Before & After: This Is One of the Best Kitchen and Dining Room Remodels of All Time

Adrienne Breaux
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
I grew up watching TV shows like This Old House and New Yankee Workshop with my parents, and learned early on that not only is it possible to remake your home’s surroundings to fit your lifestyle and personality, but that it’s also fun. When I got to college, I started in journalism but eventually listened to the siren song of home decor, graduating with a BA in Interior Design from Louisiana State University. My entire professional career has been a delightful mix of my passions: writing, photography, and interior design. I’ve worked at two different types of furniture stores (one ultra-modern and one full of antiques); I’ve worked on residential and commercial interior design projects; I’ve written about art, architecture, and design for print and online publications (a career highlight was getting to interview famed collage artist and David Bowie collaborator Rex Ray for Uppercase Magazine); I’ve even been an architectural photographer. And for over 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of gorgeous house tours from around the world. I've lived in a variety of homes, including a van, a former downtown store in small-town Texas, and a studio apartment rumored to have once been owned by Willie Nelson. It's made me passionate about featuring people making the best of their homes, no matter what shape that home is in, and inspiring others to create beautiful, functional homes. I truly believe that you can be your best self when you love your home. I love traveling, checking off Atlas Obscura wishlists, taking photos, making art, seeing art, throwing an incredible themed Halloween party every year, and staying up-to-date on the latest science fiction and horror movies. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
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updated Sep 27, 2019
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Credit: Cali Gabrielle

You don’t put a bold headline like the one on this post unless you really mean it, but this house’s transformation is truly worthy of such a strong statement. Cali Gabrielle is currently the Sales Director at the Civic Theater in New Orleans, but she must also be a magician, because she made an ugly old house turn into an absolutely stunning home. The renovation she undertook on this extremely dated house is nothing short of magical.

Credit: Jacqueline Marque

Built in 1916, when Cali and her then-boyfriend first toured the space, there was no evidence of the house’s stately architectural past. Drop ceilings (like the ones you might see in an office building) made the rooms feel cramped.

Credit: Cali Gabrielle

Dark wood paneling made every wall feel like the 1970s. The fireplace was less of an architectural feature and more like a heavy brick and panel column. The light fixtures harkened back to the 1980s.

Credit: Cali Gabrielle

The floors were… okay? But definitely not great. And that shag carpeting would have to go.

Credit: Jacqueline Marque

“Uncovering the history and charm of this house built in 1916 and watching my designs come to life has been incredibly rewarding,” Cali says.

Credit: Cali Gabrielle

Cali wants to make sure that much of the credit of the remodel go to her ex-boyfriend. He did much of the renovation work himself, with the help of his brother (helping make the project affordable for the budget) and Cali says he was instrumental in bringing her design ideas to life.

Credit: Jacqueline Marque

Though a lot of the renovation work was removing the dated materials covering up all the historic charm, the house’s layout was also much improved.

Credit: Cali Gabrielle

The house started as a double shotgun (each side a unit comprised of a long row of rooms), but Cali chose to open up the entire house.

Credit: Cali Gabrielle

The front of the structure became an open and airy living and dining area.

Credit: Jacqueline Marque

Cali explained that a renovation of this size is tough due to all the possible design directions you can go in. But the very biggest challenge was “doing a major renovation on a budget and finding affordable versions of the expensive pieces I fell in love with,” she writes.

Thanks Cali! See all of her amazing transformed New Orleans home in her house tour.

This post originalyl ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Before & After: One of the Best Kitchen and Dining Room Remodels of All Time

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Before & After
Dining Room
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