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Is the siding currently pale gray or blue? It’s not very attractive with your brick. A very soft nearly-white or sage green would be better and look cleaner. Many on this forum recommend the use of Romabio, a special paint/wash for brick. You could brighten the brick with that; Google it.
The tall evergreens on both sides of your door would be ripped out if they were mine. Too big, crammed in a small space.
Some little kids love to peel back corners of wallpaper.
What does Fluffy say? She looks like the boss.
Cleaning the brick fireplace would be a start. Looks like there is a lot of smoke on it.
Consult a local shop and then try Facebook Marketplace.
It's WORTH what someone is willing to pay, and depends your timetable and patience regarding that : )
In short? It's time or it's money, much like real estate.
"We inherited a pool table that we don't use and want to get rid of.............."
How fast? Because this is what happens to most pool tables, even to those who couldn't resist having one.
Seems you paid nothing, so in worst case you donate. Or Facebook " Best offer takes it" on Marketplace.
Scan your local craiglist, EBay, or FB marketplace to see how much others similar to yours are listed for and how long ago they were posted. This is your competition. Are they offering free delivery and set up, do they have sticks and balls included, is it newly felted?
With little information about yours, a super quick scan of EBay seems like you could price yours around $1200 and it would sit or you could price it below $800 and maybe you'd get some interest.
I'd donate it to an afterschool program or club house. But, it can be hard to donate really heavy items as many organizations don't have the labor to move such heavy objects.
Wainscot doesn't strike me as being a good fit with a tile floor. It would look better with a wood floor. Painting the sections above and below chair rail different colors isn't in style right now if this is something you care about. However, if you have wainscot it is commonly white and the wall above can be any color. How formal is your house? Do you have a formal living and dining room? Can you replace the tile with wood? Are you interested in replacing the tile with wood? If you want a more formal look, consider wood floors and proceed with the wainscot. If you are just tired of the wall color, consider painting the hall a color found in adjacent rooms. A real color, not a neutral. Or hang wallpaper. Get some more art, framed nicely. What you have currently looks like it's hung too high, but it's also not large enough for the space. You can always remove the chair rail before painting, too. It's not as popular outside of dining rooms as it used to be. Plenty of people don't like it in dining rooms either anymore.
No casement windows and no black windows. Garage door should be trim color or siding color, not shutter color. I don't think you need shutters at all. To me they look like they're not original. The trim around the second floor window looks gray. Is that just a trick of the lighting? The front door could be green, black or red and the storm door edges should match the door. The bushes need to be cut back so they're not taller than the bottom edge of the window. It is a lovely house. I live in the same area and I love the local stone.
That house is attractive AS IS. It doesn't need fake Mc Mansionizing. That would completely ruin it. That horribly done ugly application of stone on the entry way needs to go the heck away.
I would stick to one cabinet wood for a small galley kitchen. Use either the oak or the walnut but not both.
Also, if you want drama, select a really special natural stone. Those heavily veined quartz materials are so fake looking and are not going to age well.
Yes that can work. You want THE BEST tiler in your area and make sure he wraps the waterproofing up the wall around the room. Yes to pocket door and if you can stretch the budget a wall hung toilet would buy you more space as well.
I think I need a bit more info. This is the front of the house so not a usaul place for entertaining friends since most like a bit of privacy for that function . What you have now is just a mess so yes to removal of all of that for sure. I need to see the whole front of the house for sure. Is this the only entertining space outdoors? Right now IMO a really nice flower bed would be a better use of the space so I will wait for the info.
Do you ever sit on the chairs on the porch now? If that's not a space you currently use, do you think you would actually use a seating area in the front - especially when you have entertaining space in the back?
I think chairs by the entry are warm and inviting (even if they are only for show) - but your chairs behind the railing feel more isolating than welcoming.
I agree that the water feature is a mess (the random rocks are not attractive). Appropriate plantings could make the water feature beautiful. I don't know how interested you are in gardening - you have enough space for a lovely garden, with plants chosen for the type of soil and amount of sun.
