Can You Guess What's Behind Old House Style Door #1 and #2?

A couple weeks ago I shared new photos of our Dining Room along with a view of the room looking into the kitchen and living room.  This was a view I haven't shared photos of before on our blog and I think it cleared up some questions we've gotten regarding the layout/floor plan of our home- but that led to a new question...

What's behind that skinny white door and what's in that smaller white door halfway up the wall?

Here's a look at the full question that Dayna wrote in the post comments:

What a great question!!!  I can't believe I've never talked about those little quirky details in our old house!  So glad you were curious about them Dayna!  Of course I'll share details about those mystery doors, thank you for the fun post idea!

Let's start with the quirkier of the two- the small door halfway up the wall.  Any guesses?!?

If you guess laundry chute, then you WIN!  That little door halfway up the wall is the laundry chute door on the main floor of our house.  I guess it's convenient if you have lots of dirty kitchen towels or table linens to deal with?

I guess we get more use out of the other laundry chute door that is on the upstairs level of our home which sits between the doors to our guest room and office Alex's winter cycling training room...

Because that is where all the wardrobe changes occur, take it off and send it down the chute!

Now back down to the dining room!
Any guesses what's behind that tall narrow door next to our staircase?  If you guessed the actual laundry chute then you WIN - well - you half win because it's also our coat closet.  Ahem, mini and kinda icky coat closet.  It's an odd space, so nothing too fancy about it.

Coats, two-tier shoe rack, wall mounted mail & sunglass storage, and upper shelf for bike helmets & hats, gloves, etc.

As you can see, the chute takes up a good chunk of what could have been (or still could be?) extra storage space for coats and shoes near our front entry.... but who cares!  (sarcasm font)  It's the high-speed highway down to our electric washer and garment wringer in the basement!

Never had taken a photo looking down the chute, so dark & dramatic, sort of like wearing sunglasses while doing laundry?!

Had to make a little joke with that one :) I can't lie, it is a total pain going up and down two floors several times on laundry day - BUT - I don't think I'd ever have the heart to tear out the old school laundry chute since it is an original feature in our little 1924 Dutch Colonial.  I'll just try to look at the upside- I'm doing loads of stairs along with several loads of laundry which seems like efficient multitasking!  

So there you have it, no more mysteries behind those quirky old house doors! What'd ya think?!

Did you guess that little door was a laundry chute?

What about the coat closet?  Waste of space?  

How would you improve the closet without changing the overall small/awkward storage space?

Five Year Refresh Week #3: The Dining Room

Ready for room #3 in our Five Year Refresh Week?  Let's take a fresh look at the Dining Room from a whole new angle!

Did you catch my Sadie pupper in that photo?! She's stealthy and adorable!

The 'new angle' part is because I don't think I've ever shown a photo of our house from this corner of the dining room looking into the living room and kitchen.  Gives you a new viewpoint on the layout of our house right?  Aside from the new view though, the dining room itself is looking quite different from before!

After we finished up the new look in the kitchen we had to make some changes so that the two rooms flowed together well.  Here's a reminder of how it looked the last time we shared photos of it....

Still fresher and nicer than the previous red paint look, but it still needed a cleaner, simple, slightly more modern touch to match the new look and feel in the kitchen.

So, I made a few changes and I think this style fits us much better now...

Some of the changes you might have caught are the new dining chairs, barstools, and some wall art.  We had been getting a little tired of our dining room table & chairs, but instead of getting a whole new set we decided to get two new chairs (Ikea Nils chair $79.00) for each end of the table to give it a little bit of a new look.

I draped two cowhide skins over the end chairs to add in touch of pattern (and fun?!)

We decided to add barstools (Ikea Franklin barstool $39.99)  as well by the dividing wall to the kitchen because whenever we have guests we seem to gather around there (our Superbowl party is a good example)...

The tough part is that the dividing wall used to be a whole wall with upper kitchen cabinets and it was opened at some point by a previous owner and were were unable to lower the height of that top counter top due to electrical wiring inside the wall (which is maybe why that previous owner kept it at the height?).

So, it is slightly higher than typical bar height but we've been using those two stools like crazy... why the heck did we wait five years to get them?!?!

What do you think of our updated Dining Room space? 

Do you think the looks pairs better with the new look in our kitchen?

What about using new end chairs at the dining table to give it a newer look without a whole new set?

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If you missed any posts from my Five Year Refresh Week, click the links to see room #1 The Living Room and room #2 the Vestibule 

A Look at the New Kitchen Decor and Updated Before & Afters!

I finished adding in all the new little bits of decor so our kitchen update project is all wrapped up!  Well, I guess I should say wrapped up for now.  Who am I kidding, I know I'll continue to change up the decor from time to time :) but as of now this eclectic mix is feeling perfect with our new black and white color scheme!

It's a happy change from the traditional look we had going on before and I LOVE that we can add in any color when it comes to decor- that was pretty much impossible with all that red everywhere!

Here are all the updated before and after photos...

