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palimpsest commented on a discussion: kitchen facelift
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Ik John

@shady thank you, I could live with it but when you're up close to the wallpaper in the kitchen the material looks appalling I think it's a wool fabric or something and it has wool hair poking out, hence the real reason I want to remove it.

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palimpsest

It's grasscloth made of natural grass attached to a paper backing with woven thread.

The short backsplash of countertop material is your backsplash. Your range has a back console so that protects that area. You do not need to add a band of tile above it.

I don't think it's good companion to the cabinets, or to the countertop: the color combination is not good. I agree with removing it.

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palimpsest started a discussion: Not one, but two islands...
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eam44

OK speaking of HGTV, I was home with a stomach bug a few weeks ago and started watching (please don’t judge me) Brother Vs. Brother with the Property Brothers - from season 3 on where it’s just the twins, no teams. It had me wondering who actually designs those kitchens. Their choices seem to vary a lot from season to season, and they go for a lot of gadgetry. One of them used invisicook (I mean, come on). Another had a 9’ barrier island. In a very high end home in Hancock Park they used double islands (one for cooking, one for… spectating? No table). Some of the kitchens were beautiful, at least one was built for giants (cabinets up to the very high ceiling, counters at bar height). It makes you wonder who’s making those choices.



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lharpie

Ugh! i’d be so disappointed if i spent 120k on this kitchen! it is definitely up there for worst cooking triangle ever, especially in a kitchen that would be easy to arrange nicely! and they had ok countertop next to stove but ruined it with those cabinets plopped down in the middle of it. the islands are just ridiculous.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Torn between character and personal style…
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palimpsest

I would take it down, sell it, and drywall. That might be cheaper than doing a proper paint job on it.

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Diana Bier Interiors, LLC

Before you do anything, read this article by Amy Mitchell, a designer in New Hampshire:

https://www.homeglowdesign.com/2016/07/30/help-knotty-pine-paint-alternatives-problem/

Old solid wood such as you have is really lovely, and it would be a shame to paint over it. I love those scallops--they add such a homey character to the house.

But if you really hate it, then take it out and sell it to someone who can appreciate it.

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Rho Dodendron

Not only remove the scalloped trim---lose the wrought iron strap hinges on the doors.

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palimpsest

Code here does not require a range hood if there is an operable window in the kitchen. Part of this probably has to do with the amount of existing housing from the nineteenth (and even some from the 18th) century.

If you look at inexpensive range hoods or the bottom of a microwave range hood, the actual inlet area which is the grille or the mesh filters may be quite small. But the capture area is the size of the actual hood enclosure itself.

The practical reason to use at least a 30" hood over a 30" cooking surface is that it generally sets up situation that is compliant with the manufacturers' specifications for clearances. Most appliances require a certain minimum distance to combustible surfaces that is at least the width of the the appliance itself, and 30" vertically above. If you have a range hood that is as wide as the appliances and fits within this 30" vertical space, it's a noncombustible material taking up the space where you are not permitted by specs (or by code in that case) to have a combustible material. Microwave range hoods are frequently mounted with the bottom no more than 18" to 20" above the cooking surface, by specs., but they are a non combustible surface. (You could not use a microwave that the bottom edge was 30" above the cooking surface, it would above many people's heads)


If you have a 30" range hood over a 36" inch range, you would generally end up with a cabinet design in a typical kitchen where 3" on each side did not meet the clearance requirements for distances to combustible surfaces. If you have a 36" range hood, for many appliances you will meet the requirements. If you have a 42" hood over a 36" cooking surface, you will have a larger capture area.

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Boxerpal

I think you are on your way to solving this and creating a great or even better kitchen.



You wrote.. " I'm leaning toward having the cabinets redone to match the other uppers and the hood redone to allow for the 48 inch vent. From everyone's advice it sounds like the most functional correction. "


What I have seen so far, I love your kitchen! Keep working you will get this figured out and your kitchen will be a dream to cook in.


Kitchen Planning NKBA



Are Range Hood Required? Each State is different

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Homes for $750k: PA, ME, LA
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palimpsest

If they showed $750K in my zipcode, the results would look quite different, even though allegedly it's not a super HCOLA

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jill302

Lars, I recognize that house. Interesting to see the interior. Very unique. My favorite neighborhood in Palm Springs is fairly close, The Mesa. Would love a place there but it will not be $750k.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Cabinet color for kitchen reno
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palimpsest

Blue is a fairly neutral color in terms of going with other things, so you should be able to find a floor down the road that looks good with the paint job you are doing now.

My parents replaced a kitchen floor without touching the cabinets.

