Painted Cabinets

I have fallen in love with the clean lines of painted shaker style cabinets.  I think we are going to opt for a similar pale blue/green/grey with white marble tops as shown below.  The look is so peaceful and classic, and we think it will age well.  These pictures are stolen from the Urban Grace Interiors Blog.

 

We are planning to put an island in the middle that will be on casters so that it can be moved.  This island will also serve as the kitchen table since we have converted the dining space into living space.  Of course, our kitchen will be a lot less grand than these pictures.

 

 

 

I also like the chrome drawer pulls, and we are looking at chrome pendant lights as well as a chrome vent for over the cook top. 

 

 

Another great thing about this kitchen we may steal is the transom over the entry way and window.  (Remodeling term alert!  transom - a cross piece separating the door or entry from the fanlight above it)  Its a simple thing to add, but it adds a lot of character. It would run from wall to wall right as you enter the kitchen to help separate the kitchen from the living space since we took out the wall that used to divide the room. We will probably not put glass panes in and just leave it open. 

 

One last picture...Here is the style sink I would like.  It is called a farm house sink.  Beautiful. 

 

 

 

I can't wait until the pictures I am posting are of our actual kitchen and not just idea pictures!!

 

And since we've never really set up a proper kitchen with real dinnerware we might as well do that too, right???   I love these Pfaltzgraff Country Cupboard plates.  Wouldn't they just go right along with everything else?

 

 

 

 

 

Slacker Apartment Update

Well, I've been a slacker, but Andrew sure hasn't.  I have been pretty busy and haven't taken time out to blog anything about the house.  But Andrew and his guys finished up the studio apartment, and we have a renter!!!   It turned out very nice....

  

The area in front of the door is pea gravel, and once the ghetto plywood was removed (it keeps dirt from getting tracked in and out while the work is being done) looked even better.  More landscaping will be added when we move into the main house.

VIEW FROM THE FRONT DOOR...

We put in a ceiling fan in the main living/bedroom area, and there is an AC unit mounted in the window which seems to easily keep the entire apartment cool.  The closet in the back left fits nicely in the space and is big enough for someone to put a lot of their stuff out of sight.  The floor is vinyl tile which is easily cleaned and individual tiles are easily replaced when damaged.

KITCHEN AREA

The under cabinet lights make the kitchen area inviting.  I would have never thought to add this in an apartment.  Great idea, Andrew!  You can see him standing in the bathroom doorway to the left.

BATHROOM...

Small but functional and attractive.

That's about it for the studio apartment.  More posts soon!

This Apartment May Not Be For You.

This little studio apartment sits at the end of the driveway, along side the backyard, and we hope to rent it out soon. 

Here is what it looked like when we first bought the house...

It had some nasty carpet and that back window had no glass in it, so the wildlife could come in and out.  In the back corner was a makeshift closet.  The bathroom is on the left (not pictured).

This is the "in progress" photo.  We ripped out the carpet, removed that closet, patched the walls, and brought in some cabinets and counter tops to be installed.  We chose a more neutral color in a lighter shade for the walls.  Right now, the finishing touches to the bathroom are happening and the floors will hopefully be installed by next week, so we can move in a renter.  This leaves us with one small dilemma.....

Do you tell the new renter that someone has died in the apartment?  Yes, died.

Sooooo, Andrew met one of our new neighbors this week!  It wasn't too long before the "big news" came out. It wasn't anything really sensational like an axe murder or gunfight. (The post title options on that alone would have been great)   According to our new neighbor "Stump" (the name he gave us, not one we gave him) it was a sad, tragic ending of a young life by overdose (our words not his). 

The thing is, Andrew and I aren't the least bit superstitious, and I had honestly forgot about him telling me until tonight and, of course, I thought "Well I'll have to blog this!"   But, this could reduce the appeal of the place in some people's eyes. so lets just keep this between us. 

We'll post the "after" pictures soon!