<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"   VIEW MORE PHOTOS&amp;amp;gt; This vintage 1928 seaside cottage in Sag Harbor, New York, the Peconic Bay sparkling at the end of its quiet street, captivated me at first sight with its classic simplicity and great potential. I needed a new home within two months, and I was certain that the 1,500-square-foot charmer could be bought and remodeled by my deadline. Moreover, having written about design\u2014and other people&amp;#039;s renovations\u2014for years, I was audacious enough to think I could be my own contractor. I brought in New York City\u2013based architect David Mullman to draw up plans for a whole-house redo that would leave the existing footprint and room configurations substantially unchanged. Once all the walls were ripped out and new batt insulation and wall board installed, I had to decide what color to paint the fresh surfaces. I went with white\u2014even on trim and molding\u2014to create a sense of calm, openness, and seamless continuity. I used a crisp, cool shade for the downstairs spaces, and (except for a very light green in the master bath) a relaxing, warm-toned white upstairs.     VIEW MORE PHOTOS&amp;amp;gt; Heavenly natural light now bathes my dining room, but its walls were once covered with grim, dark knotty-pine paneling. I knew they, too, could be revived: Many coats of that white paint proved an inexpensive but transformative solution Throughout the house I kept the original wood floors (here, they&amp;#039;d been stained a honey color), choosing to paint them a pale blue. (Although I contracted out the other work in this redo, I painted some of the floors myself.) I wanted this space to be uncomplicated, its decor influenced by my travels to Italy, where meals are shared comfortably in relaxed, simple surroundings. My table, made from old barn wood, is paired with leather-upholstered wooden French chairs from the 1940s and folding garden chairs\u2014all evoking an eclectic farmhouse style of their own.    VIEW MORE PHOTOS&amp;amp;gt; The look of country kitchens in Italy and France inspired me to install white Carrara marble countertops and cover an entire wall, counter to ceiling, in gleaming white Italian ceramic tile. This space was brilliantly conceived by David Mullman, who understood my aesthetic (as well as my budget), and designed a plan that gave me everything I wanted. We ripped up ugly brick-patterned ceramic tile that had topped the original wood floorboards, and painted them blue. To save money on pricey cabinetry, he specified generous amounts of open shelving below the countertops. We covered it with panels of hand-blocked cotton fabric in an indigo-and-off-white print with an elephant motif, which is hung from tension rods with an aged brass finish.    VIEW MORE PHOTOS&amp;amp;gt; Previously, the house had two near-identical rooms upstairs, each about 10\u00BD by 11\u00BD feet. Keeping their size and configuration intact, I chose to transform them into my master suite\u2014though I was told by a number of carpenters that making one of the spaces into a bathroom was impossible. True, the center section of the ceiling was only 7 feet high, but I could envision tucking the tub under an eave to make it work. More significantly, so could my architect, who also had the talent to design this really successful space. Everything fit: a separate shower, a beautiful soaking tub, a pedestal sink, and lots of counter space and shelves. Old beadboard that had covered the walls throughout was painted white in the bedroom and a very pale green in the bath. See the resources. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elledecor.com/home-remodeling-renovating/a809/the-just-right-house-gracefully-done-16354/>