The floor in my current kitchen was replaced twice without removing the old cabinets. I took out cork and there was a wood floor and vinyl under the cabinets The big thing you have to be careful about is not blocking in the DW with new flooring.

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lisedv

I would opt for the lighter blues, the dark navy seems too dark for your kitchen which doesn't seem to have much light. I suggest to coordinate with a white counter and backsplash.



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HU-910663146

Palimpset speaks truth. Husband wanted to keep the old dishwasher to get a few more years out of it. Flooring installer said to install new flooring over the old flooring. Appliance store said it was better to have them charge by the installation time rather than a flat-fee for install for a new dishwasher.


Guess how all that shook out. I spent $600 to install an $800 dishwasher a few years after the new flooring install because the new flooring installed over the old flooring blocked the dishwasher in. The higher flooring screwed up moldings and door openings. The jerk who installed the flooring also broke a section of my countertop and never told me even though I asked him repeatedly to call me to help him move that section of cabinet.


Install new tile flooring now in your rental. Do it the right way.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Non-combustible window casings
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palimpsest

Actually, seeing a close up of those casings...they are kind of chewed up looking, and I would want something in a little better surface condition for a new remodel. I would not have said anything except they are going to have to be changed anyway.

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aem04

“or you live in a strange blue city that has amended the IRC building codes”

@kevin9408 your comment would have been good until you cited “strange blue city”. First, it’s non-sensical. Second, there is no place on the Houzz Kitchens forum to bring a mention of politics. I am flagging to Houzz admins.

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Joseph Corlett, LLC

Meg:

The returned ends on your new stools could be fabricated in a way to cover the notched backsplash. Even if they don't, your splash has enough movement to lend itself to inconspicuous repairs.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: what color/type of tile should we use next to 70s slate?
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palimpsest

I agree with Kendrah, do something like that, a very plain gray

Maybe something like Crossville Tile Civilization, in the Legality colorway:

https://www.crossvilleinc.com/Products/Civilization/Legality

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Paul F.

That slate color still exists. You could just but up large scale tiles of it and put a wet look sealer on it.


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deegw

I want to add a little warning about natural slate. You probably won't be able to get the same quality natural slate as the original floors off the rack at Home Depot. What's available at HD is likely to be a lesser-quality slate from China. DH put a natural slate floor from HD in our laundry room and he said never again. It was fragile and flaky.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Tiled vent hood - How to achieve this look ?
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palimpsest

The shelves are probably slide onto concealed shelf brackets attached to the framing.

My floating shelf has the brackets attached to framing under the drywall and the horizontal parts that the shelf slides on to extend through the drywall.

My hood is actually slid onto steel countertop brackets let into the framing and extending through the drywall because my structure is not attached to the ceiling.

The thing I don't like about the hood above is that there is fairly wide piece of combustible material around the bottom of the hood. It may be far enough away to meet code, I don't know. But it's a wood, sort of porous surface directly overhead an area that is going to be hot, steamy and sometimes greasy, next to a fan that sucks steam and greasy vapor toward it. The wood band around the bottom of that hood is going to be a sticky, greasy, impossible to clean mess. It would be better if the bottom of it was also stainless steel on the surface.


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palimpsest

It depends on how you cook, I agree. But I have had to use utility blades on the flat to peel layers of grease off the undersides of horizontal surfaces adjacent to the stove in two different places I bought. The grease was so thick that it clogged up scrubbing pads immediately.

If you are going to be wiping things off on a regular basis instead, a metal surface would be more durable than a catalyzed varnish or raw surface.

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HU-910663146

Just had a thread on here about how someone's window trim near the cooktop flunked the code inspection.


Double check the height restrictions with combustible materials.


And I would think hard about mother of pearl tile and grout behind a cooktop. Tomato sauce is not your friend.

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palimpsest

If I were tiling a vent hood, one thing I would do is make the hood a dimension based upon full tiles and taking into account bullnose tile and having to wrap the corners.


I did a couple entire bathrooms based upon full tile dimensions and we actually did mock-ups of one area to make sure the tiles would lay out perfectly with no cuts. You don't want to end up with slivers on the face of a tiled hood.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Help! Uneven window openings
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palimpsest

I would probably lay out three equal sized windows on each side of the center pole and just have whatever wall space is left over to the left of the door. You probably want a light switch inside that door anyway.

It will be purposeful enough to have two sets of balanced windows and have the door stand on its own.

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palimpsest

I don't think a difference of one foot is going to diminish light or views that much.

