[UPDATE: images removed April 2012 due to high traffic of this post in Google image searches.]
With a probable move in our future, my husband (hereafter known as "Hubby", until I get tired of that name) and I began gearing up several months ago for putting our house on the market. We discussed, made lists, and researched the changes we'd like to make in each room. Frankly, we're awesome at the planning stage.And then, last week, we began in earnest.
Here is our list for things to accomplish in the kitchen, along with a little commentary on each:
1. re-paint main wall a golden beige
(currently pale yellow; previously nacho cheese-colored in an attempt at Tuscan gold)
2. install tile backsplash
(currently also painted pale yellow)
3. replace barstools
(currently a pair of inherited white wicker stools which are hideous and also the wrong height)
4. remove small bookcase
(a la Target 2002; this one's pretty self-explanatory, but we'll need to keep the cookbooks somewhere else)
5. change out wall art
(generic Tuscan countryside pair of prints; pretty but too small)
6. organize countertop
(how many knife blocks does 1 kitchen need?)
7. cull unused items from cabinets
(self-explanatory)
8. downsize pantry contents (or store elsewhere) so that pantry door closes
(hey! I like to buy things at Costco, okay?)
And here's where we're at so far:
1. done! And it looks gorgeous! Here's a swatch:
[UPDATE: images removed April 2012 due to high traffic of this post in Google image searches.]
The color we used is Arizona Tan (Behr), and it is the perfect golden beige I've been striving for. Even though it looks kind of peach-y in this swatch. In real life, it's more brown.
2. Still in research phase. For a long time we thought we wanted tumbled marble tiles for the backsplash, like these:
[UPDATE: images removed April 2012 due to high traffic of this post in Google image searches.]
But while attractive, these tiles are now so commonplace they seem generic, and are yet still somewhat pricey for a novice to install on his/her own. So, we began thinking of other alternatives. I have always loved the classic look of white subway tile, and we discovered these tiles are only about 22 cents each at the hardware store! Compared to $6-$10 a square foot for tumbled marble, white subway tiles (installed by a professional) became our new favorite backsplash idea:
[UPDATE: images removed April 2012 due to high traffic of this post in Google image searches.]
3. done! We found a sweet deal at Target- 2 espresso-finish barstools for $30!
[UPDATE: images removed April 2012 due to high traffic of this post in Google image searches.]
They were in that random temporary area that Target creates after Christmas that's filled with bulk items. Hubby and I call it "the Sam's Club area of Target". (Original, I know.)
4. no progress, as we have no idea what to do with the cookbooks. Still pondering...
5. done! We replaced the small, Tuscan-themed wall art with......2 larger, Tuscan-themed prints. Still an improvement because: a) the scale of the art and frames is better, 2) the replacement art is better than the original art, and d) we already had the 2 larger prints, so it was free.
6. Mostly done. We've cut the number of knife blocks and utensil holders in half, and exchanged the coffee maker and toaster in favor of my KitchenAid mixer and our new breadmaker. I am contemplating a mixer cover though. Hubby thinks it's silly, but I've seen some cute ones on Etsy. So not quite done with this one yet...
7. done! This was hard but necessary. Hubby is the regular purger around our house. He's always stoked to downsize our number of possessions, so it fell to me to decide what I could part with. Feeling motivated, I've made a few passes through the cabinets now and produced a big pile of stuff for donation and/or a future garage sale. I also reorganized things while I was in there, so the cabinets are lookin' pretty good!
8. Not...really...done. I love to buy soup in bulk! What can I say?? We'll either need to eat down some of our soup and pasta sauce stockpile, or I'll need to move some of it into the cabinets.
So, that's everything that's been going on in the kitchen...or is it?
It just so happens there is a new item on this list:
9. Replace countertops with granite tile.
Hubby and I have been discussing replacing our formica countertops since we moved in. They are okay, for formica, but growing up with heat-resistant tile countertops really spoiled me. It is soooo nice to pull something out of the oven and just stick it on the counter, instead of needing a trivet or a clear, not-hot stovetop. The countertops were actually one of my least favorite things about the house the first time we saw it, but since granite/quartz/silestone is sooooo expensive, I've just been dealing with it. Grudgingly.
Enter granite tiles. All the heat-resistant awesomeness of slab countertops, at a mere fraction of the cost! The color we've fallen in love with (among many lovely choices) is Empress Gold:
So these granite tiles are a yes, pending we can find a tile guy. Lowe's (the source of the granite tiles) will do countertop and backsplash tiling, but we want to make sure their rates are reasonable before we commit.
Yay! The kitchen is coming along!
Now, if we could just get the den and the craft room done, and the deck re-finished...
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