Clearly I'm bumming around the internet...

Here is a link that might be useful: minimal Middle Eastern kitchen

Oh, it's nice to see this thread back on page one, outstanding links, everyone, Uncle Thorvald is a new one on me.

I liked Katharine Hepburn's kitch, which is oh-so-elegantly dilapidated, much better than the re-do, to my eye, the new one is a stark white monstrosity without a quirk, modest or otherwise, in sight.

sandyponder

I've been combing the GW for this kitchen and have finally found it. Girlcat's blue kitchen with the faux tile backsplash. Like Uncle Thorvald's kitchen, it's given me a lot of pleasure just to look at it and imagine being in it. Hope you like it also. My attempt at inserting the images has bombed, so I hope that the link will suffice.

The more you look, the more you see. The functional and movable island. The painted drawer on the range. The repeat of the yellow on wall paint and on window trim and ceiling light and stencil. The rules: blue below, white above, wooden countertop. The color scheme, which I suspect a person with more education than I have could put a name to, perhaps something about complementary colors but with a hint of warm colors? And the discipline to edit distractions out. You go, girlcat!

Here is a link that might be useful: Girlcat's kitchen is in this thread

I'm pretty sure I qualify for modest. I looked at the finished kitchen blog when I first came here and decided I'd never post mine! And then it got finished and I love it so much! It's me no matter what the current style is supposed to be.

Mine is modest and definitely quirky.
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"I liked Katharine Hepburn's kitch, which is oh-so-elegantly dilapidated, much better than the re-do, to my eye, the new one is a stark white monstrosity "

just what I thought when I looked at it (them). I'd much prefer her 'old' one, it'd be more comfortable to me. ! i like old stuff anyway over new stuff.

pinchme, are those pony cookies on your counter?!
excellent thread, so much food for thought!

My kitchen cost about 7000. I still have yet to grout and there are a few other little things. But here is my modest kitchen.

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aktillery, I saw your before picture and the change is unbelieveable! Much prefer this after picture! Pet your pup for me.

No pony cookies, it's a Mustang travel mug I got for Christmas. There are some hen fruit by the stove. My boarding clients often gift me with horse related things. My sister scours the rummage sales for horse related items. I make out pretty well in the pet decor department. And if I don't have enough inside, I can look out my window at the real thing.

dannie, tell me about your backsplash.

I don't know if this counts for "modest" -- it was my old kitchen and I felt like it was huge. But it's definitely different than everything else posted here. I wouldn't have ever picked this out for myself, but it really grew on me. Except the light fixture... nothing was ever going to make me like that!

alabamanicole, aktillery, pinch_me, and dannie, we are glad to see your kitchens. They should feel very much at home here. Thanks for posting!

Pinch_me, I gave details about the backsplash in the My whimsical kitchen thread. =)

Joy. Not stuff.

I think I will frame that as well! What a lovely reminder and a wonderful thread.

Thanks to all who have posted.

Continuing with the kitchen exposé's dealing with the kitchens of the formerly rich and/or famous...

Here is the kitchen of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and her sister Norma, who apparently could not completely abide the severe modernism of the Ladies' Home Journal redo of Edna's kitchen and softened it with some rather humble and mellow pieces.

Here is a link that might be useful: Edna St. Vincent Millay kitchen

Oh Wow! The redone pantry in what used to be Katherine Hepburn's CT home has the same farmhouse sink as mine! It's the Kohler Harborview sink.

Sandyponder,
I have been relooking at your kitchen photos. Thanks so much for posting them. They march to a different drummer, but it's a wonderful tune being played.

How very useful, very practical, very down-to-earth yet with great personality.

Mmmmm, yes - these are not show kitchens built to please realtors. Absolutely delicious!

I just came across this kitchen and home on Apartment Therapy. I think it fits the quirky and colourful bill. I haven't mastered copying pictures from the net to GW yet, I can only manage flickr. Check out the link below, the owner describes her style as "comfortable retro modern." I love her style.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jennifer's Bright and Airy Mish Mash

Thanks, sochi!
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Here's another newly posted modest kitchen remodel...a white kitchen with laminate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Under $2000 mini-makeover by momto4boys

And here's a certifiable quirky kitchen just posted, a real feast for the eyes by sandyponder...she prefers the word "unfitted"....

