Category Archives: Kitchen

family room progress

Posted on by

0

We’ve been really enjoying our Texas spring; we have to, because the Texas summer is next. In between the beautiful weather, we have been working on the family room. I wanted to share some of our progress.

Here’s the original.

Then, I painted the paneling Benjamin Moore AF-130 Truffle here.

Then I painted the fireplace here.

You would think it was all done, right?

No… we decided to do some renovations, like taking down that paneling I painted!?! Just look at what we found!

Scary! Then, we opened the door from the entry way. It looks like it should have been that way! So much more open and inviting!

We found a kitchen “butler window” in the process of taking down the paneling and drywall! Crazy!?!

We also took down the pillars in the kitchen… then the drywall was put into place!

It looked so open and airy! We decided with all that destruction, why replace the old, leaky sliding glass door, too!

It all came together nicely! I painted the walls Benjamin Moore Early Morning Mist 1528 and have plans to paint/stain/tint the wood beams and some day get reclaimed barn wood to put over them. The lighting needs to be addressed, too!! It’s progress. I also have my eye on a big map for the wall as well! I’ll keep you posted!

In the kitchen, I still want to get long drapes, art on the walls, and a new light fixture.

Progress comes in all shapes and sizes! It’s been really fun revealing our! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

third time’s a charm, right!

Posted on by

1

So, I feel like I’m Picasso in the many periods of his painting and sculpture career. Except my work is within one canvas, and my periods have taken months not years to produce. Ha.  I’m comparing myself to Picasso? Sorry.

With the new installation of the wood flooring, the chocolate-brown kitchen made the room really dark, so I decided to change the kitchen color… again. We went from navy wallpaper (and 4 layers underneath) to bird-egg blue to chocolate brown and now a grayish with green/yellow undertones. Benjamin Moore calls it Stingray 1529, in eggshell… I’m not painting this kitchen again! Because it’s perfect!

Below is the progression of the kitchen.

The Original ~ Again, I wish I took more pictures of the original, but oh well!

Blue Period

Brown Period – with Laminate floors

Brown Period – Wood Floors

The Present

Just envision some white subway tiles, grayish granite counter tops, farmers sink, new appliances and can lighting… I can see it! I get really excited imagining what it could look like… something like this:

or this.

Our BIG, fun reveal is our new entry into the kitchen!! We had dated columns between the kitchen and family room which I struggled with. I wanted to keep the character and old charm of the house but some things had to go, and this was one of them. I wanted a more open feeling in the kitchen and a little more space for four chairs and table in our kitchen nook, so we decided to do it!  We also took down the wainscoting and took care of the weird mold (surprise!) growing behind the window. Yay!

I’m thinking of this kitchen set from west elm for our kitchen!! I would also like to frame out the window and put in crown molding throughout the kitchen! I think it would look fabulous!

Poof it’s gone…

We’re really excited about the progress, and I’m sure you can see we’re doing something to the family room?!? I’m so excited!!  Stay tuned!

wood floors & baseboards

Posted on by

0

Wow! With the holidays over we are excited to reveal some major goodness in the Snitker household! We’ve been working through the holidays and beyond to have our whole house transformed!

First we had to pick the wood – hickory or birch?

Then we had to prepare the whole house for the installers, which meant taking out all of the carpet and baseboard! Paul actually did most of this while I was in Chicago! Smart planning on my part!

Then we left it to the professionals! First, they set down plywood!

The plywood made everything feel real! We were excited to see the wood, too… but first we got a sneak peek of the wood. Hickory.

After the installers left, we were still in need of some baseboards before the big reveal… We still haven’t picked out “the one” but here are some options.

Otherwise, Here’s a mini-reveal or a “progress reveal” of the wood, because I know there have been people REALLY wanting to see these results! Okay, just my dad. It’s been a big transformation!

Entry – Before

Entry – After

Living Room – Before

Living – After

Kitchen – Before

Kitchen – After

Office – Before

Office – After  (Please disregard the mess! I wanted to get this post up and it shows I’m human.)