Kitchen paint color: Behr Wheat Bread & Martha Stewart Francesa (both from Home Depot)

Stove alcove paint color: Martha Stewart Francesa (Home Depot)

Nook paint color: Behr Wheat Bread (Home Depot)

I think our kitchen nook is my favorite part!  That space has been a pain in the buns to figure out since the day we moved in five years ago, I never thought I'd see it looking so nice!

We added in two Fintorp wall storage rails ($9.99 each) and coordinating hanging hooks ($2.99/ 5 pack) for storing some of our nicer pots, lids, and wood cutting boards.  I rounded out that wall by hanging our old window frame turned chalkboard vertically and placing our vintage black & white stool beside it.  We decided to keep our hutch/barmoire on the other wall (click here to see how I revamped that $40 hutch found at the Salvation Army!).  Now let's talk about the rugs...

Maybe you already noticed but I did indeed decide to layer two rugs in the nook... and after writing a post asking what ya'll thought of the layered rug idea I know that most of you probably hate it :) The truth is that I got the idea to do it when I was laying those rugs down separately trying to decide which one to go with.  Then when I had one laid over the other still comparing I suddenly realized that it looked right.  So that is what stuck!  I'm sure one day it will change anyway though but I have to say that the two rugs help to sop up all the water that dribbles out of Sadie's mouth after she has a drink from her water bowl :)

The other rug is the Hand-Knotted Kazak rug from Overstock.com that I ended up keeping.  I love how vibrant the color is and thought it brought some warmth into the color scheme.

Some of my other favorite new things are these metal Kalaset espresso mugs ($5.99 / 2 pack) and muted blue Dinera coffee mugs ($9.99 / 6 pack set) from Ikea.

I also found these Threshold salad plates on a random Target trip ($3.99 each) and had to have them!  The pattern on them had an organic handmade look and each one was a little different, love them!

Lastly, we added some wall art above the archway to the nook.  I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to add when it came to the pictures, I thought food related things seemed kind of cheesy- hmmmm, maybe I should have framed just pictures of cheese, I heart cheese :)  but I ended up deciding on a few old map type prints along with a couple photos from our last trip to Europe.  I thought the group we ended up had the right mix of color for the wall.

Well that's it... for now of course!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend everybody and let me know what you think of the kitchen!

What do you think of the new kitchen look?

Which new decor details do you like?

Do you think the two layered rugs look right or just wrong?!

Kitchen Preview Photo!

I just finished up taking photos of our updated kitchen look!  Our black/white paint isn't the only new look in our kitchen now, can't wait to share it all!  I'm sifting through all the photos I took now for the full post, but here's a quick preview pic until then :)

More to come!  Hope you'll swing by again tomorrow for the rest!  

PS- Be sure to weigh in on my Layered Rug idea!  I made a decision before taking the photos so I'm starting to get a sense of whether everyone will like or hate what I did :)

My Stylish Kitchen Rug Scores!

Since completing the new paint job in our kitchen, I've been DYING to take our new clean, simple, black+white look from stark to stylish with the right touches of decor.  First up on my shopping list was a new accent rug or two and after a couple evenings of online shopping I happily stumbled upon perfect options for our space!  I was so geeked that I kept squealing "eek!" throughout the duration of placing my order!   

Here are the two I pulled the 'submit order' trigger on-  both hand-knotted, all natural vegetable dyed, one-of-a-kind original Kazak designed rugs!

Kazak Hand-Knotted 3'x5' Rug: Overstock.com $99.99  |  Kazak Hand-Knotted 2'x3' Rug: Overstock.com $72.99

Why are they so perfect and why am I being a squealing nerd about them?
Simply put, they totally fit the antique Kilim style rugs from my inspiration board, but the prices did NOT!   SUPER SCORE!

When I began my search, I quickly felt very discouraged after finding so many beautiful "found" rugs that fit the look I wanted but they were all $250.00 or more even small accent rugs, many were in the $1,000+ range.  Don't get me wrong, I know they may fit that price tag due to the base materials or because they are vintage, but heck it's a gorgeous look that should be accessible in some way for everyone and I think I found a well-fitting authentic alternative!

Thankfully, it was the right keyword search that brought me to the rugs of my kitchen decor dreams!  Instead of searching kilim, over dyed, diamond woven, global, etc., I typed in "tribal rug" and boom!  Beautiful budget friendly options in the look I was looking for!

I know $99 & $72 it is still higher than the typical Ikea rug price I'm used to but after buying so many of those rugs that are now in our basement, I wanted to spend the money on something that I will likely want to display in our home for many years. And hey, if for some reason one or both don't work, I'm always able to return for a refund (hoping they are both worth keeping though!).

Ohhhh, I just can't wait to spice up this blank canvas of a kitchen!  Despite my victory the estimated delivery date is March 26th, boo!!!  That is the bad part of online shopping right?  I want it now!!!!

