There is nothing like promising a tour of your home to make you realize your home is currently not quite ready for prime time.
However, I think this project will be a great motivator for me to get a lot of projects finished so I’m going to plunge in anyway and hope that by publishing my “almost-but-not-quite” changes I will then be shamed motivated into finishing!
So, first up, the kitchen!
You may recall how it was shown when I first toured the house.
Not too promising.
There were actually large chunks of newspaper that were somehow sealed into the linoleum floor. I really didn’t want to know how or why.
Money was a tad tight so all I could do at the time was paint.
Oh, except the previous owner had painted latex over oil paints so there were a few issues that lead to this:
That pile of rubble on the floor? That would be the paint that was on the cabinet that had to be scraped off….of each cabinet……
ah, but then there was the ceiling
you could peel off large areas of paint which was, you know, nice but then there were all those little areas that stayed and had to be scraped….by hand…..sigh
So, as I said, money was tight so a paint job was all that was possible. Green is my favorite color and I wanted a green kitchen (it was very “in” at the time I swear!) so I painted it green.
Three times.
The cabinets were yellow and it looked like Easter! 24/7!
But it was clean and more functional (note the half eaten apple pie in the picture).
But it was clearly in need of a bit more of re-do (you will notice I did replace the disgusting linoleum with a “fun idea but not-so-great-in-reality” tile scheme).
So, when I got a bit more money I ripped it all out!
For financial reasons I had to keep the same footprint. But my goal was to keep in the style of the house and aim for a kind of…I don’t know….modern traditional? Is that a thing? I’m gonna say it’s a thing.
So, I tried for not too trendy but not too square. Oh lets face it I just wanted it to be clean and not look like Easter.
So with the help of some (sorta) crack carpenters (perhaps On Crack or Cracked Me Up would be better. There was a fair amount of arguing and “no, you need to do that again” moments….I became one of “those” homeowners…..) it came out like this.
Much better! Not perfect and certainly not done but better.
Let’s do the link!
Whatchu talkin bout Willis???? I think it’s FAB! Love, love, love the black and white floors with the striking red border. Love the ultra clean, white cabinetry. Love the light fixture. And the pops of red in your styling? Forget about it. You are too modest. It’s awesome.
Fabulous!
Love the transformation. Now… is that the pie I was waiting for?
Pie doesn’t last long in this house…….you pretty much need to be there when it comes out of the oven.
I can’t see how it could be perfect-er or more done!! It’s practically perfect in every way!! I love that it evokes an era but in a modern way!!! I love it!!!!
There are some, um, design flaws that I will speak of later but thank you very much!
looks great! We have the same Maytag Oven, I get mad at it a lot! LOL!
I still get confused about which knob turns on which burner and keep almost igniting my wrist by accident but other than that I love it
LOL! That is the same problem I have! Matter of fact I pressed to hard on the Oven panel that it broke and it cost $300. to fix. Then I complained to Maytag and they reimbursed us the whole amount! Not bad customer service.
Wow wow wow!! Amazing that you got past those first pictures to the final kitchen. I love the floor!!!
Thanks very much Carmi!
Wow!! What ever you had them “do again’ it was sure worht it!! Beautiful job! You nailed the Retro-Modern- Traditional!!
You nailed the Retro- Modern- Traditional style you were aiming for! Love it!!
OOOOH LA LA! Love it!
My house was built in 1928, but the kitchen was “updated” in the 80s. It was BO-RING. White walls, white countertop, white-ish vinyl floor and light oak cabinets with white knobs.
I have zero dollars, so I’ve been redoing it myself. I painted the walls turquoise and the cabinets and trim white. I’ve been wanting to paint the countertops black, but it requires a finish coat of resin, so that will have to wait until it’s warm enough here to open some windows for ventilation. I’m in Chicago, so I hope that will happen in May. Anyway, I’ve been a little worried about black tops, but seeing yours encourages me to soldier on… it confirms that what I see in my head will look just as nice in reality. (It doesn’t always turn out that way, unfortunately.)
