before
& after
AFTER: After removing the saloon doors, the addition of a new, all-white Energy Star fridge, more efficient use of the old wall niche, new countertops and subway tile backsplash, new rolled vinyl flooring and efficient under-cabinet lighting transformed this oncedated kitchen.
BEFORE: An energy-gobbling old fridge, unused ironing board niche in the wall, saloon-style swinging doors, white laminate countertops and backsplash, old vinyl tile flooring and lack of under-cabinet lighting made for an unattractive kitchen.
Budget Beauty
BEFORE
BY JOETTA MOULDEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET LENZEN
A couples’ 1950s kitchen be-bops into the modern era with smart upgrades that didn’t break the bank I first met David Fontaine back in 2005 when he was single and Shelterstyle.com decorated his living and dining rooms and sunroom. Back then, David wanted to work with inherited furniture and not spend money remodeling since his duplex is in a popular teardown area (see the November, 2005 Houston House & Home makeover, “Eureka”). 52
Since then, he married Elaine, and I have helped the newlyweds with their master bedroom (see July 2011 Houston House & Home, “Warming Trend”) and now their c. 1953 galley-style teardown kitchen. “Elaine and I were distracted when we looked into our dated kitchen with its mismatched appliances and boring finishes. Next to the beautifully re-designed other rooms, the kitchen was a real eyesore,” the Italian cuisine aficionado explained.
house& home | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1 | h o u s e a n d h o m e o n l i n e . com
The couple had plenty of ideas—in fact, too many of them—throwing them into indecision and design overload. “The more we ‘designed’, the more frustration we encountered. A few weeks into the project we decided we needed help and called you. We didn’t want to spend money on components that if not properly coordinated could result in an expensive hodge-podge,” he explained. David explained that in years past they had interviewed several kitchen-remodeling companies about modest options for improving the kitchen in their home, which is in a popular teardown area. The couple did not want to invest a king’s ransom in a masterpiece that did not make any financial sense. None ever put forth a sensible plan, David said. All wanted to spend big bucks tearing down load-bearing walls, installing granite countertops, new custom cabinets, hardwood floors and other building blocks for spectacular kitchen makeovers. “Elaine and I decided that what we needed was a way to update what was already in place and do much of the work ourselves. You were the perfect person to help us make this project a success,” David explained. We met one Saturday morning and measured, discussed ideas, materials, vendors and what to expect. A plan emerged and the concept was clearly made for the couple and this house. “As veteran do-it-yourselfers, we had an affordable road map to completion,” David said. “We were ecstatic.” They began by stripping their l950s cabinet doors to bare wood in the garage. Then David and Elaine sanded and painted the doors and surrounds with white industrial grade, self-priming Benjamin Moore Alkyd Metal & Wood Enamel in #C-163-01. The white countertop was replaced with Pionite laminate in “Greige” SC210” installed by Venetian Blind & Floor Carpet One. The backsplash was first covered in water-resistant Sheetrock, then in inexpensive 3” x 6” Bone White subway tiles (United States Ceramic Tile Company #078-36) purchased locally by a tile store going out of business (also available at Home Depot.) The floor had several layers of linoleum, covered by vinyl tiles. I recommended Forsyth Floor Company, who installed vinyl flooring to match the hardwoods in the nearby dining room. During the installation, Forsyth discovered that the floor underneath the old dishwasher was rotted through to the slab and the old dishwasher was literally chopped out. This provided a legitimate reason to replace it with a new one and to repair the subfloor. To compensate for irregularities in height, the entire kitchen floor was covered in new plywood. “The installation went perfectly and the look of the low-luster vinyl has fooled many observers into thinking they are standing on solid oak floors stained like the rest of the house,” David said. Since the gas range was only four years old and it was white, they decided to keep it, replacing the vent hood. Not only was the old vent hood ineffective, it was the wrong color. When they removed it, the couple discovered a nest of problems—the gas pipe was directly in the way of the exhaust duct. I suggested they call Kenny Jaines at Vogler Sheet Metal Co., who solved the problem by constructing a duct that attached to the new hood, bypassing the gas pipe and linking up to a new exhaust outlet on the building’s exterior--an inexpensive fix that has worked perfectly. “During our planning meeting, you warned us that we should expect to incur electrical problems. When we removed the range hood the kitchen lights went out,” David explained. Behind the hood was a tangled web of wires, no doubt the work of a previous installer who got the hood working but compromised safety through poor wiring and no grounding—a scenario repeated elsewhere in the kitchen. The old wiring was scorched or melted at key junctures. They called Dan Brown at Dempsey Electric who talked them into installing recessed lighting and dimmers, which they really like. “To save money, we purchased the lighting materials online and Dan did the installation with a discount from Dempsey Electric. “The electrical was an expensive and unexpected aspect of the kitchen remodel, but we know it was money well spent for our safety and peace of mind,” David explained.
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AFTER: Pots and pans are now well-ordered, thanks to Ikea open shelving and curtain rod functioning as a pot rack behind the door. An Ikea magnetic knife holder takes advantage of vertical storage space. New brushed-nickel doorknobs and hinges go with new Ikea pulls that match those on the customized Ikea worktable. A new white vent hood and increased storage make this kitchen easy to work in. BEFORE: White walls and white laminate countertops and backsplash, brass door knobs, mismatched vent hood and lack of storage made this kitchen difficult to cook in.
TRADE SECRETS • Establish an overall plan before you start updating your kitchen. Don’t discard anything until a professional sees if it can be integrated into your plan. • Money saved on a budget plan can easily pay for design services. • Eliminate costly mistakes. Hire an objective professional to help you stay within your budget. • Sometimes the most effective strategy is to not gut your kitchen, but to rethink the cabinets and spaces that are already paid for.
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BEFORE
Joetta Moulden offers home makeovers using your own home furnishings. See more makeovers on her Web site at www.shelterstyle.com, e-mail her at joetta@shelterstyle.com or call 713.461.2063. Appointments or referrals booked by October 31 will receive a 15 percent first meeting discount. Shelterstyle.com holds a "Pages of Happiness" rating and, for the fifth consecutive year, a “Super Service Award” presented to 5 percent of companies that achieve and maintain a superior rating on www.angieslist.com.
An Ikea island was turned into an against-the-wall work surface by trimming the legs and adding casters from Mapp Caster & Supply. The casters allow it to move out of the way to better clean behind it. The couple tied in the birch finish to rest of the kitchen by buying birch planks from Houston Custom Woods and David’s furniture-maker cousin trimmed out the new niche above the work table, built a new windowsill over the sink as well as a birch veneer end cap for the exposed side or the existing white cabinets. They also purchased two Ikea birch veneer shelves for extra storage for pots and pans. “We love the open shelves better than a pot rack because we can keep the lids with the pots and don’t have to search for them in the back reaches of our cabinets,” David explained. Another clever idea was to use an inexpensive $30 brushed nickel Ikea curtain rod outfitted with large S-hooks to fully use the space behind the door for flatter items like skillets. “Lower on the wall we mounted small hooks for a large pizza baking stone that took up a lot of space,” he said. To finish off the kitchen and tie it into the rest of the house, they painted the walls Sherwin Williams “Straw Doll” #1361 and Benjamin Moore “Super White” enamel #310-01 on the trim. They also used some leftover fabric from the living room to make their hobbled Roman shade. “We had hoped to buy a larger refrigerator, but when you have a l950s house with l950s appliance openings, you more or less are going to end up with what works and not exactly what you would have liked. But that’s OK—thanks to you, we enjoy our charming kitchen every day for what it is,” David smiled.
house& home | O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1 | h o u s e a n d h o m e o n l i n e . com
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