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schicksal_gw

Modern Kitchen and More Reveal - Before and After

schicksal
9 years ago

Sorry if the thread is a little picture heavy - the project ended up being the kitchen+family room, formal living and entry hall and started around April of last year. It was almost 100% DIY both in design and labor. I was in such a hurry to take pictures before it became dark out that I didn't have time to let the touchup paint on the ceiling dry. I'm looking forward to life outside of a construction zone for a while, assuming I can remember how that goes.

It took such a long time to complete the project because of addressing years of crawlspace moisture problems and making sure it would never come back. Everything under the floor had to be replaced, everywhere. If the wood in the formal living room looks familiar that's because it is. I was able to number and take it up without any damage, then reinstall it.

I'll be happy to answer any questions about what/how/where'd it come from/... if there are any. Thanks for viewing!

Kitchen and Family Room
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Looking in from nearby rooms
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The day we moved in vs. today
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Pantry Doors and lighting
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Toe Kick Lighting
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Kitchen Seating
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Undercabinet Lighting
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Appliances
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Sink
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Cabinets
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Formal Living Room
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View from the front door
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Comments (87)

  • joygreenwald
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dibs if you ever decide to sell! ;) I'm crazy about all your changes. So impressive! So cool, but totally livable and warm. You must be thrilled! Congrats.

  • funkycamper
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OMG....I think this is my favorite GW remodel. I'm drooling.

    Where did you get your cabinets?

  • tea4all
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You do fabulous work! Thanks for all the pics. There can never be too many pics when it comes to a remodel.

    I have seen toe kick lighting before. It would be wonderful to have. Great for atmosphere setting. You will enjoy it a lot.

    Your talents in design and DIY skills are apparent! I especially love your floors, backsplash, and cabinets. Congratulations and enjoy for lots of years.

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks to all for the kind words! The fridge surround is there only by accident. A 48" Subzero is what I designed for, but due to roofing contractors crushing the roof on a rental house I own I am conserving cash to cover the cost of stabilizing the building and legal expenses from chasing down insurance companies. We decided for now to reuse the fridge that I already had.

    @Hydragea - it really was. From what I was able to figure out the house was originally a 1950s ranch-somewhat modern. The previous owner's dad bought the place in 1979 and he did the first big remodel. He is an antique dealer and the kitchen was redone in a sort of retro look for the time with the cheap plastic fake tiffany lamps. Cabinets were stained walnut brown, off white / gold speckely laminate countertops, and backsplash, with a pea green/yellow bumpy linoleum floor.

    Around 2002 the previous owners painted the cabinets with gross sticky white paint, put in the tile flooring directly on top of the linoleum and had new laminate put on top of the old laminate countertops. Yuck. They also had the addition built. The theme for the family room literally was "bar." The breakfast area was dominated by an extremely heavy wood and marble topped bar that permanently deflected the floor with neon beer signs all around and massive liquor shelves that were filled to the point that they were damaging the wall. They had seating about where I have the sectional, grape wall sconces, and a pool table in the area with the windows. The nook I put a door in that will be a future half bath had a dartboard. The entire house was overstuffed with antiques - way too much furniture for the place. It's 3,200 sq ft but was difficult to navigate around.

    @walnutcreek - Dupont Zodiaq in Cloud White

    @joygreenwald - That's the fun part about Charleston, SC. If you want modern you have to build it. I've seen exactly one other person build in this style. The area is very focused on either the actual old, or trying to make look old. The style works for some and I totally appreciate it in the right setting but it's not for us.

    @funkycamper - I was the final customer of Live Oak Custom Cabinets. The business was sold to another local company whose name escapes me, but I do have it. They did work all up and down the east coast. Cost + installation was just under $20K

  • chicagoans
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Holy mackerel! By the time I got to the last picture my jaw was hanging open. Great job! I love the lighting choices, counters, sleek look, wall covering... all!

  • nosoccermom
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All I can say is wow! Love, love, love those cabinets, the counters, in short, the overall transformation to warm and modern.

  • LE
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was speechless even before I registered/recalled that this was DIY. Amazing. Fantastic. Such successful transformation.

    "I'm looking forward to life outside of a construction zone for a while." There's life outside construction zones? Oh yeah... I sort of remember... Also glad to see I am not the only one with "indoor patio furniture" in the interim. We've even got some nice camping chairs... Funny what you get used to!

    Congratulations on this milestone. (I thought I'd leave GW behind when my projects are "done," but I plan to seriously lurk until you have revealed the ones you've described in your future!)