If only Veruca Salt knew the horrors of Standard Delivery service (shutter).   Who doesn't hate that part?  In the meantime, please help entertain me!  I'd love to hear what you think!

- Are you liking one of both of the Kazak rugs I found?
- What other decor would you add to make our new kitchen look stylish and complete?

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Note: In case anyone wondered, I was not contacted or offered any discount from Overstock.com for writing this post.  Had that been the case, I may have ordered a larger rug, LOL!  Veruca on the other hand did and invited me to a party with roomfuls of laughter and ten thousand tons of ice cream :)  

Finished with the Kitchen Re-Paint and Onto Decor!

We've finished up our kitchen re-paint project (woo-hoo)!  Now, there isn't a hint of red anywhere to be seen and it feels so refreshing!  Here's a look at how the new color shaped out from our dining room, into the kitchen, and ending with our kitchen nook.

Did you notice that Rocco sneaked into that bottom right photo?  Dude really loves photo bombing!

Below is a look back too so you can get a sense of the before and after action.  Our red wasn't bad or anything, we were just growing tired of it after five years.  The lighter (white/not white) Wheat Bread color contrasting with the darker (black/gray) Francesca color was exactly what we were looking for- something simple, clean, and a bit more modern  BUT...

Click here to see wood countertops & subway tile DIY or click here to see our original redo project

I have to admit that the new kitchen look is totally BEGGING for some new decor to give it some personality and style.       ***   It's looking a wee bit bare and empty right?   ****

So now it's onto my new kitchen challenge!  I've been on the search for some new decor and storage ideas to bring together the new look in our kitchen.  I guess it's kind of the fun part, well unless everything I want is crazy expensive?  But then it may lead to some extra DIY decor projects!

So here's what I'm thinking we need so far (visuals below):
Wall Art/Decor- Liking the clustered frames look, maybe above the archway to our kitchen nook?
Accent Rug(s)- We really need a hint of color and pattern, maybe a kilim look or stripes?
Storage- Mainly need above the fridge and in our nook, maybe baskets and then wall rails or shelves?

Images via My Hands Made It, Mrs. Jones, Googy Dog,  Brigadeiro de Cholher,  MiCasa

*   What do you think?  *

Would you go with a kilim style rug?  Or the stripes?
What other ways would you add extra storage in a decorative way?  I'd love more ideas!

Please let me know if you have good suggestions for rug shopping or where to find the best kitchen storage bins/baskets.  I'm excited to get my shop on!

On that note, I'll close this one with another woo-hoo :)  Have a great weekend everybody!

The Kitchen Colors Come Together

Things are coming along in our kitchen re-paint project!  It's not a finished look quite yet (we still have to paint that little back kitchen nook), but I was excited to show you where we landed with the whole kitchen color-combo decision!

Since we lived in that dark red/maroon color for 5 years, we found that there just wasn't a color we could agree to live in for however many more (no yellow, green, purple, pink, orange, red, etc. color families).  We also didn't want the whole space to be the white/not white Wheat Bread color for fear that it would look super washed out & bland dining room to kitchen.  So, we ended up going with an almost black paint color to contrast with the lighter tones - Martha Stewart's Francesca to be exact!

It's a blue based dark gray/black saturated color, perfect for creating a clean contrast with our white cabinets & subway tile.  Makes you think of black in a whole new light, right?!

If you're familiar with some of the previous posts from this project, you can see we pretty much stuck with black+white / dark+light type of look from the idea board from a couple weeks ago....

I'm hoping ours ends up with the same simple, clean, slightly modern type of look!  Regardless of that though, it's feeling a lot fresher without that dark red/maroon color for sure!  Painting (mainly the prepping/taping part) sure isn't fun or fast, but I love the new energy it brings to a space- especially one that we spend a lot of time in!  

Finishing up the kitchen nook paint is next then it's time for the more fun parts of the project, like updating the decor to complete the after look!  We're planning on painting the nook the Wheat Bread (white-ish color) since it is a small space, so now I have to ask you...

- For the kitchen nook, would you paint it the lighter Wheat Bread color or do something different?  
- If I do paint the nook Wheat Bread, should I paint the bottom half of the hutch Francesca to bring in some of the darker color?  How would you bring the darker color into the nook?

It's going to be a busy weekend for us but I'm excited to wrap this baby up!  Have a nice weekend everybody and get to bed early tomorrow, I know I hate losing that extra hour when we spring forward :)

Kitchen Paint Project: Planning & Color Ideas

With our kitchen color update next up on our project list, I started pulling together images of my favorite color choices.  I've also learned that it helps to have a visual in order to explain my idea/plan to Alex :) and you can let me know what you think too!

As you can see, I'm leaning toward the black and white type of look for the most part otherwise keeping lighter brighter and still neutral similar to the look of our dining room....

Images via Elements of Style, Atlanta Homes Magazine, Design Sponge, Sawyer Berson, Lisa Dreissig, ECLECchic, Remodelista, Las Cositas de Beach & Eau, and Pink Wallpaper

I guess I just worry if it's all light, bright, and neutral (same paint color from dining room into the kitchen), it might just look too boring or washed out or like we're in an apartment that we can't add color to?  What do you think?

