We’re thrilled to share that the entire front half of the duplex is finished — which means the open living and dining areas on both sides are revealed right now. It feels so good to see everything come together.
This is the view when you walk into the left side and turn toward the living area. Aside from steaming and hemming the curtains, the room feels complete and ready for life.
A secondhand rug I purchased ages ago found a home in the living area and pairs nicely with our favorite Crate & Barrel sofa. We like this sofa for its durability and comfort — we’ve had it at home for years and chose it again for the duplex in a darker color to stand up to heavy use. Our kids and dog have put it through its paces, and it’s held up beautifully.
We placed two armchairs facing a crisp white coffee table, and added a pouf ottoman for flexible seating. The armchairs are comfortable with the addition of lumbar bolsters, which help them feel less reclined and more supportive.
We also brought in a quartz-topped table that gives the look of marble without worrying about stains — perfect for a rental setting. A large art print hangs behind the sofa and ties the room’s palette together with the kitchen beyond the dining area. The art’s colors echo the cabinetry and tile details in the adjacent space, making the whole layout feel intentional and cohesive.
This whole renovation started from a very rough place. When we bought the house, ceilings had sagged from water damage and black mold was exposed in places. Plastic paneling covered many walls and sticky rug backing was stuck to the floors. We salvaged a few original elements — the brick chimneys, the hardwoods and a couple of doors — and rebuilt everything else down to the studs.
At framing stage we added plywood and reinforced the structure. Later we reframed a doorway to raise it and added a long transom window to bring more light and an original-feeling detail into the interior. That transom became one of my favorite small moments because it really changed the atmosphere of the entry between rooms.
Now the transom sits above the doorway and the solid five-panel doors we added give the rooms a classic, authentic feel. We also installed pocket doors in the laundry/mudroom and tried to honor the home’s character while making it functional for modern life.
We planned the dining placement by taping the table footprint on the floor and ensuring enough room to pull chairs out. Using rugs and hanging lights helped define two clear zones in this long space: a living area at one end and a dining area at the other. Floating the furniture on rugs and centering the table under a pendant breaks up what might otherwise look like one long corridor.
One advantage of the room is its extra-tall windows: the downstairs has 9′ ceilings and the windows start about a foot off the floor and nearly reach the ceiling. They bring in abundant light and add real presence to an otherwise simple rectangular room. To avoid blocking those windows, we kept furniture low and chose pieces that float and let light pass through.
For the TV wall, mounting the set and using a narrow console keeps the sightline clean and preserves circulation. This makes the television the last thing you notice when you enter — the rug, sofa and coffee table create the focal point instead.
We mixed metals — brass in the chandelier and mirror and oil-rubbed bronze on hardware and curtain rods — and repeated each metal a few times so the look feels deliberate and layered. Small touches like gold frames near the front window help pull the palette together without feeling overdone.
The left side features pink door accents and bright textiles; the right side uses more muted tones and a different rug to create a calmer vibe. Although the floor plans mirror each other, changing a few elements on the second side made it feel distinct — a reminder that small swaps can make two similar spaces feel totally unique.
We reused several secondhand tables and refinished them ourselves — a money-saving DIY that gives each dining area character and history. Furnishing two mirror-image homes is an investment, but it’s been fun to experiment with color, texture and layout across both spaces.
The powder rooms we added downstairs are a functional improvement — they started as closets and are now tidy, pretty spaces with a favorite budget mirror and a compact vanity. They’ll be easy to upgrade later with wainscoting or wallpaper if we want to give them extra personality.
A final charming detail: we painted each side’s stair risers to match the front door colors — pink on one side and a soft green on the other. It’s a small touch but it feels delightfully cohesive when the front doors are open.
We still have two kitchens, two laundry rooms, the back patio and landscaping to finish, plus a lot of curtains to hem — but the front half is officially feeling warm, welcoming and ready for guests. We can’t wait to share the kitchens and more progress soon.
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