  • nadianyc
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Echoing what everyone else has said, beautiful job and kudos on the diy door!!
    Love your simple cabinet hood insert. Which brand did you use and are you happy? (going for a similar look in my renovation) will be over a 36 inch cooktop.
    Is your dishwasher paneled next to the sink?
    One more thing, I'm going with the same hardware tab pulls as you have but with a paneled fridge. Any ideas as to what kind of handle would look good on the integrated fridge? I don't think a pull tab would work, to small but don't want anything glaringly different from the tabs.
    Once again, congrats on a job well done!

  • sherwhy
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Amazing reno!! Love it.

  • joygreenwald
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh! We visited Charleston this summer. I think I get the sense of what you mean. Must make your place even more special.

    I feel in love with the Low Country. I'd move there in a heartbeat if we weren't so entrenched in Boston. (I know from historic too, though there is a good mix of modern in Metro West Boston, where we are.). I would happily give up winter. ;)

  • rpets
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Honestly -- I'm generally not a very modern/contemporary kinda gal but...

    *WOLF WHISTLE * I love it :)

  • bicyclegirl1
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What a transformation! Completely different home! You put those awesome pantry doors in the perfect place. Great job on the whole reno!

  • cookncarpenter
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Born in '52, so this is right up my alley, love everything about it! ... Kudos for thinking outside the box, and cheers to a job well done! ...Chris

  • badgergal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Fabulous! I haven't seen your previous posts so I had no previews. I can't believe what you have accomplished. You're cabinets are beyond beautiful. I love modern style kitchens and yours is a stellar example. Congratulations on a job well done.

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've really enjoyed seeing your occasional progress picture on the other threads and it's great fun to see the whole reveal! I love all the before and after pictures posted next to each other. I've been scrolling back and forth, admiring and figuring out the differences in each. Especially love the backsplash tile, the wallpaper, the fridge surround, the ship-lap ceiling, your gorgeous cabinets and edge pulls. Congratulations!!! I'll be looking forward to following your next project :)

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @lori_inthenw and oldbat2be - I'm flattered. Not quite sure where the next thread will live because it's more than a master bathroom... not a kitchen... not a new build. Maybe in remodeling. I'll probably have to start up a thread in the new build forum to at least get the floorplan down. We're working on the design now and still having a lot of trouble re-engineering how the space can be made to work for us. The master bedroom, bathroom, closet, (to be) water closet, half bath off the family room and future laundry room are at play. We also want to build a hamper into the master bathroom because we miss the one we had at our old house dearly.

    @nadianyc - It's by Prestige. In order to have an vent insert not stick out farther than the other cabinets we went with somewhat deeper upper cabinets than are standard. There is also a small gap between them and the wall where the wires for the undercabinet lighting hide. We think it's great. The challenge was installing it. The thing weighs not much less than a sack of concrete!

    For hardware on a paneled fridge I would likely stick to something with straight lines - it would need to be a bar of some type of course in order to be able to open and close the door. I'm not sure how expensive they are compared to similarly sized options, but the 24" Miele square handles would probably work pretty well. For what it's worth we used some of the wider tab handles for our warming drawer and dishwasher and we can open and close them just fine. I couldn't bring myself to drill holes in the wood panels.

    I plan on keeping up in the ktichens board for some time, especially if there are questions because it took us so much time to figure out who sells/where to buy type of things. What's going to be really fun is when my parents get here this weekend. The last time they were around was before the kitchen part started and right after I put down the subfloor in the formal living room and entry hall.

  • gr8daygw
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's fabulous.

  • Karenseb
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I will definitely show this kitchen to my daughter. I love it and I know she will too. I love how your entry opens to the light filled family room. The simplicity of the kitchen is so enticing and the new baseboard and doors really set everything off. The cabinets are beautiful!
    Where did you get your pantry doors from? Are there handles or are they not needed?
    Congratulations.

  • westsider40
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love love your lovely kitchen. Modern speaks to me as beautiful. Clean, fresh, exciting lines. Fantastic job.

  • iamerikandersson
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lovely renovation of house..Seriously loved it!!

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ Karenseb - They came from slidingdoorco.com. Their nearest showroom is hundreds of miles from here and I was going crazy trying to get a quote for doors from other places even with the size and all other attributes for the actual doors already determined. Someone else on this board vouched for them a few months ago - I saw they had the same doors we have in the background and I asked. The only caveat was the 9 week lead time.

    Exposed and recessed handles are an option, however handles that stick out would prevent the doors from sliding past each other. Both are free to move all the way left/right. We haven't needed them - the doors slide easily when you push left/right on the frame or glass.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Sliding Door Company

  • rooandcheese
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow!!! What a gorgeous transformation. I would be very happy in that kitchen :)

    What is the light fixture above the dining table?

