I have a confession.

We’ve been planning the Underdog’s future kitchen layout since March!

I know, I know.  That’s not fair.  When we took ownership in the beginning of May, other more pertinent projects {tree removal, electrical upgrades, de-shuttering, etc.} took precedence.  So, today’s the day I spill the beans on the kitchen’s future.  Why are we starting with the kitchen reno first?  Well, because the kitchen is a space that we use lots on a daily basis.  We rarely eat out and instead prefer to make our own meals.  So when prioritizing room reno’s for the Underdog, putting the kitchen up there at #1 was pretty much a given.  We can stomach plain Jane bedrooms, outdated pink bathrooms and even no air conditioning for a while but we’d really like to have a functioning kitchen to prepare homemade meals in – for us and our kiddos.  It’s part of our daily routine and something that we do together as a family…sit down and enjoy a meal.  Or, at least, we try to.  More often than not, Handy Hubby and I end up making crazy, non-blinking eyes at each other because Layne can’t seem to keep his squirmy bottom in his chair and Everett chews most foods into a flavorless pulp then spits them out, refusing to swallow a morsel. Yeah, meal times can be a little stressful.  But it’s a family tradition that we’d like to keep going because we’re hoping this is just a phase.  So many things are going to be new when we do move – neighborhood, friends, schools, surroundings – that we’d like to keep some continuity.  Even if it does involve improper dining etiquette!

So, onto kitchen plans…

You already know that we plan to knock down the walls separating the kitchen from the dining and living areas.  We have plans to vault the ceilings as well.  We’re going for a more casual, open floor plan to help the modest space feel airier.  We’ve already removed and sold the original 1950′s kitchen cabinetry.  We’re all for painting cabinets but these were not worth keeping.  They were sagging, stained and in bad condition.  As you’ve probably guessed by now from the post title, we’re going with IKEA cabinets, appliances and hardware.  Why?  1) We read a lot of customer reviews touting IKEA kitchens for their budget-friendly and aesthetic appeal.  2) Our local IKEA is less than 15 minutes away.  3) IKEA was having a sale.  As in, 20% off your total kitchen purchase if you bought 3 appliances.  The sale ended May 1st and we closed on the Underdog May 2nd. Which means we planned for and bought a kitchen for a house we didn’t legally own yet.  Scary!! It’s definitely not a decision we’d push onto anyone else, but it ended up working out great for us so far.  That means in the weeks prior to closing on the Underdog, we spent a lot of time measuring, researching, asking questions, floor planning and designing.  We used IKEA’s Kitchen Planner which you can access at home on your personal computer and also at any IKEA store.  In fact, when we were on vacation in April we visited the Tampa, Florida IKEA to work on our kitchen design.  That’s the nice thing about the IKEA Kitchen Planner.  You can come up with an amateur design at home, save it and then pull it up at IKEA.  {FYI – The Tampa IKEA was having computer problems the day we visited but, thank goodness!, we were able to access our saved design.  It probably wouldn’t hurt to call ahead and make sure all systems are go before making a special trip to IKEA for kitchen planning purposes.}  We found the IKEA kitchen design employees {at both the OH and FL stores} to be extremely helpful in double checking our designs, answering questions, helping us fill in wasted space and placing our order.  I guess you can take that however you want considering we don’t have a finished kitchen yet!

Are you ready to see the Underdog’s kitchen plans?  Here goes…

That’s the kitchen/living room overhead view once the walls are removed.  The kitchen will remain at the back of the house and you’ll be able to see it from the front door.  {The front door is shown in the bottom right-hand corner.}  Since the kitchen will be in full view from the living room, I want it to have symmetry and balance along with a focal point.

{view from the living room}

The focal point will be the hood.  It will be positioned between the two windows {now the kitchen and dining room windows}.  The image above doesn’t portray it very well, but the window on the right is larger than the one on the left.  Eventually, I’d like to replace the right window with a glass door of some sort that leads out to the backyard.

The left side {I’ll refer to them as left/right for descriptive purposes} of the kitchen will house the refrigerator, microwave, trash pull-out and a lazy susan.  The doorway leads to the den and garage.  I think having the fridge close to the garage will be convenient for unloading groceries. The sink will remain below the left window.

The right side of the kitchen will act as an office.  The image doesn’t relay this but the countertop along the far right wall will extend the full length of the floor cabinets, covering the empty space in between them as well.  I’ll be able to slide a chair or stool under it into the empty spot for bill paying, making grocery lists, searching the web for recipes and, most importantly, blogging!  I plan to use the floor cabinets as storage for hanging folders, printer, paper, etc.  The doorway leads back to the bedrooms.