The proposed ones look like crud collectors.
Wow, your kitchen is gorgeous!! Thank you for the encouragement and guidance!!
They came in! Here is an idea of what they'll look like. They're very similar to my current pulls, but I still think they'll make a difference. What do you think?
Not enough detail! What do you have in the rest of the landscape? What zone? Is the area up against green lawn? What edging?
Personally, I would opt for mulch...
Central Pennsylvania?
No Rocks. None. Really, really bad idea.
The Getty Museum cactus garden is the proper setting for a rock or gravel mulch. Surrounding boxwoods in central PA is not. It is unrealistic to make comparisons of the two situations - very different settings, very different climates.
I'm not trying to be funny or anything, but whose going to see anything in your home from the arch above the front door. I'd be more concerned about the actual glass front door.
Thank you for all your ideas! I think two smaller ones in the same style on either side of the door is the direction I’m heading.
These are too tall. They look like they belong outside a hotel with a large entrance. They make your porch look very small and crowded. I agree with getting a smaller planter. I'd go for a long low one just on the right side that stretches from the house wall to nearly the front of the porch. Now you just have an odd drop off on the right. This will help contain the space and make it feel more complete.
Will suggest that you not employ too many materials. Would really suggest that you only use one type of siding and your proposed stone. Too many materials can just make a house look jumbled (lol, technical term).
Am not sure painting your doors the same color as the walls is a good idea. Would suggest a crisp white for doors and trim including the door to the understair area.
We need to see the whole front yard as Jan mentioned. I really like boxwood as they look tidy and formal
I think its fun and you can pretty things up with color since you have black//white. what style vanity? you can do white glossy and stay probably less cost than other options..put fun handles on the drawers.....get a nice pretty silestone integrated top [not expensive] and stylish faucet /mirror and she'll find it fun. paint the walls a light coral/pretty coral towels// floor mats etc/ shower curtain. lucky daughter.
heres color splashes....I think its bright and fun..not sure about the vanity tho. towels/ paint/ wallpaer?? / shower curtain. reminds me of the neighbor girl when I was a teen ..she had pink and apple green bath ..I was so jealous...I even had to use a family bath with 4 others..poor me....ha ha.....[ I think Ive recovered. ]
I love the bones of the room. Unique with a lot of character. Could you swap out two of the chairs for a small sofa? This would soften the space. I like the two black chairs. Maybe the other two could be used elsewhere? Unless for your purposes it's better to have four chairs?
Do you really need to storage of the TV cabinet? If not, I would remove it. Lower the TV a bit (it is too high), and put an upholstered bench underneath it that could be pulled out from the wall for more guest seating.
Search for "end of bed bench" or you could use two small upholstered stools lined up next to each other. I think it is fine to bring more beige, brown, grey, or blue into the room. Some extra texture would be nice as well, like wood legs to tie in with your wood stools.
This is really stunning! If I were to change anything I would repaint the cabinet in white or cream. Top with white counter. Warm up with gold hardware, mirrors, etc.
That is a seriously dysfunctional awful layout that will cost you thousands extra, and make your kitchen be pretty filthy in very short order.
You need to start over and get that cooking zone off of the island to a wall, where it can have some adequate ventilation.
What size is your current oven? The first step is to go on a website like AJMadison and see what will fit your space. Maybe you have already done that. Then check for features you do and do not want; e.g. self-cleaning and wifi enabled.
Find out what brands have service in your area. No point getting the Fulgor Milano if you can't get service.
I'm in the process of selecting a wall oven, and was able to narrow down the options fairly easily.
I have a 17 yr old KA double wall oven and will really hate the day it no longer can be repaired IMO the best one I have ever owned . Have you checked out a repair I live in a small town but my repair guy fixed my cooling fan in mine with KA parts last year. for $300 . As for the replacement I would probably do the Miele with that warranty.
