Showing posts with label Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kitchen. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Easy Peasy Wallpaper Removal


A while ago I hinted towards the fact that I had removed the wallpaper in our little breakfast nook. Saying that the wallpaper was dated is putting it pretty nicely. It was bad.
I hadn’t planned on removing it that afternoon, I actually was just curious. So, I lifted up a corner at one of the seams, annnnd



it peeled off like melted butter. (Is that a saying? It sounds like a saying.) It came off the entire wall in huge sheets, only tearing at the seams where the pieces met. I could stand on the floor and just pull and the entire section would come off! Hooray! I thought that this would have been a much more labor-intensive process but honestly, the whole thing only took me 20 minutes tops.



However, peeling off that old paper did leave a pretty rough surface. All of the adhesive was still stuck onto the wall. I used a spray bottle that I found lying around and filled it with some white vinegar diluted with water. Working in small sections I would spray with the vinegar solution, scrub with a rough sponge, then rinse and wipe with clean water. This process took a lot longer, and didn’t seem to make a difference until the section I had been working on was dry. Once dried it felt all smooth, like butter you guys. Seriously. (The color is pretty close too.)



Removing the old wallpaper was a great start to this room. However, the surface underneath was in pretty rough shape. The wallpaper had been used to cover lots of flaws in the plaster. Cracks, chipping, dents, you name it. Luckily, none of it was too bad that it couldn’t be fixed with some heavy duty spackle. Which is what I did. Spackling definitely isn’t a job meant for perfectionists, like myself. I want to just cover the entire wall with a skim coat so that it is completely level, but Nick thinks that is a little unnecessary.

So instead, I focused on the obvious flaws. I still have to go back in and sand it all down. That was put on the backburner once we started the actual moving process because we didn’t want all of our stuff to be covered in dust. I am planning on getting to it one of these naptimes though, and hopefully making use of the wet sanding sponges that Nick bought to keep the mess to a minimum. Then it will be ready for paint! (Yellow just isn’t really our thing) I think we’re planning on using the same blue/grey that we want to eventually use for the kitchen, because after that dividing wall with the window gets knocked out it will be one large open space. Yay for modernizing!

I really lucked out with this room so far! Have you had any great experiences with wallpaper removal? How about any, not-so-great ones? I have a feeling our master bath wallpaper isn’t going to be quite so easy! I’ll probably need some tips. Leave ‘em in the comments below!

XO
Sam

Monday, August 26, 2013

Pinspiration: Kitchen Edition

We posted our kitchen mood boards last week, so I'll continue to ride on that same thought train and share some of the inspiration photos that helped create those mood boards.

We've been trying to find as many images as we can to draw our ideas from. We want to make sure that things will "work" the way that we imagine they will. Placement of the sinks, appliances, peninsula (maybe?), etc. So, it is nice to see what other people have done. Here are a few of the kitchens that I've been drooling over on my Pinterest board
source: here
P.S. Holy cow! Check out those BEFORE pictures! 

I love the pop of color on the peninsula! Nick and I have tossed around the idea of paining the seating side of the peninsula (if we choose to install one) a bold color. Probably a peacock turquoise.

source unknown

source: here
As you can see, I've done a pretty good job sticking to my original design idea of white cabinets, light countertop, and dark flooring. I try to look at different color schemes as well, to get some variety, but I always find myself going back to this one. It is just so bright and airy. Which I think is an important aspect for a room where we'll be spending a lot of time. 

Maybe when the time comes I'll go out on a limb a little bit and take a chance with some more bold colors?

Do you have a "safe" color scheme that you find yourself drawn to? 

XO Sam

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Mood Board: Kitchen 1.0

Well, I said we were going to and we did! Hopefully they don't disappoint. 
Nick and I both made a mood board for our future kitchen that is going to need a complete renovation. Everything from the old tile floor with stained grout, to the terrible drop ceiling with fluorescent lights, yeah, it all has to go. 

Even though we're a long way off from being able to complete a complete renovation (it definitely isn't at the top of our list. revisit: #moldproblems) it is still fun for us to come up with design ideas for when we can afford it!

Here is what I have come up with so far...


Sam's Kitchen Mood Board

Sam's Kitchen Mood Board by sammywalton featuring IKEA


For details on items in my mood board click on this link

Like I've said, this is the very, very, utmost beginning stages of this kitchen redesign. However, we are already set on a few things. I would absolutely love a big white farmhouse sink, seriously, I'll never complain about doing dishes again once I get one of these bad boys! 

And here is Nick's...

Kitchen.01


To see the details on items in Nick's mood board, click here.


As you can see, we have pretty much agreed on every aspect of this room. It's fun to see what is important to each of us. Clearly, Nick is more concerned with the actual appliances. (Note: the cooktop, fridge, and oven!) He does the vast majority of the cooking, so it makes sense that those are his main concern. They're important to me too, obviously, but I also love shiny tiles. 

We have also agreed on a ECO countertop by Cosentino. It is made from 75% recycled materials, and even the water it is manufactured with is 94% reused. While we definitely aren't going with the most eco-conscious everything, we are absolutely going to try and make Earth friendly choices when possible. The flooring is another item that was chosen because its design and appearance appealed to us (and lets be honest, at $3.49/sq ft the price doesn't hurt!), but also because it is an eco friendly flooring option. The bark of the cork is harvested and peeled without destroying the tree. It grows back and can even be harvested again, pretty cool!

The general "theme" of the home is going to be pretty heavily industrial, but I definitely want to mix in lots of classic elements and crisp clean colors to keep the whole thing from feeling like a salvage warehouse. Nick and I both really like the exposed iron pipe furniture and accessories, which is super on trend right now. Plus, there are tons of DIY's floating around! Like this one for a plumbing pipe light fixture (shown in my mood board!) oooh, or this one for a coffee table! 

I'm sure that we'll have our fair share of compromises to come to once it actually comes time to start the renovation. In the meantime I'll bask in the happy glow of agreeing with my partner.

How do you come to design compromises with your significant other? 

XO Sam