In the center of everything will be a ~ 9′ long island.  I love, love, LOVE the idea of a large farmhouse table standing in for a kitchen island, but Handy Hubby and I decided we’d need the extra storage provided by an island with base cabinets instead.  We’re torn between adding big chunky legs, a countertop overhang and 4 stools to the living room side of the island OR leaving it as-is and having a dining table on the living room side of the island that can be pulled away from the island to seat extra guests if necessary.  If we go with an eat-in island, I’ll have to come up with a clever way to add extra dining surface in a jiffy. Maybe a drop leaf or pedestal table in the living room that can act as a dining table when necessary?  Obviously, an island that seats 4 would be plenty for us on a daily basis, but we would need other dining options for guests.  The other problem I have with island eating {let’s just call it that} is that my legs always fall asleep when I sit on barstools.  I’m short.  Maybe I just need a padded cushion, footrest or something?? Aaaaah, so many decisions!  Good thing we’re quite a ways out from having to nail down the whole dining thing.  The back wall will house the gas stove, hood, dishwasher and sink.  I’m pretty excited about my dishwasher having a door panel that looks like cabinetry.  I think some open shelving and a tiled backsplash above the oven that extends all the way to the ceiling would emphasize the hood as a focal point even more.

You may have noticed that we chose contrasting upper and lower cabinetry which I hinted at here. Not only do the white uppers and black lowers differ in color, they are two different styles of cabinetry.  Mix-and-match cabinets, here we come!  The uppers are the AKURUM wall cabinets in white.  The uppers above the desk area will have glass fronts for a lighter feel.  The lowers are the RAMSJÖ base cabinets in black-brown.  We hadn’t originally intended on mixing styles but ran into issues with size and color for the upper wall cabinets.  {More on that next week.}  I think I’m really going to like the mix though.  It should make it feel a little less store bought-ish.

A few other things of interest about our future IKEA kitchen:

• This layout will require us to move the placement of the stove which means we’ll have to re-route/run a new gas line.  I thought about switching the positioning of the stove with the fridge but didn’t think a refrigerator made as good a focal point as a stove.  I also liked the idea of having the sink in the island but decided against it since the current sink placement gives us a wonderful view out to the backyard and Handy Hubby doesn’t want to move plumbing around if he doesn’t have to.
• We did not purchase a microwave, sink, faucet or countertops from IKEA.  While we did find a few options we loved, they were priced high compared to what we payed for our sink, faucet and granite installation last summer.  I’m keeping an eye out for a good deal on a microwave.  I’ll probably scour the web and Craigslist for a sink and faucet.  I’m thinking of mixing and matching the countertop surfaces too.  Some light-colored solid surfaces along with worn, salvaged wood are tops right now.
• We purchased a refrigerator, gas stove, hood and dishwasher along with our IKEA cabinetry. This got us the 20% off discount.  All IKEA appliances are made by Whirlpool even though they may/may not have the IKEA logo on them.
• We’re going with the VÄRDE hardware.
• The cabinetry, appliances and hardware came in right at ~ $8,000.  That’s with the 20% discount.  That’s not inexpensive by any means, but since we bought a house for well below $100,000 {yes, I said below 100K} we can afford to spend ~ 10K total on the kitchen reno.
• When we placed our final order, there were a few items that weren’t readily available for shipment due to the warehouse being out of stock.  Apparently, when you order an IKEA kitchen, it’s shipped from a warehouse NOT your local store.  We were able to buy a few missing items {dishwasher, hood and cabinet trim} directly from our local store but are still waiting for a few drawer fronts to come in.  The rest of the order was shipped to the Underdog about 2.5 weeks after we placed the order.  The delivery fee was $89.
• The cabinetry requires self assembly {like most IKEA stuff} which allows for smaller shipping packages and lower costs versus your local home improvement store.

So, it looks as though we have an IKEA kitchen in the making.  No, we haven’t even opened a box yet since it was delivered 2 weeks ago!  Remember, we still have the electrical upgrade and demo to do before we can even begin to think about a kitchen.  Even though we don’t have final results yet, we’ve been happy with IKEA’s service {thanks to Rob at IKEA West Chester who stayed after hours to place our order} and design help {especially the guy in Tampa who squeezed a trash pull-out into our design} and are stoked that we got to take advantage of the 20% off deal.  Don’t worry, I’ll share the rest of this IKEA kitchen story – assembly, installation, quality control, appliance integrity, etc. – as it unfolds.  Stay tuned!

I’m curious to know if any of you have had experiences with IKEA kitchens?  Ever installed one? Know somebody who has one?  Been eyeing one?  Does just the thought of one make you cringe? I don’t know anyone personally who has an IKEA kitchen, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad apprehensive.  But all the ones I’ve seen and read about online are fantastic.  Another reason why I love the www.

