Upon her return to Charlottesville, Virginia, Amy began her search for the ideal fixer-upper. "I basically bought the first house I saw because it was all I could afford," she says. The 650-square-foot cottage had a solid structure—yet it needed new wiring, plumbing, and heat and air-conditioning; an updated kitchen and bath; and a replacement for the back porch. So, her short-lived search quickly became a long-term project. "Most people would've run in the opposite direction," Amy says, "but this house just needed some love."

photography: Dana Gallagher Amy's orginal 80-year-old 650-square-foot cottage had good bones, but needed major renovation.

As the owner of a stylish shoe store and a fine stationery shop, and a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Architecture, Amy has an eye for design. "I knew features that I wanted in the house and how I wanted the spaces to flow,"she says. "I also knew I would enjoy a more modern interior." To finalize her plans for the cottage, she consulted architect and good friend Jim Rounsevell. "Jim is brilliant at details," Amy says. "I had a sense of what I wanted; he had the knowledge to flush out my ideas."

The two decided to knock down a few walls to make bigger, open spaces, eliminating the choppy floor plan. Because the back porch already needed rethinking, they replaced it with a small addition that enlarged the master bedroom and bath. To honor the cottage's past, they refinished the existing heart-pine floors and kept the original wainscoting in several rooms throughout the house.

photography: Dana Gallagher The new front porch has two huge sliding screened doors. Horizontal wood siding recalls traditional clapboard.

photography: Dana Gallagher Pretty bowls on the farm table at Amy's entrance catch keys and mail. Pulled away from the wall, the table's great for entertaining. The picture ledge, 4 inches deep, displays her revolving art collection.

photography: Dana Gallagher A pegboard above the wainscoting is a stylish way to add storage space in the small cottage.

photography: Dana Gallagher the kitchen island looks like a piece of furniture to fit in with the connected living room. It also conceals an under-counter fridge.

photography: Dana Gallagher Amy turned an empty wall in her office into a closet/laundry room by installing built-in shelves for her shoes, storage for clothing and space for a stacking washer and dryer.

The cottage now stands at just over 1,000 square feet, and Amy couldn't be happier with the results. "I like to think of myself as a minimalist," she says of living in a small house. But on the other hand, her eye for style has filled the house with color and details that set it apart. "When you own a shoe store, you can be only so much of a minimalist."

Take it from Amy
Tips for a smart (and relatively painless) renovation

Examine space priorities. "Be really honest with yourself about how you live and how you want to use your space," Amy says. "Don't feel locked in to having rooms that you won't end up using, like a separate dining room."

Do serious planning. "Making split-second decisions never yields good results in remodeling," she says. "My renovation worked because I spent a lot of time tracking down materials and finishes in advance—before we got too far into construction."

Be prepared and flexible. "I'd say to budget 50 percent more time and 30 percent more money than you think it's going to take."

Ask your lender about a section 203(k) Mortgage loan. "I bought my house with a 203(k), which allows you to mortgage both your house and major renovation costs," Amy says. "It's a great program from HUD worth looking into." (For details, visit www.hud

Draw inspiration from books and magazines. "Show a lot of images from books and magazines to your architect, explaining what you like about them. The Essential House Book: Getting Back to Basics, by Terence Conran, really motivated me to buy a house and fix it up." (Find the book, $39.95, at online booksellers, including amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.)