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HU-260826222

You're probably right! Wondering if it makes sense to have the wall space to the left of the door or to put it in between the two windows, which would keep more window toward the right and a bit more symmetry so things aren't offset to the left of the room. On the other hand, having the windows in a more or less uninterrupted line is appealing.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Orange pink brick and paint combo - exterior
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palimpsest

I would go with a medium dark brown rather than something black

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Kelly Cincotta

This is where I get into trouble, why is Urbane Bronze a better color choice? It is the same LRV as Black Fox. I thought gutters were not considered trim and should be painted the color of the roof or the house.


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lisedv

What colour are your windows? They look dark but we can't see the colour.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Please advise on mulled window units
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palimpsest

They will still need to serve as egress windows in any bedroom. So it's a no go if the operable panel is too far from the floor or ends up not being big enough for .

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HomeSealed Exteriors, LLC

Look up WOCD devices. These are generally available from manufacturers when ordering new windows, but there are some universal applications out there as well.

If you need to replace the windows without regard to this issue (you seemed to allude to this), that's a different story.

Yes, a casement over PW config is doable. Based on the measurements that you quoted, depending on width, they'll probably meet egress just fine. You can also get the WOCD devices on the new windows in the same config as current, and likely save money by not adding to the number of main frames in this bank of windows.

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michoumonster

Hi HomeSealed, Yes we have to replace the windows regardless. The current windows are very old and drafty, and also are not tempered, which, being so low to the floor, is not up to code. So we thought it was a good time to figure out what new configuration would make more sense. It sounds like a casement over picture window may work for us then. I will also ask about the WOCD devices when we order. Thank you for your advice!

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palimpsest

I did not mean to one-up your situation, or put your job in some kind of better perspective. I would be very disappointed with the way things have turned out thus far in your project. The final outcome of mine was that I got a very good carpenter, a good electrician, a good plumber and a good painter out of the general contractor who was willing to take over the project that had become such a mess. I did not like that GC at all, she acted like she was doing you a huge favor by accepting your money--and neither did any of these subs, they all went their separate ways and I use them independently. During that last project that went so badly though, we were without a kitchen for 4-1/2 years.

I put up with some relatively long delays or gaps now only because I appreciate the quality of the work that they do for me now, when I can pin them down.

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Angela Hook

Yes indeed! I couldn’t agree more. I’m fortunate enough that my husband knows enough about painting, to notice no Sandi g, brush is horrible, no back brush after rolling, etc and onward. The issue is that he has voiced this to PM. I cringe as they’re working on our house today and I know they’re painting over, just like you said. What you’ve given us, and the other’s who have commented, is confidence in ourselves to stand up for us. We’re going to the CEO. Grateful for your input.

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millworkman

The problem with painting over falls under the heading of garbage in and garbage out, Every time they slap more on is more to be stripped, and dollars out the window, yes the more to strip, the more time to strip, the dollars it will cost you. What is there cannot be fixed, it needs to be removed, sanded and prepped properly, primed and painted. Not more slopped on top.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Any kitchen backsplash ideas for mcm reno?
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palimpsest

2x2 porcelain , 3x3, or 4x4 would all be appropriate.

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palimpsest

How authentic do you want to be?

I feel like a lot of "MCM" items, including tile, are really 21st c. revisionist fantasies, not really what they would have actually done at all. (Like even the historic reproduction tiles would rarely have been used as a kitchen backsplash in an ordinary modern house of the period).

There's nothing the matter with doing the 21st century version, it's just a thought to consider.

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palimpsest

Most of the shaped (like Heath) or three dimensional tiles like the Saul Bass were really earlier, by the mid to late 1960s I think things were getting a little more plain/transitional than they were in the 1950s. In my area 2x2 porcelain was all over the place by 1965 66

Or they had mostly moved on to the short backsplash. Doing the single piece glass would give the the full backsplash while being more similar to the mostly painted backsplash with the short piece of counter so common in the 1960s.

I just did a short backsplash with formica in a 1966 kitchen.

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RoyHobbs

I agree with @palimpsest. To me, the most MCM of MCM houses is the Miller House located in Columbus, Indiana. The home was designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1957. Here is a photo of the dining area and the kitchen - note the tiny brilliant turquoise backsplash tiles.


For fun, here is the Miller House living room, with a sunken conversation pit and groovy steps down into it


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Kendrah

White splash for sure - either a 3" of your counter, a white ceramic tile, or glass over your white wall. You have a great thing going with your white and wood look and I wouldn't ruin it with a color, not even a subtle color. Pay attention to having a wood ceiling as well and how that brings enough warmth, color, and texture to the room without needing it in a backsplash.



Mid-Century Modern Rehabilitation · More Info


Mid-Century Modern Rehabilitation · More Info


Glen Road · More Info


Atomic Fun · More Info


Encino Mid Century · More Info


Maple Bluff Addition · More Info


I also love the idea of no splash.