  • eurekachef
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You can never have too many pics! Love the toe lighting. This is a bit off topic, but is that a Samoyed?

  • gsciencechick
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, I love modern and your reno nails it. Fabulous work. I love the toe kick lighting. Knocking down walls and widening doorways really works in this space.

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @RooAndCheese - The light above the round dining table is a PH5 (Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant Lamp). Unless you mean the gold one in the formal dining room.

    @ EurekaChef - you're very close. He's an American Eskimo. About the size of a corgi.

    We're hoping to have at least a firm plan for where the walls will move to around the master bathroom and closet by January. Then we'll work on materials and ordering everything, and finally get started on the next project in March. That's the plan at least...

  • Gooster
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congratulations, everything looks so great! The material choices come together so well -- and I love to see modern spaces represented (only cause I hope to redo our loft someday).

    And thank you for explaining the fridge surround -- I was wondering if you were planning a change in the future as the size of the surround looked like it was sized to a larger integrated built-in.

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your remodel is so beautiful. You did a great job and it just popped up to the top of my list of GW favorites!

    Please let me know the name of the company that makes the front door. We are looking to replace the front door on our wannabe-mid-century house and a door and sidelight like yours would be perfect!

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @jerzeegirl - I built it by hand based off some measurements I took from a picture of a door by Crestview (no longer in business). Windows were carefully cut out with a router and I made trim pieces from some spare 1x4 baseboard stock and stained them to match. It was my first time using a router and it was pretty intimidating. However, there are a few other options. Retro Renovation elaborated on all of them in the link below...

    @gooster - the fridge surround still bugs me some... The refrigerator we have now I thought would sell with the house we moved from 4 years ago since it matched everything else I put in that kitchen. That didn't happen so it came with us. It may end up going up in the rental the roofing accident happened in if it fits in there. It could be months before things are settled; I have a feeling I'll be lucky if the place will be repaired by the 1 year anniversary of the accident. :(

    Here is a link that might be useful: Front Door Options

  • jerzeegirl
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    schicksal: ok so now I am REALLY impressed. I love that door! Maybe I will ask for a router for Christmas!

  • ChristyMcK
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Absolutely gorgeous. I love how you opened up several of the doorways (and ditched the pillars) - it makes it all so much lighter and more open and more modern. What year is the house? How long did this take? There nothing not to love here. Great job!

  • zeebee
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lovely job, just lovely.

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ jerzeegirl - I went for one that plunges. That feature was totally worth it. I used it a LOT for this project.

    @ChristyMcK - The house was built in 1959. Any original character was lost when the previous owners parents remodeled in 1979, and then when they had the addition (room that was blue) put on in 2003. For perspective, the doorway with the columns was once a sliding glass door to the back yard. I saved a bit of drywall with the turquoise paint still on it because I'd like to incorporate a little of that color somehow, probably in another room.

    I started the project in May of 2013 and ended about 2 weeks ago, but I did have a break around June of last year so it was about 18 months altogether. Future projects should go a lot faster because I'll be better organized and we now have a more cohesive plan for what we want the place to look like as a whole, and because I now know who sells what in the area.

  • romy718
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've been meaning to take a longer look at your reveal since the holiday madness began.
    I've followed along on CEF's posts so I have a tiny clue as to how much work you put into this reno. It is amazing, scrolling thru the pics & seeing all the changes.
    My favorites: the overall sleekness of the kitchen to include the backsplash. I love that backsplash. Great sink, faucet & countertops. The pantry doors are intriguing - before I got to that picture, I was wondering what was behind those doors.
    The toekick lighting. I've seen it in a showroom & it's hard to capture how attractive it is in a photo.
    The floors, the doorways, the grass cloth. Love it all!

  • Kiwigem
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi, schicksal. Minor highjack if you don't mind: Can you tell me about your PH5 lamp? Is it the 11" by 19" variety? Can you tell me how much light it gives? I've always loved them in photos, but I have never seen one in person. I'm thinking of getting a few to go over my 9'6" island, but I don't know if it provides the right kind of light and/or how many I'd need.

    I would appreciate any insight.

    Once again, congrats on your fantastic reno!

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes (DWR lists it at 12Hx20"W) - it's very beautiful in person. It needs a big bulb. Right now there's about a 23W CFL in it and it still leaves me wanting something more - I plan on adding a larger LED soon.

    One thing to keep in mind is that it will produce a ton of downlighting, with a much smaller amount up above from the opening at the top. This provides great lighting for the table and anyone using it but not so much for the rest of the area. I'm considering adding a tall lamp in the corner by one of the doors to the back yard to illuminate the area a bit better.

