Susannah and Jeff used to live in Chicago and we were lucky enough to be able to feature their small Hyde Park condo in a house tour just before they packed up and headed west to Seattle. At home in their new city and new life, they have pulled off a big reno and sent us photos and info to share...
Susannah writes:
I believe the Apartment Therapy forum to be a force in the design world and it is a huge complement to be a part of your community. I also feel that our approach to this kitchen renovation addresses some of the concerns I feel to be paramount to interior design today – how to make design economically feasible, sustainable and joyful. We decided to do a super low-cost but ecologically sound rehab.
The original kitchen featured waterlogged, lowered ceilings, cracked vinyl, broken Formica counter tops and tired cabinets. In short, not fabulous!
We started at the top. Pulling down the severely water damaged sheetrock revealed – no insulation! We priced sheetrock installation and realized we could do better. Since the house was built in 1953, a wood paneled ceiling would restore some retro charm. By doing the labor ourselves, we would actually save money. Energy star rated rigid foam insulation and a crash course in ceiling installation followed. We found sustainable, locally grown, hemlock tongue-in-groove paneling at a local lumberyard. We patched and painted the newly exposed douglas-fir beams and installed a dropped ceiling above the countertops to hold recessed lighting.
Our objective was to reuse building components. The ‘new’ cabinets were an incredible $200 craigslist find! My husband and I spent a Saturday afternoon removing them from a 1965 house, and made friends with the homeowners in the bargain. We built floating open shelving to create interest and variety and kept the cabinets original Moroccan orange; it was just too perfect! The existing cabinets were transferred to the garage and put to use for much needed storage.
After evaluating available green countertop options, including recycled glass composites and various engineered solid-surface materials; we decided to go with a centuries old kitchen favorite: ceramic tile - artisan-made Mexican Talavera tile, to be exact. At about $8/sf materials cost (including ¾” plywood, cement board, grout etc), this was by far the least costly (and most colorful) option. Ebay was the source. We both cook a lot and love the versatility of this surface – hot pots are not a problem and we can expect decades of worry free use. Terra cotta tile is biodegradable, or can be re-used for another application. The grout is a specially blended chocolate brown that references the ceiling beams. We sealed it with a heavy duty, very durable, high gloss sealer.
The sink, a Kohler executive chef from the 80’s, was another craigslist steal at $50! It accomodates huge soup pots. The faucet came from ebay and has a built in sprayer and cab be raised to fill tall vases.
The SeaSide recycled glass tile backsplash simulates the sun, cheering up even the rainiest Seattle winter day. We bought the tile as a closeout lot, and used it for different applications in the house including a fireplace wall and a tub surround. Actually, the epoxy grout at about $9/sf was more expensive than the glass tile. The kitchen receives very little natural light; we solved this problem by installing a transom and creating a reflective back-splash.
We selected a Marmoleum Forbo click tile, floating floor for it’s ease of installation, antiseptic qualities and, of course it’s ecological soundness. At about $6/sf – self installed, it was a bargain.
We found the appliances locally and bought energy star rated floor and scratch-and-dent models – all under warranty.
The entire materials cost for the job including: ceilings, flooring, all appliances, new sheetrock, all lighting (under the cabinet, recessed and track), glass and ceramic tile and all fixtures, came to $7,600 – well under our upper limit budget of $9,000.
Until the adjoining laundry room can be converted into a dining room - the wall separating the two has already been knocked out - we placed a Saarinen pedestal table and Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chairs to make the kitchen do double duty. The chairs were an astonishing thrift store find. Although they were extremely delapidated - with gouged plywood and rotting rubber bumpers - Zinsser Ready Patch, much sanding, rust-remover and many, many coats of Moroccan red enamel paint gave the mid-century gems a new and more colorful life.
Research, careful planning, a commitment to sustainable design, luck and okay, having two licensed contractors in the family, added up to a joyful, functional and low-cost space.
Thanks, Susannah and Jeff!