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palimpsest

Can you afford to treat it like a real car?

Are you going to be okay with it suffering the ordinary wear and tear of an everyday driver?

Personally that's how I feel about nice things. You don't have to be careless or cavalier, but to me there is nothing more annoying than someone who has a possession that is supposed to have a practical purpose but it gets treated with such kid gloves that it is no longer a practical item.

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Faron79

Lyfia-

If you need help to keep it looking good, gimme a call!!!


Study up on the various 'Vette Forums. According to rumors, the next version of America's Supercar will be the mighty ZR1 later this year!!! Then.....maybe in '26.....the UNHOLY "ZORA". THAT thing will probably the first $200,000+ Corvette. It may only have 1,000hp, just in case you feel the existing ones are underpowered!!!


Faron

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Jennifer Hogan

jsk, lafia, Ally De, you are not alone.


I am on my own, have saved like crazy and have what they said I will need in retirement, but then I just read that in addition to the amount you need to supplement your income they say you should have an extra $300k for a single person toward Long Term Care and $500k for a couple. Woah - I didn't save an extra $300k. My plan was also built around pre-covid prices. Prices of everything has exploded (groceries, cars, appliances, repairs, medical care . . . My amount needed to retire per the financial planner didn't go up, but my costs on everything went up. Will my savings stretch far enough?




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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Mismatched doorways?
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palimpsest

I agree with chispa. add enough to the left side of the opening to add trim




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millworkman

Mark Bischak, Architect, Ready! Fire! Aim!

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Mark Bischak, Architect

Generally, if an issue arises in a construction project, first discuss it with the architect. If there is no architect then discuss it with the builder. By circumventing the architect or builder, you will lose their trust and potentially damage the Owner/Architect/builder relationship; ramifications of which may be concealed and happen without the owner's direct knowledge. I state this for those reading this thread and belatedly to the OP.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: I just bought a house. I need furniture layout advice.
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palimpsest

At the college I teach at, we are allowed to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence in our course. At the university I work at they allow it if it is properly cited.

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JAN MOYER

Unrelated to I.Q .......



It's well documented that there are different types of intelligence - seven, eight who really knows?

One look at the threads here, and you'd guess having strength in the spatial area might be somewhat rare. We could surmise that someone unable to even hazard a guess at an appropriate rug size, might be lacking spatial and math logistics, but can knock out a window with a ball and bat from a quarter mile or wow you at a piano?......................or it is equally possible, the knee jerk, "ask Siri" effect kicked in and pouf!!!! There's your new thread!?

You can rarely find a teen nowadays who can count change into your hand from a five dollar bill. Plenty of kids can't tell time sans a glance at a phone , so it seems the charm of a Mickey Mouse analog, or your first Timex long sailed !

Call it what you will. Common sense, horse sense....they're valuable commodities. Exercise that round object above your can: ) if you CAN, or the loss of its function will be anything but artificial.

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Diana Bier Interiors, LLC

Regarding ChatGPT, you wouldn't even get any sort of useful answer unless you provided more detail than some of these questions here.


Here's the response I got from ChatGPt after asking it the same question as this post's title:

"Of course! I'd be happy to help you furnish your new house. To get started, could you please provide some details about the style you prefer, the size of each room, any specific furniture pieces you already have or plan to keep, and any budget considerations? Additionally, if you have any color preferences or specific themes in mind, that would be helpful to know as well. Let me know, and I'll do my best to assist you in creating a comfortable and stylish living space! "

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Dark or light floors with wood trim windows
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palimpsest

I agree, I would do the same tone as the windows and other trim.

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Diana Bier Interiors, LLC

What exactly does "redoing our floors" mean? Is there hardwood under the carpet, and are you sanding and staining? If so, you have lots of choices on stain color.

Or are you installing new pre-finished engineered wood floors? You'll have fewer choices in this case. Try to get something that blends with the wood trim--looks like a medium toned reddish wood. You'll need to wait until you pull up the carpeting and see what's underneath before you can make a decision.


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Norwood Architects

As others have, would suggest getting as close to the color and tone of the existing trim as possible. Adding another wood tone to the mix that differs from the exiting trim might not look right. Good luck!

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palimpsest

What kind of exposed hinges? You can limited styles of white exposed cabinet hinges.


https://hardwarehut.com/cabinet-hardware/cabinet-hinges?finishfamily=30&types=3&types=9&types=421

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Minardi

Those could be changed to hidden hinges when you have the cabinet doors replaced. They aren't worth doing anything to as is. The paint job that is on them is pretty bad, using wall paint, and is going to need a lot of sanding in order to end up better. It's just easier and cheaper to buy new doors.

