Open Air Courtyard Transformation

Tom McNeill is a hard-working research scientist who has recently moved into a gorgeous new Tuscan-style home. He needs help turning his entry foyer and courtyard into cozy and inviting spaces where he can do some entertaining as well as spend quality time alone, decompressing from the pressures of the laboratory. The entry foyer is a bare, monochrome circular space that formerly housed a fountain. The foyer leads into a magnificent open-air courtyard that is also unfurnished and bare. The courtyard features a large unused fireplace, and is surrounded by high, bare stucco walls. Donna begins the transformation in the entry foyer, where she installs a classic Italianesque stone fountain. She paints the formerly drab circular ceiling space a rich two-tone terracotta hue, and anchors it with Old-World style wrought iron chandelier. The archway leading to the courtyard is stenciled with an intricate grapevine scroll. Donna fills the formerly bare courtyard with comfortable and inviting outdoor furniture made of durable all-weather wicker, with cushions and pillows in tones of green and tan, also of a durable, all-weather fabric. On one wall, Donna mounts a custom-made mixed media piece of wall art, featuring colorful stones that match the colors of the fabric in the cushions of the chairs below. Upstairs, Donna hangs a wrought iron and candle chandelier from the ceiling of a covered balcony overlooking the courtyard, and fills the covered space with comfortable chairs and tasteful accessories. Back at her house, Donna takes on a project to transform a dark wood chest of drawers into a vanity for her guest bathroom. She wants the newly christened vanity to match an antique off-white chest of drawers in the bathroom. She and Tiffany paint the wood chest white, and apply a brown glaze to give it an antique look. They also apply an intricate raised stencil pattern to the face, using plaster to create the relief. To economize, Donna uses an inexpensive porcelain birdbath for the sink, resulting in a unique and stylish vanity that is functional, yet certain to be a conversation piece.