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From dreary to cheery... wow! Great job. I applaud your use of color and your thrifty style. Can't wait to see the dining room!
view mirandabee's profile
I really like the information you shared on how you guys did your renovation - it's really helpful and inspiring. You did a really great job AND under budget. Very, very cool. Hope you are enjoying your new space in Seattle. --Tara
view tara1979's profile
P.S. (While I love the Talavera and the "sunny" tile, those curtains are F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!)
view tara1979's profile
Lovely; congratulations!
view fabframes's profile
Bright and beautiful! I'm bookmarking this for my kitchen redo 3-4 years down the road.
view LSUgrad03's profile
such a cute and vibrant kitchen!! I have white tile and grout as my kitchen and bathroom counters (came with the house) and I HATE them. Your grout color should hide more though...
view JNM's profile
I love it! It's so full of life!
view aj's profile
The budget is amazing looks like it cost a lot more money then 9,000.00. Not my style but what a transformation and I think those colors work well for rainy Seattle.
view LoriSF's profile
A great success story.
One potential caveat for others thinking of using the same tile or pother materials in multiple places throughout the house. Prospective buyers often view it dimly for what it is: a great steal you found at a closeout so you put it wherever you could.
Not always, but I've heard many a prospective buyer make that comment while touring a potential new home.
view Indy Jeffrey's profile
Very nice without being pretentious. Good for you.
view dkzody's profile
I think it's gorgeous -- thanks for all the detail! The only thing that bummed me out a little was the note that there are "two contractors in the family"...which means that there was professional assistance (me and my sit behind our desk all day friends would have no idea how to install lighting or the tools to accomplish some of the things that were done here). That said though ....love the DIY spirit and the fun outcome! And if I had two contractors in the family, you can but your new tile they would be helping out!
view MKQ's profile
Wow, guys, it's WAY TOO HOT in this kitchen! Too much orange and this shiny titles on the wall, it's like competing with the Sun...
Sorry.
view csmoura's profile
I am so very impressed!! You have done such a wonderful job. If only I had the contractor-help that you guys do. Congratulations. Thanks for sharing all the ways you found your items, too. Helpful!
Emily
view Emily Sneds's profile
yay seattle! i can't believe you got all of your cabinets for $200! i hope you're checking out the restore in ballard for more awesome, sustainable finds!
view SpanishOlives's profile
Wow...i love love love this kitchen.....GREAT JOB!!!!
view Geezees Canvas's profile
That extra bit of space on top of the cabinets bugs me--couldn't the cabinets have been moved up to eliminate it?
view slowdown's profile
I LOVE this kitchen and am completely jealous, because my kitchen is in the same kitchen your pre-reno was. I don't have contractors in the family, but I've still learned ways to save!
view madampince's profile
Sorry -- meant to say my kitchen is in the same CONDITION your pre-reno was.
view madampince's profile
I would never have thought that color palate would look good, but it really does. I also love the backsplash.
view heatherdazy's profile
Love it! Normally, I'm not so much for ripping out vintage kitchens, but you did a really nice job here. Well done!
view petro's profile
WOW!! The before is hidious and the after is AMAZING (although I'm not sure about the curtains) - I adore the colours, I adore the backsplash, and I adore the tiles! Well done!
view ryttu3k's profile
it's beautiful! I love the backsplash and your colour palette. Great job!
view elleaycee's profile
Very fun room, I bet it cheers up any blue mood. Inspiring!
& ditto on the yay Seattle :)
view Lizzykewl's profile
What a happy kitchen to cook in. Congrats on a job well done!
view bumblebeechicago's profile
what a lovely kitchen!
view brooklynjennie's profile
Oh this is a fabulous kitchen! It has that Carmon Miranda/cococabana feel to it, it in essence feels more like a 50's modern kitchen, but w/ that late 40's color scheme, how cool!
I love that you used stainless steel, but w/ the orange cabinets and the stainless now takes on more of a timeless quality than simply the same old cliche found in recent kitchen reno's everywhere.