I do have an "old school" appliance repair guy, who has done work on this oven over the years. I have a call in for him and am keeping my fingers crossed. I have also done a quick visit to an appliance store, and it seems 30" oven cutouts are not a standard thing like dishwashers, meaning that I likely could probably not fit a miele in my current space. There was a kitchenaid oven that would probably work.
Hopefully my guy can keep this oven going, so all these bigger decisions can be put off for a bit longer.
Most likely not raising the second floor ceiling without ripping the entire roof structure and rebuilding the walls taller.
The slab is gorgeous. I think the floor tile is too busy, and will compete with the countertop. How about choosing a porcelain tile in a color pulled from the slab?
Something like this, still a hex shape but calmer: https://www.tilebar.com/pergola-taupe-12-5-hex-matte-porcelain-tile.html
There is Fedex... you can get a sample overnighted for less than the expense of driving 4 hours.
It will be worth the delay to get a tile you love. We delayed progress finalizing our tile selections, and then when one of the natural stone tiles arrived quite different from the samples, we delayed even more to find a tile we really liked. I knew it can be really stressful but you will be happy in the end if you don't sacrifice and accept something you really don't want.
Are you sure you don't want to try some color in there?
Are you sure the cabinets are oak? One photo made me think maple, which would be good news. Maple paints much better, whereas the grain on oak makes it hard to get a smooth finish.
Is this a DIY job, or are you hiring a professional cabinet painter? The latter is expensive, but the former is a lot of work.
Having seen the whole room, I would not paint the cabinets. They look quite good, as is. A good paint job by a cabinet pro (not a house painter) will cost you $$$$. What is dating your kitchen are the chandelier, island seats, and that thing behind the stove.
I would replace the backsplash and investigate replacing the OTR microwave with a true vent hood. These simple changes will cost you far less and yield a nice change.
Your 20 year old maple cabinets are now in style again. I can certainly understand the desire for a change, but you should consider the whole room, not just the cabinets. Even if you cannot afford to do everything now, do consider what others are saying about the order in which you make changes or you will back yourself into a corner. Instead of saving money and doing things piece by piece, you could end up with good money slowly spent on what turns out to be a hodge podge re-do.
Unless you have a very high end professional cabinet painter (not house painter), the paint job will not last long and will chip fast. How much were you quoted and what was the process they described for painting? A good paint job that will last could cost as much as new cabinets or new counters.
What is your current budget for this phase of your kitchen redo? I'd save up and keep your cabinets as they are and put in a new floor, solid surface counters (think Corian - they are not very expensive) and update your faucet, boob light, hanging light, and table and chair set.
As Kendrah mentioned wood cabinets are now back in style. Instead of painting would you consider replacing the countertop and backsplash? I've put a few ideas together below of different things you could do depending on your kitchen (we can't see the entire room) such as modifying your island, replacing hardware and lighting, etc...
There was a post about a very similar room a few months ago but I can't find it.
I would turn the table. Get a rug. Paint the inset and place a narrow console table or cabinet in there. Get a rug and some beautiful art to replace the mirror. Lower the chandelier so that is about 30" from the table.
Dimensions:
Overall: 36"H X 55 1/2"W X 10 3/4"D
You can not put 100 lbs of poop in a fifty lb bag, and at the very least, you need an architect.
Every wall and window and doorway in any of your plans need dimensions for any help whatsoever, here.
Always. Use Primer. On. Fresh. Drywall.
Same as above - first coat primer. When having our bathroom remodeled I bought a can of primer for painters to use before doing two coats of BM Aura paint ($$). They said they preferred to just use the BM paint for all coats needed. NOT! At the price of BM paint the primer is a savings!
Ben is Benjamin Moore's low-end paint. Which is not a criticism--I don't have any experience with that line. Just something worth investigating before you commit. Like jackowskib, I use Aura. And I prime, because that's a lot cheaper than an extra coat of Aura.
If the fixture is centered on the tray ceiling, I'd leave it alone.