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I’m just sharing what we’re doing even if it involves a Swedish home furnishings superstore.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Erin contacted me wanting help with her newly refurbished vintage condo.  Although she liked the open floor plan, she was needing help separating the spaces into zones that still felt cohesive.  As far as function, the space needed to incorporate zones for dining, watching TV, reading, working and occasionally entertaining.  Erin professed to loving midcentury design, neutral big ticket items with pops of color elsewhere, and bold patterns…especially Moorish ones.  Other than her fiance’s TV, ceiling surround sound speakers, and subwoofer, Erin was open to replacing all other items. With great bones {neutral wall colors, hardwood floors, architectural columns, fireplace, massive mantel, built-ins}, all Erin’s space needed was a little tweaking.  I set to work creating mood boards for three separate areas in her long, narrow living space: dining area, media room and living room.

To keep things simple, I’ll share and discuss each zone separately in 3 different posts.  Yep, that’s one space, three posts!  Let’s start with the dining area.

BEFORE

As you can see, the dining area is just off the kitchen and adjacent to the media area.  The walls are already painted Benjamin Moore’s Quiet Moments, an airy blue-gray, and Erin wanted to keep the paint color as-is.  Here’s the mood board I came up with for her space…

I really need to get a FAQ page together and have it as a tab on my home page.  It seems you all have a lot of the same questions.  Until that FAQ page shows up {please, Fairy Blog Mother?}, I’ll try to answer the most popular ones in the form of a post.  In just the last few weeks, I’ve had more than one question about the measurements of our kitchen cabinet hardware.  They are the stainless steel IKEA LANSA handles and I blogged about adding them to the cabinets here. They’re available in packs of two and cost ranges from $6.99 to $9.99 per pack.  They’re suitable for cabinet doors or drawers 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick.  They come in several lengths for various types of use. The sizes listed on IKEA’s website and packaging are the distances from screw hole to screw hole.  The length of the actual handle {longer than the hole spacing measurement} is listed under ‘product dimensions’ on the IKEA website.  We only used 2 sizes in our kitchen:  10 1/16″ and 6 1/4″…which seems to now be listed as 6 5/16″.

On our taller 42″ upper cabinets we installed the 10 1/16″ handles…

Above the microwave and refrigerator we used the 6 1/4″…

On the wider lower drawers we added the 10 1/16″…

On the narrower drawers to either side of the stove we added the 6 1/4″… {Note: the bottom door is really a pull-out trash/recycling center so we placed the hardware horizontally for ease of function.}

Finally, on the kitchen island we mixed things up.  The wide drawers have the 10 1/16″ handles while the cabinet doors have the 6 1/4″ handles.

I think the thing to keep in mind while picking cabinet hardware is the width/height of each door and drawer.  Personally, I like the hardware to mimic the size of the cabinet or drawer.  A big ol’ door would look awfully naked with a teeny handle.  Likewise, a smallish drawer would look pretty silly with a crazy big pull.  Keep things to scale.  You may even want to buy several sizes and hold them up to the doors/drawers before making a commitment.  Just return the ones you don’t use. I’d also suggest buying a few extras {we have 2 backup handles of each size we used} in case something happens to the handles and they need replaced.  If it’s been several years since you installed your hardware, there’s a good chance it’ll be discontinued.

Adding hardware to plain stock cabinets and even older outdated cabinets is a cheap upgrade.  We love ours.  Try it yourself!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing great products!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

A question from Alexis:

Hiya Dana,
I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time, but can you share your thoughts on curtain rods? Where should they go, and how far out? I’m pretty sure I’m doing it wrong, because my windows look nothing like yours.

You’ve probably heard me mention hanging curtain rods and panels higher and wider than the actual window frame in some of the mood boards I’ve posted.  But ‘high and wide’ is pretty vague. Alexis’s question came at a good time – just as I was revamping the window treatments in our master bedroom.  Luckily, I remembered to take some pictures of the process.  Here goes!

So, that pic above is from a post of yore.  {Don’t mind the green arrow.  It makes sense in the original post.  Oh, and never mind the half-naked boys either.} But I wanted to show you what our bedroom curtains looked like before.  See how the rods are only a few inches wider than the actual windows?  See how the rods are hung just a few inches above the window?  See how the curtain panels cover several inches of the windows?  All of those things make for so-so window treatments.  These were our bedroom window treatments for nearly 3 years until I took ‘em down last week and patched the drywall holes in preparation for new curtain rods and panels.

