Erin Gerlach discovered a “passion for construction” when she and her husband, Justin, purchased their first home and found themselves dealing with the proverbial “champagne taste and beer budget” scenario where updating and furnishing the house were concerned. Erin elected to pick up a saw and hammer and tackle projects on her own. Now, the DIYer is a social media influencer, even receiving exposure in a national magazine. 

From a decorating perspective, fall is one of Erin’s favorite times of the year, as she fills indoor and outdoor spaces with pumpkins, gourds, mums and other colorful essentials. She shops the farmers markets and roadside stands in the Lampeter-Strasburg area to assemble her displays and create fall-themed containers.

No doubt, Erin’s talents are a genetic gift. Her mother, Carole Sheffield, is a master at interior design, decorating and gardening. Now a resident of Wilmington, North Carolina, Carole is a successful realtor and the owner of a condo (along the Cape Fear Riverwalk) she remodeled, furnished and decorated and markets through Vrbo. Erin’s father, Gary Greiner, is the service manager at Paradise Custom Kitchens. Of late, he has been helping her with the design/build of a combination laundry-mudroom-beverage nook. “I guess it’s in my blood,” Erin says of her creative talents. 

Nonetheless, her career path initially took a different (but creative) direction. “I was always interested in art, graphic design and videography,” Erin says of working for several different design firms before launching a freelance business she continues to operate. Fortunately, such skills aid her in creating content for her social media sites. 

The dining room demonstrates Erin’s DIY abilities. The china cabinet was inspired by one she spied in a store but was beyond her budget. So, she designed and built one, calling the six-month-long project “a learning experience.” The table was also inspired by a table that was out of her budget. She crafted her own design using white oak she purchased from a supplier. The chairs were purchased through Facebook Marketplace and refinished. The chandelier, from Generation Lighting, represents Erin’s ongoing efforts to swap out the original budget-conscious elements for more upscale designs.

Fifteen years ago, Erin married her high school (Manheim Central) sweetheart, Justin Gerlach. The two bought a small Cape Cod in the Hamilton Park area of Lancaster. “I loved that house. It’s where I discovered my passion for construction,” she says of the first projects she undertook in order to economically transform the house into a stylish home. YouTube and other tutorials helped her to achieve the desired results. “You can find how to do almost anything on YouTube,” she notes. “It’s a great resource, especially for people like me who tend to learn things visually.” More than a decade later, Erin still has fond memories of the house they called home for four years. “Sometimes I wish we could have hung onto that house,” she muses. “It would have made a great Airbnb.” 

Cement is one of Erin’s favorite creative mediums. Several years ago, she began experimenting with making pumpkins out of cement. Last year she experimented with adding color and liked the results.

Erin’s home in Hamilton Park also got her creative juices flowing in another way. “I started blogging there,” she explains. She called her site “Hamilton Park Home.” In view of the fact that Hamilton Park inspired new directions, Erin has continued to use the blog name for her social media sites. “I started posting consistently in 2020,” she recalls. In 2022, she further immersed herself in the home-related blogosphere by attending Haven, an annual conference that is held in Atlanta. “It was so nice to be around like-minded people,” she says of the experience. 

Her social media presence has also led to collaborations with home- and building-related companies. “That’s been a real experience,” Erin notes. “This is still a relatively new industry. I’m still learning,” she says of tasks such as setting rates, understanding legalities, etc.  She’s also learning to develop thick skin, as people will sometimes comment (negatively) on her techniques and the outcomes of projects. “I fully admit I’m not a pro,” she says of providing full disclosure on her sites. 

A fan of the look of natural wood – which is on trend – Erin tends not to paint vintage pieces of furniture. For this dresser that is in the foyer, she simply sanded it down and left it natural.

Still, Erin says she is having the time of her life. In fact, she traded her car for a truck that makes hauling materials and finds easier. “I’m at Lowe’s all the time,” she admits. And, when it comes to gift suggestions for birthdays, Mother’s Day or Christmas, tools are always at the top of her list. A cordless nail gun is currently high on her wish list. “Oh, I have lots of tools,” she says. “The garage has become my domain. I’m soon going to need to build a tool wall for myself!” 

The kitchen has been a major focus of upgrades, as Erin replaced the original lighting and hardware in order to introduce gold/brass hues to the space. She also installed lighting under the cabinetry, switched out the plumbing fixtures and painted the island a stone-gray color. Next, she plans to extend the cabinets to the ceiling by topping them with glass-fronted designs. The door next to the fridge leads to the laundry-mudroom-beverage center that is under construction.

The arrival of two sons prompted the Gerlachs to make a move to a larger home. “We found a vacant lot in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District and worked with Ironstone Builders to build a house,” she recalls. “We did what we could to stay within our budget,” she says of limiting the number of upgrades to the open-concept design of the two-story transitional-style house.

After moving in, Erin fully involved herself in DIY projects. “I began switching out the builder-grade elements, especially in the kitchen,” she says of replacing lighting, cabinetry hardware and plumbing fixtures. Next up is topping the existing cabinetry with glass-fronted designs, thus extending the cabinetry to the ceiling. 

