So let me start this post by sharing some sad photos of the interior BEFORE we begin the renovations at our vacation home, fixer-upper in the Poconos, which we affectionately call ‘The Shack’.
Before: Most of our visitors enter The Shack through the sunroom, which has doors on both sides. As you can see, the walls in this room and throughout the rest of the main floor are a mustard gold sponge paint. Yikes!
Before: Steps lead up to the main floor of The Shack, and these French doors take you directly into the dining area of the house.
Once you enter the sunroom, French doors lead you into the main living area which is an open dining and living room combo.
Before: Your view upon entering is straight across the dining area into the kitchen. From this angle you can see all way through the house to the back porch. Again, you can fully appreciate the yellow sponge-painted walls in this image. I joke that the inside of this home feels like the interior of a toilet bowl (before flushing). You can also glimpse four of the five different ‘luxury’ flooring types on the main floor in this photo. **Insert dripping sarcasm here** Just lovely!
Let’s turn around and look back at how we entered, shall we?
Before: There’s a nice large window in this dining area, and you can see back through those French doors from which you entered. This particular flooring is peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. In this image, you can see many of the items we plan on changing, the grey painted ‘shell’ casing and baseboards, The wood molding at the ceiling, the flooring, and the yucky pop-corn, or cottage cheese if you prefer, ceiling.
Before: If we turn to the side, a view of the main living area opens up. Here you’ll notice the fireplace with its faux stone surround, and the ancient brown carpeting, which adjoins the vinyl tile from the dining area at a very odd position (intercepting the fireplace hearth). On a positive note, this area has a nice vaulted ceiling, and a large window looking onto the front of our property. Along with the rustic beam and stair railing, these are some of the things we actually like about the space.
Before: A small bedroom with a full bath and walk in closet is found just off the living area on the main floor. Unfortunately the bedroom was painted this disturbing color of, what I like to call, ‘Bathroom Brown’. It makes the small room feel even more claustrophobic!
Before: The kitchen at The Shack, as seen here from the back French doors, has plastic laminate floors, oak cabinets and green walls. At least it’s a decent size and has a nice amount of cabinets…more than we need for a vacation home.
Before: The french doors in the kitchen lead to a spacious rear porch, which has a nice high railing and gates on two sides. This porch is a nice feature, since it takes in views of the fully wooded lot–it’s so peaceful back here!
Before: Back inside, the stairs lead you up to an open walkway, which lead to the bedrooms, the loft and the upstairs laundry & bath. Obviously the stairs are covered in the ancient (totally disgusting) brown carpet which also adorns the main living area. This photo also affords a view of the doorway into the main floor guest bedroom and utility closet under the stair landing. You can also see how the kitchen relates to the rest of the main floor, as it can be glimpsed off to the right.
Before: Once you’ve climbed the stairs, you can see a linen closet at the end of the open walkway. To the right of the closet is the loft and there are two bedrooms on your left with a full bathroom and laundry room in between.
Before: This upstairs bathroom is rather large for a house of this size and also contains the washer and dryer at one end. The fixtures definitely show the house’s age, with the brass finishes and 1980’s glass sliding shower doors.
Before: The final room on the second floor at The Shack is the back bedroom. Painted lavender, it has a dated wallpaper border and a small walk in closet. This will end up being my son’s bedroom.
Before: I almost forgot to show your this tiny loft area, which is located off to the right of the stair hall and above the dining room. It’s small, with a steeply sloped ceiling, but I’m pretty sure I can carve out a little video game area for my son, with possibly a daybed for extra guest quarters and some added shelving too. I think it will turn out to be a pretty cool space!
So I know you’re probably thinking: “Kristine, what have you done? This place is a dump!!” Well, yes, it truly is, but most of the changes are cosmetic, and that, of course, is my expertise. I am an interior designer, after all. Along with my amazing husband’s technical and woodworking skills, I believe I can make a real impact on this time warp from the 1980’s. I’m sure it will become a truly lovely little mountain getaway for our family and friends to enjoy. Did I mention the awesome community the house is part of? We’ll have access to a terrific lake with two beaches and boating, plus swim and tennis, and so many wonderful activities. I’ll tell you more about that later, when I hope you’ll join me for the renovation journey of The Shack…it’s sure to get better from here!
Until next time, make sure to like Robinson Interiors on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, and DO stay tuned for future updates on The Shack!
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Kristine Robinson's Interiors (and so much more...) 
Hi Kristine, I agree it needs work but when you are finished it will be beautiful. The deck is great and the site outside is lovely. I would do the exterior to kind of blend in with the woodsy feeling. I like the greige you suggested, I think you could do a contrast with the trim and shutters. Of course you are the designer and you will know what to do. I like that the deck incorporates the brown color(trees) and is not stark like white would be. You saw my deck and some of neighbors who haven’t seen my deck up close, but from the side are loving the colors I picked. All the others were told by David Cutlers deck guy(who they all used) they had to pick white which wasn’t true. Enough of my deck, enjoy and use your mountain home in the best of health and may you enjoy it for many, many years. Love, Sheila
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Sheila, your deck is beautiful! This house already had two decks (one at the front and the larger one at the rear) and they are both wood. I too am glad they’re not white–seems like a lot of maintenance. There’s lots to do, but it’s going to be terrific when we’re all finished. You and Lou will have to come visit sometime!