Chic without the shabby – How to include the rustic elements. This newly renovated home is an example how one can marry traditional elements with some rustic features and still arrive at a coherent design. This house in the gated lakefront community Lake Sheen Reserve has access to the Windermere Chain of Lakes and offers a boat ramp and a boat dock as well as a private beach. It just went on the market for $ 530k and is open for showings. The house just underwent a cosmetic renovation in which mostly the kitchen and bathrooms received a visual overhaul. It had nice crown molding and wainscoting, some windows features plantation shutters. These were nice features the designer Helen Bonello-Strauss wanted to preserve while infusing some rustic elements to add texture and interest to the place. The family room had an outdated entertainment center built in, which was perfect for one of those old boxy TVs. Unfortunately for the entertainment center, due to technological innovation it became obsolete and had to make room for a new feature wall made of grey stained ship lap pine boards.  To blend the feature wall with the existing trim we wrapped the existing crown molding around it and trimmed the edges in white. The beautiful wood is a vibrant backdrop to a 65 inch TV and a recessed mounted electric fireplace. The existing kitchen was worn and tired. The kitchen contractor simply swapped out the cabinetry with white solid wood shaker style cabinets and a vibrant exotic granite. The bar top was eliminated to give a larger work and prep space in counter height. The odd island shape was changed to a larger and more functional rectangle and now offers more storage space. Instead of the regular drywall surface below the counter a stained ship lap had been installed. It corresponds with the TV wall on the opposite side of the family room and helps to pull the space together. The wall color in the Kitchen shows a dark accent color in the same family of grey as the wood siding used for accent. This house is an example how different elements like formal and traditional looking plantation shutters and rustic elements can form a symbiotic relationship and create a balanced and calm atmosphere. The contrasting colors help to give some visual interest and create impact in the space. Since all chosen colors are pulled from a neutral palette of taupe and grey the contrast does not feel busy or loud. This house is proof that you don’t always have to rip everything apart in order to refresh your surrounding. Some elements from its former life can find purpose is its newly designed appearance. Even when your entertainment center is obsolete, it does not mean you have to gut the rest. Find the classic elements that will yield to a new language and elevate your design.