Before and After: Mr and Mrs Rebels with a Cause

What happens when a creative director, fashion buyer and a sustainability guru all get together? One hell of a lot of creative ideas and one beautiful looking apartment with a shed load of energy saving bulbs!

Mrs Rebels with a Cause was one of my first buyers when I was directing a merchandise team for an online retailer, and when she asked if I would run this project for them, I was more than honored to take on the work. Her sister in law was back from New York and was the perfect compliment to this team to add valuable insight and creative direction to the project.

As a couple, they are the perfect mix between sophistication and surfing, with a creative flair that rides between boho chic and uber NY trends. Their apartment is real estate gold, covering close to 500 sq/m on the Atlantic seaboard, but whilst in good condition, it was dated all the way back to the 80s. Tiled floors, mirrors galore and weird boxing everywhere made the bathrooms and kitchen feel cramped. What they needed was a space that reflected their love of the world, more Bali and less Dallas.

As with any project, this one had many stumbling blocks and whilst it flowed relatively well from start to finish, there were a  few bumps along the renovation road. Hanging beautiful crafted leather handles in the kitchen for what seems like an eternity springs to mind! The importance for me with any project is the line between managing expectations and getting the job done on time and budget. The customer is king and ultimately I will go to great lengths to ensure the customer is happy at the end of it all. This might mean me sobbing into my pillow at night, but hell that’s the job! (Am I joking, you may never know?)

Standing in the apartment last week though, with the most magnificent herringbone floors under my feet and the light just catching the space in all the right places, I was left with all the right feels and that is why I design and transform.

The best part of this project of course was the little addition about to make their arrival. The news was broken to me whilst we were all huddled together in the one bathroom that a baby rebel was on the way. With tears in all our eyes, the meaning behind this project together became even more important and revisting this space last week made me realise that in the frenzy of the end of last year, we never actually featured this space.

Its a knockout…enjoy.

The Brief:

Renovate the entire apartment, including updating both bathrooms and guest toilet. New paintwork, skirting, flooring and lighting throughout the entire space, including new tiles on balcony. Wall between dining room and kitchen removed and brand spanking new kitchen.

BEFORE:

 

The Transformation:

• Removed wall between dining room and kitchen
• Redesigned and renovated kitchen with new tiles, joinery, fixtures and fittings
• Redesigned and renovated two bathrooms with new tiles, fixtures and fittings
• Redesigned and renovated toilet with new tiles, fixtures and fittings
• Complete paint overhaul
• Installing of new herringbone oak floors and oiling of floors
• New tiling to balcony
• New lighting throughout
• New reclaimed sleeper shelving fitted
• New blackwood door designed and made for bathroom

Best feature:  Best feature would hands down be the floors! You want to marry those floors and spend the rest of your life with them. The new tiling in bathrooms was also incredible and I love love love the sliding door we made for the ensuite.

AFTER (Please Note: photos were taken before certain elements were completed.)