Home Town: From the Big Apple to the Little Catfish

A surgeon and his wife are moving bacl to Laurel, Mississippi from New York City. They enlist the help of Ben and Erin to find just the right home — and one within their budget of $380,000. "They're moving here from the Big Apple," says Ben. "That's pretty big. With that kind of money, you can get a lot of space here in Laurel." Considerably more, let's say, than in NYC.

Erin and Ben ponder the notion of moving from the intense lifestyle of New York City to a quiet little town in the deep South. Ben wonders ... if New York is "The Big Apple," then what's Laurel? Erin, ever quick with the creative analogy, responds: "The Little Catfish."

The search ultimately focuses in on The Harry House, seen here. The Cape Cod style brick house was built in the 1970s by John and Carolyn Harry who were the sole owners and who lived here until just the previous year. The house is somewhat historic in that it was the first house built on this street. It's in a tucked away in a desirable location that offers privacy and a big yard. It's 3900 square feet, has four bedrooms, three baths and was listed at $240,000.

The house gets a fresh new look with a bright white exterior, green shutters, new shutter hardware and twin brass sconces at the front entrance.

Erin proudly poses for a portrait shot in the newly renovated dining room of the Ladd's new home.

Seth and Susan Ladd had been living for the last six years in a tiny apartment in New York where Seth was pursuing a career as a general surgeon.

Seth is a Laurel Native and is returning to his hometown to work at the regional hospital where he had done his general rotations in his medical training. (It's also the hospital he was born in.) The couple is looking for a home with at least three bedrooms and two baths — with room to grow into and to entertain.

Ben and Erin show Seth and Susan 'The Harry House,' a well-maintained Cape Cod with clean lines and a stately appeal. The Ladds had a generally positive first impression, though they were ambivalent about the plain brick which they felt gave the exterior a dark and dated appearance.

Erin shows Susan and Seth her house portrait and vision for the transformation — featuring, among other things, a new finish for the brick exterior.

Erin's exterior design eliminated any concerns over the plain, dark brick with a lime wash that provides a fresh, bright finish that — unlike ordinary paint — lets the natural character of the brick show through and provides an attractive patina as it ages.

Inside, though the teal and turquoise of the color palette and wallpaper was definitely dated — albeit in an oddly charming way — the structure and layout of the house was well thought-out, with solid design and quality craftsmanship throughout.

As seen in the remodeled foyer, Erin opted to pay homage to the home's quirky time-capsule interiors by maintaining a palette highlighting blues and ornate patterns, but here she softened the look with solid, pale blue walls and cleaner visuals. The renovation also removed the dusty-blue carpet from the foyer stairs.

Erin and Mallory cornered the market on antique gold-framed mirrors at a local architectural salvage store and created a feature wall of mirrors ascending the foyer stairs.

Though most of the other interiors leaned toward the formal and ornate, the den was strictly masculine, with a brick fireplace, beige carpet and dark wood walls that generally gave a space the look reminiscent of a cabin or a hunting lodge.

Erin's design for the den visually transformed the room, with white paint for the paneled walls, a fireplace facelift and bright, colorful furnishings that combine to create a radically brighter and cleaner space.

Though the dining room's bright blue paint, wall-to wall carpet and bold patterned wallpaper was straight out of a'70s capsule, this space, with its wood trim and wainscoting was a good example of the quality and craftsmanship of the home's basic design.

For the dining room, Erin went with "a light refresh" that included new wallpaper, wood floors and updated light fixtures.

Prior to the renovation, the dining room, though brightly painted, felt somewhat confined and closed off.

The biggest change is the addition of the French doors into the kitchen — bringing with it a more spacious and open feel.

The overall kitchen space was divided in half by a peninsula that separated the prep space from an adjacent breakfast room.

With the separating peninsula, the kitchen-proper was small, tight and awkward. Erin recommended annexing the breakfast area to substantially expand the kitchen's footprint. Ben estimated the cost of the substantial and structural kitchen makeover at around $50,000.

Erin's ambitous kitchen design removed the pensinsula, and combined the kitchen and breakfast spaces to create an enlarged singular kitchen with a massive kitchen island, now oriented laterally across the newly widened space. The new French doors that now open onto the dining room also serve to create a more open feel in the kitchen.

Ceiling-height built-in cabinetry offers plenty of storage. A pocket door leads from the kitchen into the newly remodeled den, and new engineered hardwood flooring continues throughout the kitchen and den — creating a more unified visual for the two adjacent spaces.

The large island is topped with an expansive single-piece stone top in white quartz with a distinctive veining pattern and shades with a subtle hint of gold.

Though the cabinetry and wallpaper were dated, the space did come with ample natural light since the space opened onto a nice view on the backyard.

Other highlights in the kitchen include a clean, white palette, expansive cabinets and countertops spanning the length of the newly enlarged space, newappliances in stainless steel finish, updated lighting and a massive custom vent hood. The backsplash is a single slab of the same veined quartz used for the island countertop.

The level of design and quality of materials far exceeded the homeowners' expecations for the kitchen. "This is one of the most high-end-kitchens we've ever done," says Erin. "We've never gotten to do a whole slab backsplash like this before."

The upstairs bedroom has an angled ceiling from the dormer roofline. Overall, this room is in good shape and doesn't require radical changes. Erin's recommendations incluce removing the dated carpet and wallpaper and updating the lighting.

The dated and worn wallpaper is removed, but Erin opted to pay homage to the home's original period decor with a bold, but more contemporary, wallpaper, staying true to the blue and white color scheme.

"It's the bathroom that needs a major, major update," said Erin. The original layout featured two separate back-to-back bathrooms, each with it's own vanity.

Erin's re-design of the space removes the wall between the two separate bathrooms to create a single enlarged bathroom with a double vanity.

With the renovation nearing completion, Ben and Erin inspect the newly applied white lime-wash finish on the home's brick exterior.

Erin and Mallorie look to add a personal touch to the Ladd house with custom lampshade that coordinates with the blue and white color palette maintained throughout the renovation.

Erin and Ben put some of the finishing touches on the Ladd's dining room prior to the final reveal.

Susan and Seth get their first look at the home's newly transformed exterior.