Read the rules and abide by them. The last thing anyone wants in their neighborhood is someone who builds a home cheaply that brings down the whole neighborhood. An attorney can help, and you can ask the new neighbers what they think about your ideas. Is there a review committee?
Two neighbors in my very, very small town put up sheds. One neighbor knocked it out of the park and built a shed that looked exactly like this house, with stone siding and nice windows. Another neighbor bought one of those sheds you see outside at Home Depot. The neighbor next door to the Home Depot shed neighbor had a fit (he may have the start of dementia) and made a giant deal out of the Home Depot shed. This neighbor had the money to sue if he wanted. It was all smoothed out by hiding the Home Depot shed and painting it a different color to blend into the background. Nonetheless, the Home Depot shed neighbor lost a lot of sleep and was the topic of unwanted notice for a while in front of our town council.
Do the right thing, not the cheap thing. Don't be that guy. Buy another lot somewhere else if you don't want to abide by the rules. Whether or not someone sues you over your crappy looking pole barn will depend on how wealthy they are and how bad it looks. But it will not look good.
Is the 5' the whole width? Or the paved strip down the middle?
But personally, it seems stupid and I'd just tell them 'no'. It's your path. You don't have to do what they say.
How about espaliered citrus trees in that bed?
I’d say your landscaper has an overstock of cacti he/she needs to unload.
Or he/she doesn’t know what he/she is doing.
Or both.
SW Macadamia isn't much lighter than the color you have
I would choose a shade a few lighter.
How about something from the tile I see in one of the pix?
dark leather furniture will add to the darkness... the browns seems to be limited, British Tan might possibly be the lightest in the browns have you looked at paint colors next to the leather options?
What good are two chairs that can't view the TV? Move them to a better location.
Put runners across the tops along with knick-knacks and plants, and the mismatch will not be as noticeable.
If you are going to use different materials, you need to select materials that are different enough that they compliment each other. You picked fabrics and countertops that are too close in color and design./
I don’t like the marble tops, even if matched. Not sure what you were thinking there. Yes, it’s colder, more like a bath or kitchen, when with marble floors you need the warmth of different materials. All wood is better, and not even all matched. you could always accessorize with lighter- toned items.
I too wonder about making the kitchen fit in an awkward spot — Do you all enter via the foyer? just wondering if you need any type of mudroom space? - it would be good to think about all the living space together
FWIW you’ll get amazing help on here from many talented folks but I’m wondering if it would be worth it working with an architect to rework kitchen/study/DR/family room? we moved our kitchen and the architect reimagined our entire first floor to function 1000% better
Cap off the gas and go with induction range. Do Jan’s homework. :)
What is your goal? Is this your home, a rental? Are you planning to sell? Describe your family: kids, parents living with you, aging in place, etc. How do you cook? Do you want to keep these appliances? Style wise, what do you want?
You may need to slow down and come up with a more defined plan.
If you post some pics of your rooms you'll get lots of ideas for budget friendly improvements!
They all look blue. The first thing is layout, and not sure you have the best. I'd want that cooker off the island and vented.
Start there. We don't know your counter top, and there is NO rule, especially in a small kitchen, that the island must be a different color, let alone GRAY.
Post the 2 d cabinet plan with the feet and inches, please?
Highly unlikely a needle will work its way into a mattress. In the same way you have to push it through fabric, you would have to push it through.
Where you can have trouble is with carpet, because it stands up in the carpet fibers. Same could be true of plush fabric on furniture.
Using a magnet is good advice. One thing I do is keep track of how many needles I've used. Sometimes one will go missing for days, but eventually it will turn up, hopefully not in your foot!
You could always flip your mattress if it would make you feel better.
I'm a quilter. Here is one of my guild's recent projects Mini Scissors Case with Needle minder
We added a loop so the case could be clipped on a lanyard. The same designer also has Quilted Scissor Holder I also added a loop so the holder can be hung from a hook or clipped to a lanyard. You might also want one of these Flexible Magnetic pickup tool with light . I use this when doing machine quilting. I hang it around my neck.
