the story
After we closed our last boutique, I was craving the ability to design a space, merchandise a vignette and put our Eden touch on a blank space. I was dreaming of a cool communal spot where college kids would walk to campus and really come home to something pretty. While dorm life in Oregon was fun and crazy, it definitely had a “vibe” and my mission was to create a luxe off campus living vibe.
the problem
Buying property in Hawaii isn’t cheap, especially something near the University of Hawaii that was big enough to rent to multiple people. So when there’s a rare real estate opportunity, we needed to underwrite, pencil the pros and cons and really drill down what made financial sense.
background
This property appeared on the MLS and our realtor pinged Bryson to see if he’d be interested in seeing it.
“Wow dude, this is how far from campus?”
“And it already has a dorm built out downstairs??!”
The house was built in 1964, so it wasn’t new and definitely needed some TLC – some cosmetic, but a lot of overhauls. It was owned by one family who used to rent out rooms to college kids in the 80s. Since then, it sat empty. It was a 9+ bedroom home with separate entrances and 5 dedicated parking stalls.
THIS WAS A DIAMOND.
Now here’s the kicker.
One night before we walked home from work, I showed Olivia the listing. “Cool huh?”
“YES! This is such a good location and four bedrooms upstairs?? Oh my gosh, would you consider renting it to me?”
That’s all it took.
We put in an offer right after and closed escrow in 45 days.
the goal
Buying property in Hawaii isn’t cheap, especially something near the University of Hawaii that was big enough to rent to multiple people. So when there’s a rare real estate opportunity, we needed to underwrite, pencil the pros and cons and really drill down what made financial sense.
But….. we did it.
We used one of the rooms for a communal washer and dryer, which was a must for me.
Who wants to bus it to a laundromat, right?
Creating a ‘luxe dorm room’ one piece of laminate a time.
The rooms were still and desolate so we added ceiling fans, new lights and flooring to make everything feel modern and new. I even think the new floors made the space feel bigger!
Everything was measured out and custom built.
The floating shelves were off the ground to save space and tall enough to fit a large can of hairspray (we measured it!).
Isn’t the oversized gold round mirror a nice touch?
Rooms also came with twin beds that had shelves on their bases, a desk and desk chair. We positioned outlets in the perfect spots for laptop use, overnight phone charger use and of course, hot tools use. We got you college kids!
This bathroom transformation is my favorite!
Since it was a communal bathroom versus single bathrooms, we wanted to WOW our tenants. Yes, it was communal but OMG, it was gorgeous. We used French doors, hanging plants, a double vanity and mason jar lights to up the bathroom game.
We intentionally wanted the exposed bathroom to feel IG worthy.
We kept the kitchen clean and functional.
After redoing the countertops, drawers and replacing all of the appliances, we knew it was important to “divide and conquer.” We purchased stickered numbers for the pantry shelves and refrigerator bins so there would be no squabbling over whose eggs are whose. We get it! Eggs are pricey.
The stickered numbers worked so well, we added them to bathroom caddies and mail shelves.
Deck + backyard? Yes please!
dorm but make it cute?
The Eden House on Waialae periodically has openings for new tenants. Know anyone looking? Send us an email at shop@edeninlove.com and we’ll keep you on our list.
