Unfortunately, I'm a little backlogged in what has been happening with the house. For the first couple of posts, I'll just have to catch you up on what's happened, and where we're at today....
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| A clean slate for the hall bath...well, maybe not so clean... |
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My concept for the hall bath was to make it a functional, updated space, while still keeping a bit of the same vibe it would have had when the home was built...for the shower, we're going with simple, white subway tiles...historically accurate and money-saving! I found a nice paisley-esque listel and some shiny black band tiles to go around the shower are to give it some interest, without making it too busy.
I really wanted to incorporate a furniture piece for the vanity...but what type? I narrowed it down to something less than 33 inches wide, with an open base, with some sort of small storage inside, or underneath, counter height, not too expensive, and not so nice that I was going to feel bad for cutting it up and putting it in the bathroom...so I had all the specs laid out...if I could just find the piece! Easier said than done, after weeks and weeks of searching on two coasts, reviewing Craig's list posts, ebay, I finally found it in a thrift store, it was quite an unexpected find, an old Victrola cabinet, it was just the right size, had some cute details, and at 99-bucks, I liked the price! I plan to paint it black and top it with the free Kohler enameled cast iron sink top that my contractor graciously donated to our cause.
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| After lots of searching, the perfect piece for the bath! |
Luckily the guts of this old Victrola cabinet had seen better days, so I wasn't going to be destroying an antique. The cabinet is sturdy and has a nice beaded detail around the panels. I'm having the left side panel removed and made into another door so they'll be a small amount of storage underneath.
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| Just a little grout and the shower tile will be complete | | | |
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While the hall bath was undergoing demolition, we thought that we might as well rip out the kitchen too...there wasn't much there to begin with, which actually meant less demolition, so out it all came!
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| Out came the kitchen, and my sink for doing dishes... |
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| My contractor remarked that this was how they did dishes on the farm when he was growing up, sure saves water! |
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| Beginning to look like a functional space |
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| The counter top is going to extend all the way to the windows for a bar area |
I designed the kitchen in the computer before we ordered everything and it's really satisfying to see it come alive. I want the kitchen to be bright (it's in the back of the house), with a little bit of femininity, while still harking back to the Craftsman style of the home...it's a delicate balance. Maximizing storage was also at the top of the list, as there was none before, and it is very limited in the house overall. We'll be building a wall in the back part of the kitchen where the refrigerator used to be so that we can add a butlers pantry and give a purpose to what is an underutilized space.
