Jackson Kitchen

I was very pleased to get these pictures from this kitchen I designed a few months ago. (These things take lots of time but are definetely worth waiting for)

All the cabinet work was custom and some of the extras including hidden filler pullouts on each side of the refrigerator and cooktop.

The family wanted an island design that could seat 6 people without making the space look crowded. The elongated island was my solution for them.

The Crema Bordeaux granite was a beautiful choice, I chose the same for my mom's kitchen. I dog-ear design at the end of the island gives the whole thing a more custom and elegant feel.

Following up!

I have a few pictures I must post, my dining room set is finally finished! I had to call in a professional when it came to the reupholstery... I tried, but it I wasn't getting the result I desired. I have no problem recognizing my limits, I may not be able to do everything but I can be resourceful and make sure it gets done...one way or another.

Pictures coming soon!

Normandy Kitchen

This before picture clearly shows a need for a remodel. The clients attempted to give their existing cabinets a makeover by painting them in contrasting white and black paint. However, the husband is a successful contractor and he was capable of doing a lot more.

Here is the after; a much more fitting traditional style.

A custom travertine tile backsplash design.

This rotating pantry unit is made by Thomasville Cabinetry.

Notice in this last photo, the wall cabinet is attached to the pantry cabinet. This is because in order for us to accommodate the large rotating pantry unit, the existing wall had to be removed. This involved retrofitting the light switch inside the pantry. This was apparently not difficult for my experienced contractor client.

Overall, the new cabinets look great. There are still a few more details that need to be worked out such as the replacing of the fluorescent light fixture for a more attractive recessed light application.

Entertainment Center

Here are a few pictures of a built-in entertainment center I designed sometime ago. The cabinets are made by Kraftmaid Cabinetry and the countertop is Wilsonart Laminate. For a small unit like this I recommended laminate to help keep costs low. Today's laminates have changed drastically from 30 years ago, they now include beautiful textures that add dimension and luminance and can

look like a much more expensive material. I will soon post pictures of my kitchen in which I used High Definition Wilsonart Laminate.

Tazelaar Kitchen

The following are pictures of a kitchen I designed late last year. I had the pleasure of going back to see the end result. My client had very specific tastes and had taken a lot of time to decide the style and finishes she wanted. They are a family with teenage kids and they love to entertain. Originally the kitchen was attached to a breakfast nook. We decided to do away with it and the pantry in order to incorporate a large entertaining area.

Before:

After

My favorite details in this kitchen are the custom walnut inserts. The round tabletop helps to break up the monotony that occurs in a large slab of granite. We also added a half round at the other end which is perfect of hor d'oeuvres.

Finishing the table

After much delay, the table (with the exception of the chairs) is finished. I chose a satin finish polyurethane because I prefer less glossy finishes as I believe they are easier to maintain.

I applied the first coat straight out of the can and once it was dry I used 220 grit sandpaper to lightly sand it to prepare it for the second coat. The second application was not at easy at the first; the finish was glossier than I expected and some brush marks showed through even after it thoroughly dried. I did some quick research online and found that I could add some mineral spirits to the poly and dilute it, thereby making it thinner and easier to apply. This worked excellently! The third and final coat dried to a true satin sheen with

no evidence of brush marks.

So far so good... now onto the chairs!

The Dining Room

When I get involved in a project one thing usually leads to another. This process makes the whole thing take longer but in my opinion it's usually for the best. Our dining room which is one combined area with the living room had old acoustic popcorn ceiling and a dingy white ceiling fan. I knew the ceiling fan had to go some time ago, so I removed it and purchased a beautiful yet simple chandelier. The popcorn ceiling was dirty so we decided to remove it before we finished bringing anymore furniture into the house. This again delays my table project, but like I said before... it's for the best!

This is the picture of the ceiling after we scraped off the popcorn. The project is really quite simple, the most important part is PREP, I can't stress this enough. It is best done with no furniture in the room, cover the floor completely with a plastic lined paper tarp, and go to town!

Getting it off the ceiling is easy, just soak with a garden sprayer (about $10) and use a scraper (I use a taping knife). I bought the specialized acoustic ceiling remover scraper but I was really unhappy with it, the bag you attach to it ends up getting in yo

ur way so you can't see where you're scraping.

Finally, if possible pick up everything once it has dried and you should be left with only wall clean up. I know it is recommended that you spray some knockdown texture so the ceiling looks even and to gain coverage over nail holds and drywall tape lines. I didn't have time for this, so I filled in uneven surfaces with joint compound and used a primer/paint combination to save time.

This last picture gives you a better idea of the finished project.

The Dining Room Table Part 4

I was unbelievable busy today and so far I've sanded the majority of the table and two and a half chairs but I am happy to say...

I began staining!

It may need a few more layers of stain and its missing the polyurethane... but I'm making good progress!

We start the moving process tomorrow so I won't get back to it until friday.

The Dining Room Table Part 3

I am happy to report that the sander works wonders!

<----this is before (note the 70's orange upholstery)

And this is my after!...it's a work in progress

The Dining Room Table Part 2

Today I began my day with a trip to the Home Depot. I worked in the paint department at Home Depot for 6 months when I first got hired, so I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. However, I purchased some "Furniture Restorer" that is made to remove the old finish without stripping it(?... i thought that was stripping it) I guess I don't know as much as I thought.

I also got my steel wool, sandpaper, scrapers, etc. About one hour in, this "furniture restorer" is not cutting it. I return the stuff (I have to stay within my budget and this qualified under not 100% satisfied) and purchase some eco friendly gel stripper (I care about the earth too).

I come home, try the eco-friendly stuff... it worked, but I had to keep reapplying and I don't have all week for this project.

One more trip... this time I bought the heavy duty stripper in an aerosol can (sorry mother nature, but I need to get this stuff off!) It bubbled up and when I took my scraper to it, it only took off a light layer.

Trip #4! At this point I'm thinking "thank god I don't work at this store, or I might as well clock in". This time I skip the paint department, head straight to the hardware dept. and get the most versatile sander I can find. I get some sandpaper and I'm on my way. This has to work!!

The Dining Room Table

We picked up the dining table today, it wasn't in the condition I expected but it is solid wood and you cant beat $75 bucks! I've decided to strip the finish, re stain and reupholster. I haven't done a project of this scale before... so I am a little nervous, I have been known to procrastinate on my personal projects when I get close to the end.

Moving!

We are moving back into our 3 bedroom condo. I had lived there previously and we had a chance to remodel the kitchen and the small half bath on the first floor.

Earlier this week I began to realize that all our furniture there are mismatched hand me downs. I suppose it had been o.k. before because money was really tight after our remodels. Now we've had a few months to save up so I have a small budget but a budget nonetheless! Although I love fancy expensive things, I am quite the deal catcher and can really make the most of tight budgets. I kept our complete kitchen remodel under $2500!... new cabinets and all, you can't beat that.

Anyway... so my search began for a dining room table. I usually start with craigslist or second hand stores... but lately shopping with a two year old is a real headache. I search and emailed a few people on sets that ranged about 300-400 but were fairly new. Then I found a solid wood Retro 1970's Dining Set!! Oh, it was beautiful... from the picture all I could tell was that it needed to be reupholstered. I can see potential in something like this... and so my task begins.