My Houzz: Kate Upton Surprises Her Sister With a Home Renovation
Watch the model and actress put a smile on her sister’s face with a fresh update to her Florida, USA, home
Mitchell Parker
11 April 2019
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
Christie Williams spends much of her time taking care of other people. In addition to raising two young daughters with her husband, Matt, she runs a non-profit organisation called Wins for Warriors Foundation that helps war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Williams’ younger sister, model and actress Kate Upton, knew that the mother-of-two wouldn’t find time to pamper herself, so Upton recently surprised her older sister by renovating the couple’s outdated guest bathroom, office area and master bedroom and bathroom in their Melbourne, Florida, home in the USA. “Christie’s always been very nurturing to everyone around her, and she’s still like that today,” says Upton. “All of my memories of her growing up were really her watching over me, so it’s nice to be able to reverse the roles and take care of her.”
Bold patterned tile and wallpaper, soothing shades of blue and touches of glamour gave the home just the energy that Williams and her family need for their busy lives.
Williams’ younger sister, model and actress Kate Upton, knew that the mother-of-two wouldn’t find time to pamper herself, so Upton recently surprised her older sister by renovating the couple’s outdated guest bathroom, office area and master bedroom and bathroom in their Melbourne, Florida, home in the USA. “Christie’s always been very nurturing to everyone around her, and she’s still like that today,” says Upton. “All of my memories of her growing up were really her watching over me, so it’s nice to be able to reverse the roles and take care of her.”
Bold patterned tile and wallpaper, soothing shades of blue and touches of glamour gave the home just the energy that Williams and her family need for their busy lives.
Kate Upton stands outside her sister’s Florida, USA, home, which she renovated as a gift. ‘Before’ images by Studio Peck; ‘after’ images by Kelli Kroneberger
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Christie Williams, executive director of the Wins for Warriors Foundation; her husband, Matt, who works in real estate development; their daughters, Millie, aged five, and Rae, four months; and their dog, Rico
Location: Florida, USA
Designer: Andrea Fava of USA-based Motivo Home
Watch now: See Kate Upton surprise her sister with a renovation of her Florida, USA, home
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Christie Williams, executive director of the Wins for Warriors Foundation; her husband, Matt, who works in real estate development; their daughters, Millie, aged five, and Rae, four months; and their dog, Rico
Location: Florida, USA
Designer: Andrea Fava of USA-based Motivo Home
Watch now: See Kate Upton surprise her sister with a renovation of her Florida, USA, home
Guest bathroom
Size: 11 square metres
Before: Williams and her husband had previously done a few small projects around their house, but were never able to get to the bigger issues. The existing guest bathroom functioned well, but its finishes were outdated for the homeowners’ tastes. Plus, the layout, with the tall shower right at the entrance and the large step-up tub in the corner, wasn’t working for them.
Meanwhile, the only window in the bathroom was filled with opaque glass blocks. Outside the window, Williams’ husband had built a shed – in the only available location – so the opening didn’t offer a view or natural light.
Size: 11 square metres
Before: Williams and her husband had previously done a few small projects around their house, but were never able to get to the bigger issues. The existing guest bathroom functioned well, but its finishes were outdated for the homeowners’ tastes. Plus, the layout, with the tall shower right at the entrance and the large step-up tub in the corner, wasn’t working for them.
Meanwhile, the only window in the bathroom was filled with opaque glass blocks. Outside the window, Williams’ husband had built a shed – in the only available location – so the opening didn’t offer a view or natural light.
After: For help tackling the renovations, Upton searched the Houzz’s professionals directory for design-build firms in the local Florida area. USA-based Motivo Home – run by designer Andrea Fava and her husband, Rik, a builder – stood out to Upton because the firm had great reviews and a style that was exactly what she knew her sister and family would love.
Fava decided to fill in the impractical window and create a cement-tile feature wall. She then reorganised the layout, moving the shower to the back-left corner next to a new freestanding bathtub. This freed up room for a furniture-style double vanity.
