I agree with everyting above, with the exception of the comment about staples. They are much maligned and misunderstood and several friends of mine who reupholster swear by them. In our marine climate stainless staples outlast even the best quality tacks and there is no rusting. The holes they create are smaller and the load is spread more evenly. A properly adjusted staple gun and the proper size staple can be set much more efficiently with no damage to the frame. I've had 5 pieces reupholstered over the years, the youngest in the 50-60 yr. old range (in original upholstery!). All were completely "ripped down", the frames checked for "racking" and the "wobbles" and tightened. All the webbing was removed and replaced, the springs reused and re-tied. Any horsehair (on the really old pieces) was cleaned and reused, fluffed up and secured with bridle ties. All the foam in the cushions of the newer pieces was replaced (I sampled the density of the foam before deciding which one to use), and wrapped in batting with a non-woven cover. Every piece came home looking wonderful and I've never regretted having them redone. Reupholstery is labor instensive. You are paying someone who lives locally to take the time to fuss over your furniture. They have worked hard to amass and perfect their skills, they have overhead, and they pay taxes, too. Personally? I would rather pay a tradesman/craftsman in my own country to breathe new life into something I find pleasing and works in my home. I agree than many of new particle board pieces are not worth the time required, but any good upholsterer will tell you that at the time the estimate is given.

I've been saving all our old jeans for the last year and building up a denim stash too. Still am not sure what I have in mind for them except for the general idea that it will be an all-denim quilt of some (heavy!) sort. All the cleverness is in the pattern but I agree that it really makes great use of all the design possibilities of things that scream "jeans". I did have to use a jeans jig to get up and over the thick seams. Those things are invaluable even to hem a pair (and I'm short and have to rehem everything I buy). I bought one as a notion and then both my machines came with versions in their tool kits. If you haven't got one, I highly recommend them! Even with the jeans jig, I broke 3 jeans needles. And got my work stuck in the machine once so that I had to break the needle on purpose to get it out. I was willing to take the machine in for repair at that point but NOT to risk the repairman wrecking the pieces of my work that were stuck in it. ;> I also had to use 4 different kinds of thread. Did you know that Coats and Clark has a "denim" thread that's variagated indigos to blend in with worn denim? It works GREAT! There's a seam that separates the two pockets behind the waistband. That seam runs right down the middle between the two orange seams that stitch down the felled seam. Even if you're looking close you can't see the seam stitched with the denim thread. I had to get heavyweight orange to mimic the original seams on the pockets and bar tacks on the belt loops. And I used upholstery weight to construct the bucket for the purse -- I wasn't going to do all that work and then have the thread break under the weight of a full purse! Glad you like it. I am very pleased with it too. I also got a pattern to do some reconstructed denim totes. Much simpler. Still, I've got some projects to finish and the thread caddy to start before I do any more bags.

Our cabinets, though old, were in pretty good shape and now look lovely with our new paint job. I think with older homes it is wise, as you are doing, to consider the period of the home and work with it rather than do what is currently popular. And I think each home has different needs so I'm sure you'll love your new cabinets! I have to admit I was a little sad to see our 1950's GE Stratoliner range be sold but that electric cooktop was so hard to do anything but boil water on and not much could be on simultaneously, and I fell in love with the Lacanche. Anyway, I also agree per above posters that style wise it doesn't have to all be one era. Our vintage artwork is from the 30s, our red formica table and chairs (not in the pic) are from the 50s and our cabinet pulls are newer but probably 50s inspired. I love the pulls you picked and I like the 30s-50s updated kitchen in the last several posts, which seems like it would work with your bathroom staying as is. One thing we considered is that if we tore out the kitchen and put in a true MCM kitchen it would look wierd with our 1950s extensively pink tiled bathroom and then that would need to be updated. By keeping the style of our kitchen to its era, the kitchen and bathroom seem more in sync and I don't seeing us (other than putting in new grout and maybe painting the walls) changing our pink tiled bathroom, which also made our approach more cost effective. I think doing a blend of 30s-40s to early 50s, your bathroom would fit nicely into the updated kitchen.

Yes. And a shelf or long, narrow console table so the sofa isn’t jammed up against the walls. That’s a large sofa. Let it breath. Jammed against the walls it looks like you bought a sofa too big for the room and have shoehorned it in (which isn’t true).