Kitchen Deconstruction

On Tuesday I started to show you the Parents new house and all the work that they are doing to make it their own.  Today it's all about the kitchen.  The situation is very similar to the master bath.  Lots of wallpaper and border, unprepped walls,  with lots and lots of hard work.  So hard in fact that we wore out the dog.

Who am I kidding this is what George likes to do everyday!  Okay on to the kitchen!  Again, the existing color palette was mauve and teal...everywhere.  From the walls to the floors to the countertops it was on almost every surface.

Before:

from the dining room looking into the kitchen

the sitting/breakfast area off the kitchen (hi Dad!)

And now the in progress shots during all the hard work.

In Progress:

from the dining room into the kitchen

the sitting/breakfast area off the kitchen

Did I mention that the Parents will have an incredible view from their kitchen and sitting area.  You can start to see it out the windows in that last pic.  It was also close to the peak of color for Fall where they live so I got to fast forward my Fall and see some really beautiful color.

As of last night my Mom and Aunt have been working on the kitchen walls for 11 days, peeling paper, washing down walls, priming and now painting.  I have a great shot of them hard at work but I'm sure they appreciate that I'm not sharing with the world.  They are standing on a ladder, their butts in the air, trying to peel the last of the paper from around the refrigerator.  I can't wait to see it again when I return in a view weeks.  There is still a bit of work to be done.  Walls are being painted, countertops are being selected and I need to get cracking on some great fabrics for the windows.  I'll update you as this story progresses. 

And So It Begins

My parents bought a new house.  This is a huge change for them.  They moved into their old house the year before I was born. Now they are packing it all up and moving to town (with the exception of several boxes of my childhood junk that they sent packing with me over the weekend!) They have been working slavishly hard for several weeks now to make the new house their own.  I went for a visit and to lend a hand over the weekend.

The new house originally had LOTS of wallpaper.  I mean lots, as in two different patterns plus a border in several rooms. But even more heartbreaking, the walls were not properly prepped so the paper was only coming off in tiny little pieces (insert Mom's tears of frustration here).  My Mom and my Aunt have worked for over a week to get all of those little pieces stripped away plus washing the walls several times, patching, standing and priming before the real transformation can happen. Let's all take a look at their hard work.

Behold the Master Bath Before:

Notice the three patterns and a border in that last shot!  Now here it is with all of that stripped away but before Dad and I started priming.

Even it's raw state it feel 100 times better in the room.  Moving forward there are a few things that are still going to have to be worked around.  Did you notice the pink tub, pink vanity counter, pink shower and all the gold fixtures??? Yep, they are all staying for now.  When I shot the before pics a few months ago I didn't even notice all the pink fixtures because of everything else going on in the room.  I had envisioned watery blue walls and clean white fixtures.  Clearly we are going in a different direction now.  I'll keep you posted. 

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you the kitchen progress. 

Before & After Sneak Peek

I am happy to report that I am finally on the mend from that terrible cold that had me down all last week.  Now I have a few exciting things to show you.  First up, here's a little peek at at family room project that's still in progress.  The fireplace is one of my most favorite things.  It's another reminder that I really need to do something with my own fireplace!

Here's the before:

And here is the newly paneled and painted after!

Construction by DesignLine Home Transformations

The recessed panels, silestone hearth and surround, gas logs, and brass sconces have taken this focus pulling corner fireplace and really turned it into something you want to focus on.  I also love the warm terracotta of the new wall color that really gives a lot of life to the room.  

I really need to do something about my own fireplace!! Happy Monday to you. 

Office Update

So things are progressing slow and steady with the Big Move project.  Yesterday after a lot of debate we finally hung some drapes in the new office.  I also want to mention that I LOVE our new office space.  Here's what it looked like before:

I had been looking for the perfect fabric for weeks now.  I loved this:

and had the sample tacked up on the window.  I love these colors.  It's so fresh looking.  But I am a cheapskate at heart and couldn't see spending the money when there are so many other projects that need our attention (and cash!!) Then I remembered some Ikea Henny panels that were unused from a previous project.

