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A dining room in an Omaha cottage, described as having gray and white builder-grade finishes at purchase, was renovated with green beadboard, folk-print wallpaper, and a sliding glass door. The project was part of a $50,000 whole-cottage renovation led by homeowner Brandi Katherine Herrera.
A dining room in an Omaha, Nebraska cottage that began as a blank space with gray and white builder-grade finishes has been transformed with bright green beadboard, folk-print wallpaper, and a new sliding glass door, according to a Before & After feature published by Apartment Therapy. The room’s owner, Brandi Katherine Herrera, carried out the project as part of a $50,000 renovation of the entire cottage.
According to the report by Apartment Therapy writer Sarah Everett, Herrera — who documents her projects under the handle @alivelymanner — took on the dining room with a team of contractors. The work in that room included three main changes: installing colorful beadboard on the lower portion of the walls, hanging wallpaper on the upper half, and removing two existing interior doors to make way for a sliding glass door.
The beadboard, installed and painted by contractors across the whole cottage, is finished in Sherwin-Williams’ “Reseda Green”. Herrera told Apartment Therapy it was her first time selecting beadboard for a project. “I really love how it turned out,” she said. “It’s such a simple addition that makes such a huge difference in terms of the depth and character of a space. It really makes it feel so much more charming, I think.”
The upper walls received Fasnacht’s Absinth wallpaper, a folk-print design that continues the green palette. The wallpaper was hung by Herrera’s mother-in-law, Nancy, whom Herrera described as “a bit of a wallpaper whiz” who volunteered for the job. Herrera said she deliberately leaned into complementary colors — green and red-orange — when planning the dining room, and added further patterns elsewhere in the room. Apartment Therapy did not publish a room-specific cost breakdown for the dining room portion of the project.
What This Makeover Shows About Color
The project involved adding architectural detail (beadboard) and layered pattern (wallpaper) in a single hue, rather than replacing furnishings or reconfiguring the room’s layout. Apartment Therapy’s reporting describes green’s range of use in interior design, noting that muted sages appear in calming bedrooms while bolder greens are used on statement pieces such as bookcases.
Herrera stated that she used a green and red-orange complementary color scheme when coordinating paint, wallpaper, and accent colors in the room. The project also involved a division of labor, with contractors handling carpentry and painting and a family member hanging wallpaper.
The report labels the project rental-friendly in its project attributes. The scope described — structural door removal, beadboard installation, and wallpaper — would typically require landlord approval under most rental agreements. Door and wall work of this kind, including any sliding door installation affecting openings, typically involves a licensed contractor to verify structural and code requirements.
The $50,000 Cottage Renovation Behind It
The dining room was one piece of a larger effort. According to Apartment Therapy, Herrera purchased the Omaha cottage with what she described as a “palette of gray and white builder-grade finishes,” and the property then underwent a $50,000 renovation covering the entire home. Her stated goal, together with her team of contractors, was to bring color and charm back into the cottage.
The published feature sits within Apartment Therapy’s long-running Before & After series, edited by Sarah Everett, who has covered DIY and design for the site since joining as a production assistant in October 2020. The series typically documents reader- and editor-submitted renovations with product sources, though this installment’s shopping details were not fully included in the syndicated version of the report.
“I really love how it turned out. It’s such a simple addition that makes such a huge difference in terms of the depth and character of a space. It really makes it feel so much more charming, I think.”
— Brandi Katherine Herrera, homeowner
Costs and Details Not Disclosed
Several practical details are not available in the published report. The dining room’s individual cost was not broken out from the $50,000 whole-cottage budget — the feature lists the project cost as “N/A.” The sliding glass door’s brand, placement, and installer are not specified, nor are the sources of the additional patterns Herrera added throughout the room beyond the wallpaper. The timeline of the renovation and the cottage’s purchase date were also not included, so it is not clear how long the dining room work took or when it was completed.
Following the Rest of the Renovation
Herrera documented the project publicly under @alivelymanner, where the remaining rooms of the cottage renovation can be followed. Apartment Therapy’s Before & After series continues to publish comparable transformations, and the original article includes a “Shop This Before & After” section listing specific materials used, though product links were not carried into syndicated versions of the report.
Key Questions
What colors were used in the dining room makeover?
The beadboard was painted in Sherwin-Williams’ “Reseda Green,” and the upper walls received Fasnacht’s Absinth folk-print wallpaper. Herrera said she built the room around the complementary pairing of green and red-orange.
How much did the makeover cost?
A room-specific cost was not published; Apartment Therapy lists the project cost as “N/A.” The dining room was part of a $50,000 renovation of the entire cottage, according to the report.
Who did the work?
Herrera worked with a team of contractors who installed and painted the beadboard and handled the door replacement. The wallpaper was hung by Herrera’s mother-in-law, Nancy, who volunteered for the job.
Is this project rental-friendly?
Apartment Therapy tags the project as rental-friendly in its attributes, but the described work — removing doors, installing beadboard, and hanging wallpaper — would require landlord approval under most rental agreements.
Where can I see more of this renovation?
Herrera shares her projects on Instagram under @alivelymanner. The original Apartment Therapy feature also includes a shopping section for materials used in the room.
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