Kitchen Mini-Reno - The Cabinets

<center></center><center></center>This week is a little crazy. Our church does a stay-away camp for hundreds of teenage girls in our area that I was asked to help with and that finally, after months and months of meetings and work, is happening this week. Balancing the end stage planning of that really fun project with all the recent house projects going on here has been a little tricky, but also so exciting! It feels like things are really starting to <i>happen</i> this week! The <a href="http://instagram.com/p/oyWueDQW-3/" target="_blank">bookshelf installers came yesterday</a> and they are a good halfway there and the other projects are ahead of or at least right on schedule. I only hope this pace continues until our big photo shoot deadline at the beginning of July (Knock on wood!).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo DSC_0583.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/DSC_0583.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><img alt=" photo aDSC_0445.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/aDSC_0445.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />So, the kitchen. Many of you have weighed in as I've bounced around different thoughts and plans. I've swung from wanting to do a full-blown-knock-down-tear-out kitchen remodel to "let's just leave it all as-is for another year or two and then renovate" - and every version of a remodel in between.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo ssDSC_04481.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/ssDSC_04481.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><img alt=" photo IMG_0815.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_0815.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><a name="more"></a></div><br />One of the first things I try to figure out about a new client before we start working together is their change tolerance. Some people need more time on decisions, some people move very, very quickly. Usually somewhere in between yields the best results. Unfortunately, I swing a little more on the side of "very quick" decision maker when it comes to my own house choices, which comes back to bite me sometimes. I've been trying to learn how to slow down and pace my decisions, but I am super comfortable with change. I'd love to move to a new house every year if I could! Or at least I'd love have a new kitchen every year if it wasn't so expensive and wasteful! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_08071.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/ALBUM%2021/IMG_08071.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4785.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4785.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I spent a little more time thinking about what I wanted to do in this kitchen than I might normally spend, and I still waffled right up to the very end on how much money and effort we should put in here. This room is a head-scratcher for me. It really, really bothered me how much I didn't like the room we spent a huge amount of time in every day. But I think we've finally figured out a longer-term plan that makes sense for the house and for us.<br /><br />I'm sure you remember that we're going to need a new roof here in the next year or two. The roof (which is going to cost a ton) is higher priority than a fully brand new, re-worked kitchen. So we decided to spend the next 1-3 years putting our pennies away for a new roof and a new kitchen. And in the meantime, we'd do a Jenny style make-it-work remodel in the kitchen. Because of the photo shoot, I can't show you one or two angles, but I want to share a lot of the process with you over the course of a couple posts. We're about 90% done now and I can't believe how new the room feels! And it also feels bigger! A huge part of the change was removing the granite.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aaDSC_0500.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/aaDSC_0500.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />I really tried guys. I wanted to make this work, but it was a doomed relationship from the start. It's not you, Granite! It was me all along.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aDSC_0508.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/aDSC_0508.jpg" /></div><br />Slowly and carefully we scored and pried, and the granite was removed. The cut out parts by the sink and cooktop ended up snapping, but all the other lengths were successfully salvaged and are being reworked for another family's bathrooms.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aDSC_0490.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/aDSC_0490.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><img alt=" photo IMG_4931.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4931.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And we used plywood to build countertop bases for concrete. I was really tempted to go with stone, but it was a pretty obvious choice to go with the concrete overlay. It looks great and it's CHEAP. Like less than $100 for all the materials required here (concrete, plywood, concrete color additive). Actually scratch that. The sealer I bought this time was about $100 alone, but it was worth the splurge. It's really good and it's food-safe, which is so important for a kitchen space, obviously. I'm totally getting ahead of myself though. More on concrete later.</div><br /><img alt=" photo IMG_5015.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_5015.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After removing the granite, it seemed like a good time to have our handyman install a vent hood. There had been a downdraft vent at one point, so we just had to open up the drywall and connect the new overhead hood with the existing vent to the outside. It was so simple and I have been SO HAPPY to cook lately. :) No ventilation is bad, bad news, guys!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5026.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_5026.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I wish the hood didn't show at all, but we only had a couple of inches to work with (the HVAC vents are right above this, so we couldn't get any more height - grrr) and this was the thinnest vent we could find for the money. It's worked out though - we ended up running concrete all the way up the back wall, so now it's a lot less noticeable. I'd rather have an inch or two of hood visible than no hood at all I guess.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5021.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_5021.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5020.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_5020.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You probably noticed the color change on the cabinets here. This is the primer coat, so it's brighter than the final color (Ben Moore's Swiss Coffee). We wanted to go with a really warm white to balance out the cool wall color (Titanium). The floors are probably going to get a change too. We had a few drips and spills while doing the cabinet frames and the concrete so we need to do touch ups anyway. Might as well go a little lighter.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aaDSC_0431.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/aaDSC_0431.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo aDSC_0423.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/aDSC_0423.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The cabinets were updated with some L-shaped corner moulding, cut with my miter saw and installed with a really cheap pinner gun I got on clearance at Lowes. It took a full day to get just the moulding on (sooooo many cuts), but I love the cleaner look of the shaker style fronts. We saved a ton of money by going this route and salvaging the cabinet doors, drawers and frames, so it ended up being worth the effort.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4766.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4766.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I bought a new spray gun with a wider spray radius than the Critter. I will defend <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-best-and-easiest-to-use-spray-gun.html" target="_blank">my undying love for the Critter</a> til the day I die, but it does spray a little slower and finer than the bigger guns. I found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CLWWQIO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CLWWQIO&linkCode=as2&tag=littgreenote-20&linkId=FFVEH4LLV3RBWEP4" target="_blank">this Grace airless sprayer</a> at Lowes on clearance (they have the BEST deals on clearance tools!) and it's been pretty great. The airless feature means you don't need an air compressor. You just plug it in, fill the cup with paint and start spraying. I'm really happy with how fast it sprays and how smooth the finish is. This is the primer coat below, after we had sanded and caulked the new moulding.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo cIMG_4937.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/cIMG_4937.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After taking these photos, I sprayed a second coat and covered the drawer sides and glides on that pass, so everything is white now. It is such a clean look.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4341.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4341.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The cabinet frames are not the best, but they function and now they're much prettier. I'm waiting for the hardware still and I'll show some afters soon and talk more about the counters. We went with black and I'm pretty much in heaven with the combo of the dark counters and the creamy white cabs. Good stuff.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_5029.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_5029.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I'm so happy we decided to just make the big stuff work for another year or two. To me, a few days of hard labor and a couple hundred bucks are work it to have a prettier kitchen, even if it is just a temporary fix.</div></div></div>

