Thursday, August 30, 2012

Maui Condo Make-Over

What does it look like when two friends
 
get to travel to Hawaii
 
and make-over a studio condo?
 
 
 
 
 
A few weeks ago I flew to Maui with

my good friend, Susan, 

to help out with her dad's condo.  He is

part of a rental pool at the

gorgeous...
 
 
  


Can you believe how blue the water is?
 
 
This is the view from Unit 112.

Two pools, one hot tub and a gazebo with barbeques for grilling.


 
 My trip was to last for nine days.

Our job was to repaint the light-blue

walls, baseboards and doors.

We also were in charge of checking off

as many things as we could from

the condo's punch list.

This included upgrading bedding,

furniture, accessories, etc.

Sounds easy, right?

Hmm...that's what we thought too!

This is a before shot of the furniture and walls.

Kind of a mix-match of colors.

Notice the conduit on the wall...grrr! 


The bathroom.

The kitchen.


Because Susan is SUSAN, we had to

squeeze in some fun before

the work began (she really is SO much fun!).


Not only does Noelani Resort put on weekly

crafts and barbeques, as well as daily

informational gatherings 

(which include a breakfast) where you can

listen to Bruce give you all the

in's and out's, but they also put on a fabulous

Mai Tai Party at the Gazebo.



Yes, we consumed all six drinks...which led to ....

Diving into the pool with new friends!



Needless to say, after mai tai night, we moved

a little slower the next morning.

We made a strong pot of coffee and

rolled out the paint.


Susan kept a smile even while painting the ceiling
in the bathroom...what a trooper!


I prefer to do the detailed work, so that
was my job!


Two days into painting and the walls

were up!

So, we went a took a day to play.


We set out to Hana.

It was a crazy drive, but we were glad we did it.

We drove past the town and went on
to discover the Seven Pools.
 

They were closed off from swimmers,
but we hiked along the water's edge
and captured some great shots.

So beautiful!


 
Made it to the Seven Pools Loop
 
Being goofy
 
 
We did a quick hike around the loop
 
and headed back to the car for
 
the grueling drive back to the condo.
 
Over 600+ turns/switchbacks,
 
one-lane bridges and crazy drivers!
 
We rewarded ourselves by stopping
 
at the local fish market and picked
 
up some fresh Ono for dinner.
 
 
Of course, we enjoyed a margarita with dinner too,
why not?
 
 
Ono marinated in an Asian marinade, salad and
fresh pineapple.
 


And topped the day off with a late swim.


 
 
The next day we got up early started in
 
scrapping the old paint off
 
baseboards and did one coat of
 
primer and while it dried...
 
 
Grabbed breakfast at a local spot
 
just down the beach.
 
 
A sweet little beach was right next door.

Waited in line for quite a bit, but it was
so worth it!



I know, right?  Macadamia nut, banana and pineapple pancakes!
 
 
Back to work painting doors and
 
putting on two coats of oil-based
 
paint for the baseboards.
 
There will be NO peeling ....
 
ever!
 
Next, we went to work on

rearranging and staging.
 
We were working with specifications
 
from the Board of the condo,

so there were certain guidelines

we were given that we had to abide by.

We also had to keep in mind that

Susan's dad did not want it to feel dark,

so we went with Martha Stewart's


"File Cabinet" for the walls.


The dark walnut furniture

really warmed up the space,

along with new bedding

and lamps.  We decided to work with

the art that we had since we were

working with a budget.

All of this plays out on paper nice and neat,

but let me assure you that Susan

worked long and hard to make sure

all of the pieces fell into place.

Lots of moving parts made it

very challenging, but we really LOVE

how it turned out!
 
The bed will eventually have two additional throw pillows
that are being made up with fabric to match the couch/
pullout bed.

This table will eventually have dark walnut
chairs with chocolate brown cushions. I left before
the chairs arrived, but I did get a pic via text from
Susan and they look great.

We did lower the new mirror two inches (we had a heck of a time
dealing with the conduit). And, the couch/pullout bed now
has a dark walnut frame to match the rest of the furniture.



This table is right as you walk in and its
a nice little spot to put your keys.  It also
has a guest book, which is really fun to
sit and read what other guests have written.
 

Kitchen.  The new flat-top stove and a new refrigerator were due
to arrive after I left, but I bet they look fabulous!

 
New table settings.
 
 
 

Breakfast on the lanai.

 



 

New bathroom paint and accessories.
 
 

 
 
 
Outer view of unit.




Noelani Resort.





Nearby hotels.

Sun just about ready to set.
 
 
 
I had one more day in paradise,
 
so we headed to Lahina for the day!
 
 
By far, Susan's home away from home.


 
Susan is a lover of all things BIRDS.  She is

The Bird Whisperer!

Me...I put on a brave front, but I really wanted to scream...or cry.




She is in love!


We had a bite to eat and a lovely drink at a funky little bar.

 



And returned home in time for a barbecue with friends at the pool.





Even though I missed my husband

and kids (tons), I feel so lucky to have been

able to go experience all that Maui with

such a good friend. 



Susan was a great

tour guide/snorkel instructor

and painting buddy!  

We have memories to last

a lifetime.




If you ever want a piece of

paradise of your own, check out

The Noelani Condominium Resort,

Unit 112.


You will love it!






 
 
 



 












 Mahalo!