If we got the black and white route, I think our black would be more of a very dark gray and we'd keep our kitchen cabinets white- I shared those darker cabinet pics and said "Oooo want to repaint our cabinets a darker color like this???" and Alex replied with a polite "Hell no."  Maybe I'll save that idea for our next house?!

Anyway, I guess that is where I'm leaning toward right now.  The tricky part is that we probably have to continue the same color along the wall leading from the dining room into the kitchen- Right?  It'd be weird to have a blunt taped off color transition?

I think that is an interior design rule, and I haven't found any photo evidence of this being done in a tasteful way but I could be wrong.   Please help me figure that one out if you can!

If that wall in the kitchen remains the same as the dining room I'd love to do a darker color on the wall it meets with...  Or the kitchen could just be that color throughout and we could do a darker color in the kitchen nook and in the alcove where the oven sits perhaps????  What do you think?

My brain has been bouncing between options so I'd love to hear if you have any ideas or suggestions!  Again, also let me know about that taped-off paint line thing- Is that a rule or not a rule?  It just looks funny to me right now since I've been looking at where we stopped from the last paint project but who knows, maybe there is a tasteful way to do that?

Hope everyone has had a nice week so far!  Oh, is it just me or did Valentine's Day sneak up awfully fast?  I better get a card  I'm looking forward to a nice dinner with Alex, anyone else doing something special to celebrate too?

Our Completed Kitchen Makeover! Before & Afters of Our New Countertops and Sink!

Our latest kitchen update is complete!  The new countertops, backsplash, sink and faucet are all up & running! 

Get ready for some 'before' and 'after' photo action!!!  Here's where we started soooo long ago...

... and how things are looking now!  I can't believe how far the space has come along, I'm so in love! 

Our project started about a month ago when we realized we had to ditch the old sink and laminate countertops once and for all.

We had been dreaming of adding butcher block countertops and an apron sink since we bought the house. 

So we spent a wonderful evening gathering the Numerar countertops and Domsjo sink from Ikea.  Then picked up our faucet and other project supplies from Home Depot.

After we got everything home the fun began when Alex started tearing up the kitchen.

It was very exciting but it was rough being without a kitchen sink for four days.  Alex had to use that time to cut and install the wood countertops.

Once those were installed, Alex completed the "oiling & lotioning" step as we like to call it.

Then Alex got the sink and faucet running and installed all of that BEAUTIFUL white subway tile!

Ugh!  I'm so in love with the new tile!  I didn't even know Alex was going to add it next to the oven (where we had the faux vintage plastic tiles before), it was such a nice surprise! 

The white tiles just look so crisp and clean!

Finally, we wrapped up the project by adding the last slab of butcher block countertop to the dividing wall between our kitchen and dining room.

So here's how everything turned out!

To quote Outkast it just looks "so fresh and clean" right?!?!   Haha, just kidding but the song keeps coming to mind when I look at these pictures.  I'm so happy with how this DIY redo project turned out!

The kitchen countertops and sink were the last big things that we wanted to fix on the main floor of our house.  The laminate always felt like it screamed "I need to be replaced" and now with the butcher block it just looks fresh and updated.  I finally feel like our kitchen is a space we can be proud of!

So, what do you think of the new look in our kitchen?

What new decor elements should I add to compliment the new look?

Click here to see all of our Kitchen & Nook project posts

The Home Stretch To-Do Today!

The kitchen is coming together!  We're onto our last and final step in our kitchen redo- adding a slab of butcher block to the dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room!  Here's a look at where we need to place it...

Ooooo weeee!  Doesn't that white subway tile look nice????  Alex did a nice job finishing up all the tilework while I was away (here's a link to that post if you missed it).

It really WOW-ed me when I got home, I'd love to show you all of it now but it'd be better when we can get the full 'after' effect once we finish cutting and installing this section of the countertops. 

We're pretty sure this used to be a full wall separating the kitchen and dining room, I think the previous owner was the one that opened up this wall.

Even though it isn't original to the traditional Dutch Colonial layout I am glad that it is open between the two rooms.  It's a pretty nice feature for modern day living and entertaining :) We weren't 100% sure that we should add countertop here or some white wood to compliment the wainscoting.  But in the end, it made sense to have the wood countertops since we were used to having the laminate countertop there anyway. 

So, that is our big to-do today.  We have the new section of the Numerar wood countertop to cut, install, and start "oiling & lotioning" of course (make sure you read this post if you have no idea what I am talking about, it's a good one).

The next kitchen post will be the 'after' photos and I will have some Macau & China photos next too!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday, anyone else going to catch the SAG awards/red carpet later today?  I hope we're done working on the kitchen by then, I love the red carpet action, how about you?!?