Here is a link that might be useful: SandyPonder unfitted kitchen in a new house

Here's the quirkiest kitchen I have seen in a long time. Just couldn't resist posting it. Click on image to enlarge.

There's a lot of restraint here, despite the wacky elements. Yin and Yang!

Here is a link that might be useful: Big Fork, Chandelier, Chalkboard Paint, Galley Kitchen

From House Beautiful, not too long ago. Knocked my socks off.

I love the idea of this last one. I would probably choose a different saturated color, but it is really a great (pretty obviously NY,) little kitchen.

Imagine coming home from a day on the New York busy streets and retreating into your own little green womb and cracking a couple beers; this kitchen could keep you awake and lively well into the evening. This is not a cheap kitchen. Probably cost the same as my much larger, modest one, if you add in the designer fees.

That kitchen is priced by the linear inch expensive, believe me.

It's about time we disrupt the parade of tasteful big white kitchens. How's about this one, the lively, modest and quirky renovation of a 10 x 10 space from the finished kitchen Blog...Presenting Arvajuli's 2005 tomato red kitchen!

Would love to know how the balance of the project turned out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arvajuli's kitchen

I love love love this thread.

I still haven't posted my finished kitchen photos because they're not "up to snuff" as some of the ones here. But when I *ahem* get it cleaned I will do so right on this thread. :)

I am modest compared to the other beautiful kitchens that I see on here, and I am not quite finished, but I do love my kitchen, it fits the house and it fits us well.

Just got my countertops down today. Still contemplating backsplash.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Our Home Page

Wow...great photos...love em all!!! I am especially enamored of that blue pastel baking storage unit that marcolo posted...would love to have one in jade green.

gopintos:
Your restrained colors quiet kitchen is a good place. Tell us about the colored art work--is that winding S piece a part of it or a second piece? It's great to see art that interesting in a kitchen!

Is your cupboardry oak with no stain or ... something else? It's definitely not the yellowish oak that has taken so many body blows on the GW this spring. And is that a real breadboard I see in the second photo?

I must say that that's not a modest refrigerator.

Ah, the artwork. I was going to go complete barn look. Barn tin panel inserts, rafters, barn stars everywhere - every kitchen I have ever seen in person, has a theme right down to the dishtowels.

I saw this piece, it is metal, and I just loved all the colors. I knew it wasn't a great choice for a backsplash, but I didn't cook all that much. (but have been now, well except my stovetop isn't hooked up yet - it actually just came out of the box yesterday too)

Anyhow, I saw this, and it is really what started my journey on exploring color and formulating ideas on how I invisioned everything looking in the whole house, and then the metal lead me to the 5 elements, and so on.

The cabinets just have a clear coat. I wanted to stay as light as I could because I don't have a window directly in the kitchen. I have my pocket office with a double window, and I have the sliding door on the other end past the sink/bar counter, where the table is, but I wasn't sure if that was enough so I wanted to stay with something light.

Yes that is a cutting/breadboard. It is actually some sort of plastic though, in the wooden surround. It pops right out so I can clean & disinfect it easily, or carry it to another location in the kitchen. That was to be my baking end of the island, and I was going to drop the counter but opted against that but I left my baking drawers on the end.

I have another cutting board closer to the sink & frig, above some Amish made baskets, except I don't have the baskets yet...

Oh, the "S". That is actually the RO water line for the pot filler, but the first plumber pretty much screwed it up, so debating whether or not to have the new plumber fix it and install it.