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Lisa Camden

The previous owner painted them. i’ll look into new doors.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Off centered windows
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palimpsest

Actually, thinking back, I have never lived in a house where the windows were exactly centered in most rooms in the house because that would have put the windows in odd locations on the outside of the house because not every room was the same size. This includes two houses built in the 1830s in which symmetry was extremely important.

But I have never lived in a house built after about 50 years ago. All of the houses had simple ordered facades with a regular window arrangement. The house I live in now has a fully symmetrical facade front and back. The house is almost like a cartoon. That said, because rooms have closets, and there's a fireplace, and it's a row house...that puts all the windows off center inside.

My sister lived in a house where every single room had a window centered in each room or "space" because it was sort of open plan on the first floor. But this did some odd things to the windows on the outside. Her house was built in the 2000s. If you look at the plans of bigger houses designed in this century every single room may have a window or windows centered on the room and that can put them all over the place on the outside, and this is compensated for by doing a bunch of bumpouts or different materials or gables or bits and pieces on the outside to conceal this. But look at the backs of some of these houses, if they don't continue those details on that facade. Window acne.

The windows should make some sort of sense on both the inside and the outside, if possible, but that does not always mean centered. I know someone whose bedrooms all have centered windows, and in the secondary bedrooms, there isn't a decent wall to put a bed on in some of the rooms because the bed is going to overlap one of the centered windows on one of the exterior walls somewhere.

So as has been mentioned I think you need to discuss with the architect why these windows are not centered inside, and there may be a really good reason.

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dan1888

Tell him to move them to the spot you'll be happy with. You have to live with them. if you want opinions on how they look, post something to review.

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Mark Bischak, Architect

A frequent generic conversation:


Owner: Change the design to this.

Architect: If that changes then this will happen.

Owner: Oh, I didn't think of that.

Architect: That is why I am here.

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palimpsest

It's the yellow soffit color that's doing it in the natural light.

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palimpsest

Painting the walls the color of the cabinets would not be wrong. You would want to stay away from anything with a warm tone to it since the cabinets are cool toned white.

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Nicole Darling

Thank you! That was a thought but was worried everything would look blue lol

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: landing treatment
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palimpsest

I think the landing is part of the stairs and should be painted black.

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Cathy Kraft

Thank you all for input. The night photo was taken by contractor as I’m in another state. The steps going up are black like the 2 on the bottom. I intended to have only a few inches on each side showing once a runner was installed. I’ve decided I must have the runner make the turn on the landing due to dog running down the steps and making the turn. My mind couldn’t tolerate a wood tone border on landing so it must be painted like the steps prior to the runner installation. Thanks for helping me walk through this!

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Is it too much kitchen?
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palimpsest

I feel like I see a number of narrow cabinets in this kitchen.

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vinmarks

I would move the cleanup sink and dishwasher to under the window where the prep sink is. Move the prep sink to the island and move the fridge to the wall where B30 is.


It would drive me insane having the fridge behind the island. I also would not want someone sitting at the back side of the island. To me that area is the working area. You do not want people sitting in that area or people traipsing through to get something out of the fridge while cooking is going on.


Here is my kitchen. It is on the larger side and is U-shaped like yours.




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chicagoans

I don't think it looks too big, but it does look like your layout could be more efficient. In general, most prep is done between the sink and the cooktop, and you don't have much handy prep space in that area.

This thread might help think about the "ice - water - stone - fire" flow:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2699918/looking-for-layout-help-memorize-this-first#n=121

In your kitchen it might look something like the mockup below, with the caveat that I'm not a designer, just throwing this out for an idea. The trash would be accessible to the clean up area (sink, DW) as well as when prepping on the island.

If you don't like the fridge in that spot, you could keep it where you have it and switch the prep and clean up sinks as mentioned above. Your main prep space is still the island.


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palimpsest commented on a discussion: What to do about a goofy angled wall when doing cabinets
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palimpsest

" But that does deprive you of a nice angle",

My general comment from a design standpoint is this:

Random angles cut out of one corner of a room are rarely "nice", especially when they are not balanced by another one, or something else. They work or make sense only under limited circumstances and this room is not one of them. Doing things like this for "architectural interest" is one of the sets of Emperor's New Clothes foisted on homebuyers by designers of McMansion-ish houses with amorphously shaped open plan interiors starting in the early 1990s and a lot of people bought into it.

If it were "nice", there wouldn't be such a problem figuring out what to do with it, here.

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bpath

Are they authors you like, books you have read in the past, or do you buy them more because of the physical beauty of the spines or the colors?

Those are all good reasons to buy a book!

