How to Choose Furnishings to Flip a Fixer Upper

Saybrook Home partnered with The House that Social Media Built’s (HSMB) most recent interactive fixer upper, The Ellsworth House.  From the front door to the color of the kitchen island, HSMB’s Instagram and Facebook followers vote on all of the design elements.  However, Nicole White and Mike Riccio, the masterminds behind this online venture, chose Saybrook Home to stage this newly designed home with furniture and accessories.  Located close to the beach in Branford, CT, The Ellsworth House was revealed in August 2018.  And, it was successfully “flipped” thereafter.

Start by Listening

As we do with every design project, we start by listening.  We met with Nicole at Saybrook Home, asking her about HSMB’s needs and expectations. In addition, we asked about the timeframe of when everything should be set up in the home. Next, we walked the floor, picking out a few pieces that would be a good fit.  Since the home is close to the beach, we wanted to achieve a “beach house” feel.  The white sectional in the living room was one of the first pieces we selected.  Consequently, it became a building block in designing the rest of the home.

Unify the Spaces

The walls were torn down when renovating the home, creating an open floor plan on the first floor. By floating the sectional, we created a natural room divide from the kitchen/dining area into the living room. To help unify the spaces, we kept to a palette of neutrals and natural tones.  In addition, the light colors add to the airy vibe in the wide open room.

Complement Flooring, Furniture & Walls

With dark wood flooring throughout, we wanted the wood species and colors for the other furniture to complement each other. Driftwood/sand colors for the dining room table; bathroom vanity; coffee table and side tables in the living room; and console in back of the sofa complement both the dark floors and the white walls. If we had gone too dark with the furniture pieces, it would have blended with the floor, and the end result would have looked bland. While the sectional is white, we didn’t want the rest of the furniture to be this color because it would have made the house feel too sterile.

Pops of Blue Accents

The pops of blue picked up in all three areas were driven from the rug selection – an item voted on by HSMB’s fans.  From the artwork on the walls to the window treatments and lamps, the color really energizes the space. Besides all of the “pops,” we basically brought in anything that wasn’t installed in the house, such as the centerpiece on the dining table, lamps, mirrors in the bathrooms, and more.  Even the wall covering in the bathroom came from us.