If you don’t have any window treatments in place, good for you.  No extra work.  If you already have window treatments but they aren’t hung at an optimal height/width, no biggie.  You may have some unhanging, spackling, sanding and painting to do.  {That’s what I did.}  With a bare window begging to be dressed up, choose a rod that extends well beyond the frame of the window.  For example, my windows are 35″ wide.  I chose a new 79″ rod for each.  {It’s IKEA’s LUMMIG curtain rod set.}  That’s nearly 40″ of extra rod to play with!  {Sorry, that sounded a little X-rated.} Not only is the new curtain hardware much wider than the previous rod, I also positioned it several inches higher on the wall above the window.  Remember to leave enough wiggle room between the hangers and ceiling to slip the rod into place! See…

…doesn’t that look better already?  If you’re wanting exact numbers, the rod is hung 12″ above the window and extends 21″ beyond either side of the window.

Onto choosing curtain panels. Measure the distance from the top of your hung curtain rod to the floor.  This will give you an estimate as to how long you need your drapes to be.  I like my curtains to touch my floors, so I add 2″ to that to get the final curtain length I’ll need.  For a pooling effect, add several inches to the length.  It’s always a good idea to buy panels longer than what you think you’ll need to account for shrinking. {Look for shrinkage estimates on the packaging.} We don’t want any high-water window treatments!  Which brings me to my next point…Always pre-wash curtains prior to hanging! It’s amazing how much they can shrink…up to half a foot sometimes in width/length.  I chose IKEA’s unbleached AINA panels.  They were originally 57″ wide and 98″ long.  After washing and line drying {I just hung them from the curtain rods to dry}, they measured 55″ wide and 94″ long.  When in doubt, buy longer.  You can always hem the panels.  I lucked out and didn’t have to shorten mine at all.

Once you’ve got your panels bought, washed and measured to the proper length, iron them.  I hate ironing as much as the next frat boy, but, believe me, wrinkled and/or disheveled curtains will only bring a room down.  Iron curtains for a clean, crisp look. Then, you can finally hang them.  I had the option of hanging mine from either a single rod pocket…

…or multiple backside loops.

I used the loops for a looser cascade.

The edge of the curtain closer to the window should barely skim along the window frame to allow lots of natural light in.  An overlap of just a few inches is ideal for making the window feel as large as possible.

Here’s one more up-close and personal shot demonstrating how high and wide the new curtains hang.

Hanging curtains high and wide can give any room a lift.  Try it!  Just remember these key points:

*Install curtain hardware well beyond the window frame while still allowing enough room to place/remove the curtain rod.

*When in doubt, buy longer curtain panels.

*Prewash curtains to avoid future shrinkage.

*Iron, iron iron!

*Gather the curtains so that the inside edges just skim the window frame.

Our bedroom windows are feeling much grander and airier now.  All the extra light streaming in doesn’t hurt either.  Thanks, Alexis, for your question!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

A kind House*Tweaking reader, Lisa, emailed me a few weeks ago about her sunroom.  Here are some pictures she attached in her email…

Lisa’s sunroom is located right off her kitchen and opens up into the backyard.  It serves as a dining room, craft area and somewhat of a mudroom.  {The hutch holds art and office supplies.}  Lisa had already decided to paint over the bright yellow walls with Valspar’s {Lowe’s} Bonsai.  She also knew the honey stain of the dining table wasn’t working and that it would look more polished in a darker, richer stain. To provide more seating and allow for better traffic flow, Lisa plans to build a corner bench seat in the left-hand corner of the first picture above.  Lisa asked for advice on how to incorporate her favorite color, turquoise, into the room along with her kids’ artwork and a bird or branch or two…she loves birds and branches.  Like anyone, she was on a budget and looking to tweak her bold sunroom into something a little more clean, simple, and fresh.  Here’s the mood board I came up with for her…

1 – To go along with the Bonsai paint color for the walls, I suggested that Lisa sand, prime and then paint her dining chairs in Sherwin William’s Meander Blue.  This grayed-down turquoise hue will add a pop of color and contrast with the darker stained table {more on that in #8}.

2 – Lisa didn’t specifically mention anything about a light fixture, but pendant lights are a great way to define a dining space.  I chose this IKEA one because of the texture, lighter wood tone and simplicity…and price.  (My sister owns the table lamp version of this light and says it casts pretty designs on her walls/ceiling in evening light.)  This IKEA Böja pendant could be hardwired into the current ceiling light box and then swagged over to the center of the dining table once the table is moved closer to the corner.  Just use a ceiling hook to secure and swag the wire.

3 – I suggested grabbing up a trio of IKEA’s square RIBBA frames in white to showcase Lisa’s kids’ art in style.  (Displays look better when done in 3′s.)  Hung along the wall in the first image above the chair rail and spaced closely, these frames would house artwork that could be changed up quickly and easily whenever Lisa’s heart desires.  Keeping the spacing between the frames tight – no more than 4 inches apart – gives them the feeling of one display versus 3 disconnected frames.