Love my frig/freezer. Just got the grill put on yesterday which makes it look like one big piece. My thinking behind it was the first floor is for me and my husband in our old age, so I wanted everything handy. Didn't make sense then, for me to go to another part of the house or garage even, to get into the freezer. And the freezers with the frig just never seem to be enough. And with the freezer attached, the frig just never seemed to be enough. I always forget to get something out of the freezer, so it is so great having it all just right there. My last kitchen, I had two refrigerators, one was for drinks - soda, beer, etc. so this was a good choice for us. And I got it for an excellent price :-)

I second guess myself sometimes. I pretty much could have done anything I wanted, but wanted to stay simple, but when I see some of these other beautiful kitchens, I do the shoulda coulda woulda two step. But I didn't cook much, so I got my appliances early, and didn't put alot of emphasis on the kitchen. Then when I had time to devote to thinking about it, I tried to really think about where I would put stuff, and I role played cooking, etc and I just love where everything is. My cabinet maker looked at me sort of funny but I knew I wanted mostly drawers, or at least a lot of drawers. I don't have the 4 ft rule around the island, but I have enough space that it all works. It is usually just me but I had 3 cooks in there the other day, and it looked like a beautifully choreographed ballet or something, it just all worked and I just felt all warm and fuzzy that it came together how I had hoped.

:-)

Gopintos:
Today I have to go sign off on cabinet finish and, true to form, I'm still dithering. We've conceded to the calendar that we cannot do it all ourselves because of other commitments and have hired a guy to do the finishing. So, do I really want unstained oak? I'm studying your cupboardry very very carefully. Your modest and quirky muse is hovering over my head.

The art backsplash is really something. We use the term "a killer piece" to talk about that nebulous something that helps define and endear a room (and rationalize a splurge?). Your art is a killer piece. But is the cupboard finish also not a killer piece? It's definitely a different drummer and Thorvald might approve.

OMG, I LOVE the idea of the lockers! I need storage/pantry space badly on the opposite wall. We need to get rid of the plastic bins! Of course, we need to keep the Hoosier. It stores our barware and serving pieces from our china. There are plenty of lockers on our local CL, and even a set in light blue that matches the Big Chill! Need to see if DH is on board.

Back wall area:

Big Chill (need to get better pic now that old appliances are gone):

These are indeed modest spaces....scroll down to the bottom of the page for lots of stuff to look at...

Here is a link that might be useful: Small Cool Kitchens

Here is my 2003 kitchen. It was not modest by our standards, but it may fit the quirky requirement. I did what I loved with the back splash and wall color, got real linoleum plank flooring online (which no one around here had ever seen), and the dog paw-washing station is certainly an oddity. Unfortunately, we moved only two years after we finished, and even more unfortunately, we still own this house. A friend lives there now.

We moved because of the need for a more accessible home for my father-in-law when he moved in with us, plus the need for another bathroom. So now we have a first-floor laundry and ramp accessibility. Our kitchen is about to be remodeled using a kitchen I bought from the Green Demolitions website. It is a 23 year-old Quakermaid kitchen. This time we will get our real linoleum in sheet form. Our other choices are in flux. Every time our builder is delayed in starting our kitchen, we use the time to re-think something!

Here is a link that might be useful: 2003 Kitchen

nancy_in_mich :

What's most quirky is the shower floor at your door, for shoe washing. You installed a kitchen faucet at shin height. Quirky, but it works.

Another quirky working idea I like is the paper towel holder "mounted vertically due to lack of wall space" behind a door. It's impressive to see how little space it takes when mounted like that.

Good use of counter at the window. Many other good points.

You "invented" another idea that I think works well: a pull-out cutting board under the microwave to provide a landing surface for hot foods.
To KD's who install a lot of framed cabinets, why don't people do this more often? It's doable easily with cabinet frames.

Also I saw a quirky attitude to remodeling, since you found live wires "buried in the wall" and seem to have simply gone about putting them to use, without panic. (?) Now i'm whistling chickadee thanks to your notes.

Love this thread! Our kitchen doesn't even qualify as a 'walk-in' closet space, according to our contractor who is just wrapping up the final details. While small, it seems like it's going to be very functional, especially compared to what it was! It should finally be done today - whew. Can't wait to put everything away. Maybe after this thread, I'll even post some pictures soon. :)

Love, love, love this thread. As a single gal with a whole 1918 farmhouse to renovate, I don't have the size, nor money, nor want for a $45,000 kitchen.

