Remodeling for the long haul

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Local decorator Liz Toombs applied her design expertise to create a dream home-in-progress

When Billy and Liz Toombs were looking for a perfect townhouse to settle into for the long haul, looking past dated 1970s decor was a piece of cake due to Liz’s professional design expertise.

“I was always on the path to end up doing this,” said Toombs about remodeling and redecorating her 2,800-square-foot condo near Kirklevington Park. The Louisville native and Lexington transplant, who majored in textiles at the University of Kentucky, previously sold countertops and worked in several capacities with designers and Realtors and ultimately settled into owning her own interior design businesses – Polka Dots and Rosebuds, which opened in 2009, and Out of the Box Room Design, which opened in 2012.

Today, Toombs applies her passion and expertise for design into transforming her own home. Still a work in progress, the home already has undergone some big changes.

Toombs urges people, when looking to buy a home that already has been lived in, to pay attention to important details of the home’s structure, layout and “bones,” without getting distracted by any “ugliness or flash.” In the Toombs’ case, that meant overlooking dated parquet floors, peach walls, oppressive plastic grates in parts of the ceiling, dark laminate kitchen cabinets, an overgrown outdoor living space and shag carpets.

“But there were these details, like the spindles – I loved these big chunky spindles,” she said pointing to the white-and-black wooden spindles lining the staircase down to the finished basement and separating the dining room from the living room. “They were done well. The house had crown moulding, and someone put some time and effort into doing things. And it was very well laid out. I tend to look more at the footprint of the house, because that’s the most expensive thing to change.”

Getting started on the remodeling and redecorating was a no-brainer for Toombs.

“I knew we wanted our bedroom to be that sort of aqua color,” she said. “We had a similar shade in our old house, and I always felt very relaxed when I went in there, which is the whole point – to go into your bedroom and be able to kind of melt away. That was a sure thing, and I wanted it to go into the master bathroom, because if you change up the color from your master bedroom to bathroom it feels very choppy and I wanted it to feel like one big suite.”

Throughout the house, all of the trim is painted white.

“Before that, everything was peach, and they had green and orange, too, throughout the house,” she said.

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The interior doors were painted black, which Toombs described as adding drama and an extra unique finish to the home.

From there, each room was tackled individually, bringing in some neutral staple pieces – like the sofas – from their old condo.

“I wanted to find a fun rug, and I knew the yellow chairs were coming, so I just had to tie it all together with accessories and drapes,” Toombs said.

The living room fit Toombs’ signature style of clean lines and modern aesthetics, while the dining room was finished out in a more classic look with an Oriental-style rug and solid-wood furniture.

“I just wanted to soften it as much as possible,” she said. “In your dining room you have so many wooden pieces, so we needed a good rug.”

The home’s semi-open floor plan is a cross between modern and old-fashioned. There is little overhead lighting, and Toombs utilizes lamps to create what she calls “layers of ambient light” to complement the ample window light.

Another draw of the home is the large room in the back for Toombs’ business headquarters.

The young couple knew they wanted to stay here for a long time, and having a home where they can live all on one floor without needing to go to the fully finished basement – which includes an extra living room space and a guest suite – was a huge draw.

The backyard/patio is entirely enclosed but creates a perfect space for entertaining. Going for “hands-off landscaping” accented with unique touches, Toombs used metal feed troughs and galvanized buckets to hold her boxwoods, wisteria, gardenias and hydrangeas. The couple filled in the spaces between buckets with personal touches that include driftwood from their frequent lake trips, and gardenias, which pay homage to her late mother. The Toombs also have furniture that has been repurposed or reupholstered from their parents’ and grandparents’ homes to add personal touches and to tell a story. ss

Seven Tips to Give your Space New Life for Fall

Transitioning your home for autumn does not have to be stressful. Liz Toombs provides seven tips on how to freshen up interiors for the fall season, without spending a bundle.

1. Pumpkins with panache. You don’t have to go the traditional route with pumpkins – glass designs can blend in with your décor. Freshen up older pumpkins by paining or adding glitter. When displaying pumpkins, less is more. They have more impact when grouped in two to three areas instead of being spread around a room.

2. Warm up pillows and bedding. Chenille and wool are welcoming fabrics for cooler temps. Look for pillows and bedding in those fabrics and in warm colors including orange and purple. And, if you want to follow design trends, pillows are an inexpensive way to do so.

3. Orange does not have to scream “Halloween.” As the daylight hours grow shorter, a lot of people like to brighten up their homes. Orange is a perfect pop of color on pillows, throws, bedding and accessories.

4. Group your artwork. Pictures and artwork are more impactful when clustered together on one wall versus spread out individually. Don’t be afraid to mix various sized items together. You can even use groupings to hide unsightly elements like a thermostat. 5. Avoid matchy-matchy. The shabby chic look of mixed finishes is in and it’s simple to create. You can rough-up furniture and/or use chalk paint to create a distressed finish. For example, a TV console can be covered in chalk paint, while end tables have a wood finish. When a room has the same finishes, it can look forced.

6. Layer your lighting. Add new lamps or move existing ones around within your space. And, candles are an inexpensive way to add ambiance, warmth and a nice scent that is reminiscent of the season.

7. Mix textures and layers. Mix it up! Mixing wood, metal and glass elements really pulls a room together. When mixing patterns, the trick is to use patterns of different scales that have one or two similar colors in them. The colors will keep the effect cohesive. ss

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