Too cool, your bathrooms look like mine. Just amazing. I guess I grew up in the 50's-60's (born in 48) and am sick of those fixtures. First thing I did when we moved here was tear out all the old bathsrooms. But I never touched this one because we didn't use it. I always planned too, but never got to it. Now I see how younger people would find it cute. Your bathrooms are beautifully done. Much better than mine were. The toilet is exactly what was there. Weighed a ton and was a job to remove. Funny part is it survived all those years without any repairs. All the other toilets in the house were replaced and repaired numerous. My other toilets are all Kohlers. That old toilet never had a part replaced and we have really bad well-water. It took a drunk, 300lb man to send it off to toilet heaven. I looked around for vanities and a 55" would have to be a special order and take months. I have the men working in the house and want to get the bathroom done. I would buy a 55" immediately if anyone carried them. They are all 48" or 60". Can't squeeze in a 60. Yes, I live in NY 40 miles north of Manhattan. Jane

I think some curtains hanging from the ceiling, that could be tied back or let down at will, would go a long way in defining the area, and making it fun for her. Similar to the look in this link. Using rings, pvc pipe, S-hooks, etc., I think you could create something fairly easily. Also, I'd have plenty of accessories...wigs, wands, jewelry, etc. You might check at Goodwill for some fun clothes too. Dress up is so great for kids. One of my favorite memories of my son (now 18, and leaving next year, sniff...) is of him coming down the stairs dressed in a blazer and clip-on tie he'd found in his closet. When I saw him I said, "Oh you look so cute!" Whereupon he burst into tears and wailed, "How did you know I wasn't DADDY!!!! I wanted to fool you!" He was probably six at the time, and very bright, but it just shows you the power of their little imaginations... Here is a link that might be useful: Dress Up Area

I buy and sell at least a house a year, and have done more. I like to buy places like yours...dated, that others won't make an offer on because they can't see through the skin to the good bones :) So for what it's worth...here's what I'd do to get your house off of my hands :o) Your kitchen is horribly dated, and you know that. So what can you do cheaply to fix it? First, pant the grout black on the floor. Don't do anything else with the floor, just paint the grout. You'll have a high contrast floor that pulls in the black granite. Second..do the granite...it's huge, the fabrication costs aren't the major expense at all there...you have free granite available...take it! Tile right over that backsplash. 4" square tiles are very dated. I'd do white subway's (cheap from home despot) with a grey grout. Then change out all those knobs for black knobs. If that BS is solid, you can easily tile over it, and even do it diy if necessary, but changing the shape there will be a big deal. Then, paint those cabinets. And if it were MY kitchen to sell, I'd not only paint them, I'd trim them out by adding a molding strip to the inside of the existing strip (glue and some pin nails...not hard...I've done it a few times). And I'd paint the cabinets in a heart beat. Their shape and color are frankly horribly dated. Cleaning them up with paint is a big deal. It does NOT Matter what the future buyer does with the kitchen "after you do all that work". What matters is that you catch their eye and sell the danged thing in the first place! This is NOT a cool 1940's kitchen...it's a dated 70s at it's best. (I am currently doing a dated 70's kitchen myself...I will be doing the cabinets in a soft yellow). In yours I'd go for a white that works with the floor tile. You give yourself a crisp black and white theme that way. I don't like the white walls on a tall room like that. After all is said and done, I'd paint either a pretty butter color, or perhaps a soft green...gray would work as well, just paint some color! I am just one person who has an opinion :) But I do buy and sell houses and I drool over houses like yours where the stuff is left as is...because I'm one of a few (and I'd count many of the folks here like me) who can see beyond your "Stuff". But 99% of your prospective buyers...they can't see that. Some elbow work and a few bucks would help a lot here. Get rid of everything in the dining room except a table and chair. Edit to death. Those wires make me crazy, and they'll cost you thousands. I would add a chandelier or I'd buy a cheap oblong or rectangular table and do pot light conversion kits on the current pots. (You can't do that with your current table). If it were me, I'd do that before I'd add a chandelier. I would however change out that fan for a chandelier over the kitchen. Keep to simple black and white lines which will make your floor tile look great (if you paint the grout) verses doing something else that will highlight the out of date features. And change out the appliances. People do notice that. You know that :) I've never used an agent to sell a home, (I do it myself) but I will say....most agents I've run into have no clue what it takes to stage a home for sale. Typically they're failed workers elsewhere who go into real estate for a few years then fail again. (I've worked in real estate...I see this all the time). And then there are the top preformers who are really good...they can be of help, but you still get their opinion most of the time. If you really want to sell..consult a professional stager...not an agent.

Probably far & away the most common thing done in this situation is to put fake door panels on the side. These door panels are the same as your other cabinet doors. However, some people have been more creative and created things like a "message center"...by hanging a calendar or a full-length chalk board or magnetic board on the side. If you have a few inches (even as few as 3"), you could build a message center with shallow shelves to hold Here are some ideas: This is an example of what I meant for a chalkboard. Yes, this is on Julie P's/jjcpink01's refrigerator door, but it could also be on the side of a cabinet: http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2005/06/julie-ps-kitchen.html http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2005/09/jjcpink01s-kitchen.html Door end panels on the side can be seen in Gibby3000's kitchen (check out the "New Kitchen After Photos" album): http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/2005/09/kansaskathys-kitchen.html If you check the Finished Kitchens Blog, you'll find many examples of what people have done... Good luck!