While patrolling the new listings a couple of months ago we came upon a charming Lincoln Park home that had recently been rebuilt. The listing raised more questions than it answered: Who designed this colorful abode? What did it look like before? And above all, what's up with that painting that's tacked up over the bathroom window? As a reader quickly noted, the owner and designer, Bailey Quin McCarthy of Quin B Studio, has a blog on which she chronicled the renovation process, sharing before and after photos with her readers. When the McCarthys acquired the home (which Bailey affectionately refers to as 'Clifford') in 2009, it had a rather peculiar layout; the kitchen was located on the second floor in the back of the house (which they converted to a second bedroom), the master bedroom was on the first floor, and another large living room was located on the second floor. The McCarthys reconfigured that, added a third floor addition with a guest bedroom and family room, and radically overhauled the rest of the house.
Oh, and that painting over the window? The bathroom window looks into the family room of the neighboring house. As Bailey explains:
"Since it lines up with the center of our window we couldn't just do some sort of half window treatment. The painting allows us to keep the window open and get some natural light, but blocks their view. And it makes me laugh, it is like that stern gentleman is inspecting my naked bod every day and is all judgemental like, 'Now tell me, what do you plan to achieve today?'The home, located at 2107 N. Clifton Ave. in Lincoln Park, is currently listed for $2.5 million. Click over to Bailey's Peppermint Bliss blog for many more photos and details about her design choices.
· Listing: 2107 N. Clifton Ave. [Koenig & Strey]
· It's before and after time! [Peppermint Bliss]
· Before&After: Master Bed and Bath [Peppermint Bliss]
· Before and After: Living Room and Dining Room [Peppermint Bliss]
· Before and after: Living room/dining room [Peppermint Bliss]