Sandyponder: Where did you find the bowling alley wood? There is a bar in Coastal Maine that has the same for their bartops, and I've always thought it was a wonderful 'look'. Plus, its 'green', which I adore. Also, how long will the marine grade finish last? I'm worried that it might be like nonstick pans...good idea in the short term, deathly in the long run.

So, speaking of unusual, has anyone seen pics (or know of anyone) who has repurposing old built-ins for cabinets?

I would love to do so...and would love to chat with someone who has done it previously. Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: Old kitchen cabinets

Wow, that "paw wash station" is awesome!

I love that paw washing station! That is brilliant!

Belasea has just posted a re-do of a corridor kitchen that has only a single wall for cupboardry, etc. Good item for study!

Here is a link that might be useful: Belsea's tiny kitchen

Another triumph for modest re-dos. Congrats to chocolatetruffle who kept cost down to $20,000 and got an island, a unified color scheme, a lot of efficiency, and a chocolate truffle Caeserstone countertop to integrate it all.

Here is a link that might be useful: chocolatetruffle's kitchen, with white appliances and comfy laminate floor

My kitchen is definitely modest. And I think it is very quirky. But I sure do love it. We still need a bit cabinetry on the stove wall. I think we are in the under 20-K range, but since this "1929 restoration" is now in its 4th year, I can't even remember what cost what.

Hutch-thingy across from stove (alas, not really working counter space due to location and short distance between counter and uppers):

I...just...want...to...be...done...

I love almost all of these, although that "target" kitchen was awful and expensive, I bet.

I see a theme on many of these of no uppers and no paneled appliances. I think that is what helps to make them unapologetic kitchens. I find that that look is more about function, yet it also has loads of "form" to me.

I love the phrase comfortable retro modern. I have been trying to explain to people that I want a retro modern 1930-40s look for my kitchen and that I am trying to make it comfortable and welcoming most of all. People understand a 50s or 60s vibe. They understand Victorian, but there were a lot of years in between! I hope when mine is done it will be quirky and happy. I want it to be a place where everyone knows they will get a good meal and where real ingredients will be used. Nothing pretentious or highbrow.

My garbage can will be a garbage can. People will be able to find it and know what it is. My fridge and freezer will be visible and open to all. The stove is vintage and is not a high end restaurant grade stove. I am cooking and baking for family and friends here. I hope to have enough space to hold my gadgets and room for others to hang out and hopefully, pitch in. I'd also like to not feel like I am far away from the action when I am cooking so it will be open plan. I don't need to hide it away.
It will be more Julia Child functional than "Something's Got to Give" designer looking. I also don't want it to look like I took it out of a showroom and copied into my home. If I am successful, a new guest will not have a clue what year it was done.

BTW - I am a real estate agent and can't stand the same old, same old. Too many houses have expensive kitchens with nothing special about them. Boooorrring. Buyer's don't buy safe and 100% neutral. They want something to be excited about and to tell their family & friends about prior to moving in. Most people want a little style and don't want the same look as everyone else's. It is a myth that people should do things all neutral to sell. While some common elements are fine and make people feel safe about them, there should be something that is a little special, or dare I say, quirky, about a kitchen. People buy when they are thrilled and intrigued by a new kitchen. An older kitchen will matter less, but if they are paying for improved, they want it to have some feature/s that are unique.

Glad this thread got resurrected. I am so in love with that container/cabinet that marcolo posted. Anyone know where I can get that?

I know I have ranted over at the counters thread and on my blog, but I wanted to support this thread. There is room for all kinds of kitchens (big and small), but I think given these times give encouragement to those who want to do the most with less with our plucky kitchens.

Deni
"@#&* yah, I'm getting Formica! Got a problem with that?"

Here is a link that might be useful: life dithyrambic

Bumping this because it is always so fun to read.

Love this island: [Toolchest island in a Grain-Bin-Residence-contemporary-kitchen-other-metro[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/grain-bin-residence-contemporary-kitchen-phvw-vp~19502961)

Thank you for bumping this! This thread exactly describes what we are doing with our kitchen - retro, modern, quirky, colourful - I know not everyone is going to love it, but it will have personality, dangit! Glad to know I am not alone.