tales of a very ugly kitchen: countertops and sink

With new floors and new appliances, the kitchen was definitely sprucing up. But as always is the case in happy home ownership land, one project begets the next.  Suddenly, the sparkly new white appliances were highlighting the impossibly stained countertops as well as the old cast iron sink and dreary faucet.  Cha-ching, more on the to-do list.  We scored a brand new Kohler stainless sink on craigslist and then splurged on an awesome contemporary chrome faucet from American Standard.  I love its clean lines and its “get it clean” functionality. 

Okay, so we had more sparkle, but, still…those dingy countertops and backsplash seemed to look worse than ever. They had to go.  Our funds were dwindling, and we knew this was not our forever kitchen, so my ever-clever husband began to research laminate.  To offset the warm, golden tones in the oak floor, we chose a cool charcoal gray color for the countertops. Our big find was a laminate with a brushed steely look that is designed for use vertically in industrial spaces.  It looks amazing as our new backsplash. Shimmer, shimmer.

tales of a very ugly kitchen: new appliances

New appliances were a must.  We went to Sears scratch and dent outlet and found a white Kitchen Aid side-by-side fridge for a fraction of the price of the retail model.  Score!  Then we negotiated a great price on a floor model dishwasher.  Yahoo!  We were eating on dishes we knew were clean! Harder to let go was the Tappan Fabulous 400 oven and cooktop.  It truly was the showstopper in the kitchen with its great retro appearance.  Clearly, it was the height of kitchen fashion when it was installed circa 1960.

But it just could not keep up with the needs of a household with three hungry kids.  Happily it found a home in a funky mid century modern home nearby thanks to craigslist. Since the retro Tappan was electric, we had a handyman, er…licensed plumber, over to run a gas line and installed a standard white five-burner range from an appliance liquidator.   New flooring, new appliances, hey, we’re cookin’ now.

tales of a very ugly kitchen: new floor

For our new plan of inexpensive kitchen renovation attack, we decided to start on the bottom and work our way up.  We priced out linoleum for the floor to maintain the 50’s groove, and because it’s biodegradable, we’d be guilt free when we were ready to upgrade in a future remodel.  But we soon discovered that was going to set us back over $3000, which was what we were hoping to spend on the whole renovation.

On to Plan B!  On a lark, my clever husband asked the floor guys we had used to tear out the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors prior to our move-in to come over for a look-see.  Bingo!  Their quote was half that of the linoleum to lay new oak wood flooring, sand and stain it.  I did not even mind the toothless installer who spent a week working in our kitchen. Hey, he was a nice guy, and we were making progress!  The continuity with the flooring and stain in other rooms improved the visual flow.  Check it out!

{The finish on the new kitchen floor (left) matches the original wood floor in the dining room.}

kid lampshade project

For a super simple and quick project, give your drab lampshade a little oomph by updating it with some austere ribbon or blingy fringe to suit your room’s style.  Here are two super speedy projects I whipped up in less than an hour!

Materials:  Plain lampshade, fabric scissors, fabric glue, ribbon or similar embellishment.

Step 1:  Before applying glue, wind the ribbon around the top and/or bottom of the shade to get your measurements. Add an extra inch to play it safe.

Step 2:  I’ve had better luck applying glue to the ribbon in about 6-8 inch sections versus applying glue directly to the lampshade. To start, find the spot on the lampshade where the original fabric or paper overlaps and begin to attach your ribbon there. Repeat the process for the bottom rim.

Step 3:  Give the glue some time to dry, following the directions, and then reattach to your lamp, and Viola, you’ve got a snazzy new shade. Is that Cheap and Easy or what?! It’s a great way to give your lampshade some new zing. Here are two after shots from my kids’ rooms.

tales of a very ugly kitchen: it's bad

The kitchen in our new old house was so ugly–old appliances, stained coutertops, dingy laminate flooring, faded cabinets all illuminated by a ginormous flourescent ceiling fixture, but we were still smitten, and  our home inspector assured us that everything was in working condition.  “Whew, that’ll save us some cash,” we thought, and give us time to save some dough for what I like to call a big honkin’ kitchen renovation.  So we figured we’d live with the uninspiring culinary digs for a few years before tearing down walls, replacing appliances and updating cabinets and countertops.  Right.

{The vintage Tappan Fabulous 400 and fridge.}

On the big move-in day, the fridge started to emit a mysterious chemical smell and was fit for storing only our celebratory six-pack and the jar of pickles we managed to gingerly trek across town. Only a few days later, we discovered that the one shining star in the kitchen, the amazingly cool, vintage Tappan Fabulous 400 oven/cooktop, made it tricky even to boil water for mac ‘n cheese.  To make matters worse, the floor and sink never seemed to get clean, scrub as we might.  Talk about uninspired.  Would we ever be able to serve anything beyond Triscuits and Cheez-whiz?

So, we hatched a new five year plan called the “get this kitchen in stylish working order on the cheap–pronto!” so that we can save up for the “big honking kitchen renovation” someday down the road.  Stay tuned to see how it all panned out…

my old georgian...a labor of love

Gosh, I love this house, and miss it too.  A labor of love, to be sure, this Georgian beauty was my first experience in home ownership.  It wooed me away from our urban digs in Chicago into a life of simple pleasures in suburbia.  On the day we drove out to look at the house, I said to my husband, “Over my dead body will we be moving to the suburbs.”  By 5:00 that evening, we were cracking open beers and toasting to the contract we had just written up with our realtor on this gem.  

Diamond in the rough is actually more like it, if the rough means covered in juniper bushes.  We ripped them out, did our first landscaping projects, updated the single bathroom, painted, wallpapered, refinished the basement just in time to discover I was pregnant. How do kids know not to show their tiny faces until the work is done?  Is this all part of a grander labor and love connection?  When we were found out twins were on their way less than two years later, we started our big renovation over doubling the size of the house and adding the side porch.  Has an impending birth motivated you to renovate?  Do tell!

cook street: home inspection pics

Home inspection day is almost like the first day of school. The excitement, the nerves, the anticipation for things to come, the new ideas brimming and brewing. And then, like school, reality sets in. What we have is a 3200 square foot to do list. Where do we even begin?

Here are some highlights from our home inspection. I remember the possibilities we discussed that day. The good bones, the big yard, the renovation potential; it all added up to a great home for our family. (The previous owners, the delightful Gus and Lucille, were in the midst of packing up and moving to their retirement community when we took these pictures.) All projects start from here!