  • LeeMiller
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow looks amazing!! I love the grasscloth wallpaper and what you've done with the flow of the place. Just awesome. You have me seriously re-thinking my plans with my ranch home. I've been debating what to do about the trim which is only the original clam molding on the windows (think that is what it is called) and floors. Only one room had crown molding, which we put back on when we reno, and my kitchen reno will have crown, but I cannot decide if I want to redo the baseboards to higher ones and add crown to some bedrooms (just simple 3 1/2 inch or so, nothing crazy) then I see your place and I LOVE IT!

    So maybe no extra crown and I might even leave the baseboards alone. But looks like I will be spending the savings on things like wallpaper!!

  • schicksal
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks! As someone who's removed wallpaper I can say the $11 for a can of wallpaper primer is totally worth it. When the time comes to remove and replace it, primer makes removal effortless. I've taken down a few hundred square feet of it in under 2 hours with perfectly primed and undamaged walls left behind.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    test to see if it recognizes that it's me who started the thread...

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    Well I just may have to test my reveal too:)

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    But this is creepy - I can see your idea books and discussions.

  • romy718
    9 years ago
    Oldbat, I went in my account & made my ideabooks & a lot of other stuff private.
  • schicksal
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have the world's most boring ideabooks and discussions :p


    yeah I needed something that I posted pictures on that google could find that I could hit up to see what happened. It's annoying because the accounts apparently can't be merged because I used different email addresses to set them up.


    Also if I need to go back and edit out pictures or whatever else that seems like it's just become a bit on the difficult side. Not that there are any in particular that I was thinking about nuking; it's just knowing that's not such an option anymore.

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    I was able to merge accounts by changing my houzz email address to my GW one.

    Romy718 - I did the same after seeing schicksal's profile.

  • mudhouse
    9 years ago

    At the risk of being annoying, I'm going to point out here what I've mentioned in another thread; when our threads were imported over here, we sometimes lost content.

    For example, in this version of your reveal, Schicksal, there are 15 photos showing. But if you look at the Google cached version of your reveal, you posted around 45 pictures.

    Maybe it doesn't matter, I guess it's the historian in me; I hate to lose past content! (Yes, I want all the pretty eye candy pictures of the homes I admire.)

    Schicksal, here is a link to the google cached version of your reveal, intact (I think this will work, still getting the hang of adding links here) :

    http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:SIo2Gwp2VSoJ:ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1217550031961.html+&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

  • deedles (zone 4b or 5 depending on whom
    9 years ago

    Somehow I missed this reveal... wow! Such a stunning transformation. Modern is out of my ability but it looks just perfectly done. Also like that you got the columns out of there. That light is fabulous, btw. I'm glad this showed up on the first page so I could catch it.


  • Texas_Gem
    9 years ago

    Unrelated to all the new Houzz issues, I noticed something in "stalking" your Houzz and GW accounts.


    You say you plan on staying in this house and not moving, you also have mentioned starting a family in the next few years.


    I would REALLY caution against putting the only laundry facilities in the master bedroom.


    Once you have kid/s, you don't want them traipsing through your room to do laundry and if you do decide to sell in the future, personally, I would NOT want to buy such a large house where the only laundry available was in the master suite.

  • schicksal
    9 years ago

    Weird - I didn't even notice that the number of pictures went way down. It's very good information for anyone doing a reveal thread who enjoys before/after pictures. All the pics are copyright (me), not anyone's site.


    With the laundry room we're caught between a rock and a hard place. It's in the garage right now, a long trek from anywhere and it's complicated but there are water/drain/dryer vent issues that cannot be reconciled at that location. To move the washer/dryer to the area with three bedrooms we would completely lose a bedroom or bathroom. We no longer plan on having it directly off the master bedroom, however by process of elimination it will either be off the master bathroom or (large) master closet. Luckily both areas are ideal in terms of utilities/venting and where laundry is generated, and they're reasonably easy to access from the other three bedrooms. Wish we could have a dedicated laundry room but the floorplan of the house pretty much eliminates that possibility.

  • funkycamper
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My sister's home has the laundry room accessible from a door in their master closet. It is also accessible from the other side from the hall. Something like that makes perfect sense, imho. They literally have a 5-foot walk to put their clothes away but no one has to actually enter their room or closet to access laundry facilities. ETA: But if you don't have room for a dedicated room, oh well. I mean, it's family right? So it wouldn't be an issue to me if my kids had to walk through my room if that's the best spot.


  • Annika Kostrubala
    5 years ago

    I cannot see the pics here! The comments are making me drool...i can only imagine the project. Any way to see the pics?

  • townlakecakes
    5 years ago

    I doubt it. The thread Is 4 years old.