Hall – Before

Hall ~ After

We have both been so pleased with the results.  It really brings cohesiveness to the entire house and adds some luxury in our standard ranch style home. I’m in love with the floors and cannot wait for the baseboards to get here!

switchin’ up the kitch

Posted on by

1

Since I last wrote there has been a lot going on in my personal world, hence the limited amount of love to my blog. But it hasn’t been far from my mind. I’ve maintained trying to do things around the house for fear of going crazy; after all, it’s a passion of mine. (interior design, not the crazy) This house is such a good therapy tool, a way to take your mind off everything else or at least try to.  I now realize the use and effectiveness of such programs as art and music therapy.

During this down time, I found my inspiration in a House Beautiful magazine I picked up on a whim during a recent stop to our local grocery store.  I always elect for the longest grocery lines, so I have the ability to gently page through magazines and not feel guilty for buying magazine that will likely sit on my coffee table for ages.  When I was younger, I was lured into the checkout isle for US Weekly, Cosmo, and People. Now that I’m older and a homeowner, I’m compelled to skim through Southern Living, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart, Cooking magazines, and the occasional US Weekly – Kim Kardashian did what?!  These are all fun to explore during long lines at the grocery store, and sometimes they make it home with me.  That being said, I picked a color from a House Beautiful article, Ralph Lauren (color matched to Home Depot Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint) in Chocolate Souffle.  It was instant love at first coat!  The warm chocolate-brown looks great; I just can’t wait to find the right pedestal table and chairs!

Beginning

Blue Kitchen

Final LOVE!

We also bought new knobs and handles making most of our navy memories, float way!

We have the hinges and lighting left to change out, and then we can start setting the room!

paint gods

Posted on by

3

The paint gods have cast what seems to be their shadow of disdain over our house for a couple of weeks now, and this weekend, just as I thought we were breaking through, was no exception.

I had intensions of completing the office this weekend. Painting the shelves, organizing the books/stuff, putting up frames, etc, but it didn’t happen and I’m actually really bummed about it.

This is what I’m talking about… it needed work.  I get hives just looking at the mess.

First we picked a color. Brick Red or Olive Green?

Then on Friday, I took down all the bookshelves’ items and started the painting process… again.  I think I might start a countdown of how many rooms I have left. I got two coats of paint rolled on of Olympic No VOC paint (color matched to Benjamin Moore georgian brick HC-50).  I used Olympic because I was so impressed with the fireplace, though it didn’t coat as well. I knew I would have to put a solid three coats on to make it look good, but the price was right.  Next time I’ll stick with what I like.

This is what it looked like after two coats…

Saturday, I started the edging.  But the moment I started the edging, the rolled paint started coming up!Seriously, this is not making me happy.  All that time, all that work, and it’s peeling away.  So, I started peeling it too… which left me back at square one, defeated, and saddened that I had wasted much of my weekend.

For obvious reasons, there is no photos taken during frustrations.  

I then googled what had went wrong. I believe I found the reason. I have oil based paint on the shelves, which need to be sanded or primed with adhesive primer before I start again… it won’t be this weekend. But at least I have a reason things didn’t work out. To make the best of a no-paint weekend. (tear.) I loaded the shelves like they had the dramatic backdrop and did a little photo shoot.  It made me feel a little better to have a semi-clean office. Don’t worry a new fan’s on the list!!

Bookshelf photo shoot

In other news, Paul and I picked one of our colors for the kitchen and put bigger samples on the wall. Dun, Dun, Dun!!

And the winner is…. not this one. It’s still not the right color. I want a solid color in the kitchen… just need to find it.

Lastly, Saturday, Paul and I went to the home and garden show in Dallas to get ideas on windows, flooring, etc.  and we decided to do the unthinkable!  Unthinkable in my book.  Since getting married, we have never had cable, we never really needed it nor wanted the “idiot box” part of our daily routine. But I honestly couldn’t stand looking at those rabbit ears anymore, especially on my new fireplace, and Paul hated not being able to watch the football games.  So we bit the bullet and got cable. I’m still kind of sad in my decision as I have this vision my children or Paul or myself watching TV 24-7 instead of talking, reading, playing outside. We’ll see… we can always cancel it.

