Hi AJsmama, Thank you! I did post some sneak peeks of the almost-done LR on the Decorating forum (my usual haunt). We redid the whole house except 2br and right now everything is 90% done --- you know how it is. I will post a few more rooms on the decor side. We love old homes, too! Green, lol, thank you! Oldbat2be, Thank you. It's all a little whacky and certainly nothing you'd find in a magazine, s which always makes it nerve-wracking. Glad you liked it! Mermanmike, Aww, you are sweet. I think those of us who are vintage junkies really like un fitted, but it is a bit tough to do! Tomatofreak, LOL, I know what you mean. I think for me, since it was my 3rd kitchen project in about a dozen years, I wanted to have fun with it. Plus hey, its just a beachhouse, we grill it all anyway (when we aren't eating out!) Texasgem, Thank you, that is exactly what we would want people to think. Of course some of them will just think, "huh?" LOL Thank you, Zeitgast, Leela! Thank you Raee; the hood went from something i did not want to have at all to a signature part of the room. Romy, I think it is probably the fridge. As soon we come through the back porch and into the house, it is the first thing we see. It can't help but make you smile. I was worried it would be awfully electric but someone how it is tamed in this setting. See the link for some wonderful variations (the Smeg fridge is a fab fab color, but soooo small( Here is a link that might be useful: Turquoise appliances

trailrunner; it's not so much crime as it is annoying to have your neighbourhood under siege by 100 or more teens every weekend from May to November. Of course as soon as the police show up they are just "talking to their friends" so the police get fed up with being called. It wasn't all the time that things happened but we would get up every weekend am to see what they had trampled, pulled out, egged, destroyed etc. It just got annoying paying high taxes to put up with it any longer. It was probably the nicest neighbourhood I will ever live in which makes it that much more unfortunate. :( I have lurked on this forum for a couple of years, I will try to join in when I have something to add. Too bad about when you were in Vancouver, now I'm 2 ferries & about 5 hours away! momtolilenj; When we bought the new place we thought we could turn it into a "craftsman style" cottage so I'm glad you can see that too. :)

For me it's not that it's institutional looking but that it can look like the flooring is trying to climb up the cabinetry : ) . It was more of a problem in my current kitchen, in an earlier incarnation, when the flooring was horrid white/gray/mauve vinyl sheet (my husband picked out shortly after we met but before we realized we had a future together, and that the flooring would be in it) and the 1950s wood cabinets were painted off white. Much less of a problem in the new house we're finishing, which has medium brown wood-look vinyl plank flooring and the medium brown Ikea kitchen cabinetry; and the vinyl plank flooring is much sturdier than Ikea's ready-made plastic toekick (and $25 for 84" to boot, too). Black Corian with slate floors sounds as if it should work very well. I also do not know that our society isn't too clean and am trying to embrace more dirt. roarah, we live in a rural farming community, and while I had knew the saying, "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die" I'd never had anyone actually give me that piece of advice. But I did, when my eldest was born and we were invited to tea with the matriarch of one of the oldest families in the nearby town. There's actually a lot of wisdom to that, and I recall news not too long ago the farm kids have fewer allergies and less asthma than their urban counterparts. For me, it's not just a battle keeping the mud, snow, and straw at the door, but also the fact that between farming and our other home-based business, we're around the house much more than other people are, so furnishings tend to get well-used, which means there's constant tidying as well as cleaning.

My house is not technically old though it is nearing 50 so I don't have the charm or difficulties of a truly old house. I have a vintage style, but not truly in any way a vintage kitchen - yet. My kitchen is 12.5 x 12.5 and I am usually the only cook. I have 2 cased doorways and a third door to the basement. My window is above the counter - not surprising as my house was built in more modern times. Two walls make an L shaped kitchen with fridge, sink, prep area and then range - a great functional layout. My problem was storage and extra work space. I looked at adding cabinets with counter to one of the other walls - but it was expensive, and I felt for such a small space I would feel surrounded by cabinets. I bought an Amish pie safe for added storage and later an Amish "island" - it is movable and has no electrical, but a great match with my cabinets. This is a piece I can think of as fitted or unfitted - it is easily removable but many modern kitchens have similar. I chose an island over a table for the extra storage of the cabinets. There is also an inexpensive basket storage unit and a wooden cart I've had since my first home. Some of my frying pans are on the wall. I would like to find something to replace the cart and baskets - but budget is not there now - other more important things we need to spend money on - like the roof. Pictures of my kitchen in my "my pics" idea book. https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/57579129/list/my-pics-work-in-progress My laundry area is close to my kitchen and has extra room for storage. I am using two shelves in a laundry closet as a pantry during this time when I don't want to shop as frequently. I plan to keep this extra storage even when not necessary. If you can find an area for an L or straight run that can have the sink and the range along the same run separated by about 4' (even if you turn a corner like an L) - that would be a great start. I see many kitchens, even modern ones that either separate the sink and range so one must cross an aisle or have them so close there is no real prep space between. I saw a YouTube of a kitchen that Paige helped design, and I felt the sink and range were too close together. However, the owner of the space cooks constantly and preferred to use a large island for prep - so to each her own. I prefer not to cross aisles like that, but this lady had done it that way always and wanted her kitchen that way. Sometimes doorways and windows prevent a perfect layout even in new kitchens. Sometimes it can be done, but without the sink on a window wall - not the end of the world, though I understand wanting to see a view. You can post a measured drawing of your space and there are some kitchen mavens here that can help you with design. I would do it as a new post. Make the drawing easy to read and also note radiator and location of present plumbing and gas/electric for range.