My Houzz: New Life for a Dilapidated Cape Cod

First-time home buyers Navya and Mike Kelly were committed to making their 19th-century Cape Cod their dream home. Their 1820 shingle-sided house in Scituate, Massachusetts, was listed as a short sale and required quite a bit of work to make it livable, but they had the vision to see past the dated rooms and ugly paint jobs to make it their own.

Navya, a floral designer, and Mike, an electrical engineer, spent five months on some trial-and-error DIY projects and enlisted some professional help with a few of the main spaces, ultimately creating an inviting, traditional home.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Navya Kelly, floral designer at The Little Flower Cottage; Mike Kelly, electrical engineer and manager at ControlPoint Technologies; and their bulldog, Bowser
Location: Scituate, Massachusetts
Size: 1,410 square feet (131 square meters); 3 bedrooms, 1½ baths
Year built: 1820

The home’s style is classic and understated, but incredibly well thought out. “Lots of neutral, natural colors can be found throughout the house,” says Navya. “We really wanted to embrace the antique simplicity of the home.”


When the couple moved in, most of the walls were covered in mustard yellow paint. Below the yellow paint were four more layers of color from previous owners. After doing some research online, Mike replastered every single wall himself. The couple repainted all of the interior walls, but left the interior of a closet with the yellow hue for memory’s sake.

A collection of vintage glass bottles found at flea markets and consignment shops lines a mantel.


When the house came on the market, the couple acted fast — they knew that it was the home for them. “A lot of people thought we were crazy,” says Navya, “but to us it felt like fate.” There were several months when they owned two homes and had zero working showers (due to a faulty hot-water heater in one and renovations in the other), and they slept on an air mattress for much of the time.


Most of the furniture and artwork are flea market and consignment shop finds, mixed in with some pieces from HomeGoods. “It took us a long time to buy all of our pieces, because I try to only buy items that I really love and fit our home,” says Navya. “It is hard furnishing a whole house on a budget. I may or may not have resurrected a few pieces in our house from the trash.”





The couple worked with Anselmo Home Renovations to help give their kitchen a facelift. They painted the original wood cabinets a classic blue and replaced appliances, the sink and fixtures, and the lighting.

Mike and Navya first attempted to paint the original laminate countertops, with less-than-ideal results. So instead they bought butcher block from Ikea and replaced the dated red laminate. The kitchen had no drawers, so the couple bought this island at a local consignment shop to store their cutlery.

After they removed an old cast iron stove from the kitchen, a large section of the floor was missing tile. A jute rug now helps to hide the missing tile.

Countertops: Ikea; sink: The Home Depot; faucet: Moen


Warm oranges and reds make cameo appearances throughout the home to accent the otherwise calm, neutral color scheme.

The town of Scituate lies on the Atlantic Ocean, and its residents are proud of their maritime heritage. Small coastal details have made their way subtly into the decor, like sea fans decorating the wall.

Sofa: Boston Interiors; love seat: Ikea


Oyster shells are often unearthed from the backyard when new flowers are planted. A few of those finds are displayed here on an end table in the living room.





Simple artwork adorns the walls, adding to the unfussy feel of the space. Navya works as a floral designer for weddings and events, and seasonal arrangements can be found in almost every room of the house, such as this bouquet of lilacs cut from the garden, sitting on the top of a hutch.


Large windows in the master bedroom look out to a lush, flower-filled backyard.

Bedding: Pottery Barn


Navya has been reading Country Living magazine since she was a teenager, which has greatly influenced her decorating style.


The couple had a vision for the bathroom and chose each and every detail, working with Kirby Construction to execute their design. The result is an updated bathroom with a relaxing French-country feel.


One of Mike and Navya’s favorite nooks in the home is this stairwell, a steep climb up to the guest bedrooms and a powder room. This space sheds some light on the original structure of the house. The original paneling and load-bearing beams remain on the walls, and the chimney protrudes upward, visible at the top of the stairs.

The home was built in 1820, but historical records show that the original part of the structure was actually built sometime in the late 1700s.


Upstairs a guest bedroom is filled with warm light and has the same spare decor style that is so effective on the first floor.


An awkwardly shaped small closet was converted into a more functional built-in shelving unit in the guest bedroom.


Although many aspects of the home have been updated to accommodate a modern lifestyle, the original doors remain intact.


Another pretty floral arrangement from the couple’s garden welcomes visitors into the other guest bedroom.





Weathered shingles and pale blue shutters on the exterior add to a classic and timeless look. The couple replaced the existing roof before moving in.

One aspect the couple love most is their location, half a mile from downtown Scituate and the beautiful harbor. They often walk into town for dinner. “It’s also a short distance to the beach, which we really love,” says Navya. “Scituate is so charming, and still under the radar. It has somehow maintained that small-town feel, although it’s a short 40-minute drive to Boston.”


The couple’s bulldog, Bowser, seen here with Navya, is a playful presence in the household, trotting from room to room and keeping watch over their renovated home.

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