Alone In The Kitchen

With Carla out traveling for work, I am left here with the kids for a little DIY time. It’s funny; when Carla is out of town my DIY time typically includes late nights, loud music, and a lot of chatting with Rocco and Sadie. Honestly, I bet the neighbors wonder what the heck is going on over here when Carla’s gone.

With all of that excitement going on in our little Dutch Colonial, I bet you’re probably wondering how that Kitchen Project of ours is coming along since Carla last mentioned it here… Well, I’m pleased to say that it’s moving along nicely and we even managed to get the sink installed before she left – that was kind of my going away gift for her (and me).

Typically I try to tackle a surprise project while Carla is traveling but, she already knows what I have in store this time – Tile Backsplash!! With the sink installed, and the counter tops “lotioned and oiled” it means we’re getting really close to having a whole new look in our kitchen. It also meant that I had a trip to Home Depot planned because we had already decided that the best look for our spruced up kitchen space would be white subway tiles. This should help to brighten up the area and compliment our new Domsjo apron sink too! Hopefully I won’t run into any road blocks along the way, and will manage to have this project completed before Carla gets back on Sunday.

What do you think? Will the subway tiles look great with the hardwood counter tops and apron sink?

Wish me luck…I think I’m making fairly good progress and who knows; I may even have a small special project planned as a surprise.

I'll try to get another update in before Carla returns too. Hope you're having a great week!

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: "Oiling and Lotioning".... The Countertops

Welcome to a sort of goofy DIY Friday post...  I didn't have an extra DIY project (aside from the kitchen) going on before I left for India, so instead I thought it'd be fun to share one of the silly stories from our kitchen project with you, hope you still enjoy!

I think most couples out there would agree that not every moment during a house project is warm & rosey.  There are moments of frustration, bickering, cursing, or even minor injuries. Thankfully, we seem to be good at filling those moments with humor which leads to my story....

In our last kitchen redo post, we shared that the kitchen had been torn up and we were ready to cut and install the countertops.   The other thing going on at the same time was our discussion regarding the countertop seal vs. treatment oil.  Alex and I decided to go with the recommended Behandla wood treatment oil for our Numerar countertops.  The product description states that it "Protects the wood, both on the surface and in depth; gives the surface a fine luster and prolongs the products life." 

Alex and I weighed the pros & cons of this versus the Waterlox (or other brand) sealant route and decided that this is fits best for us.  We know that using the oil will require more maintenance but we wanted to keep the natural wood look instead of having the glossy wood look.  Based on internet research I know that not everyone will agree with our decision, but like I said it's our kitchen and it will work for us. We can always sand and seal them in the future if we change our minds as well.

So, after Alex cut each section of the countertops and got them installed (Alex action shot!)...

It was time to apply the wood treatment oil, which is where my fun began!  Why?  Well, I am a nerd and watched probably waaaaay too many movies growing up because as Alex applied the oil I could not stop myself from repeating, "Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!!"

And that is all because of the movie The Sandlot.  Ahhh, it was one of my favorite movies as a kid (I hope some of you out there agree?).

Who can forget the Beast, or Benny the Jet Rodriguez, and my personal favorite Squints.  One of the most memorable moments in the movie is when he makes out with the lifeguard he has a crush on- Squints had a thing for 'older' women as a kid I guess?

The full quote from the movie is "I've been coming here every summer of my adult life, and every summer there she is oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling... smiling.  I can't take this no more"  Then he fakes downing in the pool so Wendy tries to save him and gives him mouth to mouth...  You get the idea of the whole scene.

Anyway, while Alex applied four coats of the oil on our new countertops I think I said "Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! .... Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (pause) Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (longer pause) Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (pause)  Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (super long pause) I can't take it anymore!!!!"-  until my poor hubby couldn't take it anymore.  He was applying oil and I guess that quote was all I could think of apparently?  But hey, at least he got through applying all those coats even though I was driving him crazy :)

And now, I really want to watch The Sandlot... haha!!!  So I know this was pretty silly, but I hope you were Head Over Heels for the story anyway! 

Have a great weekend, I am headed from New Delhi to Hong Kong tomorrow! Hope to share pics soon, but right now I just hope I sleep for eight hours non-stop!

Tearing Up the Kitchen

We got busy over the weekend tearing up the kitchen to prep for our new sink and countertops!

After tearing out the old laminate countertops and fiberglass sink, Alex started framing in countertop supports along the wall separating our kitchen and dining room.  Since that cabinet doesn't touch any walls, Alex wanted to make sure that the extra supports were there.

 Here's another look a what we took out....

Another set of supports he added in was for our big (and super heavy) double bowl apron sink.  I think today is day 4 of not having a kitchen sink and I have to say it is pretty tough.  I never realized how much we rely on using that, thank goodness we have a dishwasher though!  I can't wait to have a sink again though.

Since our new sink hangs over the front of the cabinets, Alex also had to remove the two faux drawers that were in front of the old inset sink.

Next up will be cutting the wood countertop slabs to size!

The countertops have to be installed before we can add in the new sink in since it sits on the top of the counters, kind of like this....

