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Fire Restoration, I think I overdid the neutral! Lots of pics!

16 years ago

Here's the transformation from my house fire (grease)pictorial. I had this home built in Oct. 05, house fire in May 07, we should be able to move back in in a couple of weeks Jan 08. Now, I think I overdid it with the neutral colors. I'm thinking black leather couch/loveseat in living room and black island with butcher block top in kitchen (luckily, I already had this in storage along with alot of other furniture before the fire). I will also have black appliances. I would love to add the 2x2 tiles for a backsplash.

Tile is not finished in kitchen and still needs to be grouted. Still awaiting sink and faucets and 1 toilet!

Thanks for everyone who put up with my posts since the fire.

Right before closing

After fire

New kitchen

Living Room before

Living room after

Backsplash I would like to install (without the decorative floral tile shown)

Vinyl in bathrooms

TOO neutral?

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Comments (14)

brutuses
16 years ago
I'm so sorry about the fire, how awful that must have been.

I think your new choices are beautiful. There is nothing wrong with neutrals when you use them on walls and floors. Actually it is the smart thing to do. It gives you room to get creative with accessories. After your furniture is in, post some more photo's so we can try to help you accessorize. I shouldn't include me in that offer because I'm not that talented. A creative thought does cross my mind once in a while though.
organic_smallhome
16 years ago
Wow--REALLY bad fire! I hope everyone is okay?

Personally, I like neutral--you can always bring in the color through accessories!
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I have been thinking a lot about your room, coming back and looking at the various pix, etc. It is hard because without measurements of everything, I can make suggestions that will end up not working because of size. What I want to say first is that I think you are working against the room. You have the bulkiest pieces in the most closed off part of the space, and then you essentially don't use the end by the entry at all. Here is what I am getting from reading: You hate looking from the kitchen or while you are eating and seeing the toy jumble. You like to sit and look at the fire. The TV doesn't get used much (also judging by the furniture placements you have) and eventually is moving downstairs. You don't entertain a lot, so the use of the room should be geared toward your family. So, without knowing what the measurements really are (and being deceived by the monitor perspective), here is what I am thinking. I want to create essentially two areas, not three: I would move the bookcase to the window wall at the front of the room, where the armoire was originally. That will become the "kid" end of the room. Situate the kids larger toy pieces in that area ( the kitchen set, the easel, etc.). If you can get a rug for the area to define that play space, that would be great. Move the piano back to the wall opposite the fireplace, pushed toward the front entry end of the room. Take the tv armoire and put it on the wall where the bookcase was, pushed closer toward the dining area. This will become more of a decorative piece, where you can put some accessories like a big plate on a stand, or a grouping of vases or candlesticks, one of your plants, and some art hung on the wall above it. It will feel like a bridge piece between the dining and seating areas. Now here is where things get changed the most. Take the couch and angle it across the back corner of the room, where the kids' play kitchen, etc are now. Angle the long side of the rug to match the couch. This should end up (I think) kind of following the same angle as the flooring change from the kitchen to the eating area as well. If you can do it, either hang a couple of the plants you have behind the couch, or find some kind of table or old low bookcase to set plants on back there, which will soften the corner. Place one chair to the left of the couch, tucked in between the window and stove area, and the other chair (probably the leather one) on the other side, angled out from the wall where the tv has been moved. Get the small cabinet that is on the floor up at the other end of the room holding plants and use that as a side table by the leather chair, with a lamp if possible. Another small table and lamp between the couch and the chair near the woodstove would be nice. A large round ottoman rather than a coffeetable, that could be additional seating and moved around the room if needed. You should have enough room beside the piano to add another chair, which could face the couch but also be used to sit and watch the fire. A floor lamp between the chair and the piano would be nice to bring some light to that side of the room and also make the music easier to see. I would also wonder if your dining table shouldn't be turned the other way, to parallel the longer wall and also stop working against the angle of the floor there. Once you get everything in place, then you can work on hanging art or family pix, etc. I think by using the one end of the room for a family seating area, and the other end for the kids, you will make better use of the total space, rather than trying to jam the seating into the middle of the room. Also, the fireplace becomes more of a whole-room piece, feeling like it is part of the dining and seating and music areas, rather than blocked off by furniture. You won't have to sit and look at the kids' stuff when you dine or even sit on the couch - it will be off at a different spot and the seating won't be facing it. One other thing - what is on the wall behind the woodstove? I think that is something you need to address, because it really doesn't fit with the style you are trying to achieve in the space. It feels very much like something you would see in a kid's room. If it is wallpaper or fabric, I would take it down and think about perhaps doing some kind of wall treatment Maybe a faux stone or faux paint to look like stone, that picks up on whatever material the stove sits on - can't tell for sure from the pix what that is. Or even just an accent paint color in that space. I think you have a lot of nice things, and a bright and cheery room to work with. You also have my Poang chair (in a different finish and covering), which I think is one of the most comfy chairs ever! Do what you can do now, and enjoy what you have.
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susanlynn2012
16 years ago
I like neutral walls and furniture with color brought in with accessories. I am sorry about your fire. I think your home will look beautiful. Please post pics when your furniture is in and you are settled.
saskatchewan_girl
16 years ago
I like the neutral color...........gives you so many alternatives in accessorizing in each room but still keep the flow: )
Are you recessing the lighting in the kitchen? Love the large tile and backsplash!
shibababy
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for making me feel more confident about my choices.
Yes, everyone was okay. They had to take the house back down to the studs. I didn't cry after the fire, just when I went in after it was back down to the frame. It was unbelievable that I was back down to the frame in less than two years, broke my heart. But none of that really mattered because my husband,kids and pets were safe.

