Ever see the movie "She's All That"? The one where the popular jock bets he can transform the mild-mannered girl no one pays attention to into their school's prom queen? Naturally, he succeeds by bringing out her true potential and, of course, falls in love with her along the way. The moment I first set foot in this condo, I knew I was looking at our future prom queen. A woefully neglected brick wall, a carpeted staircase with all the panache of a tattered tweed sport coat, dated tiling and a dingy, claustrophobic kitchen with a pass-thru that was as mundane as they come; there was just so much wasted potential! So many elements that we could play with to make the place shine bright. I could already feel myself falling in love. The trick was bringing them together; making each element its own while making each work with one another. It wasn't easy -- we put a lot of hours into it and there were several fingers crossed as we fit the pieces together --but we did in fact fall in love with the place. So much so, that I almost kept it for myself.

Photos of this home: