Trying things out when your plans go awry

13 years ago

A fair number of questions posed on this thread are variations of "oh dear, now what can I do?" And often these questions are answered with a range of ideas that -- while all pretty good -- are all over the map.

My own recent experience indicates strongly that -- short of having a really good visual imagination -- you need to simulate what you are going for in YOUR space and YOUR light, both during the day and with artificial light.

I inherited two elegant cabinets I wanted to flank a window with and not have match the other cabinets. Once the "accent" cabinets were installed, I hung them with every solid color garment in my wardrobe, bits of colored paper, even stone green tile that I stuck on with loops of tape.

All the subtle colors died in the installed lighting and the counters turned out a color that was wrong anyway, and I just had to keep trying until I found something that would work.

This little slideshow doesn't go into all the details of what I did try without success, but it does show how I finally stumbled into what I think will work for a while. I would definitely not recommend my approach to making a kitchen to anyone, except in this one particular: especially when you don't have the option of throwing a great deal more money at a problem, keep experimenting with stuff in situ until you get something that seems like it will work.

[To watch it as a slideshow, forward the images manually, as I cannot slow it down from my Picasa.]

Here is a link that might be useful: The Curious Tale of Kearney Kitchen

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Comments (5)

beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
13 years ago
honorbiltkit, it's a curious AND lovely tale! The house exterior and kitchen are both gorgeous -- well done. Definitely a story of the rewards of persistence. And the photo captions are a hoot!

Becky
formerlyflorantha
13 years ago
DH and I have developed a concept called "needs a savior" for old buildings that we know can be brought to life and utility and beauty. You and your cohort have been the savior of that house. It needed you.

I'm especially interested to learn that the very fashionable white kitchen is proving to need some color in some? all? installations. I see white kitchens in mags and on the GW but I know that I could in no way own one comfortably. The colors are the story in your photos, not the white.
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ironcook
13 years ago
that's YOUR kitchen! name/kitchen didn't click till now. i happen to love those turquoise cabinets. so you decided to keep them! yay!!! :)

i think they look fabulous.

loved the slideshow, too.
ideagirl2
13 years ago
Gorgeous! What a great house and kitchen. And loon flag.
:-)

PS do tell--how did you go about India inking the counters?
honorbiltkit
Original Author
13 years ago
ideagirl -- The underlying surface is Ikea numerar birch. It was sanded to remove the light oil treatment it comes with. I just poured the India ink on small areas of it and spread it out with a small foam-covered roller, using a small brush for the edges. The India ink is water soluble and you can thin it to experiment with how dense a black you want over the wood grain.

The idea is from the incredibly inventive Brickmanhouse. I had thought I could get a grayish effect using other stuff -- waterbased stain, vinegar with steel wool dissolved in it -- but I only made a big mess and was so relieved that the India ink thing actually worked.

My whole point in this post is that sometimes having to improvise gets me a better outcome than my hare-brained impulses deserve. Of course, having a common loon around is always handy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brickmanhouse's masterpiece

Trying things out when your plans go awry

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beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally

formerlyflorantha

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Trying things out when your plans go awry

Comments (5)

beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally

formerlyflorantha

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ironcook

ideagirl2

honorbiltkitOriginal Author

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