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Well, the look of the kitchen doesn't remotely reflect the style of the house. The previous owners put in a 00s kitchen without putting any design into it. Like, the cabinets I can almost forgive, but that granite is just so wrong.
Emm , what do you mean by a 00s kitchen?
As you suggested the home was more like a craftsmen home than a ranch-IF that was the case then I can see that painted cabinets would be on track. BUT- I don't believe the house is craftsmen style.
We looked at a new build last week-VERY craftsmen style with the porch and colums and typical craftsmen front door. They had white, traditional style cabinets and wood panelling in the office and dining room which I believe is very craftsmen style too.
At the end of the day, you can put lipstick on a pig, and as I'm sure you know, it's still going to be a pig when you wake up the next morning. I don't see any of the proposed changes doing much of anything. Four words, bang for your buck.
OK- so how would you have suggested spending a budget of around $3000 on the interior?
We are not intending to recoup our reno money in the sale, but to increase the likelihood of selling-full stop.
Although we have a lot of transplants in the area and still coming, it's quite a conservative area and most people want bigger, newer,what I call standard plastic homes.They mostly run a mile from anything remotely unique.
I don't just sprout off random ideas, I put thought into whatever recommendations I make. Am I always right, no, but I generally don't say anything if I'm not convinced I'm at least somewhat right. In this case, I think I'm right. It's a great house, but whether it's the OP or the next owners, I think it needs a bit of thoughtful renovation.
Thanks for that. You wouldn't believe how much better it looks with the new fans/light fittings,door knobs and switch plates already- surprising really as we didn't do any research beforehand and just went ahead and spent the money -I mean,huh it's only money isn't it?
I believe that poster is speaking of adding crown molding, could be wrong,but I dont think so.....that would be counter-intuitive to the whole look of the kitchen, as well as the suggestion of painting the cabinets, etc....ad nauseum.
OP, you are on the right track, I would love to see some pix when all the updates are in place.
You might wish to suggest to your Realtor that a new camera might be in order, a Nikon coolpix would take much better pix, and can be had for $200, and written off as a business expense.
The house in Florida sounds great, although not sure I can visualize the style.Sounds good to me because it's different!
Any pics?
Will post some new pics when done.
Those pics were with my camera.It's a panasonic with a leica wide angle lens and it got good reviews for the price range. REAs were worse!
Maybe I messed around with the colors etc too much and didn't chose the best setting when I took them? Not an expert, but the REA didn't have a wide angle lense on hers.
Welcome any tips
The house in Florida sounds great, although not sure I can visualize the style.Sounds good to me because it's different!
Any pics?
Will post some new pics when done.
Those pics were with my camera.It's a panasonic with a leica wide angle lens and it got good reviews for the price range. REAs were worse!
Maybe I messed around with the colors etc too much and didn't chose the best setting when I took them? Not an expert, but the REA didn't have a wide angle lense on hers.
Welcome any tips
Of course I have pix!!!!!
These pix are taken for my own reference, will have much better pix taken when the house goes on the market.
These are the before pix, will be taking and adding after pix as things progress. Wolf Interiors | Facebook
Dear Whatsthenews,
I gotta come back, I posted long time ago some suggestions to update your home. I hate seeing you get into details like switchplates, but I understand, you're doing a review of everything. But "update" is the key here, and I want to help you achieve that.
Almost everyone in this thread agreed about those worn slatted louvre doors on several large cabinets, and you said you'd use plywood and stain it. I actually think those doors are maybe the second biggest reason you have heard from potential buyers that your house needs updating. I've seen plywood doors in garage storage, and I think they look handmade at best. Your money would be well-spent to buy unfinished bifold doors for all of those cabinets, the hardware store could trim some off if size is awkward, you can paint or stain, whichever would look best to you, and put real doorknobs or nifty pulls.
In your living room, (1) I still think some curtains hanging to the floor on either end of the bank of windows will make it feel less like a porch. You can use "dummy" panels that only hang a yard or two out to save money. Get them with a cream background and a brown print and maybe a small accent color you like. (2) Please remove the light-colored rug in there and the coffee table! The rug should be replaced with a warm colored area rug you like a lot, fake orientals always look good, and the coffee table needlessly crowds things up. (3) I think both couches should be slipcovered with cheap ones in a shade of brown or cream, and use just one or two pillows on ONE side of each couch in whatever accent color you wind up with. It's okay to center the couch on the steps with the loveseat pulled next to it and as close to the windows as you can. It does look kinda crowded down on one end like it is. You can move the TV over closer to the steps to make sense with the relocated couch, and use more plants with perhaps flowers on either side of the steps to minimize their intrusion into the space. You can still walk to your steps from the front door with this arrangement. (4) Over by the front door, then, will be an open space there, so gee, you could fill the area with a floor telescope sitting on a matching rug, like the couch rug. Pull up all the blinds in there (I know, you had them down for the photo).