4 – This inexpensive geometric door mat would be a good spot for wiping shoes when placed in front of the doors.

5 – I found this bubble glass bottle/vase and thought it would look darling on the dining table paired with some branches…either real or faux.

6 – The capiz metal branch wall art just might be my favorite thing in this mood board.  I have shown it turned on its side for a more natural effect.  I would hang this on the wall opposite the french doors.  As far as placement, I’d hang it so that when standing by the french doors directly across from where the dining table will be {once bench seating is installed}, the pendant light doesn’t hang directly in front of it…some overlap is good.  That means moving the branch art a little further down the wall towards the kitchen.  Being across from all those doors, this wall art will reflect the light and sparkle.  To save money, Lisa could totally DIY something similar out of real branches and glue little mirrors or crystals to them for the same effect!

7 – I threw in a couple of decorative pillows for the future bench seating.  Guess what?  They’re from Etsy.  See the Moroccan inspired one here and the coffee sack one here.

8 – I agree that sanding down and staining the  yellow-ish table a darker tone would fit better into Lisa’s desired color scheme of gray, white and turquoise.  It would be a lot of work/mess but very much worth it. A walnut stain would go with the hutch but they wouldn’t have to match perfectly. This is just a picture of a table in a color of stain that I think would look nice in Lisa’s sunroom. No need to buy a new table.  The corner bench seating would look nice in white to blend in with the wainscoting and take up less space visually.  For added storage, the bench seating could be open underneath for shoe baskets or the top could be hinged to open up and hide seasonal apparel – coats, hats, gloves, scarves, beach towels, etc.

9 – Finally…the hutch vignette.  Moving the hutch over to the short wall near the kitchen, would balance out the room.  {Remember, the dining table and new bench seating will be in the corner diagonally opposite this wall.}  Say it isn’t so, but the hutch is great the way it is!  {I know.  Who’da thought I’d say don’t paint it?}  The wood tone will lend warmth to the light room.  I would just declutter the top and add some decorative storage boxes in white to disguise messes.  I found these at Target.  I think Lisa could scout out a bird figurine from a thrift store and spray paint it turquoise.  She said she likes birds, so I wanted to incorporate one.  {Even though I’m deathly afraid of them.  Weird?  Yes.}  Lastly, a nice white oval mirror hung horizontally above the hutch would really lighten up that little corner. I told Lisa to look for a mirror in the right size, shape and price range that could be painted white if need be.

So, that’s how I virtually tweaked Lisa’s sunroom.  I’m happy to say that Lisa has painted her room Bonsai and it looks 100% better already!  Not that it was that bad to begin with.  Did you notice those light-drenching doors OR the wood floors OR the wainscoting OR the bead board ceiling? So much potential!  It’s amazing what a little paint, some decluttering and a few accessories can do.  Really.  I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s finished.  Thanks, Lisa, for letting me play with your room!

images: 1 & 2) Lisa’s befores  3) Polyvore collage created by Dana Miller using images linked within

When I found a roll of deeply discounted {$15!!} designer trellis wallpaper at a Ballard Designs outlet this past summer, I didn’t know where I was going to use it.  But I knew I’d think of something.

And I did.  I got the idea to hang the wallpaper behind a trio of IKEA’s BILLY bookcases in our master bedroom.  I had never hung wallpaper before – except for some of that chintzy border stuff in my bedroom back in the early 90′s…if that counts.  I had this vision of me tackling this new project, documenting the successful process/results and sharing it all with you via a tutorial.  I would add wallpapering to my repertoire of DIY projects. Well, it wasn’t that easy.  Somewhere between reading online how-to’s and potty-training a toddler, I missed a few key points…about the wallpapering.  {Luckily, the potty-training thing went off without a hitch.} Because I have vowed to be honest about my {lack of} home improvement skills, I’m still sharing my wallpapering adventure with you.  If anything, maybe you’ll learn from my mistakes.

First, I placed my BILLY bookcases where I wanted them and patched 2 drywall holes where a mirror had previously hung.

I decided to forgo the cardboard backing on the bookcases and wallpaper directly onto the wall for fear that the cardboard would shrivel and wrinkle once it got wet with adhesive.  Using a tape measure, pencil and level, I marked off the portion of wall that I would cover.

Following my pencil lines as a guide, I taped off the wall with painter’s tape.  I noticed I’d be wallpapering around an electrical outlet, so I removed the cover.

