Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A quick little before and after

I've mentioned before that we don't have many before pictures of our house b/c they died along with my old laptop a couple of years ago....but this one escaped death:
before:
 a seriously terrible color combination! It especially saddens me to think that the lovely exposed brick was painted over in order to make it this color--this horrible horrible color!

But...that did give me an excuse to paint it white (which I love but probably wouldn't have convinced Rich to do to unpainted exposed brick) We drowned everythign in white and a little black, a touch of very light blue, and some aqua....
after:


The room is already very narrow and the four shades of brown and beige made it seem even more depressing. And the knotty pine kitchen! I know some people seriously cringe at the thought of painting wood, but it had to happen friends. I could see liking the pine if it was raw or weathered instead of smothered under 10 layers of yellow stain and lacquer, but such was the reality and when we moved in it was a hot yellow/brown/beige/orange mess, all perfectly highlighted by glaring fluorescent overhead lighting.

Painting the cabinets white, the walls a very light blue (Ben M's Patriotic White), changing the floor with discount discontinued tile, and replacing the flourescent monster with very reasonably priced pendants on a dimmer made a world of difference. I still love the fresh feel.

The after has changed a bit since this picture, but an up to date after will have to wait. Currently our kitchen is a dirty mess, and there is a layer of brown paper packaging, bubble wrap, and a big box, er fort, covering the craft room (thanks to Pam from Red Ticking and Ally from FTRB whose light just arrived--yay!!!!!)

6 comments:

  1. What an incredible transformation! I really had to struggle to see the before in the after photo. They look like 2 completely different spaces. Looks fantastic...Carol

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  2. Wow, so pretty!! Love the white with black choice and with discount tiles?! You're a girl after my own heart:)

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  3. Can't wait 'till you do a house tour on AT...it looks gorgeous, bright and airy! And hey the wood has to be incredible, exotic and not covered in yellow varnish, for me to save it from my paint brush as well! I see a brown wood tone and I want it painted white ;)! Hope all is well!!! xx Danielle

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  4. You know I love a white kitchen! So wonderful. I have been trying to convince Aaron (to no avail) to do open shelving in our next kitchen. Maybe THIS will convince him. :)

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  5. wow the transformation is astounding. I was scanning and first thought that it's something straight from a magazine. Great job. :)

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  6. Seriously? Where have you been all my life? Nothing makes my heart beat faster than black and white contrast. WHAT will i find next as I dig deeper into the blog?
    -Camille

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