Fava learnt that Williams loves shiplap, so she incorporated it on the vanity wall. She then used an elongated white porcelain tile for the shower wall to give a shiplap effect that would hold up better in moisture than timber. She used a design trick to enhance the mimicry, too: Fava made wide horizontal grout lines but ultra-thin vertical grout lines to give the tiles the appearance of long boards.
Fava decided to fill in the impractical window and create a cement-tile feature wall. She then reorganised the layout, moving the shower to the back-left corner next to a new freestanding bathtub. This freed up room for a furniture-style double vanity.
Fava learnt that Williams loves shiplap, so she incorporated it on the vanity wall. She then used an elongated white porcelain tile for the shower wall to give a shiplap effect that would hold up better in moisture than timber. She used a design trick to enhance the mimicry, too: Fava made wide horizontal grout lines but ultra-thin vertical grout lines to give the tiles the appearance of long boards.
Fava knew that the Williamses wanted a bigger family, so she fitted a double vanity into the space. (Williams announced at the reveal for the renovation that she was pregnant and has since given birth to the couple’s daughter, Rae.)
Fava bought the timber vanity on Houzz. “It’s a great product,” she says. “The wood is beautiful, and the sinks, hardware and marble countertop were included.”
The floor, which is porcelain, has the appearance of marble. The tiles have been laid in a herringbone pattern to draw the eye back to the tub and feature wall. “The bathroom is something I never could have dreamed of,” says Williams.
Watch now: Don’t miss Christie Williams’ reaction to her newly renovated home
Fava bought the timber vanity on Houzz. “It’s a great product,” she says. “The wood is beautiful, and the sinks, hardware and marble countertop were included.”
The floor, which is porcelain, has the appearance of marble. The tiles have been laid in a herringbone pattern to draw the eye back to the tub and feature wall. “The bathroom is something I never could have dreamed of,” says Williams.
Watch now: Don’t miss Christie Williams’ reaction to her newly renovated home
Office and hallway
Size: 13 square metres
Before: Fava thinks that an awkward area near the entrance to the master bedroom was probably the result of a previous addition to the home. “It just wasn’t well-designed,” she says. “I remember walking into the space for the first time and thinking, ‘What is this space supposed to be?’”
Size: 13 square metres
Before: Fava thinks that an awkward area near the entrance to the master bedroom was probably the result of a previous addition to the home. “It just wasn’t well-designed,” she says. “I remember walking into the space for the first time and thinking, ‘What is this space supposed to be?’”
After: Fava transformed the area into an office for Williams, who works from home. She felt that adding stand-alone pieces of furniture would have disrupted the pathway to the bedroom, so she had a custom-designed built-in desk and shelving that maximises storage and creates a work area and window bench.
Through conversations with Upton and Matt, Fava learned a lot about Williams’ style and her love for blue hues. Fava kept this in mind when adding the blue-and-white wallpaper. “I think every room should have something unexpected or fun,” she says.
Through conversations with Upton and Matt, Fava learned a lot about Williams’ style and her love for blue hues. Fava kept this in mind when adding the blue-and-white wallpaper. “I think every room should have something unexpected or fun,” she says.
Cabinets on the end store a printer, files and other office supplies that help Williams run Wins for Warriors. Floating shelves display framed thank-you letters from veterans she has helped through her organisation. “It really just touched my heart,” says Williams of the space.
Before: A hallway connecting to the master bedroom featured a linen cupboard and a small home bar that weren’t much use to the couple.
After: Fava closed up the linen cupboard and the bar, using the space to expand the master bathroom on the other side by 90 centimetres.
She also had the carpet removed and added dark hardwood that matches the flooring in the rest of the home. “This made it feel like a completed home that was always meant to be this way,” says Fava.
Watch now: See how this renovation project came together
She also had the carpet removed and added dark hardwood that matches the flooring in the rest of the home. “This made it feel like a completed home that was always meant to be this way,” says Fava.
