Yesterday I got an email from the Ford family. They were my very first virtual design consultation clients, and they sent me these pictures of their kitchen to work from last October:
Before I started virtually redesigning the room for them, I asked them what they wanted to keep in the room, and what they wanted to change. They told me that there wasn’t a spot for the fridge in the room, and that instead of doing major renovations, they preferred to keep it right outside the kitchen door- between the kitchen and the breakfast nook.
I put together this layout for them to use as a guide…
I turned the ironing board closet into a nook for shelves since it was important to the Fords that the small flatscreen TV stay in the room:
The color I recommended was Benjamin Moore’s “Paper White”:
The Fords ended up going with that color, and had this to say about using it…
“The color you chose is absolutely perfect. I would have never chosen that color. Even the swatch made me question and then when I had to pay for the paint (we normally don’t spend alot on paint) I wondered why I was paying that much for “white” (with a touch of grey) paint. Now I know. It works beautifully and has great coverage. Not to mention, the white-grey paint makes the room SO MUCH LIGHTER.”
I also recommended this stainless steel trash can, to tie in with the new stainless steel appliances…
…and these galvanized light fixtures, for $18 each in the outdoor lighting section at Lowes:
They took my drawings, and began ripping down, throwing out, sanding, prepping, caulking, priming, painting and installing:
And here is their kitchen today!
Countertop is Carrera Blanco by Zodiac:
I’m sure it was an extremely challenging project, that probably felt like it would never end, but WOW, was it worth it, or what?! The dark-stained hardwood floor looks amazing! The heavily-distressed black kitchen cabinets look custom and like they cost a fortune, but in all reality, they’re stock cabinets, and only cost about $500 total! The big porcelain “EAT” letters came from an antique shop. They used to be part of a sign that spelled out “Goodyear Tire”. What an incredible find! I love that they kept the vintage light fixture above the kitchen sink, too. So much charm! There’s a perfect balance of old and new throughout the space. Love it!
*Edited to include this information from Mrs. Ford:
“The paint color is Cannonball from ACE Hardware Store, in an eggshell finish. We painted one coat and let that dry completely. Then, with a hand sander, we roughed it up- trying to remove any sheen. Then, we hand rubbed two (some got three) coats of wax on everything. I know that they have not been in there very long but they have held up quite nicely. Water beads up because of the wax, and I have scraped drips of paint, caulk and thinset/mortor off of them and I have been really happy with their durability. The light fixture above the sink is original to the house, which was built 1927. It has its own on/off switch on the fixture, so whatever light we switch it out with has to have one too. I have not found something else yet- however, the fixture itself is growing on me. The reason it hangs down so low, well, it’s one of those cool fixtures that can go up and down. Only the mechanism is broken, so it is stuck, for now, at the position it is in. We need to take it apart and see what we can do with it. When I get the fixture I ordered for the ceiling, the two will actually match pretty well. The floor is stained Minwaxs “Dark Walnut”. Then we used two coats of poly to protect it.”
Layla
sandrine
i love it, looks so good. i have 2 empty rooms in my house and i really want to send you pictures so you can do your magic, one is an office and one the guest room. xoxo
Kelda
amazing! I have the most awkward living room/family room/office that I’d love you to help me with. It’s narrow and weird and I don’t know how to arrange the furniture. Might be sending pics your way 😉 Also, what program did you use for the virtual design?
Skye @ Neathering our Fest
I believe this is one of the first posts I ever read on here and let me just say I was hooked from then on! I always love your work – it is fresh and personalized and always reflects your taste and the homeowner’s style so well! 🙂 Hugs Layla! Hope you have a great Saturday!
Linda Hilbrands
It all was so great…especially loves those lights from Lowes!! I might have to make a trip to Lowes!!