I wiped down then primed the entire taped-off area with a Zinsser formula to promote a smooth surface and adhesion.  It rolls on just like paint but is clear.  {This step is NOT glue or adhesive.}

That’s when things started to get a little hairy.  I measured my wall space and PRE-cut {with a sharp utility knife} strips of my wallpaper to fit.  The problem?  I did not match up the pattern when I cut successive strips…I just cut them to length. Rookie mistake!  DO NOT PRE-CUT PATTERNED WALLPAPER WITHOUT MATCHING THE PATTERN UP STRIP-TO-STRIP! The bigger problem?  I had barely enough wallpaper to cover the square footage I had taped off.  In the infamous words of Tim Gunn, I had to ‘make it work.’  I applied wallpaper paste to the back of my wallpaper strip using a paint roller.  Here’s the paste I used…

Remembering at least one thing from the tutorials I had read, I folded the wallpaper’s ends onto itself – a process called ‘booking’.  Apparently, this helps the paper to absorb the adhesive and relax…whatever that means.

I was feeling pretty good about myself, conquering the ‘booking’ phase and all.  Then I made mistake #2.  I marked off where the left edge of my center strip should fall and hung it first.  Oops. {It’s better to work from left to right when hanging wallpaper.}

Not too long after, I realized my third wallpapering fault – going it alone.  It’s hard to hang wallpaper above your head.  Picture me standing with my belly to the wall, arms up and spread apart trying to smooth out my wet wallpaper.  The paper just kept falling down on my head.  I really should have had a helper, preferably someone taller than 40″.  But I didn’t, so I just kept plugging along hanging strip after strip and hoping I’d have enough wallpaper to finish the job.

Somehow, I did manage to cover the entire area with not-so-much as a few inches of wallpaper to spare.  {Divine intervention?}  Because I had pre-cut my strips incorrectly, I ended up having to patch a small piece of wallpaper down in the lower left-hand corner.  It’s awful.  The seam has no overlap because I had no more wallpaper.

In an effort to just be done, I wiped down all the hung wallpaper with a damp rag to remove any excess adhesive then put the bookcases back in place.

Once the adhesive dried several hours later and the seams flattened out a little, I decided the final product wasn’t too bad.  It was livable.  No wrinkles or bubbles.  Thank goodness!  At one point, I seriously thought I was going to have to rip it all down.  Luckily, the awful patch job {bottom left} will be disguised when our master bedroom makeover is complete.  And I must say I do love the pop of pattern behind the bookcases.  {I still have shelves and accessories to add.}

But let’s review what I did wrong just so you don’t make the same mistakes should you decide to hang wallpaper.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN HANGING WALLPAPER

• Do not work alone.  You especially need a helper if you’ll be wallpapering above your head.
• Do not forget to match up patterned wallpaper from strip-to-strip BEFORE you cut.
• Do not start in the center of a wall and work your way out.  Work left to right or right to left.

Even though I made these dire mistakes, I think a few things saved my DIY project.

WHAT TO DO WHEN HANGING WALLPAPER

• Do apply a wallpaper primer to the wall before hanging any paper.  I think this step helped my paper to dry smoothly in the end.
• Do use a level to mark vertical/horizontal lines on the wall guiding your wallpaper placement. This is the reason my pattern is centered and straight.
• Do use a new, sharp knife to get a clean wallpaper cut.  I bought a $2 knife just for this project.
• Do ‘book’ each strip of wallpaper to maximize adhesion.  My wallpaper is not coming down on its own.
• Do use a smoothing tool.  I used a vinyl smoothing tool to press out wrinkles and bubbles.
• Do remove any excess adhesive immediately after hanging the wallpaper.  I wiped mine down with a wet rag to avoid discoloration and dirt attraction.

I think I was being a little unrealistic when I decided to tackle my first wallpapering project alone.  I could see this project being so much easier with an extra pair of hands…and another brain to work out the logistics of measuring, cutting and matching up the pattern.  During the entire process, I kept telling myself I would never wallpaper again.  I was that frustrated.  Now that it’s done, I think I would wallpaper again.  I just wouldn’t wallpaper ALONE again.

FYI – In case you’re in need of a professional wallpapering tutorial, you can find one here.

Images: 1) Ballard Designs  6) Lowe’s  the rest are all via Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

The IKEA Numerar butcher block slab that we used for our kitchen island was about 10″ too long for what we needed.  Handy Hubby cut it to size and in the end we were left with a skinny sliver of butcher block.  What to do?  We decided to cut our leftover piece in half and make 2 custom cutting boards…one for us, one for someone else.  We simply sanded ‘em down and oiled ‘em up (with mineral oil).  For the cutting board that we’re keeping for ourselves, Handy Hubby suggested we add handles to the ends for easier carrying and cleaning.  Isn’t he smart??!!  Here’s our new lil’ cutting board now…

 As a ‘thank you’ of sorts, I promised Handy Hubby baked apples today.  I thought the prep looked pretty enough to photograph, so I did. 

