My Home -- Before/After Photos

When you buy a home, you sign up for some work.

When you buy a 110-year-old home…. Brother. HOLD ON TIGHT.

It’s been a lot of work getting this place up to snuff. Still got plenty to do.

Here are some rooms that I’ve made some decent progress on.

Before:

After:

This is where I spend most of my time in this place.

It’s just good vibes.

It also shows how much a rug can transform a room. (The sofa is spicy too.)

Thoughts: Be bold when selecting things. Call your shot. Be weird. No one respects the people who play it safe and small anyway.

Before:

After:

Maybe my favorite room in my place. It’s been such a fun project building out a home gym that wasn’t the typical blacked-out dungeon with terrible cliche gym lighting.

Earthy tones, vintage pieces, wood, lotta sunlight, and all the equipment I need to get in a near-death workout.

I started competing in powerlifting as a teen and carried that style of training till I was about 30. Deadlifts, squats, etc. I’ve since shifted to mostly functional training, which has done wonders for all the ailments I acquired through years of maxing on those movements. (It’s also minimized the equipment I need.) I feel like I've been building farmer strength.

Only thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how to include a pull-up bar and dip bar in this room. I currently keep these elsewhere.

Thoughts:

1. You don’t need as much equipment as you might think. And you definitely don’t need machines (though the WaterRower is dope). A set of kettlebells and/or adjustable dumbbells (+ consistency) and you can be in incredible shape.

2. Your home gym can be a vibe. Simply throw out everything you’ve seen about typical home gyms and do the opposite.

Before:

After:

Some big pieces in here.

Matt Castilleja Plinth table. Solid oak and insanely heavy.

Vintage modular walnut shelving.

Custom UFO-ish light. It has 4 light bulbs in total — 2 of which are up-firing, which casts a subtle starry light onto the ceiling at night. It’s so cool.

Walnut sideboard by David Polivka which is a marvel of craftsmanship and perhaps his magnum opus. I admire this piece every single day.

This room ain’t done. Needs:

• Crazy fabric/seat for the bay window

• Curtains

• Wall piece next to the painting above the buffet

• And then the big play is what I’m doing with the huge wall that isn’t shown in these photos. It’s gonna be sick. Will report back.

Thoughts: Make sure the table you dine at is something you are excited about.

(I thought I had better photos of this room. I don’t. Let’s roll with it.)

I like all the juxtaposition in here. I’ve got an ornate early 1900s dresser with an incredibly patinated mirror. Huge early 1900s rug made in NYC. Then I’ve got modern pieces weighing it all out.

Componibili bins for nightstands. They look fine, but they don’t work well for this use case. The tops are too small and they feel cheap. USM modular would look rad in their place.

I want to paint the walls in here. Thinking a dusty plum.

Thoughts: A bedroom is for two things, and watching tv ain’t one of them. Keep it a sacred space.

Before I bought this place, I lived in a studio apartment that was smaller than my current dining room. I was basically starting from scratch. At times it felt overwhelming trying to fill each room with quality products that actually express my tastes.

You can’t rush the process. Like all good things, it’s gonna take time.

e.g. It took me TWO YEARS to find the rug for the dining room.

But if you slowly chop away at it, you’ll be surrounded by things you love rather than things that feel temporary and out of alignment.

My one recommendation is if you come across something that really resonates with you but you aren’t sure where it goes, just get it. Live with it for a while and you’ll eventually figure out where it’s supposed to go. (I bet hoarders read that and say “HELL YEAH! EXACTLY!”)

More rooms to come. (Bathroom renovation starts this month).

If there is a piece you are interested in learning about, just comment below.

Cheers!

Dominic

p.s. Are you subscribed to my YouTube Channel where I go in depth on all of this kind of stuff??? You should be.