Bungalow Kitchen Makeover Part Two

Many of you saw this view of the kitchen re-design I recently worked on for the Bad MLS Kitchen makeover series.   This is a series where I take MLS listing photos and show how the kitchen can be made more functional and more beautiful on a very tight budget with a few DIY skills

In the last post, I showed this view of the kitchen makeover.  Basically, I recommended boxing in the fridge, adding a base cabinet, and a few upper cabinets, painting, and adding bead board.

I also suggested taking one of two tables from the dining room, and placing it in the kitchen to make the kitchen more functional, and to make the kitchen feel less cavernous.

There was a little bit of architecture that needed to be cleaned up, as well.

A few feet of wall that had previously been ripped out, needed to be replaced.  Additionally, I suggested adding curtains for texture and softness.  Switching to track lighting, using existing wiring, will give options for pendant and directional lighting.  Adding a range hood will make the space more comfortable, cleaner, and will help to control cooking odors.

Referencing the living room columns with a column in the kitchen entry allows an opportunity to open up views and light to the space, while respecting the architecture of the house.

So, here is the before, again:

And here is the after:

Here is the other view before:

And here is the other view after:

Do you like it? 

For the rest of the details, please visit part one of this makeover.  I will be posting more views next week, so be sure to hit follow in my sidebar, so you're sure not to miss the rest of this redesign.

Have a lovely weekend!

this post is being linked to the following lovely places;
It's Overflowing
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No Minimalist Here
today's creative blog
DIY Project Parade
Between Naps on the Porch
I Heart Naptime
Tatertots and Jello

Funky Junk Interiors

Bungalow Kitchen Budget Makeover

It's been a while since I've "made over" a bad MLS kitchen, so I thought I'd share some concepts for a Seattle neighborhood bungalow in the MLS listings.

A classic Queen Anne shingled bungalow, the house sits in a historic neighborhood that is seeing some gentrification.

The house has lovely bones, with really exceptional details, like leaded glass windows, bay windows, and architectural columns.  The home is elegant, without feeling stuffy.

The sellers had begun a kitchen renovation.  While I don't know exactly what the sellers had planned, it appears they wanted a more open concept space :)

When designed well, open concept spaces can work in these older homes. The key is to respect the original architecture of the home to create a timeless design.

In my "Bad MLS Kitchen Makeover" series, I look for the best budget solution, so sellers can get a functional, beautiful kitchen on the market, for the best return on their investment.  In keeping with the "budget" theme, we are assuming these are DIY projects (if you're not a DIYer, but your buddies are, a cooler of beer and some steaks on the grill might entice them to offer up their skills -- like an old-fashioned barn raising).

The first thing I do with these virtual makeovers, is estimate the room's dimensions by using information I already know, like approximate door widths, appliance dimensions, counter heights, and so on.  Then, if the floor has a pattern, it is often a simple matter of doing a little math.  Next, I do a very quick "back of an envelope" sketch of the existing floor plan, and another quick sketch showing a budget solution.  (I may deviate from the initial solution just a little, as I work into the design.)

{At this point, I would normally insert photos of the floorplan

sketches, but my camera is on the fritz again -- it keeps draining the

batteries really fast -- just zaps them -- to the point that I 

can't get them to recharge.  One new battery gets me about 

twenty pictures, then it's dead forever.  Any ideas?}

I also look for clues about the space in other real estate photos, such as these exterior photos.

These photos help explain the mystery door at the back of the kitchen.  It would appear that it leads to a half flight of stairs to a second back door.  It is also likely that the stairs turn at a landing and continue to the basement.  The deck is accessed from the kitchen via the pantry.

My first advice is to replace part of the kitchen wall that was previously removed.  Since this is a budget remodel, we will not move appliances, plumbing, or major electrical. This kitchen was originally designed as an eat-in kitchen, and feels a little cavernous without a table.

 

The "island" that the sellers are using looks out of place in this kitchen because the scale is wrong.  This kitchen has plenty of room for a large island or a farm table.

This dining room looks as if the furniture was arranged for how people pass through the  room, rather than how the room is used.

The dining room has some peculiar space planning, including two tables -- one of which is a farm table.  By simply moving the table into the kitchen, you can create a space that feels homey and inviting.  Painting the base of the table a distressed white helps tie it into the room, and makes it feel intentional.

The floor must be addressed, as it is partly ripped up.  There are some really good affordable laminates available today, as well as some very good resilient plank flooring.  If the transition between the dining room and the kitchen is done well, no one will be the wiser. (The dining room floor will be a little trickier to patch well.  Hopefully, there is flooring in a closet somewhere that can be pulled up and fingered into the dining room floor!)

