Luxury Home Design on a Budget

Renovations

Holly Thompson Design maximized the renovation budget for this 1980s home in Tennessee to give it a luxury home design without an exorbitant price tag.

Before and after renovation view of the custom kitchen with a peninsula before and large island after. — This dramatic before and after view showcases how Holly Thompson Design expanded the kitchen to include the far wall that used to be a dining nook, instead allowing for a large island, more cabinetry and a hutch for displaying entertaining pieces.

The Details

Project type: Kitchen, baths, laundry room, lighting, and other interior details
Interior architecture: Holly Thompson Design
Location: Brentwood, Tennessee
Year built: 1986
Square footage: 3,700
Photographer: Bess McKinney Photography
Holly’s favorite design feature: The timeless, neutral kitchen with classy materials.

Before and after side by side comparison of old kitchen cabinets verus new custom kitchen cabinets with luxury home design. — This corner of the kitchen looks totally different with the new custom cabinetry that now reaches the ceiling. The space now maximizes the light from the window with white countertops, and highlights texture with a marble backsplash.

The Story

When an out-of-town family bought this 1986 build, they wanted to transform it into luxury home design. Their vision came with a big wish list of changes. But like any home renovation, they needed to limit the changes to fit their pre-existing budget.

Holly Thompson Design came on board and was able to help them prioritize their budget and decide which changes would make the most impact to create the luxury home design feel they wanted. This included a full kitchen and primary bathroom renovation, alongside smaller changes to the other four bathrooms and laundry room. It also included lighting, paint changes throughout the house and some carpet additions.

A before and after side by side view of the primary bathroom, replacing the built-in tub with a freestanding tub. — This before and after comparison of the primary bathroom shows the dramatic difference. The primary change is from the outdated built-in tub beforehand, to a new freestanding tub afterward.

Luxury Home Design

One of the main game changers for the home was to open up the dining room to the kitchen. This transformed the livability of the space, allowing for an open floor plan. Holly then added several key high-quality materials in the kitchen, such as a La Cornue range. This created a luxury home design feel while not spending the entirety of the home’s renovation budget on a single room.

For the other four bathrooms, Holly Thompson Design kept the changes simple with flooring, new vanities, lighting, and paint. The team decided to leave the existing showers alone to maximize the budget, but were able to make the bathrooms feel updated.

A side by side comparison of before and after this luxury home design kitchen renovation, with the kitchen cabinets. — This side-by-side before and after view shows the kitchen cabinets. The new custom cabinets reach up to the ceiling and have a tope paint that will look classic for years.

Maximizing the Renovation Budget for Luxury Home Design

Changes to the other living spaces were minimal. However, Holly and her team helped the couple choose paint colors for the walls and trim, added patterned carpet to the primary bedroom and stairs, and artisan lighting that had a variety of luxury home design textures and materials.

“The real transformation was the feel,” Holly says. “It feels like a whole new house, and is very timeless.” With the new luxury home design in the kitchen, elongated living spaces, and updated bathrooms, Holly Thompson Design was able to help this family. They got the luxury home design look they wanted, while keeping the budget to reasonable proportions.