Once homeowners and partners Gary Allard and Shelly Bowen installed the floors (part 1) and finished the kitchen (part 2), it was time to rely heavily on the midcentury modern design and knock down a few walls.
The first wall the couple took out was a simple job—it wasn’t load bearing and it was just a standard wall. The next one, however, proved to be a challenge. It also wasn’t load-bearing, but it was covered by two floor-to-ceiling mirrors. “One of the massive mirrors was wedged between ceiling and floor,” Gary says. “I had these visions of prying on the mirror and having it shatter and drop from 10 feet above me, so we started from the non-mirrored back side and then cut through the drywall in sections, slowly lowering them onto a rolling cart to move them out.”
Safety was an issue on the couple’s mind, considering Gary’s dad was injured when the floor was being renovated. Keeping safety at the forefront, everyone took the precautions necessary to do the job right. “We only broke one small piece and no one was hurt in the process,” he says. “I look back and am amazed and very proud that the four of us accomplished so much in that house.”
After the walls were knocked out safely and the house had an open, airy quality to it, it was finally vacation-rental worthy. Gary and Shelly’s last piece of advice for homeowners renovating their midcentury modern homes is to stay true to your home—and your bank account. “We wanted to stay true to our overall design and the vision of the original design,” Gary says. “It’s easy to see something interesting someone else did and think, ‘Hey, we could do that, too,’ but we had to keep the project within the budget.”
If you like what you see, check out more photos of the Easmor home here.
Shelly Bowen is the Chief Content Strategist and owner of Pybop LLC, a content strategy consultancy. Gary Allard is a commercial photographer, specializing in active lifestyle.