Bunny ears in the middle of my poor beautiful fireplace.

Now, NO bunny ears!! Yay!

Here’s a fun angle from our family room.  I think it’s getting there.  Just a couple photos left to mount on the wall but all-in-all we’re happy with the space.

it’s a marathon

Posted on by

3

My generation and the ones following get looked down upon for our demands to have instant gratification. We want the goods delivered. Fast and now. I, too, want it now. I’m willing to put in some effort to get things done, but I want it done well, and I want it now. I want my house to be painted, cleaned, window treatments hung, wood floors installed, beautiful hand-picked pieces for every room, all my magazines read and finished, and all my books and movies read or watched on my “I should read/watch list”. But I have to remember this is not how it works. It takes time!! It all takes time. Unless, as Paul pointed out, I would just do crack; then, maybe I would have more time…

This comes to me in a time of despair.

I’ve been having trouble lately with colors. Making my want-it-now attitude turn sour because now I have to re-do it, again.  Here’s my problem: I have this wonderful idea in my head of the exact color I want, but I’m unable to translate that idea into reality when I get to the store to color-match the paint.  Or it looks great in a blog post or article and horrible in my house. It’s like reading a great book with all your wonderfully vivid characters in your head and then watching the movie and wondering how the director could butcher all the characters that badly. Except in this case, I am both the book reader and director. So, as I promised from the beginning, I’ll tell you about the good and the bad.

Here’s a list of my distasteful color choices, and their appropriate names, in case you would like to bring them to your home … maybe you could make them loved? In no particular order.

Laundry closet – Benjamin Moore marblehead gold HC-11 – Does anything look good with open-faced/cobbled cabinets and a fire extinguisher?? Really?

Bookshelves – Benjamin Moore providence olive HC-98

Kitchen – Benjamin Moore yarmouth blue HC-150 – It’s not bad, but it’s all wrong.  I cannot explain it.

The kitchen was so bad that I woke the next morning after it was finished with hoping it was all just a bad dream. Maybe I dreamt the hideous blue on the walls? Maybe it looks better today, in the morning sun? But it wasn’t. It was still as bright and as awful as it was before. So, I walked into the kitchen, took out all the color samples I owned and painted. Not even the morning coffee could take me away. Until, Paul with his infinite wisdom (or being of the male species) said not to waste my time. “We have to figure out our water damage situation before we paint the whole kitchen anyway, Sarah.”

So, I walked away… I’ll figure it out… later.  Here’s the samples… I want a color?  Not white or beige, a real color. Any ideas?

My favorite is the top left but we’ll see…

This idea of getting things done was emphasized when I revisited an article I read a month ago in Real Simple. It’s about this girl who always had a to-do list or numbers in her head, from her caloric intake to the day her infant would be a toddler.  This sounded familiar to my own life.  I too have deadlines: when I’m able to do something or eat something or even when I’m able to go to the bathroom.

“Fold the rest of the laundry and then you can go to the bathroom, Sarah.” Seriously?

I have countless to-do lists from books to read, movies to watch, flea markets to check out, the lists for the house, to detailed hourly schedule for a weekend, a work week.  It’s kind of crazy.

So, I vowed on this “labor day” that I would still have a to-do list BUT I won’t have them haunt me if/when I’m unable to finish everything. Maybe even scratch the list completely for a dinner out with friends, or a movie in the afternoon. Life is life and I will reference this article frequently until it becomes second nature!  As Paul says, “it’s not a crisis”.

Real Simple article Count Me Out

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/inspiration-motivation/counting-00100000062753/index.html

Otherwise, this weekend was comprised of little tasks: painting missed spots, covering holes, organizing paperwork, and one BIG monster project that was both exciting and scary.  I’ll just get to the big guy, he was sitting in our family room sucking the energy out of the space but I felt he was ready for rehab and a new look on life. ;)

He looked like this (below) before I decided the unthinkable!