Image via Houzz

So, I better get back to work assisting my hubby while he does most of the work (sad but true). I see lots of sawdust in our future, ugh!  I can't wait to have a sink in the kitchen again though!!!

I will be taking another work trip pretty soon, so Alex might be at the blog helm for a while but he/we will do our best to keep you updated on the progress!  I'll have more on my travels soon, so see you then! 

Countertops + Sink = Ikea Shenanigans

Hello and happy new year everybody!  With all the holiday festivities over with now, we're getting back to business and jumping right into our kitchen project!  We headed out to Ikea and Home Depot to get everything we needed and of course, what trip to Ikea is complete without goofy shenanigans, fighting, screaming kids, annoying shopping carts, mobs of people, unpronounceable Swedish names, and a trip to the cafeteria for some Swedish treats right?  So we had to share some of those joyous moments from our trip, here it goes...

We kicked things off by paying a visit with Ikea's lunch ladies in the cafeteria so we could fuel up before braving the maze.  Who can resist those Swedish meatballs and lingonberries anyway?!? 

With our bellies full we headed to the kitchen department to place our order for the countertops and pick out which sink we wanted. Alex and I had already settled on getting Ikea's Numerar oak countertops but we weren't decided on the sink. I had always wanted an apron style sink but the cost for that style was higher than the inset style sinks- but with the apron sink, we also wouldn't need as much of the wood countertops. 

So Alex demanded a few moments of personal time into order to crunch the numbers for the different options in a place where any man can do his best thinking.  

After completing another round of "research" in a faux toilet, Alex decided our best bet was to go with the Domsjo double bowl sink since the cost would be about the same as getting cheaper sink and buying more countertop to inset it.  We also wouldn't have as much extra waste/unused cut countertop.  Yay!!!!  


Here's a look at what we picked out (including the faucet which we bought at Home Depot). Thankfully, we only had to buy one 8 foot slab of the oak countertop because we actually had another slab at home.  Back in 2010, I bought one for a table that was in our kitchen nook but I removed it when we got the hutch. Glad it is going to go to good use now!

Glacier Bay Invee faucet: Home Depot $149.99; Numerar oak countertop: Ikea $129-$195 (priced by size of wood slab); Domsjo double bowl sink: Ikea $312

But the story doesn't end there because any Ikea trip involves packing the car and it was NOT easy... and boy it was cold out! 

The countertop section was 8' long, so we had to be creative when it came to fitting that and the sink into our car.  You might remember that we get pretty crafty when it comes to getting oversized things into our car so of course we managed.  Yea, I did have to lean my seat back and ride home with a countertop on my head but I was able to use my safety restraint :) winning!

After Ikea, we made a stop at Home Depot to get the faucet.  That shopping trip wasn't as filled with as much torture excitement so I will spare you.

Next up will be tearing this up!!!

It's going to be exciting and messy from here! Stay Tuned! 

Out With the Old, in With the New... Countertops, Sink, & Faucet!

We are getting ready to kick off the new year with a BIG new project.  BOY, we are pumped, amped, geeked, gee... I am practically peeing my pants (not really though, ick!).  Why?  Because we are going to be changing the look of our kitchen with new countertops, sink and faucet!!!

We are so, so, so ready to say goodbye to the old laminate countertops, scratched/stained/damaged fiberglass sink (this photo spares you from the icky-ness), and wiggly leaky faucet....

And HELLO!  To these new friends!  A single handle pull-down sprayer faucet, oak wood countertops,and a gorgeous oh-so-dreamy ceramic double bowl apron sink!

Ugh, wood countertops, apron sink, ahhh it's so exciting!  I might pee my pants now, ha!  Yep, we decided it was time to finally make this change since we've been talking about it since we first bought our house.  Aren't these inspiration photos just gorgeous?!?


Images via Country Living

The story behind all this begins with the nice but minimal update to the kitchen just before Thanksgiving in 2009 (which was before our blog even existed).  Once I started the blog in May of 2010, "Our Kitchen Cabinet Redo" was the 7th blog post we wrote (crazy and fun to look a fact up, and sorry our older posts are so wordy/junky, ha!).

I included details about painting the walls, cabinets, replacing the hardware and light fixtures in the post, but we also mentioned what else we would like to do in the future. So, to quote myself- which is kind of funny- I said...   "Next on our wish list for when we really redo the kitchen is a new sink, new countertops, wood floors and of course getting the matching stainless steel dishwasher and fridge... but all in time! Patience and saving some moolah is key!"

Well, after looking at that list we realized it's been almost 3 years time, we've saved moolah for the project, and did additional product and budget research.  Patience? Check.  Moolah? Check.  Research? Bonus gold stars :) just because I like extra gold stars.


Anyway, back in 2009/2010 when we started blogging and did our 1st redo on the kitchen,  I read This & That's post about their newly finished butcher block countertops and haven't forgot about it since. 
I loved the way their new wood countertops looked in the house! I also loved that they detailed all the DIY steps to complete the project, so I knew when it came time it would be something Alex and I could tackle.