Living Room after fire

Ironic because no one was allowed to sit on my light couch because I didn't want it to get dirty. LOL!

Living room after demolition

I was thinking of doing alot of black accessories. Mixing in some white as well. My kitchen is accented with red and black.

The lights will be very similar to the can lights in the original photo. They have just not been put in yet.

I do have that crazy burnt orange bedroom and office and my DD's room is apple green so I do have some other colors in the house I guess. The two main bathrooms still have white walls, only the master bathroom is painted. I like having those two rooms white, in case I need a "break" from all the paint.

Public Service Announcement-please be sure to take lots of photographs of each room in your homes. I had forgotten so many of the details of my home and there are alot of things that go into a home that you don't think about when you buy a model home because the builder puts alot of those things in. Also, keep a list of manufacturers and model numbers. Hopefully, you'll never need these things.

I love the backsplash, but was hoping I could find something very similar with some black tiles mixed in, but these were very inexpensive, and I'm afraid to look for more because I may end of paying alot.
snookums
16 years ago
First of all, the redone house is beautiful. Your kitchen pictures just blow me away because I have pretty much the exact same layout. You were the one with the teenage son who decided to deep-fry chicken, right? I think of you every time I have my son (12 yo) in the kitchen with me. ;)

I have a friend that just went through the same thing as well - dryer caught fire in the garage, and burnt up the beams all the way 2 stories up to the attic. They were out of their house for nearly a year. Very hard on them.
oceanna
16 years ago
I'd have certainly cried if I'd seen my kitchen looking like that. Bless your heart. I'm so glad you all came out of that safely.

Interesting what you said about your white couch. All through my childhood my mom always made us think that THINGS were far more important than we were. Don't touch that! Don't scuff your new shoes! And on and on. One of my friends had a house where all the furniture and rugs were covered in plastic. It wasn't pretty. Then something like that fire happens in our lives to remind us of what is really precious in our life. Puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

I went the opposite way from my mom, within reason, and even though my kids are grown I'm still doing that (I've got dogs) -- my antiques are pretty but the fabric on them wears like cast iron and doesn't show dirt. I always feel a bit torn between the impulse to make it pretty and that to make it practical and not forbidding.

I think you are smart to make the "bones" neutral. Now you can have a lot of fun splashing some color around. Your new rooms are just lovely, very tasteful.
shibababy
Original Author
16 years ago
Yes, that's me with the teenager. He's really a good boy despite that.

I bought a home with a living room AND a family room so that the front of the house could be kept neat and clean. I love for my home to be lived-in, but I have such a problem with neatness, I wanted at least the first room guests see to be neat and tidy.

So, yes, this is the one room where no kids are allowed to linger.
susanka
16 years ago
What a lovely home. I agree that the neutrals are great. We started out with neutrals and are now painting some of our walls; also found a nice slate backsplash for the kitchen. You've got a great background now to allow your creativity to bloom!

We've never had a fire, but our neighbors did, and I have some idea what a horrible loss it can be even if you and your family and pets are okay. I'm glad to hear you're all all right, and it sure looks like your recovery is well underway. Congratulations!
Valerie Noronha
16 years ago
Wow, those after pics look terrible; but your new kitchen and living room look like they are off to a great start. I think it's wise to keep a neutral look to change over time, though I do think every kitchen needs a little bling to make you smile. Countertop and backsplash are perfect areas to do it. If you haven't already done so, the kitchen forum has created a Finished Kitchen's Blog which I'd recommend looking through for some inspiration to put the finishing touches.

What do you think of some metal accents in your backsplash? Like bronze or pewter?

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchen's Blog
patricianat
16 years ago
Congratulations on your choices. I think you chose well and wisely. You will be able to splash each room with color in your accessories and soft goods. I once had a fire like that but I was not as wise as you to do it in all neutrals. Woe is me. I probably was not thinking near as well as you as I just let whomever talk me into whatever during that time of depression. We had just remodeled and had gotten the house to where I thought I wanted it. Within days, we had a fire. I was tired from remodeling and redecorating and knowing I had it to do all over again and let a lot of people talk me into some silly choices. I think you have a great neutral home. Congratulations to you! You did it very well!
straitlover
16 years ago
Like the kitchen cabinets! What kind of countertop is that? I am going to be replacing mine soon to something neutral (floor, too, but I'm going w/ vinyl most likely). Mine's currently blue (floor is off white w/ little blue squares) which really limits decorating! So I think the netral bones are great. It's a whole let easier to cahnge the paint, drapes, etc when you wnat a change of pace.
mzdee
16 years ago
First of all, Blessings for your son. That is quite a memory to carry around and I hope that he is well.

Neutrals are great. It is so much easier to change accents than to paint! Just think, after every 15th visit here, you could change curtains, rugs, and counter decor :)
mpwdmom
16 years ago
I love neutrals. I've tried to fight it all my life but I'm still attracted to them...I think it was b/c I was raised in a small home with never enough room, so now I want everything neutral so it looks more spacious. And I feel more at ease that way.

Your home looks very nice, and don't forget, when you get furniture in there, some stuff on the walls and counter, it will look like more than just neutrals. I promise! : )

Susan

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