Monday, June 1, 2009

making your house your own....



warren recently found pictures of our house when we first bought it (5 yrs ago)...i thought it would be fun to share a little before and after. and it is always good to show people what you can achieve w/ a little bit of imagination and a tiny bit of cash. even when funds are tight (aka. first time homeowners), small improvements can go along way. so let's begin:
here is the before picture: scary, i know.... i carried around a notebook of things that i wanted for the house. we started off by painting the entire house. b/c we have an open floor plan in the main rooms (kit, LR, DR, entry), i decided on a historic charleston color: eliza lucas by lord and evans (i think sherwin williams has now bought that color palette).
now the original 1992 kitchen was awful: the floor were a lovely shade of linoleum, the cabinets a nice honey oak from the early 90's, lovely brass pulls on all of the doors, pink-PINK-countertops, an overmount sink, dated appliances, and some wicker light fixture that screams painful over the eating area. a makeover was a must....
when i said i was putting granite in the kitchen, people thought i was crazy...why does a 25 yr old need granite in a starter home...well, b/c i wanted it. i have a strong opinion that you should make your house how you want it , regardless of the value of the home...also, why update right before a house goes on the market...never enjoying it seems very odd to me. so granite is what i got. i made friends with the guy at the granite shop and he gave me a great remnant piece leftover from a beach house. remnant pieces are wonderful for a smaller kitchen or bath...always check and see what selection they have if you are wanting to save money. you may have a seam but if the installers know what they are doing, then it should barely show....a sink is a perfect spot for one.
since we added granite, we needed to install a new sink, ALWAYS use an undermount sink w/ a solid surface. it makes clean up so much easier; you can just sweep the crumbs straight into the sink. i prefer one bowl. lowes didn't offer this, so i went online and found the cheapest one possible and love it. you can do so much w/ one deep bowl- like bath your newborn baby!!
the honey oak cabinets had to go...we didn't have the money to replace the cabinets so we had them painted...what a difference two coats of paint can do!! i had a painter come and put a glaze over them (wouldn't do this now, but at the time i thought it would add some interest). the last thing we did to the cabinets was chunk the brass hardware and add brushed nickel.
we updated the appliances w/ stainless steel. the one thing i would say splurge on, if possible, is the dishwasher...we got a bosch and it is worth every penny; they are so quiet and clean so well. the lovely linoleum was replaced w/ hardwood floors and the wicker light fixture was updated w/ a fabric drum shade. we added an island for more counter space (bed, bath, and beyond) and i had a roman shade made for the window. all of the updates make my kitchen so much better. they didn't break the bank and have been worth every penny spent. and when we do sell our home, it is an investment that we will see return full circle.....so if you are living in an outdated kitchen, start saving...i promise the results will feel so rewarding!!

20 comments:

Rebecca June | Sea Island Drive said...

I think that there is only one thing to say...we must se more pictures of your beautiful home!

Job well done!

xoxo

Rebecca June

Mimi said...

Nice job! We also bought our house 5 years ago and did something similar. I got the bug to take off all of the kitchen cabinets, sand them and paint them when I was pregnant with my son 4 years ago. What a difference paint and new hardware can make. xo

Dumbwit Tellher said...

Terrific transformation. Just paint alone makes the kitchen sing!

angelica said...

i LOVE before and after! thanks for sharing and awesome job

Jennifer said...

great update!

I have the same guilt about having a "nice" first home. what's that about?!

Laura Casey Interiors said...

Looks great! love all of your choices. The pink countertops are hysterical!

Alicia said...

Ahh the wicker petal light fixture...memories.
Granite, stainless, hardwood, painting the cabinets...everything
ever so bang for your buck.
I love your granite tale. I cna't believe anyone ever asked you sucha silly question then, but now they should be bowing to your saviness & taste. And the remnant is always the way to go.
I do find it funny that you wouldn't glaze now when its now the fashionable way to go. I 've heard/seen 3 refernece to it just this past weekend.
Its official ...you are a vanguard!!

erika said...

great job shannon! not that i'm surprised one bit! it's beautiful!

Brooke @ Blueprint Bliss said...

shannon- looks great!

All Women Everywhere said...

Dearest Shannon,

It's official: we love you. Even though it may be blog chain mail, we fell for it, and now we're roped you in, too.

We hearby nominate you for a Splash Award. Thanks for being so fabulous and making us smile.

http://revivalhomeandgarden.blogspot.com/2009/06/you-like-me-you-really-like-me.html

simply seleta said...

oh my gosh, love it shannon!!!

Under a Green Roof said...

I love what you did with the kitchen! excellent!

High-Heeled Foot in the door said...

I love it! It's so much fun to see little sneak peaks into bloggers home and your kitchen did not disappoint.

I'm happy you stood your ground and got the granite. You're the one living there and you should be happy there. Why by something to add to your house only when you are getting ready to move?

Oh totally send the picture of shades you talking about. Thanks!

erin said...

get out! that is the SAME kitchen?! Great work. I totally agree with the doing what you want to your own house, that's how it becomes a home. Brava... now that you've shown this you know you're going to have to post more pics of your own work and own house right?! :-)

Unknown said...

So pretty, we are on the same page, I just posted about an extrem low budget makeover in my house and we used a similar color, I love that blue you used...and your bread box!
( I used to bathe my yougest in our porcelan farmhouse sink...)

Jessica Turnbow said...

That is a HUGE difference! I love it, nice work!

spark! (Ada-Marie) said...

I love your blog! This is a great entry about a real home. Kudos! I just started a little fledgling blog too. Check it out: needspark.wordpress.com. Happy decorating and congrats on the new baby!

Haven and Home said...

Wow! Amazing before and afters! Great job!

McGee said...

Lovely! I'd love to see more photos of your home!

I have to admit - I laughed when I saw the pink laminate countertops because we have them too! Our house was built in 1998, and yep, someone chose mauve pink laminate countertops AND a mauve pink laminate backsplash. Hideous. Absolutely hideous.

Lauren said...

love it shannon!!! your lampshade mm mm!!! want to see more pics!!!
xoxo