Erin also began building her own furniture. The dining room holds a china cabinet whose design was inspired by an expensive piece she had seen in a store. Knowing the piece was beyond her budget, Erin went to work designing her own version. “It became a six-month project,” she says of a learning curve that required a great deal of patience. 

Comfortable was Erin’s gameplan in furnishing and decorating the living room. Again, it reflects her love of mixing styles and incorporating DIY projects. She built the coffee table and created the artwork on the wall, using fabric she purchased through Spoonflower. She even created the tree, using a fallen tree branch and silk leaves. The rugs seen here and in the dining room are from Loloi, a company she collaborated with to test the durability of their rugs. “At one point, I scrubbed one down in the driveway,” she says of putting it to the test. “Their rugs are awesome!”

A restored dining table that was beyond Erin’s budget also provided the inspiration for a DIY table she crafted from white oak. The chairs are a find from Facebook Marketplace. “I just refinished them,” she adds of the update she gave them. 

In the living room, the coffee table represents yet another DIY project. In all three areas, the mix of styling speaks of Erin’s aesthetics. “I like to mix things up. It makes for a more interesting room,” she says. On the agenda is finishing the laundry-mudroom-beverage nook and beyond that, redesigning her home office.  

Erin planned and designed the pergola that tops a stamped-concrete patio that was enlarged, but decided to leave the construction phase to a pro. The fence section on the wall (to the left of the pergola) is being used to grow and train wisteria to climb over the pergola. The TV (the framed “art” to the right of the sliding doors) was another project through which she created a canvas under which a waterproof box was installed to hold the TV.

She also transformed the outdoors by adding landscaping, designing a pergola over one patio (she left the construction phase to a pro), constructing a fire table, building an enclosure for the vegetable garden and designing/building a treehouse whose foundation came courtesy of an old playset she and Justin found. 

To transform the playset into a treehouse, Erin added a platform and what she calls “frou-frou.” It instantly became a favorite hangout for the neighborhood kids. It also landed her in the September 2021 issue of HGTV Magazine. “To this day, I don’t know how they found me,” she shares. “The contact just came out of nowhere. I suspect maybe it was through social media, maybe Pinterest. I know a lot of my blog traffic comes from it.” Erin keeps the treehouse in tip-tip condition. “One of these days, the boys will outgrow it. I’m thinking it would make a good wine bar or a ladies loft,” she says. 

The project that landed her on the pages of HGTV Magazine two years ago, entailed taking a discarded playset and using it as the basis for adding design elements such a covered platform and what she calls “frou-frou” to liven up the backyard. It’s been a favorite play area for Erin’s sons and their neighborhood friends.

Erin especially likes projects that entail cement. The fire table she built for the patio involved cement board and thin-set mortar. She outfitted the table with a firepit insert and a half-size propane tank. “We use it a lot,” she reports. “It throws a lot of heat.” That allows for the Gerlachs and their friends to watch football games on the outdoor television (another DIY project) well into the fall. 

The pumpkin Erin holds on the cover is one of her favorite concrete-related projects. To create the pumpkins, she mixes concrete and pours varying amounts into pantyhose in order to achieve a range of shapes and sizes. After tying off the legs and waist, she shapes the “pumpkins,” carves in ridges and lets them dry overnight. The next day, stems are attached to the faux pumpkins. “Last year I experimented with color by adding cement pigment to the mix,” she explains. “I really liked the results. I like that they look organic.” She uses them to decorate interior and exterior areas of the house. 

Erin also uses her artistic talents to transform mundane clay pots into works of art by applying paint and other finishes that provide the containers with an aged look. 

For fall decorating, Erin pays homage to the season with pumpkins, gourds and other autumnal elements. “Fall planters are my favorite,” she says. 

As for painting furniture, Erin practices restraint. “It really depends on the tone and graining whether I paint something. There’s just something about the look of natural wood that warms up a room,” she says. 

It seems that Erin’s fondness for natural wood is part of an emerging trend. Peruse the opinions and predictions of decorators and designers and they all agree that wood is staging a comeback. No, not the dark woods that defined the homes of our parents and grandparents, but rather lighter woods that are associated with Scandinavian design (the hygge effect). Lighter woods are versatile and complement vintage, mid-century, boho and modern styling. They also add a touch of earthiness to a home. 

Nate Berkus is an exception, telling domino.com that he is a  fan of dark wood – he refers to dark hues as “moody” – and shared that as of late, he likes to add a dark piece or two to each room. 

If the displays seen at the recent Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS), which was held in Las Vegas, are any indication – especially those from European and Asian exhibitors – natural-look wood finishes are the next trend in kitchens. According to both offthemarkt.com and woodworkingnetwork.com, rift-sewn white oak is in high demand in those markets, as it provides a clean grain and with it, a look of luxury. 

That is music to Erin’s ears. “I just love the look of wood,” she says. 

To follow Erin and her projects (and to see how to make concrete pumpkins), go to @hamiltonparkhome on Instagram. 