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beaglesdoitbetter

All of the above reasons for buying books. We got some really neat old Nancy Drew and Hardy boys that are beautifully bound that I read as a kid. All the classics, Shakespeare, etc. Some because they are pretty. Some because they have old messages inside that are neat to read. Some because of the books themselves.

My kids are 2 and 4. They read board books and The Gruffalo. They have their own extensive library of real books at child height :) When they are bigger, I don't care what they read or how they read it as long as they read. I'll buy them books, a kindle, comics, anything, just to encourage a love of reading.

I don't buy any books online (except digital of course). I like to see and hold real books.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Wallpaper paint color help
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palimpsest

Just remember that if you are looking at bound broadloom you are not limited to standard sizes like you are with area rugs. You can do a 12 or 13'6" (usually) width by anything. Or any odd number of inches under 12' or 13'16" depending--and shaped.

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ecasta

Yes Jan, that’s why I knew he was being honest and to stay away from it!

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ecasta

Agreed on being seen in the room. I’m waiting for the samples to come in to try them at home.

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palimpsest

If you want to go all the way to the ceiling I would see if you could do a single cabinet all the way up rather than stacking. This looks like a 9 foot ceiling

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Patricia Colwell Consulting

We are guessing 9' ceiling and IMO taking cabinets to the ceiling eliminates that horrible dusting job on top of the cabinets. I know no one who complaind about too much storage in a kitchen . We do measurements on a drawing but IMO a bigger idland will look wrong. You have an eating space there so really no need for seting at an island. You need to redo the layout IMO too. I never like passing a range to get from frdige to sink. Before the pretty stuff the function . I hope in the plan all the base cabinets will be drawers too. If you post a to scale floor plan here on graph paper every window doorway and measurement clearly marked posted here ijpeg format you will get some valuable free design help. BTW cabinet sales people are not kitchens designers they have a program on the computer and that is all they can work with. An independant KD does the design then finds the cabinets that work. This is anexpensive endeavor get the best design possible then decide cabinets . I do not like crown in a kitchen above cabinets unless you have crown in the rest of the living space. I often do a bigger space between the counter and the bottom of the uppers to keep the trim at the ceiling small and simple Post the drawing here in a comment DO NOT start another post .

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JAN MOYER

Look at the fridge and doorways, ?!

This is not a 10 ' ceiling. It might be 102" it might be 108"

The point, no matter style of cabinetry, is it is a trim issue. A flat stock can be "crown molding" even in a home with no crown elsewhere!

You can build a FLUSH to cabinet soffit, there are a host of ways to get a look, not leave a gap to collect dust, nor "close in" a kitchen. The gap at cabinet to ceiling does nothing to enhance or suggest more space than exists.

No matter what, and as I said prior? The first issue is layout for convenience, efficiency, storage. For that ? You need every dimension of everything.

Don't get a buggy in front of a horse......yet.: )

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Pros and cons of having a door casing under a barn door
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palimpsest

If you don't have trim around the openings there will be a large under it, open or closed, because it has to clear the thickness of the baseboard regardless. If there is at least trim the thickness of the baseboard, when it is slid closed, it will at least be a smaller gap.

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beesneeds

Barn doors belong on barns and other animal houses. Not so much in human dwellings. But I understand some folks like barn doors in their homes anyway. That said, how much electrical are you planning on re-routing if you put in barn doors? There's electic switches and/or outlets in three of the four pics. Barn doors will slide over/hit/obscure those when in use, you would need to move those electrics to better non-door locations.

You would need to really think about the door placement too. In the first pic, there isn't a door width of wall space there, it would need double doors and some electrical movement or door placement on the other side of the doorway. In the second pic you have to make sure those doors both slide to the right and you have nothing else on that wall except door clearance. In the third pic it looks like you have room to slide left, but the pic does not go over far enough to see if there is electric there. In the fourth pic you will likely need to do double doors since that doorway is so wide- and not use that outlet currently in use or move the outlet.

If you did pocket doors you would likely have to do a lot of electric moving too.


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Debbi Washburn

There's a good thread to start - Barn doors - love 'em , hate 'em!


I actually like them under certain situations - good for pantries, master closets, laundry room , dining room; never for bedrooms or bathrooms.




I do prefer a split door over a single door.



Yes - I would keep the trim - I prefer a finished doorway.

Good luck !

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: how to hide shelf brackets
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palimpsest

I don't think it's a matter of whether one likes open shelves, marble shelves, brass brackets, if it's a trend that's had its day or whatever. It doesn't matter if it was trendier 5 years ago and its past it's peak, the people who did it 5 years ago aren't remodeling their kitchens already, so this detail will be around for a long time. There is a thread about someone hating the ubiquitous 2024 white kitchen, and I went and searched and I found two threads about people being tired of white kitchens in 2012.

