Cream-colored paint and wood slats rejuvenate the brick and stucco exterior of this home to give it a fresh, contemporary look.  Photography by Jasmine Campbell

"The home had great bones, but it stuck out like a sore thumb in its neighborhood," he says. "We knew if we could soften both the landscape and the streetscape, the contemporary architecture of the home wouldn't be so stark against the rest of the homes on that street."

To help this integration, the team painted the exterior stucco and brick in creams, whites and tans. Wood slats then replaced the foam green siding to tone down the architecture and make it appear more natural. Finally, lush tropical greenery was added to resemble a Miami home, and the foliage accents the wood and plays up the neutral colors.

Inside, the group scrapped everything except the drywall, replacing the marble floors with an exotic hardwood and installing a high-end, in-home broadcasting system to create the ultimate entertainer's residence.

Before

The home — purchased as the homeowner's second home — sold two weeks after the project closed. "It was situated in the best part of the channel and had great down-channel views, so the way we organized the flow of the rooms definitely helped make it appealing," Byrd says of the six-month project and $400,000 investment. "But more than that, the quality of the materials shows through. I see so many other builders that try to cut costs in finishes, and that's the wrong way to go. With best finishes and best design, we've seen that the buyer will pay extra."