VIDEO: Take a tour of this refresher by Dann Foley and build.com
Palm Springs homeowner Paul Tanber recently hit the renovation jackpot. In only three weeks, designer Dann Foley of Dann, Inc., with the help of the online home improvement site build.com, revamped Tanber’s Donald Wexler home.
At just under 2,200 square feet, the four bedroom/three bath house was built in 1960 and is located in El Rancho Vista Estates, just north of Palm Springs International Airport, which was the first of the Wexler and Rick Harrison's residential subdivisions.
photos courtesy of DANN FOLEY AND build.com
GUEST BATH/BEFORE & AFTER: Just changing out the vanity, mirror, and light fixture will update the space. The Fresca Livello MDF vanity from build.com provides much-needed storage in a guest bathroom and is matched with a Miseno Bracciano bathroom faucet.
“What we wanted to achieve here, Dann Inc. and build.com, was to show people what you can do on your own, or even just with the aid of a professional like me, where everything was accessible, available, and affordable,” says Foley. “This was a chance to go through the house and say ‘You love those pieces, we love those pieces, let’s start there and how do we finish it off without trashing everything.’ And that’s what this house is.”
“It’s so funny because I’m not one of those designers who feels the need to hide all of my sources from my clients or even from the rest of the design trade,” adds Foley. “Build.com saw some tweets I’d done about them and loving their products and they called me and said we have this idea to partner with a designer and do a house. That’s where it started.”
photo courtesy of DANN FOLEY AND build.com
GUEST BEDROOM: “We not only curate products from the best manufacturers, but look for those times where we can provide some style-forward options to consumers [such as the Miseno fan] from that private label perspective as well,” says Danielle Mohn, Chief Marketing Officer for build.com. Surya indoor decorative pillow; Kovacs plug-in wall sconce, build.com.
Foley notes this project was really more of a reorganizing of the furniture plan as opposed to the floor plan since some existing furniture was used in ways that wasn’t necessarily the best for the rooms.
“The living room felt smaller than it was because we weren’t utilizing all of the space,” he says. “So we brought in new furniture in the major rooms and created a new office for the homeowner. And then we really updated everything else. A lot of Wexler and Alexander homes are lacking storage in the bathrooms, but we didn’t rip out bathrooms we just put in new vanities with storage drawers and cabinets. So it wasn’t just beauty, it was also function.”
photos courtesy of DANN FOLEY AND build.com
HALLWAY BATH/BEFORE & AFTER: Even if a bathroom is small, that doesn’t mean it needs to lack style. The full-bath off the hallway was updated with a compact, but multi-functional Fresca wall-mounted MDF vanity from build.com.
“What I really wanted to do was to show people that it doesn’t have to consume you, it doesn’t have to take every nickel that you’ve ever made or saved, and that there are people out there who can give you great advice,” says Foley. “Someone can hire a design professional to give them the right advice and then we can partner with a company like build.com to get the best product at the best price and have it shipped directly to the house.”
“It’s interesting, even more so than the products themselves, one of the things that we love about the partnership with the consumer and a professional is the ability to help bring a dream to life,” says Danielle Mohn, Chief Marketing Officer for build.com. “We help you through the process by being that whole solution to the products, finding them and the right size and style that fits within your space. We sell direct to consumers, but we also work a lot with trade professionals, designers, and general contractors.” And even though build.com is an online site, there all always company representatives available that you can call for more information about their products.
photos courtesy of DANN FOLEY AND build.com
LIVING ROOM/BEFORE & AFTER: “The living room felt smaller than it was because we weren’t utilizing all of the space,” says Dann Foley. Some of the new decorative features Foley added from build.com include Surya’s zebra decorative pillow, the Miseno ceiling fan, and Lite Source’s swing arm wall sconce.
“It’s been a total dream to have them come in and do all of this,” says Tanber. “They’ve [Dann Inc.] been helping with bits and pieces of things and I’ve worked with Dann on other projects. But this is the first time I’ve been able to actually let them just do it. I didn’t have to do anything—didn’t have to be here to meet anybody, or manage anything. I just had to show up when it was all done.”
Dann Inc., 1580 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, 760-322-2268 / build.com, (800) 375-3403
photos courtesy of DANN FOLEY AND build.com
MASTER BATH/BEFORE & AFTER: Replacing the vanity instantly transformed the space. The updated master bath has an Avinity Knox free-standing vanity set and Miseno Bracciano bathroom faucet.
photos courtesy of DANN FOLEY AND build.com
MASTER BEDROOM/BEFORE & AFTER: The master bedroom needed a shot of glamour. The serene room is now anchored by the Beverly Drive ceiling fixture from Avenue Lighting, grasscloth wallpaper by York Wallcoverings, and an indoor decorative pillow from Surya — all purchased through build.com.
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