Those are the two main things that make the home seem "dated." Your kitchen is FINE, it is completely updated... the color white is irrelevant becuz that's taste-specific and has nothing to do with updating. TV designers use track lighting just like you have, it's appropriate in a kitchen like yours. To warm it up, I liked your red accents fine, add a couple small potted plants near the window, hang a valance on a rod above the window, maybe white with red and brown stripes. Don't worry about the stainless, again taste-specific.
I LIKE your dining room exactly as it is!!! You had said something about the doors not matching in there in one of your early posts, so I had suggested you make the stained glass door wood match the door near the dining table, but it's so authentic, it does not matter that it's diff from the other ones. Also, there is NOTHING wrong with that dining set, just leave it there. It looks GOOD.
A word on fans... I think the only one that sounded like it needed changing was the one in the living room... it doesn't matter that all the fans are not the same. But if the one in the living room isn't right, and since that room sets the tone for the rest of the house, you'll need to pick one out after you "stage" your living room a little better, it can even simply match another wooden one in the house, if you like.
The only other thing that might help is you had said you might wallboard over the wood wall in the living room, and that's fine... but you COULD consider simply hanging a beautiful large framed print of a nature scene, neutral colors and lots of lighter shades, on that wood wall between the front door and steps, it'll warm the room and avoid a lot of hard work doing the wallboard. And again, as I said before, that little floor plank that extends out at the top of the steps, just gently pull it up and put it back down so it aligns with the living room wall.
I would LOVE to know what you think of my suggestions, I want you to do well and want to know if any of my ideas will take the pressure off and actually "update" the look of your home. When you finish doing some SIMPLE cures, as I have talked about and others, too, then ask your realtor to come over for her own "showing," and when she's done looking, see if she says, "Wow, this looks SO much better." Then you'll know the simple changes will be enough. More pictures as you update, please, too! We love pics!!!
GG
Dear Whatsthenews,
I gotta come back, I posted long time ago some suggestions to update your home. I hate seeing you get into details like switchplates, but I understand, you're doing a review of everything. But "update" is the key here, and I want to help you achieve that.
I think changing switch plates and door knobs so they aren't a mix of white, brass , cream and black is updating, plus it makes for a cohesive feel as you walk through.
Almost everyone in this thread agreed about those worn slatted louvre doors on several large cabinets, and you said you'd use plywood and stain it. I actually think those doors are maybe the second biggest reason you have heard from potential buyers that your house needs updating. I've seen plywood doors in garage storage, and I think they look handmade at best. Your money would be well-spent to buy unfinished bifold doors for all of those cabinets, the hardware store could trim some off if size is awkward, you can paint or stain, whichever would look best to you, and put real doorknobs or nifty pulls.
Thanks for coming back!
Did you realise that I meant only to remove the slats from the doors and replace with ply? The slats are individually attached to the frame around the doors.The ply I have seen has great wood markings on it.
The off the shelf bi-fold door aren't the correct sizes to replace the slatted doors. Opening is 33 x 71- all the doors I have seen are 80 long and either 24,30 or 36 wide.
I did see one that was 32 wide ,but with a hollow core would it work if trimmed down to 71 inches.
I haven't put hinges before (would need to chisel out places for hinges in frame)unless you meant to keep current hinges?
Additionally ,bi folds are meant to work on runners rather than hinges, so would that work?
In your living room, (1) I still think some curtains hanging to the floor on either end of the bank of windows will make it feel less like a porch. You can use "dummy" panels that only hang a yard or two out to save money. Get them with a cream background and a brown print and maybe a small accent color you like.
Have purchased some drapes for dummy use! They are cream with a TINY gold square in them-not smooth,have some texture.A yard wide would mean covering 1 complete window at either end as there's only about 3 inches between the window and the walls at right angles.OK?
(2) Please remove the light-colored rug in there and the coffee table! The rug should be replaced with a warm colored area rug you like a lot, fake orientals always look good, and the coffee table needlessly crowds things up.
I don't really think an oriental rug would fit in our home-too traditional, but I would like a patterned rug.Have seen one in Target which I love and has good colors,but the pattern is quite large and rug is sculpted, but I thought this would be good with the very smooth tile floor.
This is it Fieldcrest(R) Luxury Tapestry Floral Wool Rug - Red (78x120)* : Target
(3) I think both couches should be slipcovered with cheap ones in a shade of brown or cream, and use just one or two pillows on ONE side of each couch in whatever accent color you wind up with. It's okay to center the couch on the steps with the loveseat pulled next to it and as close to the windows as you can. It does look kinda crowded down on one end like it is.
Plus, whoever is sitting on the sofa almost has their back to the person on the loveseat when the loveseat is pulled close to the window and almost overlapping the arm of the sofa. It doesn't seem like a nice converstaion area.
You can move the TV over closer to the steps to make sense with the relocated couch, and use more plants with perhaps flowers on either side of the steps to minimize their intrusion into the space. You can still walk to your steps from the front door with this arrangement.
Actually it leaves a very small gap to get through between the end of the loveseat and the steps-almost dangerous really especially when coming down the steps.Room is only 11ft 6 wide and steps stick out 31 inches and loveseat is 65 inches long.
