It's a Family Affair

Melissa Olson and Brent Green, a brother-sister renovation team in Austin, Texas, share a passion for rehabbing tired homes into incredible spaces that buyers can't wait to call home. Their business, Cottage + Key, is known for their well-crafted, affordable and stylish homes.

"Family is at the heart of what we do," said Melissa. "Revamping homes was very much a part of our childhood. Brent and I grew up in the construction industry by helping our dad run his painting and contracting business, and his legacy continued from there."

Melissa turned to Progress to provide some lighting that met her modern farmhouse design intent on a recent house flip project in Taylor, Texas. The 1,000 square foot home initially was inhabitable. But Brent and Melissa saw the bones of this house and immediately envisioned its potential. They added on 350 square feet to create an open concept floor plan with custom designed, functional spaces.

"We love designing with both modern touches and farmhouse - you get the best of both worlds," says Melissa. "When designing this home, we kept some of the original 1930's cottage farmhouse pieces like doors or vintage knobs and merged them with modern touches using lighting, plumbing fixtures, paint colors and mirrors."

"Lighting plays a big part in each of our projects," she added. "It brings an extra sparkle to the house, making it feel less like a house and more like a home."

A pair of Santee wall lanterns grace either side of the craftsman-style front door on the spacious and inviting front porch, which she says is one of her favorite spaces of the home. "The lighting, front door, and railing design mesh the modern with the vintage in the best way."

The mudroom is another favorite space. "The mudroom is a must for me, and I love to design our homes with spaces that are well planned. We like spaces to be not only functional but stylish," said Melissa. The Debut semi-flush fixture creates a statement on the ceiling with its unique, vintage modern design that balances the dark built-ins lining the side of the room.

In the bath, soft gold touches lend a luxurious touch to the modern farmhouse design of the room. The mellow vintage brass finish of the Hansford vanity light is a lovely complement to gold-finished shower and sink hardware. White walls add a crisp touch, and a dark blue vanity anchors the room's design.

Another bathroom features a pair of Bonita wall sconces, whose understated beauty and soft satin brass finish offer an element of elegance against the farmhouse style of the dark shiplap feature wall and wood-toned double vanity. Natural light floods through the high transom window, another feature that Melissa and Brent like to use in their home designs.

"Whether you're redesigning a room or a floor plan, adding windows up high gives maximum natural light," advises Melissa. "You'll end up with a gorgeous view of the sky and trees, along with 100% privacy."

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