The issue is what to do with the open shelves in this particular scenario, if the OP wants open shelves.

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palimpsest

I think you could go back to wooden shelves that hid the hidden brackets but used the brass ones on the ends for a similar look.

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palimpsest

My floating shelf wall brackets are like this, but some pairs actually have a bar in between. And they are set into the framing so the drywall can be mounted flush over them. So it's possible that there will be enough removal of drywall in four locations that it would just make more sense to take out one bigger piece of drywall, add the proper framing in the middle, and secure a third brass bracket in the center location. That may actually be less work.




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Lindsay Gartland

thank you Jan! appreciate it!! i think we will do just this!

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J Mig

And I would replace the plates around your outlets with white plates, so that it doesn’t draw attention to them.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Kate Middleton Addresses Illness, Asks for Privacy
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palimpsest

I think they are being treated as celebrities, who, by choice, thrust themselves into the public eye, and who on some level want all the publicity they can get, and on the other hand, complain about all the publicity they get and the lack of privacy that goes along with it at those times that they decide they don't want it.

If you are a member of the royal family you are born into the job, you aren't given much choice about being a public figure. If you marry a member of the royal family, your only choice is to not marry into the royal family if you want to stay out of the public eye. That's not quite the same thing. I don't think you marry into that for the publicity, it's not like the Kartrashians.

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roarah

The king and QE opted to pay personal income tax but does not own the Crown Estate, The monarchy does. The monarchy is tax exempt so no taxes are paid on those or other holdings at all. The profits are far less than the yearly taxes would be. the taxes on the Crown estate would by in the billions not millions. William and kate are tax exempt and although william will likely follow in his dad’s foot steps they have never paid any taxes on income nor property btw.

There was an interesting series ran last year in the guardian. It was long but very well researched. It is worth reading. The monarchy lacks transparency in more than its health but also in its wealth and practices. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/series/cost-of-the-crown

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Empty closed space
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palimpsest

I don't think it's necessary to put anything there, maybe a piece of art on the right wall, I realize that would be partly back in the recess, but that's okay, maybe something abstract that it doesn't matter that it will be viewed from an angle.

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AnnKH

I would leave it empty until I found exactly the right thing to put there. I do like the idea of a wall sconce, though wiring it could be a pain. I have a snake plant that would look fabulous there.

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bsgibbs

My son would have a vertical bike rack it there.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: kitchen update needed
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palimpsest

Here it is with the backsplash and words blanked out. Already an improvement. And a range hood instead of the bumped up cabinet and microwave.

I might do a colored backsplash here. It almost looks like a BW photo as it is.


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Kendrah

You luckily have a rather non offensive space that could go in so many different stylistic directions. Keep the white cabinets and grey floor as a neutral base. Bacon removal, new art, new stools, new backsplash can make the space feel completely new.


While I'd never pick out the counter myself, it is far from the worst granite I've seen and with the right splash it could work. I'd be concerned that penny tiles would look too busy against the counters.


Congrats on your new home.

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Range Hood Master

Hi there, the cabinets color was fine to me for a modern kitchen.

Except the countertop and backsplash, I think an new range hood (stainless steel finish) will help a lot with your kitchen updates.

This is Rangehoodmaster specialized in custom range hoods for decades of experience. Good value, below market price and free drawings and shipping. Our specialty is copper range hood and stainless steel range hood. Please contact RHM if interest: info@rangehoodmaster.com

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: stair upgrade yes or no
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palimpsest

I would do it now.

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Ally De

Now I'm confused. I saw the other thread and that made me even more confused...


They are oak treads, not LVP - correct?


If that is true, as chispa said - JUST DO IT. It's a bargain at $2800.


If it's LVP.....I'm waffling. I prefer solid wood or engineered wood over LVP. However I have LVP in a beach house and I actually like it in that setting as it's held up so much better to the sand than hardwood did.


So it's not that I hate LVP - it's just that some LVP on stairs looks heinous depending on how they finish it. However I've seen other photos here where it looks ok.


What I do truly hate....is carpet on stairs. Again, that's my personal bias showing and there are no facts I can point to which explain it. I like a nice runner on a wood stair....but fully carpeted steps just aren't my thing. They can feel soft underfoot, but the carpet always mats and looks dirty. Again, IMO of course.

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just_janni

Maybe go back and ask exactly what is included in the upgrade. i.e. is it hardwood stairs and risers or is it laminate with a matching bullnose and masonite risers, etc. and then see a sample to ensure that it get executed like that/

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Source for fluted glass?
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palimpsest
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wascussee

Is reeded the same as fluted? I was under the impression that reeded was concave and fluted (ribbed) is convex. The largest fluted I've been able to find is 1/2".

