Home & Hearth
Old + New = Improved
Remodeling projects can sometimes snowball into other areas in your home. Many homes today have kitchens that are open to living areas. Once a living room or family room is updated, suddenly the kitchen can start to look tired. You notice the lights are from another era, and there aren’t nearly enough of them, or the cabinets are in great shape, but the pulls don’t look so good. All of these little things can add up to a feeling of hopelessness. Where do you begin? How do you transform an outdated kitchen without spending a fortune? How can you blend new ideas into an existing kitchen?
Recently, I made a quick trip to the home of my sister, Becky, in Minnesota. She’s on the verge of redecorating her living room, dining room, and kitchen. She doesn’t quite know how to define her style, but she knows the colors she prefers and the feeling she wants to achieve. Becky wants to remove the clutter, get away from the "country" look, and keep her decorating simple this time around.
The first suggestion I made was to remove the valance above the window, which serves no purpose. The globe light in the ceiling above the valance can be removed and replaced with a new pendant light. The lights in the living room and above the dining room table can be matched to this new pendant light fixture. There are several interesting choices for finishes on light fixtures including copper, oil-rubbed bronze, pewter, and of course brushed chrome. The finish on the light fixtures can be repeated in new cabinet pulls, decorative accessories, or picture frames.
Becky’s husband, Brian, is an accomplished wood worker. He’s going to build a bookcase/wine rack cabinet to be added next to the refrigerator. At the same time, he could change the top moulding treatment, which will tie the new cabinet and other cabinets together. Colors from the living room can be repeated in the wall color, new upholstery on the seats of the dining room chairs, and even in wall tile we discussed adding above the backsplash in the kitchen. The final touch would be to add a new Corian island top in a soft sage green to replace the laminate top there now. I don’t know how much of my advice they’ll use, but I was glad to be there to offer insight and give them hope. Knowing my sister, whatever she does will be just perfect. TPW
Recently, I made a quick trip to the home of my sister, Becky, in Minnesota. She’s on the verge of redecorating her living room, dining room, and kitchen. She doesn’t quite know how to define her style, but she knows the colors she prefers and the feeling she wants to achieve. Becky wants to remove the clutter, get away from the "country" look, and keep her decorating simple this time around.
The first suggestion I made was to remove the valance above the window, which serves no purpose. The globe light in the ceiling above the valance can be removed and replaced with a new pendant light. The lights in the living room and above the dining room table can be matched to this new pendant light fixture. There are several interesting choices for finishes on light fixtures including copper, oil-rubbed bronze, pewter, and of course brushed chrome. The finish on the light fixtures can be repeated in new cabinet pulls, decorative accessories, or picture frames.
Becky’s husband, Brian, is an accomplished wood worker. He’s going to build a bookcase/wine rack cabinet to be added next to the refrigerator. At the same time, he could change the top moulding treatment, which will tie the new cabinet and other cabinets together. Colors from the living room can be repeated in the wall color, new upholstery on the seats of the dining room chairs, and even in wall tile we discussed adding above the backsplash in the kitchen. The final touch would be to add a new Corian island top in a soft sage green to replace the laminate top there now. I don’t know how much of my advice they’ll use, but I was glad to be there to offer insight and give them hope. Knowing my sister, whatever she does will be just perfect. TPW