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before && after

Simple switches and smart solutions modernize a dated kitchen without busting the budget

Sense of Style

When Kristina and Cregg called me, their basic builder kitchen was large,but dated. They were stuck and did not know how to proceed.Mismatched appliances and metals, non-existent cabinet hardware orunder cabinet lighting, busy wallpaper, clutter, laminate countertops and atraffic-blocking overhang at the end of the island were spoiling thiskitchen’s potential. The protruding book bags were limiting the door fromfully opening.

TIP: When a table and chairs are inches away from barstools, it makes senseto increase traffic flow by eliminating an island overhang.

They removed the wallpaper with a www.HomeDepot.com Dif gel spraykit that contained scoring tools. They saved money by buying cut-to-orderstock 2” blinds from Lowe’s. Most other materials came from big box stores.

“We liked the idea of a ‘drop zone’ for the kids and to limit the repeateddrywall damage from book bags, dog leashes, umbrellas and jackets, but the

house was just not built with that in mind,” Cregg explained.He additionally disliked the white, easily stained laminate countertops and

Kristina hated the light cabinet stain and the dated wallpaper and how theyclashed with the look of the adjoining living room. New hardware, paint andcounters solved Kristina’s problem with the cabinet door.

In just one meeting and a few emails back and forth, I came up with aplan for them. Since the couple did almost all the work themselves (with theexception of installing the granite counters from Home Depot), they savedthousands of dollars.

They admit they were a bit worried that I might suggest replacing the tilefloor. But since they are great readers of Houston House & Home theyknew that I try to work with what the client has. “Your visit exceeded ourexpectations as you viewed the other rooms in the house and worked to getan overall view of our design preferences and work within our modest budg-et,” Kristina explained.

The hardest thing for the couple was visualizing the overall color scheme

BY JOETTA MOULDEN • PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANET LENZEN

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BEFORE (above): A dated light fixture andmini-blinds, busy wallpaper, old cooktopand laminate dated this kitchen.

AFTER (left): A new pendant fixture fromOverstock.com, new 2” blinds, cooktopand granite updated this kitchen.

BEFORE (right): The book bags had dam-aged the wall below the hooks and nar-rowed the walkway into the room.

AFTER (below): Removing the wallpaper,recessing the book bags and wrappingthe niche with practical bead board bothcleaned up and enlarged the walkway.

BEFORE

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AFTER: The couple removed the wallpaper themselves and painted walls,bought a new cook top and fridge, reused cabinets and floor tile, addedhardware, granite countertops and removed the island overhang.

BEFORE: Busy wallpaper, clutter, mismatched appliances and metals andlaminate countertops with traffic-blocking island overhang were spoilingthis kitchen’s potential.

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since they did not want to replace the cabinets or the floor, both of which con-tained a lot of red and brown. They chose textured Ralph Lauren River Rockpaint in Chalk (RR53) purchased from Texas Paint Supply. They applied threecoats to get the desired coverage.

TIP: One way to cool down a too-red/orange tile floor and cabinets is withgreen walls and neutral countertops, which softens the intensity of the redtones.

Since they tend to over-research and ponder decisions, when I said, “justcommit” to black appliances and brushed nickel hardware, they were suddenlyunstuck from their dilemma. I suggested keeping the existing beige backsplashtile to avoid competing with the busy natural granite. “You provided us with atrusted baseline of comparison which helped us move forward instead of get-ting stuck with endless research,” Cregg explained. The couple then discoveredhow poorly the original backsplash tile was installed, so they tore out the oldtile and replaced it with a similar tile from DalTile, but also installed a band ofdecorative rope trim tile to separate the additional running bond (brick) pat-tern below it to add interest to the desk area.TIP: When you update your kitchen, little things can suddenly look tired.

BEFORE

before && after

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TRADE SECRETS• Think green—recycling existing flooring and cabi-nets repurposes them, keeps them out of the land-fill and saves thousands, too.

• To dress up existing builder-installed counter-tops, add granite, a new sink, and matching hard-ware to the existing cabinets.

• Remove dated mini-blinds and add under cabi-net lighting to totally change your kitchen.

• Sometimes the most effective strategy is not togut your kitchen, but to first rethink the items thatare already paid for.

The couple repaired flaws in the wood stain, repainted A/C vents,installed new brushed nickel doorstops and a new thumb-turn bolt onthe dining room door to keep the dog out of their formal living room.

TIP: Remove, clean and spray-paint air conditioning vents to freshenthem.

After lowering the sink drain, they were inspired to repair the plumb-ing beneath the new deeper Kohler under-counter white sink, installing aseparate trap for the new InSinkErator 3/4 horsepower garbage disposal.They also installed a Whirlpool reverse osmosis under-sink water filtra-tion system from Lowe’s.

All of these little changes add up to a much more functional and beau-tiful kitchen and the couple made no costly mistakes. “The painted wallsand neutral granite are warm and inviting and are the perfect counter-point to the DalTile Almond tile backsplash from Home Depot. Thegranite is a contrast to everything else, both browner and more substan-tial, which makes the whole kitchen feel sturdier and of better quality,”Kristina explained. “We just love our kitchen,” she added.

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@shelter-style.com or call 713.461.2063. Appointments or referrals booked by February 29, 2012 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 rat-ing on www.angieslist.com.

before && after

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