We also read a few articles like this one from other bloggers talking about pros & cons of wood countertops.

Image via The Inspired Room

Both helped us to understand challenges, maintenance, installation, and wear over time when it comes to wood countertops.  We will cover some of those topics in the future posts about the project as well (so stay tuned).


In weighing our own pros & cons regarding the cost for the project, we knew that adding expensive stone countertops (granite, soapstone, quartz, etc.) wouldn't be ideal for us given the inve$tment and although I like soapstone, I've never been crazy about other stone countertops. BUT  I can honestly say I have been CRAZY about butcher block countertops ever since I feel in love with the house from the Father of the Bride movies....

Adding these wood countertops just furthers my quest in making our little Dutch Colonial look a wee bit more George & Nina Banks fictitious home:) at least on the inside- the outside is still a ways off, that George Banks had some mad skills when it came to landscaping right?!?

Whoops, okay a bit off subject but you get the idea right?  We area really excited to make this change in our house!  I know we aren't going anywhere anytime soon, but if we ever did want to sell our house any buyer (or guests/friends) would think the same thing we thought if we left the laminate as is, "hmmm, those countertops need to be replaced."  Although practical, nobody ever 'oohs' and 'awws' over laminate right? I know I haven't!

I feel it's time for me to finally 'ooh' and 'aww' in our kitchen! I can't wait to kick 2013 off with this update!  Hope you will join us too! 

Kitchen Nook Progress... Slowsky Style

It's time for an update on the action happening in the Kitchen Nook!

I admit, we have been real "Slowskys" with this Nook project which makes me feel a bit guilty.

Note: Alex is the grumpier looking turtle

In case you missed the last post about the Nook (click here for the link), we wanted to add a Hutch to the space in order to gain some more kitchen storage.  The photo below is a look at the Kitchen Nook before we started tinkering with the space. We only had those open corner shelves and a couple shelves under that bar table.

Once we moved the bar table and added in the hutch (which I scored for only $40), we knew we would have to take down those open corner shelves.  It would have looked super goofy keeping them up since one was hidden behind the hutch.

(My apologies for the mess, it happens during the work)

Alex took them both down and patched up the holes where they were hung. PS- if you are local and interested in taking those corner shelves off our hands send me an email! 

After patching, Alex got the walls repainted and looking fresh (we'll cover that in our 'After' post).

Now, for the hutch that was screaming for a makeover...

As I mentioned in the last post, I was SUPER excited about this $40 find but it needed some work.  I tore out those gross fabric shade covers and picked up some glass for the top cabinet doors at North End Hardware.  I highly recommend North End Hardware if you need replacement glass, they cut it for you on the spot!  Total cost for 2 pieces of glass $12.64!

I also got the new cabinet hardware picked out.  I thought stainless steel knobs and drawer pulls would look much more elegant than the plastic white knobs.

That's the update for now.  Sorry, I realize that might have been anticlimactic, but like I said we have been Slowskys.  I think we have narrowed down our choice for the opposite side wall though.  Fingers crossed we can get it all done over the weekend, wish us luck!

  Can't wait to post about the final look!

More on the Kitchen Nook (and a Hutch?)

The kitchen nook storage issue has been on the top of my mind lately, so I had to do a follow up post quick!  Thank you to everyone that posted a comment, so many great ideas and things I didn't even think of for this annoying charming little space! 

Couple things to clarify that I didn't mention in the last post...

1- We aren't at all considering redoing the layout of the whole kitchen. This would be a BIG ($$$)  project and the current layout doesn't bother us, the lack of storage does.

2- We can't move/ knock down any walls surrounding the nook.  One wall is shared with the lower level bathroom (which is obviously a keeper) and the other two are the exterior of our house.

Now, I am going to bounce around a bit with my line of thinking, but stay with me...

One fun idea was adding in a Banquette.  *Sigh*  They are pretty right?

French Quarters

and you can build storage into them!

Paul Johnson Contractor & Carpentry

I also believe (after lots of research) that something like a banquette originally existed in the nook in 1924.



BUT- After discussing with Alex, we still think full on seating isn't right for us since we never used the seating in there now. If we added a banquette, would we even enjoy it?

 

The next idea that popped up was some tall narrow wall cabinets. I pictured these cabinets from my sister and brother-in law's cute 1907 bungalow (see the rest of their house in this post)...

Those would be great along one wall, tall, narrow, and really cute!  If only I could steal them from their house and plop them into our nook...

But realistically, I don't think I can hunt down similar cabinets.  I even visited Bauer Brothers over the weekend and searched through all their salvaged kitchen cabinets, no luck :(

So, I circled back to the original hutch idea AND as luck would have, I actually found one for only $40!  Here's a look at my find and yes, it needs a little makeover.  I figure if we don't end up using it in the nook I can always sell it after fixing it up.

The cabinet hardware has to go!  Along with these icky curtains!

