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You are here: Home / DIY Decorating Inspiration / Inspiring Designs

Inspiring Designs

Jul 27, 2012 By Layla

A couple of home magazines featured some of our photographs this summer, so I thought I’d blog a little bit about them here today…before it’s time to break out the pumpkins- ha!

We shot Ashley and Jamin’s veranda for the June issue of Cottages & Bungalows, and the photos we took of our neighbors (Peter and Josette) kitchen were featured in the September issue of Country Woman magazine.

We included an article about Peter and Josette’s kitchen in our “Summer Fun” e-zine last year, but we still get lots of questions about it from folks who are just now seeing the photos of it on Pinterest. Here’s a shot of what the kitchen looked like when they bought the house back in 1999…

Among lots of other things, they removed the bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room, replaced all the light fixtures (with salvaged ones), and took down the 70’s-style linoleum backsplash.

One of the most dramatic, yet least expensive, changes was what they did to their existing cabinets and drawers. They saved a ton of money by simply re-facing them. They bought one sheet of cabinet-grade birch plywood and cut it into several pieces. They glued the pieces to the fronts of their cabinets, and to the fronts of their drawers…

Here’s the stove area, before and after…

What a fantastic way to create shaker style cabinetry, huh? I got to take a photo of Peter and Josette’s family for the article, and it was so fun to read their story in the magazine!

Our house is on the other side of the bushes just beyond their red kitchen door, and they have truly been the best neighbors a kooky couple could ask for!

If you’re interested in picking up a copy of Peter and Josette’s (September 2012) issue of Country Woman– click on the photo below to be re-directed to their website:

The pics we took of Ashley and Jamin’s porch were a ton of fun to style and shoot as well!

Like Peter and Josette’s, their makeover was also full of pretty/cost-effective decorating ideas, and they really did a great job of turning a once under-utilized space, into one that they can use all the time now. Here’s a photo of the porch before they closed it in…

…and here are a few photos we took for Cottages & Bungalows…

We actually met Ashley and Jamin through their blog, and we were SO surprised to find out they lived in the next town over from us! Sometimes this bloggy world can be so small, can’t it?

If you’re interested in ordering a copy of Ashley and Jamin’s issue, click HERE to be re-directed to the Cottages & Bungalows page at Beckett Media.com. (It’s the June 2012 issue.) To read more about the porch re-do on Ashley and Jamin’s blog, click on The Handmade Home banner below:

Speaking of room re-do’s- we hope to be finished with our (mini) master bathroom makeover sometime next week. It’s amazing what a can of paint, a few new goodies, and a little scrub-a-dub-dubbin’ will do, isn’t it?

Filed Under: DIY Decorating Inspiration, Friends, Peter and Josette, Press

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Comments

  1. Susan @ Afford Your Passions

    Jul 27, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    Thanks for sharing – both spaces look wonderful! I’ve never heard of Country Woman magazine before – I will have to look out for it!

    Have a wonderful weekend!

  2. Keeping it Cozy

    Jul 27, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    Congratulations! Your photos and styling are just gorgeous. (One of these days I will be taking the photography class!) I love your neighbor’s kitchen… after I saw your e-zine originally I had shown it to my brother and sister-in-law who had cabinets very similar in their old farmhouse. They used the inspiration to create their own shaker-style cabinetry and it looks amazing! It truly was an ingenious idea to use what you have and make it into something that looks custom and beautiful. Thanks for sharing and I hope you both have a wonderful weekend!

  3. hello haha narf

    Jul 27, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    help my head. the cabinet to the left of the microwave in the after shot seems to have become wider. am i correct or imagining things? also, i can’t figure out how the cabinets above the fridge were redone. the heat in our office is brutal today since our ac has been out since yesterday afternoon so it might be me. or maybe i just need to read the e-zine? ount know. help a confused girt out, please…

    • Tiny Homestead

      Jul 27, 2012 at 8:04 pm

      if you go over to Country Woman mag, the kitchen is featured and you can read the article about how they did it

  4. Mary Feagley

    Jul 27, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    Is that vase a clear hobnail? I’ve never seen one like that before.

    • ashley @ the handmade home

      Jul 27, 2012 at 6:48 pm

      Hey Mary! Yes, it is. We found it at a flea market! ;} It’s one of my faves!

      • Amie

        Jul 28, 2012 at 1:19 pm

        I love that vase! It just jumped out at me. What a great find.