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East Bay 10

I am not sure about that but most of us here in California refer to the glass as "reeded" and just a guess but if they are different then reeded is probably less expensive because of wider use.

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palimpsest commented on a discussion: Pre Painting…Who Cleans ?
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palimpsest

I don't know what your circumstances are, but I don't understand how the standard for cleaning services has really become to not clean very many things, or to not clean very well.


To me a baseboard is a highly visible, relatively easy to access area when it's not behind furniture. It's not like you are expecting them to climb up on ladder to do anything to the top of the kitchen cabinets or take down shelves of books and clean each one.

I know two people who had cleaning services and their houses weren't clean at all. I said to one friend "Did you get rid of your cleaning service?"

She: "No, they were just here, why?"

Me: "Well there's dog hair all over the baseboards"

She: "Well she doesn't really do that"

Me: "There are cobwebs all over the dining room light"

She" Well she doesn't really do that".

Finally I said "What exactly are you paying her to do"

It turns out she Swiffers the kitchen floor (but it hasn't actually been washed in..years.

She runs a vacuum. (But apparently only around the middle of the room, doesn't do an edge tool around the edges or the brush on the baseboard)

She wipes up the bathroom a bit and sprays some scrubbing bubbles in the shower and runs the brush around the toilet.

I don't know, to me, this is not worth a cleaning service, because they aren't really cleaning, they are doing the minimum to keep the house from getting actually filthy and that's about it. And actually this is the kind of stuff we do every day, even though we are both fully employed and I actually have one job that is considered "full time" and have an additional 10 hours at others.

I am saying this only to point out that it doesn't really take all that long to do some cleaning things almost every day.


Like I said, I don't know your circumstances, and I believe you when you say that you are showing the worst area in your picture, and maybe they are doing a better job than what I describe above. But I would not be happy about a cleaning service that left things like that at all. And I am sure they are not inexpensive. Which is probably why I don't have one.

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petalique

For a good paint job, preparation in very important, as Pal delineated up thread.

Surfaces should not only be clean, but free of holes, damage, and irregular surfaces.

Sometimes areas need to be painted with a stain blocker. Sometimes a primer is warranted to insure good adhesion.

Faron, where do you get Dirtex? I have not been able to find it.


PS I just now see that the big A and other stores have it. Maybe I am thinking of another product.

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Faron79

I've had powdered Dirtex in my HSW Dept (an ACE store) for over 20 years! Note however, that the SPRAY-ON version of Dirtex says to NOT use it before painting!


Faron

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palimpsest

I put the phrase "I hate white kitchens" in the pretty bad GW-House search box and on the first page I got a post called "I hate white kitchens?" and one called "White Kitchens--Trend Over" both from 2012.

So there is really some validity to the argument that white kitchens aren't really a trend at all, although I will say that with the many choices in white quartz that have come on the market, and with the return to favor of light finished floors, the white has become more uniformly, brilliantly white.

Also, I grew up in a house with an all white kitchen with black hardware and some stainless appliances (some white) from 1969. They weren't trending then, but neither were my parents complete innovators. They had probably seen something somewhere

Also when it comes to all these bleached light woods for flooring and cabinetry that have been popular again for a bit, and the color pink popping up? Does anybody remember the revulsion people had for um...pickled finishes and the color pink anything not all that long ago?

( I've had pink in two of the three kitchens I have designed for myself, somewhere starting 28 years ago)

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JAN MOYER

Crack me UP!!!

Now, the trend in fashion is wide leg pants. I personally would never buy or wear wide leg pants. Personally, I Iook and feel best in skinny jeans,

May I like that one thousand times??

My GAWD.....the first issue?

You need to be 5'11", and a size two - essentially a straightened wire hanger.

They drag all over the ground, or they look too short.

My luck? I catch a toe as I descend a stair with a gigantic tote at a client and the fall takes me out of this business - one that is far more physical than you can imagine.

I do not go to a gym, to stay in shape- ONLY to float in fat ass pants that would accommodate someone 6 sizes larger.

I hope my white skinny pants from last season didn't die in their silicone pac embedded crate. I will not be caught dead in these floaters.

( trend noticed at gym: Either the up the crack yoga variety ;LEAVING ZERO TO ANYONE'S IMAGINATION......or this revived thick, hideous baggy, lumpy fleecy sweatpants look we all abandoned in the 80's! WTH WTH WTH !!!


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Rachiele Custom Sinks

Our preference was a mix of off-white cabinetry with darker wood accents. We only have one small window in the kitchen and felt the lighter cabinetry would brighten up the room. The original kitchen was medium/dark cherry, and it felt small and dark, no matter the lighting.


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