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mistydatn

New Here! Can I see your kitchens?

mistydatn
12 years ago

Hello All! I just found GW a few months ago but am new to the smaller homes forum. I have spent a lot of time on the kitchens forum. I sooo enjoy looking at all the BEAUTIFUL kitchens on there but it does cause some kitchen envy;)

Can I see pics of your small kitchens? Old or new..doesn't matter. How do they work for you? Any tips to maximize space? I think I need a reality check after seeing the HUGE, fancy kitchens I have been seeing:)

We are building a new house under 2000 sq ft. We moved to my husband's family farm into a 60 yr old farm house that is maybe 900 sq ft, while we are building. I think the new "small" house will feel huge to my family of 5 after living in this one. We are on a very strict budget but it will still be the largest house we have ever lived in :)So I am excited.

Thanks so Much!

Comments (26)

  • desertsteph
    12 years ago

    congrats on the new home! you just do the best you can with your budget and don't worry about the huge expensive kitchens. better less that's paid for (or able to be paid for) than huge/expensive and financial struggle.

    here's some of mine - don't let it scare ya tho!

    pantry -

    this is the 'eat in' counter. it'll be moved to the craft/storage room. I'll put my pedestal table there.

    this is the north wall run. ignore all the junk. I've been gathering up stuff to be washed in the sink there. not the drill tho...

    this is the rest of the 'north run' joining up with the 'west run' of the L.


    and this is the rest of the 'west run' section.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    You've probably seen mine, but here is the before
    {{gwi:1566096}}

    And today
    {{!gwi}}

  • desertsteph
    12 years ago

    marti - you sure do (did - lol!) have a lot of cabinets. I probably posted that before tho.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    I do, but it does look like even more lined up that way.

  • Nancy in Mich
    12 years ago

    Here is mine. We remodeled summer of 2010 with a used kitchen from Green Demolitions. Our backsplash went in last month. I still have some cleaning up of the rope liner on the backsplash to do. No finished pictures yet. Still have to sand and stain the last cupboard door (above the oven) this spring.

    If you want to skip the renovation phase, look at the last two pages.
    More finished pictures can be found in this gallery:

    http://www.pbase.com/nancyb/tour_of_family_room_and_new_kitchen

    Here is a link that might be useful: Click on individual pics to enlarge.

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    It's been awhile since I've seen your kitchen Nancy. Do you have a downdraft stovetop?

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Here is my small kitchen.

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

    {{!gwi}}

  • mistydatn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks so much everyone! I enjoyed seeing everyone of them. Good luck to those of you still in the remodeling phase. I know that is tough. I am sure they will be great!
    Thanks again:)

  • Nancy in Mich
    12 years ago

    Yes, Marti, we do have a downdraft. I have a picture of it in my Family Room and Kitchen gallery,see below. I have not been reading the Forum in my family room, where my "Nancy's Book of Secret Codes and Magic HTML Spells" is sitting, so please forgive me for not embedding the picture. Click below to see the whole gallery, the downdraft is in the 9th row. Each picture will enlarge if you click on it. Lots more captions on the enlarged pics, too.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Family Room and New Kitchen

  • User
    12 years ago

    Nancy, you did an AMAZING JOB. It's big, and you had a lot of problems to work our, like the stairs, the ramp, and the raised dishwasher, and it is so great what you did with those Green Demo cabs.

    I have pantry envy. Don't think I have the space for a wide one like yours, but I will find the space going UP, and maybe TWO of them. But we'll see how it works out.

    I'll be getting serious about a design now, because the budget money is going in the bank NEXT WEEK. DH thinks we'll do it this summer, but no way. It will be done next fall, when hurricane season is almost over, and the contractor will be winding down his usual work schedule to have time for our job. I'm told the new work is always easier than a remodel.

  • mimi72
    12 years ago

    Schoolhouse -- love the beadboard and that cabinet with the art deco details!!

  • Rudebekia
    12 years ago

    Here's mine. My house is approximately 1500 sq. feet and I redid the kitchen for about $5000.--paint, subway tile, soapstone countertops.
    {{!gwi}}
    {{!gwi}}

  • Nancy in Mich
    12 years ago

    Schoolhouse, I did not have time before to look closely at your pictures. I love your vintage style, unfitted look. It harkens back to simpler times. The beadboard is pretty, as is your blue ceiling. I know that blue ceilings are used on traditional porches, and I like it here, too. The art deco piece is nice, too. Does the little table come out from the center, or have you placed it there? Your stove is in beautiful shape. Have you decorated the rest of your home in period style, too? I love your antique paper holder!

  • shelayne
    12 years ago

    Wow, Marti, I am completely envious of all your counter space! My kitchen *still* has a lack of it. I added more in this remodel, as it was bordering on pathetic before. LOL.

