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robinco_gw

Kitchen help?

robinco
17 years ago

I am crossposting this from the Kitchens forum - I would really appreciate suggestions (with an eye towards maximizing my somewhat limited space).

Thank you!

Here is a link that might be useful: My budget kitchwn redo request (pics)

Comments (2)

  • emagineer
    17 years ago

    The suggestions you had on the Kitchen forum are really good ones....counter color and roman shades. They are great people over there with tons of inspiration. I have little kitchen remodel skills compared to their knowledge..other than knowing what is loved and comfortable personally.

    I like the idea of using the blues and the terracotta from your grandfather's watercolor. Do you have more of these to place as a grouping on a wall? An added frame for the current one would draw more attention to it...tis wonderful to have family history and I really like the painting. And, as an artist, if the current watercolor is on a wall where the sun hits, you may want to consider moving it. Or be sure to have it mounted under glass which keeps the colors from fading.

    Are you homeschooling or is the bulletin board a gathering spot for your children's activities? I actually like the bulletin board, it feels so much like family. Trimming this may add to the decor...perhaps black. And a small chalkboard added?

    I took out two cabinets in my kitchen to make space for an eating area....had no idea at the time how much storage would be lost by doing this. If you want a banquette (and I like them too), is there a way to reuse the current cabinets? Perhaps cut them down for seating on top. You mentioned you were very DIY people. This way you still have most of the storage avaliable. Adding seat cushions and pillows with fabric to match the blues/terracotta would really brighten the area up.

    Is that a saddle on the wall for coats? Tis hard to see in the photo, but is the only thing I can come up with. We had a collection of saddles in our home at one time...when our home was much larger. If that is a saddle....a very functional idea. There are a lot of storage options for the wall by the door for shoes/boots/coats. Many inexpensive and you could also use one or two of the cupboards if you decide to take them out (cut them back fit the area), with decorative hooks above.

    For lighting...hanging drop lights over the table and specific task areas? I am still on the fence regarding undercabinet lighting, like the ambience but not sure if they really give the work light needed.

    Rambling input....for a kitchen that is huge compared to mine. I really like the layout of yours and it has bunches of options for actually making it fun to redo.

  • robinco
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks for the input, emagineer! We are fortunate to have a number of his watercolors and sculptures. We have some grouped but this one just never really "fit" with them, so we put it alone. We plan to reframe all of them as we have money available and I would like to give this one in particular the frame it deserves. We do have all of them under glass and out of direct sunlight. We don't homeschool - we just like to have a spot to honor our kids' work (call it a "rotating" display... 90% of which rotates into the recycle bin after a time). We plan to add trim after we paint the walls. I like the chalkboard idea! I'll have to think about where to put that. Thank you for the input on the loss of storage. I probably would miss it -- I think we'll stick with what we have for now although I also like the idea of using the cabinets (cut down) to corral some of the hallway clutter. We don't have a saddle over there, just lots and lots of backpacks!

    I'll keep you posted as we go...

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