Cozy and colorful, Functional finishes, Pretty and practical, nuts & bolts

When interior designer Robin Cole of Robin’s Nest Interiors first stepped into Kelly Sisler’s Middletown ranch, she saw past the small rooms and dated finishes, envisioning a home with potential to suit Sisler’s day-to-day perfectly.

“She actually called me when she and her realtor had found this home,” Cole said. “She hadn’t (yet) purchased it, but she just wanted me to come look at it.”

The home’s original layout didn’t suit Sisler’s lifestyle, but Cole could see its potential.

“It had really, really good bones, and it was in a great neighborhood,” Cole recalled.

Cole helped rework the floor plan, knocking down walls to create an open-concept living area, dining space, and kitchen while transforming the three-bedroom, two-bath layout into a four-bedroom, three-bath abode with a spacious new primary suite and a laundry room on the main floor.

“Not only did we make it a better layout (which is) more conducive for how she lives,” Cole said, “but we also ended up giving her an extra bathroom.”

Cozy and colorful

Opening the former hallway walls created a welcoming, open-concept living space at this home in Middletown.

The living room is now a light, bright, welcoming space, filled with neutral tones and accents in coral pink and shades of blue. To create the sense of an entryway, Cole thoughtfully placed a sectional with one side parallel to the wall near the front door.

“I’m not always big on sectional uses,” she said, “but this was the perfect kind of spot for it, because it kind of created that foyer for us.”

A console table behind the sectional — painted by Sisler herself — adds a splash of color to the space, as does a piece of artwork above it.

Across the room, a fireplace blends form and function. Sisler painted the original brick, while Cole designed built-in shelving to complement the existing rustic-style beam mantle. The built-ins and mantel are stained to match, creating a cohesive look.

Custom window treatments with artful squiggles bring a playful touch to the space.

“It just feels like just a crayon, (like) someone’s just drawing a crayon all the way down,” Cole exclaimed. “I love them.”

Functional finishes

Laminate flooring throughout pulls the area together at this home in Middletown.

Compact yet functional, the streamlined kitchen layout makes the most of the available space. Rather than squeezing in a freestanding island and a separate dining table, Cole created a solution to offer both seating and counter space simultaneously.

“The space isn’t huge, so we couldn’t really get an island and a dining table in there,” she said, “so we designed this banquette.”

The banquette boasts barstools on one side, while the other wraps around Sisler’s round wooden dining table, which also features chairs for additional seating.

Built-in pantries and draws provide extra storage at this home in Middletown.

The cabinetry kitchen is Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, while the banquette boasts a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted look.

“Kelly actually painted that,” Cole explained. “She did a faux treatment. I call it a ‘Restoration Hardware’ look.”

Other features, like the tin backsplash and apron-front sink, add texture and charm while a Roman shade over the window ties in the home’s blue and pink coral palette.

This Roman shade adds a pop of color in the kitchen inside this home in Middletown.

Along the wall opposite the fridge, a pair of pantry cabinets flank a window; ample drawers underneath maximize storage.

“This whole wall, it looks great,” Cole said, “but it also made that whole area make a lot more sense, and it’s just a lot of great storage for her.”

Pretty and practical

In the home’s reconfiguration, Cole carved out space for a main-floor laundry room just off the ktichen by stealing a bit of square footage from an existing bathroom. The result is a compact yet cheerful space that showcases a bold accent wall.

Sisler customized the blue floral wallpaper by adding pops of her favorite coral pink hue.

“She actually went back and where they had the little yellow dot, she added some of that coral color in there too,” Cole explained.

Cole added a butcher block counter for folding clothes to make the most of the space.

The laundry room boasts bold, blue wallpaper at this home in Middletown.

“It turned out to be a really … compact laundry room,” she said, “but it gets the job done. And plus, it looks great.”

A pocket door exists to separate the room from the kitchen, but Sisler often leaves it open to showcase the fun accent wall.

“She keeps it open most of the time because she loves that wallpaper so much,” Cole exclaimed.

Looking back, Cole says this redesign stands out because she was able to be involved from the very beginning, helping create a home tailored to its owner’s lifestyle.

“This was really a fun project,” she said. “We got to get in before she’d even purchased it, and we were able to help her lay the whole thing out. It really ended up being a great use of space.”

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at [email protected] or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at [email protected].

nuts & bolts

Home: This is a four-bed, three-bath, 1,400-square-foot, ranch home in Middletown. It was built in 1961.

Distinctive elements: Open concept; custom-built banquette that serves as dining table and island; open stairwell to basement; hand-painted banquette, island, and vanity.

Applause! Applause! Kelly Sisler of Creative Finishes by Kelly for the faux painting; Eleet Countertops for the quartz countertops throughout; and Abby Tappendorf for photography.