I’m not clear on what’s going on and what doesn’t fit. The microwave or the tile?
Why are there two types of tile(in addition to the inset)?
People are ruthless, but they aren’t wrong. Haha sorry
Buy a stainless steel backsplash and cover up all that with it
Maybe a dark or medium gray or blue instead of black? Black is very severe. It seems like a very specific taste that wouldn't be widely appreciated. White garage doors against a very dark color isn't appealing to me either. But if you're going to be in your house a long time and this is your dream, no reason not to do it. :-) Here are some other ideas:
I would save my money and suffer through until a home comes available that you want.
My two cents: if you want to move before middle/high school, scrimp and save and move as soon as possible. In early elementary, changing schools is less traumatic, making new friends is easier, and your girls will not be as angry about losing their existing friends.
Your inspiration pictures are wonderful! So how'd it go so wrong?
- First, know that white is hard to do! White is really hard to do cheaply!
- I don't see any problem with the color on your walls. I would keep the paint.
- Light is everything. Notice that your inspiration pictures were taken during the day, and that makes everything "warmer".
- The inspiration pictures' whites are "warmer" whites.
- You have too much white. Notice that the inspiration pictures have wood-tone nightstands and/or dressers. Do you know the 60-30-10 rule? It could be your friend. Note that your inspiration pictures each have a bit of color somewhere ... not all white. In addition to the bit of wood tone, the first picture features those rose-colored pillows, and the second picture has blue in the artwork and warm rose in the rug.
- The biggest offender in your room seems to be the window wall. Those vertical blinds are just ugly (especially that top rail), and they mimick the vertical lines in the drapes ... too much vertical.
- Your curtains are thicker /less gauzy and breezy than those in the inspiration pictures, but the bigger difference seems to be that your curtains are too small for the space. You want your curtains to be at least 2Xs as wide as the space they're covering ... yours are stretched wide, making them look kinda cheap.
- Would bamboo blinds be an improvement? Maybe, but I think seeing the window would be better. Do you need the blinds for privacy? If you go this direction, keep the blinds' color rather light.
- I don't love the box-shape on the comforter ... it brings in a dorm room vibe. Perhaps you could cover it with a duvet? Note that the linens in your inspiration pictures are smooth and lux. The inspiration linens are layered and pulled back, whereas you're only showing us the comforter, which is pulled all the way up. Bring in another blanket (in a warm tan?) to give you a layer.
- You have plenty of pillows, but they're all very plain. Note that your inspiration picture pillows are neutrals (well, the rose pinks are almost neutral), but they bring in texture and personality. If you could find pillows with a touch of gold thread (or add a bit of gold thread yourself) that'd be great.
- Note that the second inspiration picture has a great rug. That seems to make a difference. If you can't afford a big rug, perhaps small runners on each side of the bed.
- Do you have space maybe for a narrow bench at the foot of the bed? That could be both functional and attractive.
- I don't see any artwork in your room. You have space at least on the left side of the bed ... I'd like a collection of small pictures in gold frames to tie into your drapery rods ... I wouldn't know they're gold if you hadn't told us.
- Both of your inspiration pictures include a nice light fixture. I love ceiling fans -- and here in the South we need them! -- but they aren't as nice as your inspiration lights. Perhaps adding a nicer light kit could be a compromise? Or lose the ceiling fan and go with an old-fashioned metal fan (painted gold) elsewhere in the room.
- Crown molding always adds to a room.
- Every room needs some greenery or flowers (note that both of your inspiration pictures have this). And every room needs something organic ... woven baskets? Or the bamboo shades you're already considering? Or a wicker hamper or wicker trunk at the foot of the bed?
- Placing the bed in front of a window doesn't bother me in the least. I love to read in bed, and I'd love to have a window behind me.
Mrs Pete has provided some great insights.
I would start with finding some wood bedsides, then address the vertical blinds. Take it step by step to see how things improve with incremental adjustments.