Watch now: See how this renovation project came together
Master bedroom
Size: 26 square metres
Before: A lot of the existing furniture in the master bedroom had belonged to the couple since university or had been handed down over the years, creating a hodgepodge look that needed an update.
The couple also needed practical things, such as reading lamps. Williams loves reading in bed and had been using a clip-on light on the headboard.
Size: 26 square metres
Before: A lot of the existing furniture in the master bedroom had belonged to the couple since university or had been handed down over the years, creating a hodgepodge look that needed an update.
The couple also needed practical things, such as reading lamps. Williams loves reading in bed and had been using a clip-on light on the headboard.
After: Fava wanted to give the couple the feeling of a relaxing retreat with grown-up style, and started with a canopy bed. “We felt it added a bit of drama and helped elongate the room,” she says. The contemporary chaise longue gives Williams another reading spot.
Blue-and-white wallpaper in a chevron pattern creates an unexpected backdrop for the new furnishings.
The bedside tables are lacquered navy-blue grasscloth. “We made selections to give a more mature feeling with refined materials,” says Fava.
Wall sconces give the couple better reading light.
Watch now: See the latest Houzz TV episode featuring Kate Upton
Wall sconces give the couple better reading light.
Watch now: See the latest Houzz TV episode featuring Kate Upton
Master bathroom
Size: 12 square metres
Before: The two sinks in the existing master bathroom created an awkward layout that caused the couple to bump into each other. Fava always looks for a way to create one long undisturbed wall in bathrooms, and getting rid of the home bar and the linen cupboard gave her the opportunity.
Size: 12 square metres
Before: The two sinks in the existing master bathroom created an awkward layout that caused the couple to bump into each other. Fava always looks for a way to create one long undisturbed wall in bathrooms, and getting rid of the home bar and the linen cupboard gave her the opportunity.
After: The extra square metreage allowed Fava to create a custom double vanity with tower storage in the centre. Chandelier lighting and timber-framed mirrors add a hint of glamour. “These are the touches I always wish I had but would never know how to implement,” says Williams.
Before: The existing shower in the master bathroom had a large glass door frame that structurally didn’t hold up well in the long expanse. The frame had begun to sag, causing the door to push up against the glass frame and emit a loud creaking sound when opened.
After: A sliding barn-style shower door solved the problem, and its exposed-track hardware makes a design statement.
Marble tile in a geometric floral pattern covers the back wall and floor. The side walls are rectangular marble laid in a stacked pattern. “We wanted to make sure the shower felt timeless and spa-like,” says Fava. “And you can’t go wrong with real marble.”
Upton’s gift of the newly renovated rooms means that the Williamses can stop focusing on small projects and fixes around the house and finally settle in and put down roots with their family. “If it’s possible to be closer than sisters, that’s what Kate would be,” says Williams. “To have her thinking through things that she knew I’ve dreamed of since childhood – I’m just so moved.”
Watch now: See Kate Upton surprise her sister with a renovation
Tell us
What do you love most about this surprise home makeover? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Is it time to freshen up your own home? Find an interior designer or decorator in your area who can customise your home to your style and needs
Upton’s gift of the newly renovated rooms means that the Williamses can stop focusing on small projects and fixes around the house and finally settle in and put down roots with their family. “If it’s possible to be closer than sisters, that’s what Kate would be,” says Williams. “To have her thinking through things that she knew I’ve dreamed of since childhood – I’m just so moved.”
Watch now: See Kate Upton surprise her sister with a renovation
Tell us
What do you love most about this surprise home makeover? Tell us in the Comments, like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Is it time to freshen up your own home? Find an interior designer or decorator in your area who can customise your home to your style and needs
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So incredible 🥰
Great decision for home decoration
@ Rosy, yes, i wonder why the bathroom window was taken away. It's such a luxury to have natural light and air in the bathroom. Also, not a fan of the busy wall tiles in the bathroom. But love everything else!