I'm not going to lie.  There were some tears shed and some very bad words uttered much louder than a whisper when I tried to install the new (cheap) rods.  I thought I was destroying our freshly painted walls.  My Sweet Husband stepped in and saved the day (and our walls!) with the proper tools and a little more patience than I possess.  It's to him that I owe this project checked off the list. 

These Henny drapes would not have been my first choice but they are fresh and light and a little fun too. 

Rosie loves the new digs too.  Check her out in her supervisors position under the desk!  I'm super happy to have this crossed off the list.  Now on to the next project!

In Progress: Our Office Is Starting to Come Together

I said come back tomorrow and by tomorrow I meant a week later!  The office still has a long way to go but here's a look at where we are now.  We have a place to sit which is amazing progress for us.

 It's so nice that everyone has his or her place.  Having lots of storage and more ways to keep myself organized is great.  I tend to have piles of things about me so I'm looking forward to using these handy dandy labeled storage boxes to keep my clutter in check.

My Great Grandmother's dresser (also my changing table as a baby) fits perfectly into the dormer to house my GINORMOUS printer.  We also managed to get a few things hung on the wall to make it feel more like a finished room.  

We still have quite a few things left on the to-do list:

• finish organizing the shelving
• install a new closet system and move the file cabinets from the old office (downstairs) into the new, highly functional, closet. 
• find new knobs for the closet doors and maybe paint them black.  I LOVE black doors but I'm also digging the seamless all-white look of that wall.  What do you think? Paint them black or leave them white?
• make a decision about window treatments.  I have a swatch or too but I haven't seriously started the hunt for fabric yet.  I keep hoping a magical deal will fall into my lap.
• find a rug - I've already started looking and I like this one, but I'm not quite ready to commit
• find a new work table - we're using a drop leaf table that belonged to the Husband's grandfather but it's not quite big enough.  It will work though until I stumble across one that will be perfect.  I can be patient.

So we've been able to take the room from this

to this

We've still got a ways to go but I am very excited about the journey!

In Progress: Another Kitchen

Thought I'd share another kitchen I've been working on.  It's not close to being finished but I thought you might enjoy a little peak at the work as it's being installed. I also think it's good to see the progress of something.  It takes time and effort.  It's more than just the pretty picture in the end.  I like to show the not always pretty work in-between too.

Here's the before.  The client wanted more light in her dark little kitchen.  She was looking for something clean and streamlined with a few industrial touches.

 Before:  sink wall

Before: ovens wall

Here's a little preview of what's to come in terms of materials and finishes.

And here's the progress that's been made so far. 

 in progress: sink wall

construction by DesignLine Home Transformations

The layout didn't change a lot but we did open up the sink wall with more windows for a lot more light - so much better!

in progress: oven walls

construction by DesignLine Home Transformations

We also relocated the Refrigerator to this wall to allow for more counter and window space.  This is a much more functional arrangement than she had before.

Now I saved the best for last.  My very talented client found this amazing piece that she's going to use as her island/worktable in the center of the room.

I LOVE this I can't wait to see it all come together.

Happy Friday everyone!

In Progress: A New Master Suite in the Works

Yesterday I had a meeting at a jobsite that is in full swing.  Thought you might enjoy taking a peak at the progress (I promise, one day I will actually have finished pictures to show!)  We converted the son's bedroom into a dressing room and bath for the new master suite.  The bedroom is a new addition to the house. 

 before

New Bath Under Construction by DesignLine Home Transformations

 It's going to be really lovely (I know you can look past the tile supplies and the floor protectors!)  The Homeowner chose a really beautiful marble to use in the bath.  But I think my favorite part is the new freestanding tub.  That is definitely on my wishlist for a dream bathroom!

before

New Dressing Room

What a beautiful new space to get yourself together in the morning.  The idea behind this area was to make it more masculine with dark, rich cabinetry and floors.  A great cushion for the window seat, a beautiful shade for the window and new rug will complete this space.

Now I'll show you one more sneak peak.  This is the view from the dressing room into the new master bedroom.  This is the part that is all brand new.  The original plan was to keep the new area as much like the old one as possible (molding details, ceiling heights, etc.) so that it felt like it had always been a part of the house.  But when the clients saw the space being built they new they wanted to capture as much volume as possible with the new ceiling.  The volume of the new room is wonderful.