Kitchen Mini-Reno - The Cabinets

This week is a little crazy. Our church does a stay-away camp for hundreds of teenage girls in our area that I was asked to help with and th...

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Nordstrom Rack Give Away!!

I don't know about you, but I could use a little retail therapy right about now! :) Stressed to the max over here.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/2.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://9nl.eu/y5rf" target="_blank">1</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/980j" target="_blank">2</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/1b0a" target="_blank">3</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/980j" target="_blank">4</a></div><br />But there's good news for both of us! <a href="http://9nl.eu/qtjk" target="_blank">Nordstrom Rack</a> is now online and if you have a HauteLook account, you are already signed up for Nordstrom Rack. It couldn't be easier to get up to 70% off our favorite brands (with free shipping on orders over $100 - AND they ship to Canada and Australia as well as the US!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/4.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://9nl.eu/pgat" target="_blank">1</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/mcq8" target="_blank">2</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/9gut" target="_blank">3</a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/3.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://9nl.eu/1n22" target="_blank">1</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/zybf" target="_blank">2</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/uup2" target="_blank">3</a></div><br />To enter to win a $100 gift card to Nordstrom Rack, <a href="http://9nl.eu/qtjk" target="_blank">visit here,</a> sign in and take a look around and then leave a comment on this post with a link to your favorite. I'll turn on anon comments for a few days to make it easy to enter. Contest ends next Friday at midnight. Good luck and HAPPY SHOPPING! :)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/6.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://9nl.eu/d0fw" target="_blank">1</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/980j" target="_blank">2</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/980j" target="_blank">3</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/1.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://9nl.eu/lli9" target="_blank">1</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/1n22" target="_blank">2</a>  //  <a href="http://9nl.eu/v6ec" target="_blank">3</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>This post was brought to you by Nordstrom Rack.</i></div></div>

Nordstrom Rack Give Away!!