  5. Roeshel

    Jul 27, 2012 at 3:17 pm

    What an amazing charming kitchen makeover – huge difference! And love the porch full of personality. And as always, great photography! 😉

  6. Kerry

    Jul 27, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    I’ve been racking my brain about how to “un-cathedral” my cabinets, and VOILA, your post! Thanks!

  7. Kelly - Talk of the House

    Jul 27, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Looks great (as always!) Can’t wait for the bath updates.
    Kelly

  8. Miranda

    Jul 27, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    Layla, the pictures are amazing! How fun! I’m off to check out and maybe subscribe to both of those mags (I’ve never heard of Country Woman). Oh, how I love that red door in the kitchen.

  9. Kristi @ Creative Kristi

    Jul 27, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    random question: I’ve been thinking about adding trim like that to my laminate cabinet doors to give them some depth but am worried about what the seams look like on the edges. Is there a photo that would show your neighbor’s cabinets from the side? 🙂

  10. annie

    Jul 27, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    we have ugly laminate cabinets….i’m going to reface them myself. i was afraid it was a wacky idea to do a wood veneer overlay, but glad to see an example of someone else doing this, too!

  11. ashley @ the handmade home

    Jul 27, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    Thanks for the bloggy love, it was certainly a blast! ;}

  12. cathywhatisoldisnew

    Jul 27, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Wow there is so much inspiration in both magazine features. I love the pops of red in the kitchen and the cabinet make-over is genius!The porch is a dream with the expresso furniture and the blue and white walls.Congrats to all who worked together to make this happen!

  13. Patti Z

    Jul 27, 2012 at 7:27 pm

    Yep, I’ve been in love with your neighbor’s kitchen for awhile now. I think it was one of the first things I pinned. Love the the color combination!

  14. [email protected] on the Funny Farm

    Jul 28, 2012 at 6:56 am

    I love your neighbors kitchen. I have seen it before and truly that is one of the smartest cabinet transformations I’ve ever seen. It is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  15. Baileywife

    Jul 28, 2012 at 7:21 am

    Wish I was your neighbor…..from one kooky couple to the next….:)

  16. CeCe

    Jul 28, 2012 at 10:06 am

    Love, love, love your blog. I wish it came directly to my email so I would not miss a post. I just left a comment on Miss Mustard Seed’s blog recommending Shoot, Fly, Shoot. It is a fabulous class….. I so need to go through it again! I kind of got caught up in other projects. The nice thing is, it is still right there, for me to retake at any given moment! Thanks for all the happy hours of visiting and entertainment.

    • Layla

      Jul 28, 2012 at 10:49 am

      Hi CeCe! Thanks for the sweet comment! 😀 We have an email option over there in our left sidebar if you’d like to sign up for that! 😀

  17. Angela

    Jul 28, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    I love all of the work that you do! Keep it up sista!

  18. Mark E Tisdale

    Jul 28, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    Their home is gorgeous, but it’s the inspired way they re-used their cabinet doors that gets the biggest thumbs up from me. Going to stash that idea away for later!

  19. Mandi H

    Jul 29, 2012 at 8:09 am

    Thank you for sharing this! I LOVE seeing such an amazing transformation! I love that red door!

  20. Tina

    Jul 29, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Love! You and your hubby do SUCH GREAT WORK!!

    Always amazing! Congrats on all of the press!

    Tina 🙂

  21. megan

    Jul 29, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    What a difference in the kitchen, really well done.

  22. Kym

    Jul 30, 2012 at 3:29 am

    I’m dying to know the paint name for that red door! It is FAB! Can you share it?

    • Josette

      Jul 30, 2012 at 11:32 am

      Ralph Lauren’s California Poppy. Keep in mind though, the actual color may look a little different than in the picture.

  23. how2home

    Jul 30, 2012 at 12:16 pm

    Wow…..what a transformation! Love the kitchen, paint color is phenomenal! You guys did a great job!

  24. Grace @ sense and simplicity

    Jul 30, 2012 at 9:31 pm

    I have to say I’m blown away with how clever that kitcchen re-do is. I would never have thought of putting the strips on the cupboard doors, but it totally makes the difference.

  25. Katie

    Aug 7, 2012 at 9:32 am

    Country Woman?! I had totally forgotten about that magazine! I think that was the one magazine my mom subscribed to when we were kids. I always loved reading the farm diaries. lol. 🙂

    Great job on both projects!

  26. Karen McComas

    Nov 25, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    In the kitchen picture showing the red door, I noticed a stainless steel table which is apparently an island/bar. Where was that purchased? thanks!

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