Sarah, it looks like you have some good ideas but I just wanted to tell you, you know if you paint the fireplace, well, you can never paint it back. ~ A.S.

before

First, I started by taking down the bronze door and washing off all the brick with a little soap and water.  I vacuumed around the door frame because that was McNasty. Oh, the layers of dust. Which lead me to this… already an improvement! I also sanded the mantle surface so the primer would have something to stick to. The little LED tripod work light in the fireplace is a little wonder! Paul got it for Christmas a few years back, and we use it all the time!

I then started the priming process!  It was fun to see the transformation and the brick have new life.  It looked so sad and dated before! I was going to use a roller for some of it but opted for two paint brushes instead. One small, one bigger. With all the nooks and crannies, this was the best route.

Primed. Check!!  Yes, I put my estate sale find on the mantle.  Even with just the primer it looks so much cleaner and happier. My estate sale find worked out perfectly, too!  I was getting really excited for the final product!

Then I painted the whole thing (two coats and a third to the mantle and hearth) with Benjamin Moore white linen (color matched to Lowe’s Olympic no-voc semi-gloss paint).  Because my Benjamin Moore store wasn’t open on Labor Day… and that whole, I want it now attitude.  You get the idea.

I’m so happy with the results!  I loaded it up with goods so you can get a visual of what it may look like all dressed up!! With all my strike outs, I’m so happy something worked out! Now, we can load the room. It will be ready for grilling and football season! Yay! Especially with the beautiful weather we had this weekend, everyone was ready for the fall… and sometimes you need to stop the projects and play a little football.

three’s no crowd

Posted on by

2

Summers have always been special months for both Paul and I! We’re summer babies and love all the summer festivities: grilling, warm air, weddings, yard sales, and country music (Tim McGraw’s ~ My Next Thirty Years has been playing a lot in our household). Fitting, no? Late August brings the joys of buying school supplies (I love that stuff), the start of football, and hints of sweater season.  This year we got to add one more event to that list of summer loves: the purchase of our home! I cannot believe we’ve been here for a month, but it’s been a fabulous adventure already!  I love coming home to a loved house with history, old trees, that if they could talk, I’m sure would have lots to tell, and a neighborhood full of people that look after each other.  We have a 90-year-old (a multiple of 30!) neighbor that brought us over her special morning muffins and two cornbread muffins for dinner. If we like them, she offered to pass along the recipe. of course.  The previous owners said not to worry, if there’s anything suspicious going on, she will always call you before she calls the police.  We have another neighbor who has an uncanny ability to show up whenever we have workers in the house… “you know, I just passed by, and saw…” I love it.  Our neighborhood is a great mix of young and old, dogs and cats and one coyote. Good neighbors is something you can’t count on when purchasing a home.

We’ve been celebrating all month long in the Snitker household.

They actually took our offer!

Celebrating thirty days in our new house!

I turned thirty!

Paul turned the big 3-0!

And we had three rooms de-wallpapered and painted!

Master Bathroom

before

during

progress

Benjamin Moore Natura boothbay gray HC-165 in Eggshell.

Entryway

before

during

progress

Benjamin Moore Natura stone harbor 2111-50 in Eggshell.

Kitchen

before

during

See the water damage on the left.  I’m praying it hasn’t gone into the cabinets.

progress

Benjamin Moore Natura yarmouth blue HC-150 in Eggshell.

I have to admit, I think the kitchen is a vast improvement over what we had, but I’m still not all-in with the blue paint. It always looks so good in photos but maybe I’m stretching my palette a little too much? In the master bedroom and kitchen, I’m still not sure.  I may change it down the road. We’ll see.

We’re pretty pleased with the results.  Besides the water logged wall in the kitchen, that is. But I consider ourselves lucky we moved forward with having the wallpaper removed so early in our renovations, as we may be able to salvage more than had we waited.  And if all else fails we’ll save up our pennies and remodel the kitchen a little sooner than expected.  Sorry, wood floors you might have to wait. Here’s to the positive!    

I’ll leave you with a picture of a man starving. As I was taking the last progress pictures in the kitchen, this little man hadn’t had dinner and judging from his wrinkles, he’s really worried everyone forgot!   (We didn’t).

I hope everyone has a fabulous-relaxing-long weekend!