 Now, are you ready to see the first installment 

of the kitchen makeover?

Here is a reminder of how it looks now.

I recommend boxing in the fridge, as well as shrinking the opening to the pantry by about a foot.  Right now the fridge is just sort of floating.  It looks like an afterthought.  By simply bringing out that wall next to it, and boxing it in, you can create an intentional design that looks like it has always been there.  Also, reversing the swing on the refrigerator door is simple and free, and will add tremendous function to the space.

This kitchen had no upper cabinets and it just wasn't working.  I understand the trend right now is to remove upper cabinets, but most people want their uppers.  Not floating shelves.  Upper cabinets.  With doors.  Certainly, there are times when shelves are the best option, but most of us have odds and ends we end up tucking into our cabinets.  It's not always pretty. Most of us need some cabinets with doors. The first two shelves in an upper cabinet are at eye level, and comfortable to reach -- a back saver when you're unloading the dishwasher.

• This renovation, while definitely a "budget" design, will still involve some outlay of cash for materials.  
• It will require framing and drywall and trim supplies for the two walls that need work -- about 7 linear feet of wall needs to be added.
• I would recommend butcher block counters from IKEA -- they are the most affordable countertop option.  
• Additionally, three upper cabinets will need to be  purchased, as well as one blind corner base cabinet.  
• Although not necessary if the wallet is terribly thin, a really nice option for lighting is to add track lighting.  Track lighting supports pendants and directional lighting, and can be installed using existing wiring.
• The kitchen and pantry together will need about three hundred square feet of flooring.
• The project will need about eight sheets of bead board paneling.
• Again, though not completely necessary, a chandelier over the table really works in this space. Check clearance racks at big box stores and lighting supply stores.  I found my dining room chandelier on clearance for $39!
• Inexpensive curtains can be found at discount stores or thrift stores.  Pretty sheets can also be shortened and used.
• A range hood is needed.

The total outlay can be kept around $2000, with careful shopping and some hard work, but the finished project will look like you spent $20,000!  Here is the before and after again:

This is Part One of this Queen Anne Bungalow Kitchen Makeover. Please watch for the next installment, showing the rest of the kitchen,  in a few days.  If you don't already follow House Revivals blog, be sure to hit "follow", in my side bar, so you are sure not to miss Part Two!

Edit:  Part Two has been posted!  See it here.

flower in vase painting-Elizabeth Lee

apple painting-Michael Anthony

chandelier-CSN lighting

center piece-MeganHobson.com

All real estate photos found on cbbain.com, courtesy of Windemere, Capitol Hill

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2805
French Country Cottage
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Hookin' Up With HoH
Between U and Me
A Glimpse Inside
Stuff and Nonsense
No Minimalist Here
Shabby Creek Cottage

2012 Word of the Year

It's that time again.  Time to sit down and think about past years, and moving forward into a new year.  For the last two years, I have had a "word to live by" -- a word of the year.  Last year, my word was beauty.  I shared a little about it in this post.  This rustic sign was created as a reminder.

The last two years have been REALLY hectic.  We finished up a home renovation and sold our home in Colorado, after several months of having a long distance marriage.  We put our household goods into four storage lockers in two different states and moved across the country.

We planned the wedding of the century for our oldest child.

 Crystal Brand Photography

While living in a postage stamp sized apartment in the city, we purchased, and began renovating a beach house two hours away.  This was not your typical renovation -- the house had been mostly gutted, and had lost it's view, due to a growing sand dune.  We designed and managed an extensive renovation, that included lifting the beach house nine feet!

We ended up having to temporarily stop the renovations, when our daughter's husband was sent to Afghanistan months earlier than planned.  Our daughter was in her last trimester of pregnancy, and her husband did not want her to be alone, so she moved into the beach house (with large dog, cat, and bunny in tow), and we brought the renovations to a stopping point just in time for the arrival of a sweet grandbaby.

It's probably just as well that we took a little break from the beach house reno, because about this time, things got really complicated -- we purchased a pied-a-terre in the city.

We were so thrilled to find a bank-owned, bargain waterfront condo in the middle of our huge city, minutes from downtown, with a boat slip and a parking space and a storage locker, that we were willing to overlook the fact that this condo had no bathroom fixtures, no stove, no fridge, and a barely functional kitchen layout after a DIY flipper had gotten hold of the place, botched his renovations, and been foreclosed on.

Yikes!  Our lives were really getting complicated!  Life with two households can get crazy.  We learned right away, that mail needs to arrive at only one place.  Otherwise, things get lost or forgotten -- not good, when you're talking about household bills.  Even shopping for two households is complicated.

