ORANGE CITY, Iowa | When the owner of Holland House buys a house, she doesn’t get too attached to it or the things inside. She’s too busy planning her next project.
Marie Hofmeyer’s dream scenario happened. The designer and her husband sold their beautifully remodeled two-story home and almost all the furniture in it, giving her a fresh start. There was just one problem – not many homes were on the market, which is good if you’re the seller but not the buyer.
Faced with few options, the family of four settled on a sunny yellow ranch-style home on the northwest side of town. It looked nothing like she wanted. But since she’s a designer, Hofmeyer could look past the orange-colored laminate floors and the outdated honey oak cabinetry and see its potential.
Now, the home, built in 2004, reflects her design style: classic elements with a modern twist.
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Most of the changes were cosmetic, and Hofmeyer could do it herself – from painting to installing the luxury, vinyl plank floor. She carefully considered design decisions based on which home improvement projects were more likely to pay off.
“It is the hardest thing to design for myself because I love so many things. I can go into anybody’s house and say, ‘You need to do this, this, this and this – and it’ll be perfect!’ I walk into my own house, and I’m like, I don’t know. Did I make the right decision? I second-guess myself,” she said. “I wanted to be able to do things that didn’t cost a lot of money that would price us out of reselling it in a few years when we move on to the next one.”
BUDGET-FRIENDLY KITCHEN MAKEOVER
Hofmeyer opened Holland House, a full-service design studio and home décor store, in Orange City six years ago, but she’s not one to over-decorate. “For me, in my own home, it’s simple,” she said. “I like things in a row, just very simplistic-looking décor.”
In the kitchen, she painted the cabinets white, replaced the countertops and made the island bigger for better entertaining. She also swapped out an overhead pot rack in favor of chic globe-like light fixtures with Edison bulbs.
KEEPING CONTRAST
Hofmeyer started the home’s design process thinking that she would keep everything monochromatic and light, but her love of contrast emerged. The basic palette carried throughout the house includes a mix of ivory, white, black, gray and navy.
“I’m not a colorful person,” she said. “The biggest color I’ll do is blue.”
She used textural differences to transform each room. In the living room, the TV wall features a Venetian plaster finish. A mud mixture is applied in a bunch of thin coats to create an interesting overlapping pattern. Then, it’s sanded and polished to a sheen that feels like marble, smooth and cold to the touch.
MODERN MASHUP
Her husband’s not a hunter. He’s an accountant. But Hofmeyer enjoys decorating with pieces like fashionable faux antlers that have a “more masculine” appeal.
BARN DOOR TREND
The home’s entryway used to have a half wall that overlooked the staircase to the unfinished basement. Hofmeyer opted to make it a full wall in order to install a modern sliding barn door for more peace and quiet. They can send the kids to bed and still have friends over with less interruption since the door closes off the open concept living space from the hallway to the bedrooms.
FARMHOUSE FRESH
In the main bathroom, the color palette is flipped from the kitchen. Hofmeyer did all white walls and painted the honey oak cabinets gray. The shiplap wall above the vanity adds texture and a touch of rustic style to the room. The wood paneling can also be found on one small wall in the dining area and on the kitchen island.
BOY MEETS MOD
Four-year-old Beckym’s room features plaid wallpaper on one wall. He loves playing in the black and white striped tipi that adds a little fun and flair to his room.
HOME STORE
Hofmeyer actually had to tuck away a couple tags on the bedside lamps to hide them from getting in the photo. “I sell things out of my house all the time,” she said. “If I have a client that needs that special thing, then they’re going to get it out of my house.”
EDITED LIVING
Hofmeyer decorated a reading nook in the master bedroom with artwork she made in college. She found the line painting rolled up in a box, tore it apart and reassembled the pieces into simple black frames.
“I really strategically plan things that look amazing,” she said. “I don’t feel like you need to fill every corner with something. It makes me calm to not have so much stuff. I have a store full of stuff that I get to see every day. If I came home to a home full of stuff, it would be too much.”