I don't know about you, but I could use a little retail therapy right about now! :) Stressed to the max over here. 1  //   2  //   3 ...

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Vintage Daybed: FOUND

<center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4457.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4457.jpg" /></div><br />Guess what?! I found a vintage daybed for the library! I stalked Craigslist like crazy and found a listing for this pretty mid-century chaise only an hour or two after it had been posted. I emailed and then realized in the contact info the lister wanted to be texted or called, so I texted. And then that afternoon I started stressing and I called. I seriously felt so nuts, but that was the exact daybed I had been imagining for in front of the bookshelves! And when I finally did get a hold of the seller late that afternoon while I was at the pool with my girls, he said his phone had been ringing off the hook with offers on the daybed and that it was first come, first served. So naturally I threw on a cover up over my swimsuit, a towel on my hair, and raced down there as fast as I could.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4427.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4427.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />From the listing, I was thinking there was at least a 50/50 chance I'd be able to keep the existing upholstery. The seller said the "linen upholstery" was in perfect condition over the phone. Turns out it is in approaching good-ish condition, there are a few stains and a tiny hint of a musty smell. And in person the texture of the fabric reads way more "Brady Bunch" than "Belgian linen," which makes total sense, of course.<br /><a name="more"></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo cIMG_4434.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/cIMG_4434.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo ccIMG_4437.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/ccIMG_4437.jpg" /></div><br />So I dug around in my fabric stash to see if I could make good use of some of my hoard. I think it just might be time for Bengal Bazaar to finally make an appearance in my own house. I've been in love with the almost-ikat, sort of Southwest-feeling (so appropriate right?) pattern for years and have been lugging around this remnant with me since we lived in Delaware!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4480.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4480.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />It looks good on the day bed, right? (though now I'm seeing that the pattern is upside down in the photo! whoops.) I definitely still love the idea of a floral pattern, but I think this achieves a similar look, but without going full-on girly. A lot of the colors of the fabrics in these two rooms are going to get changed this month and I think the more neutral pattern is a better choice for the space.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4482.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4482.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo cIMG_4485.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/cIMG_4485.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm most happy with how it fits in the room! There's still plenty of floor space for traffic flow once the bookshelves are installed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4492.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4492.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love how it is more open to the bookshelves than a sofa would be, but more than one person can comfortably sit there and get back support like with a sofa.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo vIMG_4468.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/vIMG_4468.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Speaking of which - the CL seller had reworked the back support of the daybed and decided to spray paint it gray, which I think I'll change. The base is in beautiful shape, but the legs need a little bit of scrubbing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo vIMG_4451.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/vIMG_4451.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo IMG_4446.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/IMG_4446.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><div><br /></div>The big bookshelf installation was postponed a week, which was a big bummer because this summer is going to be insanely busy. We're hosting a ton of family parties, showers and even a reunion here and I'm anxious to get most of the common areas done or close to it. We also have some really fun photo shoots scheduled that are only furthering the anxiety/pressure! All good things, but I'm trying to keep clear about what it is that I want for the house long-term and avoid the tendency I have sometimes to buy make-it-work stuff when I'm up against deadlines. So far I think we're doing pretty good! Getting the bookshelves in finally will be a big win, for sure. Jason ran the electrical for us this week so we can install the picture lights after the bookshelves come in. It's so funny - every time we open up the drywall I can spy two or three old beer cans from the 80s inside. Those builders really loved their Bud! ha!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo cIMG_4488.jpg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/cIMG_4488.jpg" style="text-align: start;" /></div><br />Oh, and PS!! Domino named LGN one of their <a href="http://domino.com/the-best-design-blogs" target="_blank">26 favorite design blogs</a>! There were some old friends and favorites there on the list, and some new-to-me sites that I'm excited to fall in love with too. <a href="http://domino.com/the-best-design-blogs" target="_blank">Check them out</a>!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><center></center></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" photo 0057778756b7c7004f61eef2ac1b846b.jpeg" border="0" src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/Album%2020/0057778756b7c7004f61eef2ac1b846b.jpeg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

Vintage Daybed: FOUND

Guess what?! I found a vintage daybed for the library! I stalked Craigslist like crazy and found a listing for this pretty mid-century chais...

Read more »