Source

You think you have cooking oil (or toilet paper, or soap, etc.), because you just bought some, then you realize you bought it for the condo, not the house....  I've tried buying in bulk at Costco, splitting the packages, then leaving half the stuff in the car for the next trip to the other place.  That works, unless a spouse or other helpful person sees the stuff in the car, and carries it in for you.... OR, you take a different car the next time you go to the other place....  I was looking for the Worcestershire sauce the other day, getting really frustrated, because I had just seen it in the fridge!  I finally realized it was in the other fridge....

source

Our beach house was supposed to be our refuge, our relief from the hustle and bustle of city life -- a place to go to recharge our batteries, and reconnect with nature.  I was so busy the other day on "projects", that I didn't think to look out the banks of windows at our amazing view.  When I realized the sun had gone down, and I had not once glanced at all that beauty before me, I felt kind of ashamed....

We bought a condo on the water so we could see the reflections of the city lights at the end of the day, and be able to take our canoe out on the spur of the moment; but if we keep the curtains drawn, and work during every spare moment, we will miss out on those things.

We need to simplify.  We need to make simpler choices, so we have time to paddle around our little bay. 

We need to simplify.  We need to realize that there will be lots of time for house projects -- they are not going anywhere, but our little granddaughter is growing and changing daily, and her Daddy will return and take his beautiful wife and daughter away before we know it.

We need to simplify.  We need to hold hands and watch TV.  We need to take in the sunsets. We need to snuggle our granddaughter.  We need to cherish our time with our daughter.  We need to slow down, and breathe.

My word of the year is simplify.  Do you have a word of the year?

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The Lettered Cottage

Free CEU Courses for Interior Designers

Never again. No not ever.  Do you know how I spent the last few days of 2011?  Working on interior design CEU courses. I spent precious hours reading power points, watching videos, and taking quizzes -- hours that could have been spent enjoying time with family over the holidays.

One of many skills of an interior designer is the ability to draw.  This artist study was created as an experiment in style range. Drawing isn't the only knowledge area for a designer, however.  Codes, and building systems, and materials, and environmental psychology, and art -- the list goes on.  Designers are required to continue their education to maintain their professional status.

Professional organizations usually offer several opportunities to attend events where you can earn CEUs throughout the year, and these are often free.  BUT, these events may not fit into your schedule.  Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in continuing education -- I have taken several continuing education design courses in the last couple of years that I felt would enhance my work, but they weren't recognized by my organization's accrediting body.

Your interior designer is trained to create a variety of schematics for your project, to help you achieve a great outcome.

I had been looking at some online CEU courses, through my professional organization's website, but most of them were expensive, and I'd blown my budget on those unaccredited courses (which I loved).  At the last moment, when I was about to bite the bullet, and pay for some courses, I stumbled upon some free online courses!

Knowledge of materials is important in creating designs.  These concepts were very quickly sketched out, based on available iron components. CEU courses are often offered by members of particular materials industries. Furnishings manufacturers and industry publishers are also great sources for CEU courses.

For all you designers out there who don't want to spend the last days of the year working on CEUs, and don't have time to attend lots of events that offer CEUs, here are a few links to sites that offer free CEU courses.  Some of them are VERY good.  I particularly liked the Sherman Williams course on Color and Culture.

• Herman Miller offers a course on workplace collaboration.
• Terri Taylor's Design Biz Blueprint offered a free CEU webinar in December.  It's definitely worth watching her blog for similar opportunities in the future -- plus, it's a great blog.
• The Wallcoverings Association offers a free course on, you guessed it, wallcoverings!
• Interior Design Magazine has links to several free online CEU courses on their website, including a course on acoustics, one on vinyl flooring, and a really great course on color.
• McGraw-Hill Construction Continuing Education Center has an extensive list of free CEU courses that may work for you, check with your accrediting body to be sure. 
• Interiors and Sources offers several IDCEC approved CEU courses, including a few video courses.
• AEC Daily offers an extensive list of free online CEU courses.  Click on course "details" to see which organizations accept the course.
• Ron Blank and Associates webpage has links to many free CEU courses for design professionals.  Check each course to see which organizations recognize it.
• The ADA National Network offers several free CEU courses.  I have no idea if the credits will be recognized by a design accrediting body, but these courses are worth looking into regardless of accreditation.

This is not a conclusive list -- just something to get you started if you are looking for free online Continuing Education classes.  Be sure to check the accrediting bodies for each individual course to see if it will work for you.  Personally, I plan to take several courses that aren't recognized by the IDCEC, in addition to taking my required CEUs.

