photography: Timothy Street-Porter On the front porch, Lee and Kevin took down a railing, created symmetry with two windows, and painted the house brown to complement the stacked stone steps.

"Kevin was trained as a landscape architect before he got interested in renovating and contracting, so the yard was really nice," says Lee. "But the house was definitely a ‘college' pad." There were plastic hollow-core doors, uneven floors, low ceilings, and a futon for a sofa.

Lee and Kevin started the renovation at the end of March and finished the beginning of June—the whole process taking less than three months. Kevin's contracting experience allowed them to do a lot of the work themselves and add convenient details (a rolling barn door to the office) and custom touches (such as pine beams in the ceiling). "Because we did it ourselves, we made a lot of decisions along the way," says Lee. "The result was exciting because the time frame was so tight–it was definitely instant gratification."

photography: Timothy Street-Porter Lee and Kevin’s living space extends into the backyard.

They started by raising the ceilings and evening out the floors. "We put wide-plank hardwoods on top of the existing ones to level out the floors throughout the house," says Lee. "We finished them with one thinned coat of paint–the same color we used on the walls–and two coats of polyurethane with a yellowish tint to get the look we wanted." Pine beams were added in the dining and living areas to accentuate the roofline and give texture to the space, as well as tongue-and-groove wainscoting that Kevin made himself.

photography: Timothy Street-Porter The dark walls help the couple's clothes stand out so it's easier to find things.

The only separation between the two rooms is the fireplace, which they raised for easier access and a more prominent focal point. They also added a wall of cabinets and cubbies to one side. "We custom-made little drawers for DVDs and CDs," she says. Finally, they switched out the hollow-core doors for solid wood, and the house began to feel more substantial.

The couple gutted the kitchen, adding custom cabinets, a new porcelain farmhouse sink, and a "pot filler" faucet above the stove. Since the kitchen's in full view of the living room, Lee painted the cabinets the same color as the walls and extended them all the way to the ceiling–so they don't stand out. "I love the way the rooms blend," says Lee. "It's not like, ‘Here's the den; here's the kitchen.' "

Lee's interiors are a modern mix of vintage finds, such as a fish trap chandelier over the dining table and an old lobster trap above the fireplace. In the master bedroom, she transformed a wood form used to make manholes into a stylish round mirror. "My house and my store really reflect my look," she says. "I try to have a mix of old and new with an updated approach."

photography: Timothy Street-Porter A bold punch of Kelly green brightens up the guest suite above the garage. Lee adds a touch of glam with horsehide pillows from her store.

Since the majority of the house's living space is painted white, Lee's color comes from her things: She adds vibrance and pattern with accessories, such as lamps and bold works of art. "I use a lot of solid upholstery, like chocolate browns, burlap tans, and occasionally oranges and pinks on big pieces of furniture," she says. "I keep the pattern in things like custom pillows." For example, a solid painted green English sideboard enlivens the dining room and orange patterned throw pillows pop in the living room. "I'm always changing my interior, so it's nice to have a neutral background to do that."

And change seems to work for Lee. After the whirlwind renovation, she and Kevin married and moved into the house within a week. "We had a great time doing this together," she says. "It's fun to have the common interest in architecture and design." They look forward to redoing future homes: "I think they'll also be small quirky houses–they have much more personality."

photography: Timothy Street-Porter Lee and Kevin Kleinhelter extended the roofline off the back of their home to create an open loggia. The outdoor fireplace makes the space useful for year-round entertaining.