It totally has potential to be cute and I get a new project!  Such a steal for only $40!  I'm hoping I can make it look a bit like this awesome cabinet I saw in the new Pottery Barn catalog (without having to spend $1,299.00). They have different shapes, but you get the idea.

If we do like the hutch in the nook, I know we will have to remove those corner shelves and then figure out what we need on the opposite side wall.  Someone suggested a small kitchen cart/ table on casters so it could be moved around for cooking or parties.  Thought that might be nice & versatile, could even keep a stool under it?  Hmmm, so many decisions!

Phew, hope all of that made sense, thanks for letting me ramble off my thought process!

What do you think?

Do you like the new hutch (shape, size)?

What would you put on the wall opposite the hutch in our nook?

Don't be shy!  Please let us know, it is fun and super helpful! Comment away...

Finally! Finished Sanding and Repainting the Table and Stools!

It sure wasn't as easy as it sounded!  But finally, I am done with the table and stools in the nook!  I got started last Sunday on this project, and it took longer than expected.  Didn't help that I was feeling a little under the weather this week, so I had to take some nights off of painting, but here it is! 

Remember, here is what the table was like before (and here is the link to the first makeover I did on the table, removing the tabletop and adding the butcher block)...

Then, after spending a day sanding and a few nights painting, here is the after!

So nook went from this...

 To this...

 

and finally to this...

Which looks much better with the other side of our kitchen...

I'm also thinking the antique ladder we found on our last junkin' adventure will stay in the nook as well.  I think it is cute in the space and looks nice to our DYI antique chalkboard.

Well, now back to finishing up my chair cover project!

Sanding and Painting Furniture: Updating the Look of our Nook!

Well Sunday was not a day of rest for me and I can't believe I started this, but I figured what the heck!  Alex was busy with the bathroom redo still (beadboard today, and it wasn't easy), and I wanted to save my chair covers for weeknights.  So, I decided to tackle something I have been thinking about for a while now... sanding and painting the table and stools in the nook!  This is extra fun for me because I am taking it on all by myself, so I hope I impress the hubby!

These are the black table and stools that just needed to go (I have more details about this table in our kitchen nook blog, it has already undergone a redo on it's own). 

The rest of our kitchen has white cabinets, so to give the whole kitchen (and nook) a more cohesive feel we wanted to paint the table and stools white.

Thankfully it was a nice fall day, so I got my protective (and cute) gloves on and got to work! I grabbed my trusty Ryobi Cat Sander and started sanding.  The surfaces all needed to be stripped of the black paint and rough sanded in order for the white paint to adhere to the surface.  I have seen similar projects in a few other blogs but I hadn't tried sanding furniture yet, so today was quite the adventure.  Sanding all 3 stools took close to an hour, with about 15-20 minutes spent on each stool.  It really wasn't my favorite project, and it was so loud!  I am glad my neighbors didn't want to kill me today!

The table was a lot harder, it's black finish was just impossible to get off, and the Cat Sander couldn't hang.  So I had to bust out the big guns for this job!  I grabbed Alex's Black and Decker Dragster Belt Sander.  I must say, using the Dragster was a lot more fun than the Cat Sander, I felt so powerful!  Except of course for the first moment I turned it on and laid it on the table... it was like one of those scenes from Home Improvement when Tim Allen would use a tool and it would zip forward out of control and pull him with it (28 second mark).  After that trial run, I got the hang of it (and I was glad Alex didn't see that, otherwise he would have taken it away from me). Ha!

The table took me about 30-40 minutes to sand (I think).  It went a lot faster using the fancy sander.  So here's the sanded table (I will still need to do some hand sanding where I couldn't get the belt sander to reach).

Here are the stools...

Aren't they just SCREAMING for white paint?!?!  I hope to get started painting them this week. I still need to make my chair covers as well, but now that the table is a mess and the space is unavailable, I think it takes top priority. Ooooo, two projects for me in one week, exciting!

New Chalkboard Made From An Antique Window

I finally finished making my new chalkboard out of the antique window from our basement (the inspiration is in this previous post).

So once we got the window out of the basement, it was time to break the glass out. Since this can be dangerous I wore my trusty Liberty of London gardening gloves and safety glasses.

Alex ended up helping me break a couple of the panes because I was a little afraid and not using enough force.

Then after carefully picking up the broken glass, I ended up with just the frame.

I painted the frame white, left the edges a little rough to give it a shabby look. We picked up some light wood boards from Home Depot and painted them with 3 coats of chalkboard spray paint. (I didn't get photos of those parts, boo!). Alex attached the board to the frame with some small nails, then we mounted it in the kitchen nook!

So here is the nook now with the chalkboard. The nook still isn't done yet, but I am so happy with the chalkboard! Turned out perfect and I love that it is an original piece of our house that we can use!

***UPDATE: The nook is even better now with our antique ladder and refinished table!***

Here are a few more updated pics!

One for my 'Nomi Homies' :)