before and after by Kate Pruitt 40

before & after: chocolate shop makeover


If you’re suffering from the winter blues, then this Before & After should immediately cheer you up with its fresh, springy palette. Ashley Hubbard and Robert Ludlow are the couple behind Fleurir Chocolates. Last April, they decided to plant some roots and open a retail shop, and they set their sights on this charming little space that used to house a modern jewelry boutique. I think they’ve struck the perfect chord, with a few dramatic elements — the wood wall, gorgeous wallpaper and lighting fixtures — punctuating a clean, neutral, pared-down space. Beautiful work, Ashley and Robert! — Kate

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Read the full post after the jump!

Time: 6 weeks (including wait time for permitting); actual work time about 4 weeks

Basic Steps: Robert and I scoured the Internet to collect hundreds of inspiration photos — including Design*Sponge, Pinterest, Blissful Blog, and so, so many more — to get a general sense of what direction we wanted to take. From there, we enlisted our friend Leah Moss who has a small design business to help us pull everything together and translate those photos and our countless other ideas into an actual shop (mind you, she was almost nine months pregnant at this time). From there, Leah made a couple sketches to serve as a launching point for finding the appropriate furniture, fixtures and colors. Because we were on a tight budget, we relied heavily on repurposed, recycled and salvaged materials, which we mainly found at Community Forklift and several of the old barn antique shops in Maryland and Virginia. Luckily, we were going for a rather rustic feel, which made recycled and refinished items a reasonable option.

My number one piece of advice is to be patient — everything will take roughly three times longer than you anticipate. You will spend a lot of time looking through junk in order to find the exact right piece, and then you will spend even more time working on that piece to transform it into something you can actually use. Also, recruit your friends/family. We were very fortunate in that so, so many people volunteered to help us with labor/crafting/shopping, which is not only helpful but also makes the project more fun overall. — Ashley

 

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40 Comments

Colby

I love this! Great use of the reused and repurposed materials. I do want to know how they got the branch to hang on the wall. Anyone have any thoughts?

Ashley

The paint color is Grey Horse by Benjamin Moore. We attached the branches by screwing small eye hooks into the wall and wrapping metal wire through the hooks and around the branch. We then painted the wire and hooks to match the wall and branches.

April

Beautiful!! Love everything about this, especially the mix of materials and the sawhorse table/desk.

Libby

I adore your desk and have had a vision for something like it in my mind for a long time! Mind sharing where you got it or how you pieced it together? Thanks much!

Gabby

WOW! Everyone should keep an eye on Leah Moss!!! With this much vision and talent, she is destined for greatness!

Leah Moss

Thank you! And thanks to Ashley and Robert for the shout out. This was such a unique and rewarding experience. I’m still a little bit in mourning over the fact that it’s done, and that I’m no longer staple-gunning moss to boards and sanding paint off reclaimed wood on a regular basis. However, sweeter than the shop itself are the actual chocolates–consolation!

angela

Having done this myself, I really admired the result and all the effort put into the project. It looks great and I particularly love the desk! and I really agree on your advise to be patient. Congratulations and best of luck on your new store.

Katie

Wow! I would love to be able to get a little boutique that’s like this! So cute, classy, and a great backdrop for your products!

megan

ashley- i’m so excited to see you on here! the shop is beautiful and the chocolate is to die for! i’ll pop in soon! – megan from anthro

Jamieson

I visited this shop in Georgetown a few weeks ago! Was just beautiful and charming. AND the best part…the chocolate was delish!

Elizenda

Love it, love it, love it!!!! Congrats to the team who worked on this makeover! Can you come over to my house? ;)

Heather Mills

Love the colors! But where would the chocolate selling be happening–the only thing missing?

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