It was inevitable. Our love affair with all-white kitchens seems to be waning. Peruse home-focused magazines, blogs and internet sites and the evidence is there. Kitchens are exhibiting bold shades of blue and peaceful hues of green. Wood cabinetry is going au naturel. And, as seen here, dramatic color schemes and touches of glam are enabling kitchens to really cook! 

Eileen Regester’s remodeled and enlarged kitchen was designed with elements that perfectly complement her sense of style: Classic (black-and-white color scheme) meets modern (the light hue of the hardwood flooring), with a touch of glam (the gold/champagne accents). The design delivered a kitchen that is not only beautiful and functional but is very much on trend.

 A black-and-white kitchen makes a serious style statement. Yes, taking such a direction requires a pinch of bravery and a large measure of courage, but according to Courtney Bird, a designer with Choice Home Remodeling in New Holland, her client, Eileen Regester, possesses both. “Eileen has a keen eye for design and can visualize a space,” Courtney notes, adding that her client enjoys carrying out remodeling projects in her own home, as well as helping friends with theirs. 

The multi-functional, miter-front island provides seating, workspace and storage in one sleek design. The beauty of quartz is seen in the island’s waterfall design.

Upon meeting Courtney, Eileen shared some sketches she had done of the kitchen she envisioned. Courtney then took the sketches and utilized her 20 years of experience as a certified kitchen and bath designer to further elevate Eileen’s ideas and create a design that is not only functional but most importantly, mirrors the aesthetic that her client wanted to achieve. “Eileen has amazing style,” says Courtney, who views the resulting “collaborative effort and great partnership” as one of the reasons why the project perfectly reflects Eileen’s taste and style. “She was involved every step of the way. If a problem arose, Eileen worked with us to arrive at a solution,” Courtney notes.  

Courtney Bird, CKBD, has been designing kitchens, baths and other spaces for 20 years. For this project, she valued homeowner Eileen Regester’s involvement and contributions.

As with many remodeling projects, one idea seems to lead to another and in this case, the kitchen remodel was part of a whole-house project, as it also entailed new flooring throughout, remodeling the primary bathroom and finishing the basement, which would involve the addition of a wine cellar and bar. “One request Eileen made was to create a unique wine cellar, which we accomplished by using the underutilized space under the staircase,” Courtney explains.

The Story in Black and White 

As it turns out, a black-and-white color scheme in a kitchen is very practical. Black and white is both timeless and versatile, as it lends itself to almost any style. For example, black and white can translate into a period look if a material such as marble is incorporated into the design. It can look thoroughly modern if metallics are added to the mix. The introduction of wood (as seen here in the flooring and beams) can take such a space in a very traditional direction or in an ultra-modern one. For example, cherry or mahogany would equate to traditional, while a light hue such as white oak would reflect the modern look of minimalistic Scandinavian design.    

The kitchen adjoins a sitting area whose wall of windows admits an abundance of natural light that illuminates both areas.

Another plus: The world is your oyster where the color of accessories, wallpaper and paint is concerned. Whether you go with bold colors or pastel hues, they’ll complement the black and white (and vice versa). 

As for Eileen’s kitchen, which is a blend of traditional and modern, Courtney describes it as “lending itself to transitional styling, with a splattering of glam that can be seen in the finishing touches.” The glam elements include mirrored cabinet inserts, the champagne-bronze-metallic hardware and the lighting that Eileen selected. 

An ILVE range is the crown jewel of the kitchen. Made in Italy, ILVE ranges provide a premier cooking experience, as they bring beauty and function to a kitchen through ergonomic design, innovative technology and a plethora of color choices.

The two were also conscious of carrying certain elements throughout the home to achieve a continuous and cohesive look and feel. The color black and the flooring obviously achieved those goals. Another connector is brick, as it is seen in the kitchen, wine cellar and bar area.   

In the lower level, the underutilized area under the staircase was repurposed to function as a wine cellar.

The color black, brick and hardwood flooring provide continuity between the areas on the first floor and lower level that were remodeled. The lower-level projects included the addition of a wine cellar and bar area.

On Trend 

Large, open kitchens are at the top of everyone’s wish list and Eileen was able to have hers granted, as the 135-square-foot kitchen was able to be doubled in size. Other features include open back wall cabinets, a miter-front island top with waterfall ends, warm metal finishes (champagne-bronze) for hardware and accents, hardwood flooring (throughout the house), faux beams, LED lighting, quartz counters and professional-inspired appliances, including an Italian-made ILVE Majestic range.  

Credits 

• Designer: Courtney Bird, CKBD, Choice Home Remodeling, New Holland  
• Designer: Eileen Regester (homeowner)
• Cabinetry: Choice Home Remodeling 
• Flooring: D&S Flooring, Lititz    
• Electric: Iddings Electric, New Holland 
• Quartz Counters: Lapp Tops, New Holland 
• Plumbing: JM Lapp Plumbing & Heating, New Holland 

For more information, visit choicehomeremodeling.com

Kitchen Trends for 2024 and Beyond

The annual Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) was held earlier this year in Las Vegas. Bloggers and magazines such as Architectural Digest took note of trends and products they predict will be making an impact on kitchen design as we welcome 2024.