Saturday, November 01, 2008

Before and After Kitchen Updates

Before here and here... The kitchen and dining area before had white walls and blue and burgundy accents with linoleum flooring.

Now the walls are a warm maple cream with deep berry brick curtains and black and cream accents.


The project hasn't been without it's problems, namely the finishing of the hardwood floors. We had problems applying the polyurethane with the applicator the manufacturer recommended and had to strip the two coats we applied. Husband K did all the work including all the sanding between coats. Tips for applying polyurethane: lightly sand floor before applying 2-3 coats by hand with a brush. Allow to dry more than 16-24 hours. Sand and reapply additional coats.

The light fixture we wanted for over the island didn't come in black so I sanded it and sprayed it black to match the new black chandelier.



All the hardware was gold and we replaced it with a burnished brass. The chandelier is black with gold brushwork.

It's hard to capture the color of the walls however they are a beautiful warm maple cream and we couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. K also upgraded all the baseboards and added new corner pieces throughout the main floor.



We just love the new hardware! We'll replace the faucet with a new black one as soon as we can find the one we want.

The flooring continues down the full length of the hall to the upper bedrooms and is just beautiful. We plan to change the countertops to granite or granite like in the new year and we'll replace all the appliances with stainless steel or possibly black, still undecided yet.

New blinds for the windows (for under the drapery) will be ordered and I'll swap out the china in the cabinet for the cranberry Wedgewood "Bramble" from one of the other rooms.

We found the table cloth but I am still not sure if I like it, the pattern is quite large, but it has black it in. My husband says one can never have too many table cloths so live with it, see if it grows on you and purchase new ones as you find them. (What woman wouldn't love to hear her husband say this! :) I may even have one custom made if I can find a fabric I like. We've been searching for two oil paintings for each side of the china cabinet but still haven't found the ones we want.

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

"20 Little Things"


This bird thought he'd join his friends in the birdbath....






With the hardwood floors almost completed, it's just about time to paint the walls. The color is one I have never gravitated towards before however we are looking for something that will enhance the richness of the wood cabinets and hardwood floors. Currently the walls are white. We are looking for a golden shade with a hint of Tuscany flavor, not too bright, not too yellow, not too orange-muted, yet rich in tone. Ok, so what's left you say? Here are two color swatches. We tried the Laura Ashley Gold 3 but against these colors and the walls it actually looked like it fell more into the tan family. Our kitchen and dining area are small and both colors look suitable, even in a smaller area.

The cabinets and flooring are golden oak in color. The other color we thought of was a pale blue shade with a hint of turquoise (enhances the rich golden oak) however it might clash with our great room which is in a midtone muted evergreen shade.

What do you think? Your suggestions would be most helpful!

Melissa from The Inspired Room posted a list of "20 Little Things" that inspired her in Autumn. Since autumn is my favorite time of year, hear are my list of 20 little things:

1. Painting the kitchen and renovating (always autum projects)
2. Family gatherings
3. Crock pots of bubbly beef stew and fresh baked loaves of bread
4. Riding in an open topped convertible through Breads Hills, Michigan
5. Thick and cozy handmade sweaters
6. Teracott pots over flowing with Chrysanthemums
7. Paint chipped chairs and furniture
8. Hot Pumpkin pie
9. Candles scents of cinammon and berries
10. Thick warm blankets on a cold night
11. Gourds, squash and pumpkins
12. Fall festivals
13. A hot latte with a warm berry Stella
14. Flannel jackets and duck boots
15. Early morning mist
16. Apple cider
17. Bike rides around the lake, through the leaves
18. Knee high boots and skirts
19. Fresh fruit scones with marmalade
20. Fresh breezes through open windows!

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Hall Monitors






For those who asked for updates on our flooring project throughout the kitchen, dining area and hall, here are a few peeks. We're about 1/2 finished and they're is still so much to be done. For previous posts, see here and here.

Notice the "Hall Monitors" (remember them in school?) at the end of the hall. They're actually a pair of puppets on stands (I think from India), but please correct me if I am wrong. I love them and K and walk past them and pose them sometimes...hilarious. Above them an antique plate from Portugal that was my great aunt's, mother's, sister's, who was a nun. I know, stay with me now. Kat, this post is for you, thanks for your patience and all your help and I will post before and after's when we are done. I have to say it's really coming along beautifully!

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Thursday, September 04, 2008

It Get's Prettier

Click on the photo above for a closer view....

Husband K worked all day prepping the floor and tonight was ready to cut the carpet out of the hallway...Yikes! Not that I doubt his talents for a moment, but once you cut the carpet in two, you are committed.

We had several funny conversations revolving around me picking out the boards tonight, so I could choose the colors I wanted next to each other, and he remarking that if I waited too long it would all be planked by the time I returned home from work tomorrow.




The kitchen floor, not pretty, but soon it will have a shiny new surface!

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Saturday, August 30, 2008

Labor Day Project

We are in the midst of a new project- replacing our kitchen and hallway floor with hardwood. Last night I emptied the china cabinet out and today we move it and the appliances out so we could get at the underlayment. It was glued down so it took a chisel and a lot of man power (my man K) to get it off the floor. The hallway is carpeted so it shouldn't be a problem to remove. We really want to do more renovations in the kitchen but we have several projects on the go at the moment and the rest of it will have to wait until the others are finished.

Off to clean some walls for painting. Have a great holiday weekend!

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