 (Notice the snazzy handle on the end.) 

 Can’t you smell the cinnamon and brown sugar already?  Nummy.  Thank you, Handy Hubby!

This is how our kitchen island has looked for the last 3 years. 

Even though we upgraded our builder laminate countertops along the perimeter, the island sat untouched. 

Over the course of the summer (in between vacations, Kindergarten preparations, swim lessons, soccer practices…and not to mention 2 ‘real’ jobs), we sporadically worked at bringing the island up to par with the rest of the kitchen.  I wanted something a little more substantial with open shelving and a butcher block countertop.  Like this…minus the TV…

Thanks to Handy Hubby and his generous woodworking friend, I scored a handmade extension for the island.  It only took them a few hours, $30 and a large pizza to finish the job.  Then the 9″ island extension sat in our basement awaiting caulk, primer and paint before being installed.  Handy Hubby caulked the seams a few weeks ago…

 …and I finally got around to priming and painting the darn thing last week.  I picked up a slab of  IKEA’s Numerar oak butcher block.  And by ‘picked up’ I mean I dragged my 2 lil’ guys to the Swedish superstore, artfully rearranged all the car seats in the Trailblazer, guilted some big-boned stranger lady into helping me lift the heavy wood slab and somehow managed to slide it across the tops of all the seats’ headrests.  (IKEA may be the reason why I drive an SUV.)  Which means last weekend Handy Hubby installed the extension AND countertop onto our builder grade kitchen island.  Man, I love that man.  Here’s what he did:

Removed the island drawers…

Removed the builder grade laminate countertop…

Scraped off some random dried paint drips from the bottom of the extension (I’m not a professional painter)…

Placed the open shelving extension…

Clamped it to the existing island…

Pre-drilled holes and screwed the extension into the existing island frame and into the floor…

Once the island was secure and checked for level height all the way around, Handy Hubby laid the butcher block on top of the island.

Luckily, the width was just right but the overhang was a bit much lengthwise.  It was about 10″ too long as-is, so out came the circular saw.

Once the countertop was cut to size, Handy Hubby sanded it then screwed it onto the island and added trim along the back side of the extension where the island meets to hide a seam…

I primed and painted the trim, screw holes and a corner piece that I missed the first time I painted the extension before it was put in place.  (When the task of finding and applying painter’s tape to the floor loomed ominously, I went with the old standby…one of my kids’ coloring books.)

And after all that, we finally have ourselves a larger, less builder-ish kitchen island!  Yippee!!

To obtain a near *waterproof* surface, I’ve been applying mineral oil in quantities larger than Betty White has ever dreamed of.  (That’s a little pharmacist humor.)

(My left hand kinda looks like E.T.’s??!)  The 10″ section of butcher block that we cut off got cut in half and sanded to make 2 custom cutting boards.  We like that we were able to use every last piece of the butcher block.  Some may find it ironic that we painted our oak cabinets white and then added an oak countertop to our island.  In fact, the oak stain of our builder cabinets was so awful that the doors didn’t match the frame and many of the doors didn’t even match each other…and they were all very orange.  Plus, 2 walls of oak cabinets was just too much for us.  The more natural wood tone of the butcher block is the small dose of warmth that we were looking for in an otherwise all white kitchen.  We’re absolutely in love with it and the price tag.  Our island upgrade came in under $250!

Check back to see the final product in its surroundings tomorrow!

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

We’re staying upstairs this week and taking a peek at the laundry room.  Yup, our laundry room is on the second floor and I love it.  It kind of forces me to put clean clothes straight away after they’re folded.  I don’t mind doing laundry…the separating, washing, drying and folding I can handle.  But when it comes to putting washed clothes away…that’s where I get lazy.  You may remember my laundry room makeover here.  If so, here are some laundry room shots with the new camera.  If not, then welcome to where skidmarked Lightning McQueen undies and muddy socks eventually end up in our house.

To the left…

To the right…

The walls are painted in Glidden (Home Depot’s) Gentle Tide.  It’s the same color as our mudroom.  This room is small so storage above the washer and dryer is a must.  Handy Hubby added IKEA hardware to the builder cabinets. 

The seagrass baskets on top of the cabinets hold a light bulb surplus.

I sewed and stenciled the curtains to hide plumbing and electrical uglies out of sight.

Just behind the door are hooks for drying delicates, swim suits and swimming trunks. 

The patterned ironing board cover was an Etsy find.