For my fellow designers and design enthusiasts, I hope you found this helpful!  Have a lovely weekend.

Goals for Our Home in 2012

Last year, I participated in a "goals for my home" linky. I'm not sure if anyone is hosting a similar link party this year, but I thought it would be fun to look back over last year's goals, compare to actual progress made, and decide on some new goals for moving forward in 2012.  The year brought a lot of changes.

We started the year in tiny temporary digs in the city, while we renovated our recently purchased beach house.  Things were going pretty smoothly, but behind schedule, for the first few months.  Then things got crazy.

Our daughter, whose husband was being deployed to Afghanistan, was expecting a baby.  She was supposed to move into the beach house with us a few weeks after the baby's arrival.

Momma's Hands Etsy Shop

She and her husband were going to have a few lovely weeks together with the baby before he deployed.

Well, life never quite works out quite as you plan, does it?  Our son-in-law's deployment date was moved forward, and instead of deploying in August, he deployed in late spring.  Our son-in-law did not want his expectant wife living alone in her final weeks of pregnancy, so she came to us a few months earlier than planned.

To put this in "remodel perspective", our house was up on cribbing going into March, and we needed to be expectant momma ready in June!  Our main goal for our home in 2011 was to create a comfortable and welcoming place for guests.  Who knew that it would also be our trial by fire?

 This montage was created last spring to show progress of the project as it related to our original concept.

We really needed to bring the remodel to a stopping point.  Fast.  Unfortunately, we had one delay after another about this time!  One general contractor was having health problems, our framer had a death in the family, our GC's regular tile setter passed away and was replaced by the "tile setter who texted all day", our drywaller had a fall on the job, our GC had a fall on the job, and our electrician's granddaughter had a tragic accident.  Each one of these things increased the timeline on our project by weeks.

The clock was ticking.  My daughter arrived in town, and the house was not ready.  We moved her into a hotel suite.  In our resort town.  In high season.  Sigh....

After more than a week in the hotel, our guest wing was finished, so we moved in.  We still had no master bathroom, though, as the "tile setter who texted all day" was having a hard time setting tile while holding his phone...

And then there was the kitchen.  Our cabinets were supposed to have arrived the week my daughter arrived, at the latest.  Alas, they did not.  The local company we ordered our cabinets through used our deposit check to pay off other invoices, instead of using it to order my cabinets from the cabinet maker!  After much buck passing, one employee was fired, and my project was even further behind.....

We eventually got our cabinets, and sink, and countertops.  I actually forgot I had a new kitchen sink a couple of times, and carried the dishes into the bathroom to wash them :)

We also eventually got the most amazing granddaughter!   I was feeling like a bit of a failure at my 2011 Goals for my Home, until I remembered that my goals were all about hospitality.   And I realized that 2011 has only been about hospitality -- starting with preparing the home for our daughter and granddaughter.

Of course, when a new baby arrives, so do visitors!   After the baby's late July arrival, we had lots of visitors.  Both of the baby's uncles made the trip, one bringing a girl to "meet the parents". 

My mother-in-law came and stayed for a couple of weeks.  It was lovely to have her, and she was a great sport about using a cardboard box for an end table!  (most of our stuff was still in storage!)

A dear friend came out from Colorado, and she didn't care one bit about the cardboard box, either!  We had work colleagues out for the weekend, and we boiled crabs on our deck, and made a "table" from a door and two sawhorses.  The dinner was fantastic, and the company was even better!  Our guests did not mind at all that we were surrounded by tools and paint cans, and using step ladders and buckets for chairs. They felt welcomed and relaxed, and loved the view of crashing surf from their various perches!

Other colleagues came out for a clam dig.  They were unconcerned that the exterior painting never was finished before the rains started.  In fact, they had lived their whole lives in city apartments, and had never been in a house the size of ours.  They thought it was amazing and wonderful, and did not mind at all that they had to use TV trays for end tables (our stuff was *still* in storage)!

The house didn't look anything like I had envisioned it.  It still doesn't, but it will....

....in time....

....for now,  I think my new goal is to slow down, simplify, and enjoy.   I want to especially enjoy these precious last weeks snuggling that grandbaby -- and watching our beautiful daughter, blossoming into motherhood. She is an amazing mother.  My son-in-law will be back before we know it, and I'm guessing he's going to want his wife and baby to join him....  Funny (and wonderful) how that works....

There will be plenty of time to fuss over the house later.  For now,  we've discovered our guests are coming to see us.  They don't care if we are using cardboard boxes and TV trays as end tables, they are coming to visit us -- the view and the salt air is a bonus.  A warm, comfortable bed, a great meal, and good company -- what more is there, really?

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The Nester