I also have a black/white checked floor, but mine is a sheet vinyl that I was able to lay on top of the existing vinyl, avoiding any scary floor-ripping-up disasters.
Also, they were showing my house in a similarly disgusting state. I got a bargain, simply because they were too stupid to clean it up and make it more presentable. Suckers!
Hey Jana I was totally hooked on the idea of black counters too but I will confess that although I really like them I’m not sure I’d do it again.
They are granite and have some speckles in them but you still have to clean them pretty much every day as they show every crumb, dust particle or minor spill. I’m not a total neat freak (trust me the kitchen was waaay cleaned up for the pics) but it does bug me that they pretty much always look dirty about 10 minutes after being cleaned. I’m not saying “don’t do it” I’m just saying know what you’re getting into.
And isn’t it amazing how people show houses? Really? You can’t even clean it up a little? Congrats on your bargain!
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Beautiful! That kitchen was rough before. The awful paint job and exposed light bulb. And that floor… ouch. It is sooo nice now. I love it!
Oh, I love your kitchen! It’s adorable! Love the black and white with red accents. Just too cute!
The only thing missing is that half eaten apple pie!
I love white kitchens – although maybe that Easter green/yellow will come back in style and you’ll be kicking yourself for not keeping it!!
You did a great between reno – newspapers in the floor (never heard that one before)!
But your final reno is perfection with the fun touches like the red jars in your glass cabinets, and the great red trim on the floor and the school house light over the sink!
Kelly
Your kitchen is Fab. U. Lous! Amazing transformation!
I am actually in shock that you changed anything.
Why?
Why when those before pictures with the junk piled high and the newspapers and an odd flashlight (?) or two made the place look so inviting
Seriously.
It looks amazing. Not surprising with your incredible sense of style!
blessings,
karianne
I know. I was a fool to touch it but sometimes I just can’t resist.
Beautiful! What an amazing transformation! Kudos to you for seeing what it could become and hanging in there to make it happen. Fabulous renovation!
Gorgeous transformation….your style is impeccable…I can see that you poured your heart and soul into the project, let alone lots of sweat and maybe a tear or two….Amazing!!!
I’m not sure I cried (I may have, it’s all a blur) but I did swear a lot which kinda counts
I can’t believe that’s the same kitchen! You did an amazing job! Fabulous transformation. Love the floors! So many gorgeous details!
Excellent kitchen! You have the same cabinets and pulls that we put in our remodel!
Very bright and beautiful!
dee dee
Great minds!
It is looking great! Good luck on the rest.
CAS
Wow that kitchen is beautiful, what a transformation! Looks pretty perfect to me. Looks like actually you are good at this kinda stuff.
Thank you! Of course that’s just one room and I’m hiding the others……
How did I know that you’d be just as awesome redoing a kitchen as furniture, coasters and the like? You’re taking top honors at the RRR party reveal tomorrow – incredibly well done! (And thanks so much for partying with us!)
Whitney – The Rooster and The Hen
Love it all!! Looks fantastic
Wow! You certainly are a visionary. If I walked through that house’s “before” I would have gone running and screaming from that kitchen!
And, yes, I’m old enough to remember when green was the “it” color … wonder what we’ll all be thinking about our gray walls in the next 5-10 years …
And The Rooster and The Hen gave you a ringing endorsement when they featured you today so I had to run right over to check it all out. And you know what? You don’t disappoint!
Linda
Thank you so much Linda. (I think i was ignorant more than “visionary” to tell you the truth. I’d been seduced by too much HGTV) Yes, the Rooser and the Hen rock!
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ohmygosh that transformation is amazing. I have a whole new appreciation for our house. Think I may never again complain about it’s pre-buy state! Really like what you’ve done with your kitchen. Especially love the tile floor. Hard to believe it’s the same space. Very inspiring!
I’m just shocked at the difference….it’s BEAUTIFUL!