Cori Kyle's Unbelievable Midcentury Renovation

Nestled in a private, park-like, quarter-acre lot, Cori Kyle's Vancouver home is a post-and-beam dream come true. Large windows overlook a lush landscape and the open floorplan features exposed beams. Nevertheless, Cori had her work cut out for her when she first purchased the home.

The before picture says it all:

The home was dark and cluttered, filled with the outdoorsy tchotchkies of a family that did not exactly speak mid-century. Cori, however, does.

"I love mid century modern," she explains, "But not to the point of being sterile. I love teak and am fond of anything mid-century, whether kitschy or sleek. I find myself between the two."

Cori's two-and-a-half month transformation of the interior of the home erased all signs of the previous owner's style and truly transformed the entire living space.

It is almost impossible to believe that this photo is an "after" shot from the house pictured above:

(Look again! The wall with the deer bust in the first photo is the wall with the framed art in the second. You can see a hint of the staircase as well as the posts.)

"Thank you for advertising in Atomic Ranch!" she told us. Cori considers Atomic Ranch magazine to be "the mid-century bible," and relies heavily on it for inspiration as well as sourcing period-appropriate products, although many of her furnishings and decoration are authentic period pieces scored on Craigslist.

When it came time to decide on a design from Crestview Doors, she had some trouble choosing.

"I used Door-o-Vision to see what a Crestview door would look like on my house," she explains. "It was between the 'Carlysle' and 'Piedmont', and it was a hard decision. I chose the 'Piedmont' because of I had an original escutcheon that was the same diamond shape."

Although she didn't use the escutcheon on the end (and says she will utilize it somewhere else), she is very pleased with the results.

"I had originally decided to paint my door red, but after some internet grazing I decided on turquoise." Cori also painted her mailbox the same color, updating the look while saving money in the process.

Although Cori put a lot of sweat equity in the renovation, she hired help to install the "Piedmont" Doorlite Kit from Crestview Doors.

"My contractor (Josh Littler of Creekstone Construction in Mission, BC) did a lot of customizing for me in my home," Cori says. "He installed the Doorlite Kit windows and said it was very easy!"

But Cori's knack for renovating may turn into something more. "I would love to rescue and renovate uncared for mid-century homes to make them proud once more," she says.

You can read detailed descriptions of her work in progress at her houseblog: "Mid Century Reno, or Can a Mid Century Gal Do This?"

And don't forget to watch her complete before/after video with shots from every room to see the full effect of her transformative work.

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