Love just about every bit of this reno. I can see that w/out the aformentioned issues w/ the original kitchen, with a little paint, new counters, it could be made to be very cute by itself but I can see there being a point where it's best to gut and redo. :-)
and yay for Seattle, it's where I live also!
view ciddyguy's profile
I absolutely love this kitchen! It must be such a fun space to cook in now!
view RachelQ's profile
Really wonderful! We've been wanting to install some open shelving in our kitchen and were thinking brackets. Your floating shelves with (cables are they?) are terrific!
view iresboston's profile
truly amazing reno for the cost.
view ec05's profile
I love that you put the patterned tiles on the counter instead of the backsplash. I hope all your meals are as tasty.
view colibri's profile
Susannah here -
Guys, thank you so much for your kind words! I love the sense of kinship and encouragement that this community fosters. I feel like I didn't explain at all well - my husband and I are actually the licensed contractors in the family. Our family in Seattle (a city we LOVE) consists of just the two of us and a grouchy 8 year old rescue Great Dane named Gentle - and he hates construction!
After my husband got laid off from his Architects' job, we bit the bullet and started our own residential renovation and interiors firm - Alkhun Design - named after my Ukrainian Jewish Great-Grandfather, who had a knack for entrepreneurship. My husband and I spent many, many years chained to desks, and only let our imaginations free and found our 'bliss' in redoing our and our friends' houses.
Seattle is a 'green' city in more than the lush evergreens around us and the emphasis on sustainability drew us here from Chicago. Since my background is as a structural engineer (who dropped out of corporate industrial engineering to go to art school) and Jeff is in architecture, we wanted to make sustainability the core tenet of Alkhun Design. Building construction accounts for the largest source of landfill waste (50 million tons/year) so we thought we'd start at home - in our kitchen.
Now to address some of the quesions -
Iresboston - thank you so much! I love floating shelves too - we achieved this with eyescrews and tension wires suspended from upper cabinets or with 45 degree angle wires from the shelf going into wall mounted anchors. Crimp the wire with compression thingamabobs - they look like figure 8's in profile. Sorry, can't remember the technical term! They are amazingly strong. We used hidden L shaped brackets under the shelves for extra support.
Bumblebee & RachelIQ - thank you so much! Yes we love to make a big ol mess in the kitchen now!
Ciddyguy - Seattle totally rocks! Thank you for mentioning the copa feel! Who doesn't love a woman with a fruit basket on her head? The original cabinets are serving as garage storage - the doors were just destroyed and beyond repair. We were hesitant to use stainless steel - in the past we'd bought cool vintage appliances and had them rewired, but we didn't know who could do that here and energy conservation is just not that great in older appliances.
Lizzykewl and Spanisholives - Yay Seattle!!!! Restore in Ballard and Second Use on Second Ave in Georgetown and Habitat on Nevada St are all great resources! Sustainable Ballard is coming up. We love this city!
MKQ, Emily Sneds and Madampince - I hear ya! We spent years acquiring these skills and learning from pros! If we can do it, you can too! Powertools are cool! (but get insurance)
Indy Jeffry - thank you for your comment. One of the trickiest aspects of getting the tile was getting enough to do several installations - we wanted a flow and a continuity. It's a fairly small house - 1,100 sf - so having a dialogue between the rooms was important. You can see examples of the living room and bathroom in the portfolio portion of www.Alkhun.com.
tara1979 - thank you so much! The curtains were actually from another project but I just couldn't let them go! They created the color scheme. They are also reversible - I make all curtains reversible for versatility. We took Jonathan Adler's advice and used color as our anti-depressant since Seasonal Affect Disorder is rampant here.
Thank you all once again for sharing your thoughts!
Susannah
www.alkhun.com
view susannah's profile
Amazing kitchen and inspiring dedication.
view muirwoods08's profile
Absolutely gorgeous. I especially love the flower-painted tiles around the sink!
view contralto's profile
This is one of my favorite kitchens I've seen on AT. It's stylish, but I can still imagine that you actually use it! And that tile is beautiful!
view Brandyjane's profile
I really like the tiles behind the sink, that sheen is so pretty and I really like the texture. Just hearing terra cotta orange and greens, I would think that sounds awful. To actually see your color choices for real, wow, I never would have thought those colors could look so nice together.
view twelve's profile
So beautiful! As sunshiney as your personalities! I love the colors and can't wait to see your projects unfold in Seattle. : )
view marlaine's profile