    Schoolhouse, I adore your vintage kitchen! I love the colors, and anyone who has seen my kitchen knows how much I love beadboard! Now what happened to what you called your school bus? ;)

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Thanks mimi, nancy, and shelayne. Nancy, are you asking about the three piece Hoosier cupboard? The center piece is all one unit and has a ceramic top that will extend for more work space. Also the cubby can be closed by a roll top feature but unfortunately it has been broken for many years. I have the missing slats and I'm sure it can be fixed easily I just haven't got around to it. The other rooms in my house are furnished in a vintage and/or antique style and some Arts and Crafts pieces.

    sheylayne -the cupboard that I painted yellow and turned out looking like a school bus? It's back to its original creamy white thank goodness!

    {{!gwi}}

  • TxMarti
    12 years ago

    Don't be too impressed Shelayne, have you seen my latest pictures? It has decreased dramatically.

  • Nancy in Mich
    12 years ago

    Hee hee, Marti!

    Schoolhouse, I don't know much about Hoosiers, and the only ones I have seen are more like the one Shades has. Yours is more... delicate, I guess. I could see the slats where the roll top is, but could not be sure what I was seeing. That is such a nice piece!

  • lavender_lass
    12 years ago

    Marita- Your kitchen is beautiful! Not only are the finishes lovely, but I like the way you incorporated the windows and radiator...with the little desk area. Very nice :)

    Schoolhouse- Your kitchen is always so much fun to see. I love all the vintage details!

    Nancy- What a difference! I really like the new kitchen and that island is wonderful :)

    Marti- Your kitchen is going to look so different, when you're done...especially with the new dining area! I'm looking forward to seeing your new countertops, too.

    Steph- You've come up with so many clever ideas, to work with your space! I think moving the counter to the craft room and replacing it with the pedestal table is a great idea.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Thanks. Most of the photos are from last year not long after the remodel was done. The paper holder will eventually hang up on the wall there, I just can't make myself drill those holes and then not be happy where I chose to put it. Besides, I think I'll mess up - better ask the guy who does work on my house.

    I'd been looking a long time for just the right lamp to put on the counter and had one all along in another room of the house. I had bought it at Dollar General one year for like $12. I took off the dingy white shade and bought a bronze one - again at DG for $8. So far it's working out. I especially like the way it lights the room at night with a 25W bulb when I turn off the overhead light fixture.

  • mistydatn
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks again for the pictures of all of your LOVELY kitchens. This site is the best:)

  • Shades_of_idaho
    12 years ago

    Schoolhouse I love your unfitted kitchen look. My hoosier roll up came apart too. The canvas straps just got brittle and the slats fell off. What I did to fix it is take some light weight canvas cut to fit the whole shape of the door and wall paper paste. Pasted up the canvas really well and set the slats in place as I rubbed the canvas piece of fabric onto the back sides of the slats working my way to the bottom as I was rolling the door down. Also pushing from front side. Then left the door closed for a few days to dry well. It was a bit tricky and you had to hold your tongue just right, but it worked like a charm and was not really hard to do. Worrying about it for several years was the worst part.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Many thanks shades. It works for me, especially since I'm the only one who lives here. Hey, thanks too for the tips about repairing the roll up - I copied what you said and put it in my "Saved" file. I don't know why I don't get busy and do something about it, hopefully the missing slats are still laying on top of the cupboard! Now, how exactly should I hold my tongue? pics or video please. lol

  • Shades_of_idaho
    12 years ago

    LOL NO video. Honestly it is a little odd to do but not nearly as hard as I thought it would be and I put up with that falling apart door for way too long. Nothing has to be exact. Cut it a little smaller that the over all door to keep the fabric out of the tracks. Do not worry about the edges as far as hemming. The glue will hold it together.

    Actual time to do the job was about 20 minutes start to finish.If that long.

    Your Hoosier is a GEM I wish mine was that nice. And you said it is three pieces?

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    Yes, three separate pieces - the middle one and then the two narrow ones on either side. I paid $110 for it probably over 25yrs ago. Even then I had to make payments because I didn't make very much money at my job! Got it from an antique shop a lady had in her house right down the road. It was painted white at that time,too. Some years later she was moving and called me to ask if I still had the cupboard and would I sell it back to her. Uh..no,sorry.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    12 years ago

    shades, there is a discussion on Hoosier cupboards going on in the Kitchens forum here on GW right now. It makes me curious now because I don't see the actual word "Hoosier" on my cupboard anywhere even tho it has the characteristics of one. Perhaps it's just a "1930's kitchen cupboard"? I always called it a Hoosier.

  • Shades_of_idaho
    12 years ago

    Oh Thanks I will try to go find it. How fun. I think I paid about that for mine but it is no where near as nice as yours is. Why I had no problems adding mirrors to the top three doors and then doing a little mosaic on them. LOL

    There is another picture after this on in the thumbnail on Flicker.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Hoosier upgrade. LOL

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