Kitchen Window Trim

The week between Christmas & New Years, the contractor finished the window trim on the back kitchen windows.

We then got to work sanding them down (they were a little rough) and then priming & painting.

Once dry, we put the outlet covers on...

I was looking for white cafe curtains, similar to what we had in the old house kitchen.  Unfortunately, those curtains were too short to re-use (and had already been put up the well house windows- you can sort of see them out there in the pics above!)  I couldn't find similar ones anywhere in a store... I prefer to buy them in person to make sure I like the feel of them!  BUT- I did find these, which I decided to try out and see how we like them.  

There weren't curtain rods that were long enough to run across all 5 windows (we needed it to be over 9 feet!)  And I'm hesitant to drill into the newly finished trim anyways!  But I found these oil rubbed bronze pressure rods, and I got the little rings so that the curtains open & close easily.

I'm pleased with them so far!  I was worried the pattern would be too much, but I think it works brining in more blue to contrast the yellow.

Media Room Updates

Although I had declared it done, there are still lots of little things we're working on in the Media Room...


We finally got the rug padding put down under the carpet.  It was a bit of patchwork to get it to cover the entire area under the rug.

I hemmed the curtains using iron on hem tape that I still had left over from making knight costumes for my son's 2012 birthday party!)

And, we're finishing up the moldings.  Here is a section that needed some wood putty to even out the space between the wall & the molding (since nothing is truly square in a house this old!)


 I hope to get the last coat of paint on them this weekend...

Media Room Curtains

Since we were just talking windows... you may have noticed that we added curtains!

Just a simple gray that we picked up at Bed Bath & Beyond.















The curtain rod is a basic black that curves to the wall, allowing for great black out (for movie watching).


I still need to hem them... and will get around to that sooner or later!

Ooo- you can also see in this bottom photo that Mike has almost finished the base moldings!
Last weekend we were at a stand-still on the projects while I frantically got the house ready for a certain 9 year old's StarWars sleepover party!  That's why there hasn't been any before/after shot of the room yet- it's all decked out with Jedi-related decorations!

Kitchen Refresh

With our kitchen renovation plans on hold, I couldn't take it any longer... I decided we would rip down the old wallpaper & paint the kitchen.  I figured it would be a quick & cheap way to refresh the room while we're waiting to start the real renovation!

Mom took down the wallpaper on her last visit (Yup- the woman travels with her own steamer!)  Then I spent the next weekend spackling & painting.  I must say, it all came together pretty quickly (took me longer to get arount to snapping the photos than it did for the whole project!)

Here are the Befores & Afters...

The Eating Area:

Prior to us moving in

Holding pattern

AFTER

We had the tan paint left over from the Dining Room.  I was considering the gray we used in the foyer & hallway, but my mom suggested the DR paint color instead- since the linoleum floor is a creamy tan.  She was right!

 

The tulip print we got on our honeymoon in Australia.  The colors tied in nicely, & the frame matches the corner seat.

On the right is a wrapped canvas. I took the pic  of us in our rain boots at last year's Easter Egg Hunt & added our last name to the center.  It will eventually go in our back entryway.

From the Dining Room doorway:

Prior to move in

Holding Pattern

AFTER

The curtains I got on sale for $5!  The window facing the backyard is very narrow & caused the curtain to look frilly.  So, I trimmed it, for a more tailored look.

<-- The flower hook hanging next to the window holds aprons.  I love the blue accent it provides.

From the Hall Doorway:

Prior to moving in

AFTER

Painting the bottom of the peninsula made a huge difference & lightened up the whole room!

AFTER

View from the table-->

I didn't paint the bottom cabinets on the far side of the kitchen... taking off the doors & everything would be more work than I could get done in a weekend!  

But I might do that next... I'm also thinking I may paint the fan blades... not sure yet!

The Fridge Corner:

Prior to move in

Holding Pattern

AFTER

We got the new fridge last July, but had an ugly cabinet next to it for food storage.  I rearranged the other kitchen cabinets and decided to move our bakers rack in from the back porch. It's another oldie but goodie (we got it for our first apartment back in 2001!)








I was a little hesitant about the open shelves concept for our dishes, but now am loving it.  It makes emptying the dishwasher a breeze!

The baskets look nice AND are functional (great for hiding chips and cookies... shh!)

The top of the fridge got some too!









Stove/Sink area:

AFTER

I didn't do too much over here.  Just painted the little bit of exposed wall, the moulding, the radiator cover, and added the curtain.

I still need to get some new screening for the radiator cover.

My favorite new accessory over here is the glug jug...








So, that's where the kitchen is now!
It's far (very far) from perfect... but feels so much more fresh & clean.

One more side-by-side...

Family Room Curtains

The freshly painted white corner cabinet made the rest of the cream-colored molding in the room look really bad. Painting it all white is going to take a while, especially with all of the built-ins on the opposite wall!  

I'm dreading painting the built-ins that flank the fireplace!

But I'm not going to stress out about it, we're just going to do it a little at a time.

I started with the window that was right next to the corner cabinet.

After the window molding was painted, I wasn't sure what to do with the curtains.  

I really hadn't been thrilled with anything I've done with them so far.
These windows face the road, so we're trying to balance wanting to let in the natural light, and the need for privacy- especially when lights are on in the evening.

In the past, I've tried just letting them hang...

I've tried pulling them to one side...

I have drape-y valences for them, but they seemed too formal in here.

Then I tried these little clips, that I have had for years... 

For the longest time, I was planning to use them for hanging the kids' artwork.

I'm not really sure what they were originally intended for, but the "claws" are really sharp, so it seems like they were made to grip material.

This allows light in, but doesn't feel TOO wide open.

I'm liking it... at least for now!