When we became empty nesters, my husband swooped in, emptied our son’s room, painted it and created a cool office for himself. Together, we boxed up high school trophies, middle school text books and childhood keepsakes. The act was cathartic and productive. Many empty nesters consider moving, changing up their larger home for a more compact living space. Others redesign their current home, reconfiguring rooms for a different use or style.
For years, interior designer Andria Parker has helped clients nearing their empty-nesting season decide whether to move or stay in their current home. They generally jump in, leaning toward moving, then once they see the cost of purchasing a home, decide to renovate.
“One client looked to purchase a ranch home in Roswell and renovate it. The whole project tallied more than $1 million with less than half the square footage of their current home,” says Andria. “Another client looked to purchase a new construction townhome and ultimately realized that the limitations the builder offered for options were too much of a compromise.”
She has had clients leap to go urban and purchase a townhome or cluster home in downtown Roswell or at Avalon. Both clients ended up making a large shift in downsizing their belongings and living in a smaller footprint. “Our firm helped them to design their finishes and furnish the homes,” says Andria. “Though the majority of the couples I have worked with who ponder whether to ‘love it or list it' ultimately decide not to sell but to renovate to live in the space they dreamed of.”
As the family changes, the living space and bedrooms may welcome married children and grandchildren to gather and enjoy. The current home, typically with significant equity, is now a different kind of home base, so homeowners can customize and update with their new style and needs.
Project blueprint: Johns Creek Kitchen Renovation by Haven Lane Design Studio and Home Boutique
This family of four has lived in Johns Creek for 15 years. The youngest daughter is now entering her senior year of college. The couple considered moving to a “city lifestyle” but, since their home's value had climbed, decided to stay put and jump into a big kitchen reno. We did a full gut of the kitchen and installed a new cabinet layout, which includes a large central island, relocated the stove, added a custom vent hood, included panel ready/ custom cabinet appliances and a surprise walk-in pantry that is concealed behind cabinet doors. We also included quartz countertops and a marble backsplash.
Project blueprint: Full Main Floor & Basement Renovation by Haven Lane Design and Home Boutique
This couple sent their youngest child off to college and started thinking about what the future would look like for their family and their time together. With three kids in college, they knew they had time to still enjoy a lot of family gatherings before the kids potentially moved completely out and potentially found jobs in other cities. They felt it was worth the investment to use the time with the empty house to completely renovate their main floor and basement to match their new “big kid” lifestyle.
We completely reworked their main floor plan. We enlarged the kitchen and dining footprint by reworking the laundry room and adding a bump-out on the screened porch. We added two amazing accordion doors to the porch, creating an inside/outside feel to the main living space. We created a customized mudroom out of the original laundry room and made the entryway to that mudroom a concealed door from the moody butler pantry we created off the kitchen. The entire main floor has a warm/ inviting upscale modern/ organic feel. The basement has a living space and customized gym, complete with sauna and a guest room.
Haven Lane Design Studio + Home Boutique
5950 State Bridge Rd Ste 105, Duluth
Though the majority of the couples I have worked with who ponder whether to ‘love it or list it' ultimately decide not to sell but to renovate