our blog, where you can check out our latest projects and see what's ​going on.

Subscribe via email (it's free) and we'll also send you our free Pricing Guide plus other cool bonuses.

Before and after: warming up a "plain white box" condo

9/30/2019

0 Comments

 
You're not going to believe this transformation.

Here's the before: a perfectly fine room, but essentially a plain white box. A blank canvas, so to speak.
Picture
And here's the after...

​(Brace yourself... it's going to be great.)
Picture
Yes, this is the same room! You can tell by the floor, which hasn't changed.

Of course, this seemingly magical transformation didn't all happen at once. Let's rewind a bit and tell the story of a once-boring condo living room that became the perfect cozy sanctuary thanks to an electric fireplace.

​It all started in these new units at 55 South Market Street in downtown Asheville.
Picture
And when I say "downtown," I mean DOWNTOWN.
Picture
As in two blocks from tacos...
Picture
...chocolate...
Picture
...and the place where all driving directions in Asheville started, back before GPS was a thing.
Picture
("You know the big obelisk in the middle of downtown...? Well start there and then turn right onto Biltmore...")
With a location like that, it's not hard to believe that these condos sold like hotcakes. (So much for my plans for a downtown pied-à-terre...)

And in keeping with the trendy location, the builder designed trendy interiors centered around simple Shaker-style white and gray kitchens, with plain white walls and white trim in all the other rooms.
Picture
However, our clients wanted a little more warmth and texture in their new home. They called in Leslie Huntley with Roost Interior Design... and Leslie called us in to help her add some bookshelves.
Picture
The homeowners had also requested an electric fireplace to bring in a little radiant heat during Asheville's chilly mountain winters. We collaborated with Leslie to design a hearth that would coordinate with the nearby kitchen.
Picture
She specified a deep violet-gray for the shelves, which was offset by the newly-painted taupe walls for a tone-on-tone effect.

Back at our studio, we built and painted the unit, then pre-assembled it to preview the effect.
Picture
Notice the poles getting in the way near the ceiling! Our workshop was built from a vintage tobacco barn, and we're too sentimental to take out the old poles. But you get the idea, anyway.

As you can see, the cabinets were fairly large and very heavy, so we enlisted Faith's dad to help load them up...
Picture
...and bring them onsite to install them.
Picture
Glenn is great to work with. He's the most meticulous carpenter I know.

The electrician and tile guy each came in soon afterward, and the final result was quite nice. The electric fireplace is surprisingly realistic. Instead of trying to fake a flame, the manufacturers made a glowing-log effect, as if the fire has died down a little bit.
Picture
It puts off a nice, warm wave of heat which will be great in a few weeks when the first frost hits.

By the way, check out that smooth finish. Leslie specified satin paint, which is a little bit unusual for trim and moldings like this. But it does have a very mellow effect.
Picture
Hopefully the French Broad Chocolate Lounge does local hot chocolate deliveries... it seems like this would be the perfect place to drink it on a cold winter night.
Picture
If you've got a "plain white box" room that you'd like to transform into a cozy retreat from the world, give us a call. We love this stuff!
Call or email now
Image credits: Map via Google; Vance monument via Wikipedia; White Duck Taco Shop via Asheville Spa; French Broad Chocolate Lounge via Romantic Asheville.
0 Comments
    Subscribe to our FREE newsletter & get a free gift:
    Picture

    Instagram:
    Picture
    Picture

    Pinterest:

    Categories

    All
    AV Cabinet
    Before And After
    Behind The Scenes
    Benches And Windowseats
    Bookshelves
    Built Ins
    Built-Ins
    Cabinets
    Closets & Storage
    Dining Rooms
    Entertainment Center
    Entryway
    Fireplace
    IKEA
    Kitchens
    Library
    Living Room
    Office
    Real Life Photos
    Secret Hiding Places
    Shelving


    Archives

    December 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018

    RSS Feed

Get a free estimate.

Send us an email with your inspiration photos, and we'll give you a free ballpark estimate.
Email ArtisanBuiltins@gmail.com
Picture
Subscribe to our newsletter and get our free Cabinet Pricing Guide
(backed up by four credible, unaffiliated sources including Thumbtack and Home Advisor)
How Much Do Custom Cabinets Cost in Asheville, NC?
Bonus: Faith's Little Book of AWESOME Tradesmen and Home Service Professionals in Asheville, NC
Home
Pricing
​
🎁   FREE GIFT
About
Gallery
Blog
Quality
Reviews
​What to Expect
One-Year Warranty
​Service Area
Contact Us

Artisan Built-ins
Owner: Arthur Teel
​113 Rector Branch Road, Marshall, NC 28753

ArtisanBuiltins@gmail.com
​www.artisanbuiltins.com
Picture
A sustainable furniture solution
Picture
Proudly made in the USA
Terms of service & Privacy policy
Buy now with PayPal
  • Home
  • Gallery
    • By category >
      • Benches, daybeds & window seats >
        • Built in benches around fireplace
      • Built in shelving >
        • Built in floor to ceiling bookshelves
        • Built in shelving with lighting and windowseat
        • Custom floor to ceiling bookshelves
      • Cabinets
      • Custom Closets
      • Entertainment centers >
        • Arts & Crafts fireplace
        • Built in shelving around a fireplace
        • Modern entertainment center
      • Entryway >
        • English style mudroom cubbies
        • Entryway cubbies with bench and shelves
      • Fireplaces >
        • Built in entertainment center near fireplace - Asheville NC
        • Dark gray mantel with bookshelves - electric fireplace
        • Half height bookcases around a Craftsman fireplace
      • Furniture >
        • Entryway tables and sofa tables
        • The Lyrical Furniture Collection >
          • Round dining room table
          • Cherrywood writing desk
          • Curvy TV stand or entertainment center with sliding shelves
          • Kitchen island with curly legs
          • A pair of cocktail tables in walnut and cherrywood
      • Kitchen and dining >
        • Custom kitchen banquette seating with storage
        • Kitchen island with breakfast bar
        • Modern farmhouse table
        • Rustic modern built in desk
      • Laundry >
        • Laundry closet with built-in shelving
        • Laundry room and mud room makeover
        • Small laundry room makeover
      • Living room >
        • Low horizontal bookcases around a fireplace
        • Tall modern cabinet
      • Office >
        • Mail sorter cabinet and art desk - Asheville, NC
        • Office bookcase for a printer
      • Secret door
    • By style >
      • Contemporary / modern
      • Rustic
      • Traditional / transitional
    • All projects
  • Quality
  • What to Expect
  • Reviews
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • Contact