Influential Inspiration

Madison Messer, who has more than 270,000 followers on Instagram, has become known for putting together cutting-edge fashion on a girl-next-door budget. When she decided to purchase her first home, her real estate agent showed her a property that was a true fixer-upper. While Madison’s fashion sense allowed her to visualize what the neglected house could become, she knew that, due to the extent of what needed to be done, the expertise of a whole house design firm was vital. Her real estate agent knew exactly the person to recommend, and arranged for Madison to meet Larissa Hicks, a well-established designer with S&W Kitchens in Tampa.

            “We met at the house, and I saw that it was really torn up. It seemed like the sellers had intended to renovate the property, but once they understood all that needed to be done, they gave up and put it on the market,” Larissa said. “I knew there would be hurdles to overcome with a house this old, which would affect the budget for the whole house renovation that Madison and I discussed.”

            Larissa was excited to work with a client who had such a great sense of what she wanted for her home. “She wanted a light, natural, California type of feel,” Larissa explained. “She knew that she wanted the space to be opened up, and she had inspiration photos that well communicated what she was after.”

            There were major hurdles involved in giving Madison the open-plan first floor she craved. Load bearing walls that supported the second story would have to be strategically removed, all new wiring had to be installed, and the entire home had to be
re-plumbed, which included trenching the foundation to dig up the corroded cast iron drain lines.

            Larissa worked closely with Madison when it came time to select the fixtures and finishes that would reflect the new homeowner’s personality. In the kitchen, natural woods, cream-colored paint, pearl 4x12 Crossville subway tiles, and Cincel grey suede Silestone countertops formed the perfect surround to accentuate the pop of the forest green Ilve USA gas range and hood. The low ceiling gained visual height with the installation of pine tongue and groove, painted cream to match the walls. The built-in cabinetry disguising the refrigerator and dishwasher, and the microwave oven drawer placed into the peninsula, made the kitchen appear larger. Extra storage was provided in normally inaccessible places with LeMans corners. The shiny copper pot-filler above the stove, as pretty as it is practical, contrasts against the matte iron finish of the pot rack on the rustic kitchen island that Madison discovered.

   As the house was nearing completion, Madison found another inspirational photo that made her willing to expand her budget: a picture of a glassed-in wine cellar. With limited space available, it was a challenge for Larissa to find a sensible place to create what turned out to be an amazing focal point in the living room. “We went back and forth over a two-month period, trying to find the best way to do it, without having an enormous price tag,” Larissa stated, “We ended up building framework next to the wide, arched doorway, used the same painted tongue and groove wood on the ceiling and the back wall, and hung a pair of large glass doors on the front. Madison found the cabinet and iron wine bottle brackets that we installed above it. It came out inspirationally beautiful.”