The trio of mirrors came from Goodwill.  They were initially gold.  I spray painted them white.

Layne made the artwork.  I think I should switch it out soon for something more ‘current’.  Layne recently said, “I made that when I was, like, 4.”  He’s 5.  Butterflies and flowers are so last year.

You may think that the wicker laundry baskets are just for looks but they’re not.  I use them to carry clean clothes to their appropriate room.  They also hold a supply of mismatched, outgrown baby socks that I throw in my front loading washer to balance out loads that are made up of mostly larger items (i.e. sheets, blankets, tablecloths, slipcovers, etc.).  Works like a charm.

Finally, the IKEA stepstool that I stained and poly’d props open the washer door to ward off any mildewy smells that can sometimes occur with front loaders left shut.  It has also come in handy when transferring clean, wet clothes to the dryer.  I happily pop a squat to load the dryer and my back thanks me.  The rugs were $3 each from IKEA.

For a little room, this guy packs a big punch.  Thank goodness.  Our boys sure know how to get dirrrty.  Speaking of which…I think I have some laundry to tend to.  Happy weekend!

It’s Feature Friday!  On Fridays, I’ll be featuring one room in my house in its current condition even if there are some things I’d like to change about it.  If I do happen to improve something later, I can always revisit it when the time comes.  Plus, I’d kinda feel dishonest if I only focused on “finished” rooms in my house.  And if what they (the professionals) say is true, a room is never really finished anyways…you’re always tweaking it.  Concentrating on just one room weekly should give me some time to tidy it up a bit, too.  At least, I can throw all the toys into another room!

This week we’re touring the nursery because 1) I haven’t shared many pics of it and 2) it may not be a nursery much longer.  (Hint, hint, Handy Hubby.)  As far as nurseries go, it’s a pretty simple one.  The baby rooms I see nowadays are ubercool.  As was our decision, we didn’t find out the sex of our babies before they were born.  (Although, I had a very strong inkling they were both boys.)  Our nursery reflects that and is gender neutral.  The nursery you see today is the same one we used with our elder son, too, 5 years ago…albeit in a different house. 

We decided on a calm room that encourages sleep.  I don’t know if it’s the room or our parenting skills OR just plain ol’ luck but both of our children are excellent sleepers who usually enjoy going to bed.

We got the crib online from Target and the cradle in the left-hand corner was actually my cradle as a baby.  We used it in our bedroom when Everett was a newborn.  Now, it’s a great place for extra blankets and stuffed animals.

I put a few IKEA fabric bins beneath the crib for added storage…books, out-of-season clothing and small toys.  Under the crib and behind the bins is one of the boys’ favorite hiding spots.

We sealed an unfinished IKEA dresser then slapped a changing pad on top to make a changing station that can grow with us when diapers are no longer a daily part of life.  (Ahh, that’ll be the day.)  The drawers hold wipes, diapers, butt cream and pajamas.

This is the wall opposite the crib.  I can’t tell you how many nursing sessions and bedtimes stories that chair has seen.  A lot.  I’m surprised it doesn’t smell like foul spit-up.

I painted the wall art after scoring a good deal on a canvas from JoAnn Fabrics.  Next to the chair is a large dresser.

The top of the dresser holds mementos and family keepsakes: a piggybank that was a gift from a neighbor, a sheep music box that was Handy Hubby’s as a child, Everett’s cast from when he broke his leg last fall (hey, the doctor asked if I wanted to keep it!), Everett’s newborn footprints, framed art from my sister-in-law, a starfish from Everett’s Grammy and a personalized wooden block that was a gift from a good friend’s parents.

Some details…

The baby quilt is from my childhood.  I have pictures of me spending tummy-time on it.

Just inside the door to the room are hooks for sleep sacks…a winter must here in the Midwest if you have a baby.  We do…

That baby blanket was mine as an infant also.  Since this room faces east, it gets drenched in sunlight early in the morning.  Blackout drapery liners are another must here.  In broad daylight, I can make the room nap-able.  Thank goodness.

So, that’s our basic nursery with a few meaningful pieces thrown in.  My favorite being the 2-year-old in the crib.  I should disclose that Everett has slept in his big boy bed (in the shared room with his big brother) a half-dozen times.  He’s good at it…once he falls asleep.  He just gets soooo excited to be in the same room with Layne that he giggles for hours.  Handy Hubby and I crack up outside their door on the nights they share a room.  But both boys wake up grumpy and groggy the next day after laughing late into the night.  For now, we’re just playing it by ear and letting them have ‘sleepovers’ together when they ask.  Often times, they just want their separate space after a long, exhausting summer day.  And I’m not forcing the issue.  I’m not quite ready for an empty nursery.