Swimpy's Kitchen Remodel Thread

Thanks ehbeth and Swimpy. When you design your own remodel you just hope it comes together right. I'm happy with the results.

Very nice, panzade!

The color is kind of 20's-ish, too -- there is a light 1920's green that is a little more true (less brown tones) that I just love. We had tiles of that green in the backsplash of our 20's house in Pasadena, original... loved it.

[quote="panzade, aka "Norm""]Damn Gus.You have an unerring eye. That style was in vogue in the 20's but it's actually all new trim I installed to get that look. I ripped out all that 80's clamshell crap.[/quote]

Yes, I realized my mistake afterwards, when I went back a few pages and saw the structure of your house.

Oh and Swimpy your room is lovely!!! I really like the combination of cream, sage, and that rich orange-y wood...

Too kind Soz. And right on about the 20's and that green .

Thanks, Soz. It's still a work in progress, but I think I know where I'm going with it. I saw some drapes that I like. They're a darker version of the sage green. I already had white plantation blinds on the windows, so I think the darker drapes will be a nice complement. I'm not crazy about the wood on the walls but I'm working with it.

Nice, Panzade, it looks really good! (And the parrot looks so lifelike!!!)

I like the colors of the tile -- you did all the tile work? How is the grout behaving? I'm getting ready to re-color our grout -- to a dark gray. Ever done that??

Never have. I just finished putting the third coat of sealer on the new grout;I'm hoping it won't stain. I think every color grout ends up dark grey over the years
If it's on the floor

Mr.P says that dark grey is a very standard color for commercial grout, a dull greenish sort. You start out that way and it's easier to clean. <~!>

Pan, I like the tiles you did -- the shiny look really reflects light. I also like them being "on point." That's hard to do, isn't it? My bathroom, the one getting the v. difficult sky-cloud treatment, has some accent tile laid in a diamond pattern. I'd bought the tile ahead of time, gee whiz, it is fun to shop for tile. Anyway, my brother-in-law was visiting while the tile-guys were there for the last consult and they cooked up a more extensive tiling job. I didn't have enough tile. To fix that glitch, we ordered some accent pieces in the same color. All the tile is white, as are the sink, etc. That's why I thought I could get away with blue sky on the ceiling.

Swimpy, your office must be a wonderful refuge. I like that you have two comfortable chairs, too. Do you also have your computer desk there? I know what you mean about too much wood. On the British make-over shows... Changing Rooms, House Doctor, House Invaders ... they're always trying to remove the wood. "Pine" seems to be a dirty word to the designers. We have a lot of wood here and it does seem relentless sometimes.

Relentless is a good way to desctibe it. The walls are in bad shape underneth so taking the wood down is not an option. The floor is also wood, so it's a bit much. I suppose I could paint the walls, but I don't have that kind of energy right now. I figure using painted furniture and an area rug will diffuse it some.

I had to play around with it and a tile guy gave me a golden tip:Make the grout siz a wee bit bigger to compensate for the difference.

It is a little much. Sort of a hunting lodge look.
My mom used to put a burlap type cloth up to give the room a new texture.
I'm going to do that in the next project room:The study.
Chairrail 36" inches up with cloth walls divided by square trim pieces. Below the rail, beaded pine(cheap at HD) with a washed oak look.

I thought your paneling was pecky cypress at first but it can't be. Must be a knotty pine tongue & groove.

Yea, it's knotty pine. It's a sensitive issue around here. I hate it, but Hubby loves it. It stays. Here are some more pics.

Oooh, really nice, Swimp. Working well with what you've got. (Love the floor, not the pine walls. We saw a bunch of houses when we were looking that had those walls, it was always trumpeted as a selling point. I know some people really like it.)

The painted hutch makes sense in that context. (Usually I like wood furniture that shows the wood, but that'd be WAY too much...) (Where do your knees go when you're at the computer?

The doors on the bottom fold back and a desk top and keyboard tray pull out. I could post another picture to illustrate, but it's not real purty.

We have redwood walls in our cabin and my sister, who lived there a while, painted one end. Omigod. Do not try this. At least, it was awful for us and we're still trying to figure out how to overcome it. We can't fully remove it without making it bleach out in comparison to the other walls and the paint never went on right. I think we're going to have to tear it out. Those walls soak up oil over the years (they are supposed to be oiled twice a year...hah!) and it is impossible to get a paint to look good over that. Plus the grooves are difficult to cover. She was hoping to go for a beaded pine look but tongue & groove is not the same.

I like your hutch and area rug. You could go for many pieces of art and mirrors too.

I also like the idea of hanging fabric ala Pan's mom. How hard could that be? (she asks wistfully)

I think this wood would soak up gallons of paint. t seems really porous. I don't know how you'd ever cover the knots. It's fine, not Better Homes & Garden, but fine.

I need something tall to balance out the hutch. Probably a tall bookcase. That will cover quite a bit of wall. Then a couple of large art peices sould make it less lodgy.

I had corian installed when our kitchen was remodeled because I thought it would be really resistant to scratches. Boy was I wrong....now I'm trying to muster up the nerve to ask mr. glitterbag how he feels about getting a new countertop.

I could have told you that, glitterbag. Once we had corian in a previous kitchen,
it scratched up so badly. I also had previously formica and tiles. Now for the
past 12 years I have wood and I love it. The more worn it gets the better it looks...

My countertops are made of this granite. I dearly love it. It's a black/tan/green combination. It's dark enough that it doesn't need sealing, and it doesn't show crumbs or dirt. It is absolutely maintenance-free.