(4) Over by the front door, then, will be an open space there, so gee, you could fill the area with a floor telescope sitting on a matching rug, like the couch rug. Pull up all the blinds in there (I know, you had them down for the photo).
If I center the sofa on the steps and put the love seat at right angles to it then when you walk in the front door you are walking straight into the back of the loveseat!
Those are the two main things that make the home seem "dated." Your kitchen is FINE, it is completely updated... the color white is irrelevant becuz that's taste-specific and has nothing to do with updating. TV designers use track lighting just like you have, it's appropriate in a kitchen like yours. To warm it up, I liked your red accents fine, add a couple small potted plants near the window, hang a valance on a rod above the window, maybe white with red and brown stripes. Don't worry about the stainless, again taste-specific.
I LIKE your dining room exactly as it is!!! You had said something about the doors not matching in there in one of your early posts, so I had suggested you make the stained glass door wood match the door near the dining table, but it's so authentic, it does not matter that it's diff from the other ones. Also, there is NOTHING wrong with that dining set, just leave it there. It looks GOOD.
I do think a round 4 seater would look better and leave more floor room.
At the moment it feels like when you walk up the steps the end of the table is right there on the left, after the kitchen on the right there is the freestanding wbs which sticks out into the room about 3 1/2 feet, a door into a bath, and then the hall door which opens into the d room.
Pic doesn't show it too well, but get the idea.
A word on fans... I think the only one that sounded like it needed changing was the one in the living room... it doesn't matter that all the fans are not the same. But if the one in the living room isn't right, and since that room sets the tone for the rest of the house, you'll need to pick one out after you "stage" your living room a little better, it can even simply match another wooden one in the house, if you like.
Sorry but the white fans had brass on them and looked awful.The one in the 2nd bed was so low (sloping ceiling) it almost took your head off, and the one in the Master looked just awful with our furniture and didn't create a luxurious feel.
Anyway- the new fans, vanity lights,chandelier ,wall lights and switch plates are all in place now!
The only other thing that might help is you had said you might wallboard over the wood wall in the living room, and that's fine... but you COULD consider simply hanging a beautiful large framed print of a nature scene, neutral colors and lots of lighter shades, on that wood wall between the front door and steps, it'll warm the room and avoid a lot of hard work doing the wallboard. And again, as I said before, that little floor plank that extends out at the top of the steps, just gently pull it up and put it back down so it aligns with the living room wall.
With the cut throughs in the walls on both sides of the steps, there isn't enough room to hang a large anything!
I would LOVE to know what you think of my suggestions, I want you to do well and want to know if any of my ideas will take the pressure off and actually "update" the look of your home. When you finish doing some SIMPLE cures, as I have talked about and others, too, then ask your realtor to come over for her own "showing," and when she's done looking, see if she says, "Wow, this looks SO much better." Then you'll know the simple changes will be enough. More pictures as you update, please, too! We love pics!!!
GG
As an alterantive to plywood, what do you think about a nice, heavier fabric pulled taught and gathered in the space left by removing the slats in the doors? I could then either paint or stain the remainder of the wood around the fabric.
Would pick colors that match my colors obviously and that would reduce the amount of wood and add diff' texture and color too
Have actually moved the loveseat opposite the sofa and turned the TV cabinet around so its back is on the wall beside the door, rather than at an angle.
We are living with it and there is plenty space to get through to the bed door, plus to get in through front door and to steps.
Great conversation position.
Now I am left with a huge space near the front door and room looks much bigger IMO.
Thought about a rug,lamp ,small side table and comfy chair up at that end as a reading area looking out into the garden/deck.
Don't think an office type area is a good idea, but maybe if it was stylish with a nicer desk and dining chair rather than computer furniture it would look OK though?
Last edited by Whatsthenews; 01-17-2011 at 08:36 AM..
Dear Whatsthenews,
Oh, I have been pondering your feedback and considering the new info, and I have finally come up with some words to reply. But first I must say I do believe you have this thing under control now! Good job despite all the decisions you faced, and I am SO HAPPY you got some curtains for the living room!
I am amazed you got all the knobs and switchplates to match up. Took me 20 years to get all mine ALMOST matched in a house! And I completely misunderstood your solution to the slat doors, so yes, I think the plywood is an ingenious idea! Just make sure the existing hinges (if you keep them) are perfectly straight. I'm just glad you figured out what to do with those slat doors in an easy and yet attractive way.
Yes, love the curtains for the living room, I'm SO glad you chose some, and those will work really well with the colors of that nice rug you picked out, too. And yes, the dummy panels should take up a normal pulled-back curtain space, which for that big bank of windows, it would "look like" maybe a yard of material on the side, even if it covers a window. It will make the place seem much more homey.
On the living room furniture arrangement, last night I drew out the loveseat and space left for the front door to open and the distance to the stairs, and you are absolutely correct, moving the loveseat over to the couch will NOT work. In fact, if you really like how the loveseat is across from the couch and it's working out, then I think your idea of filling the empty space at front door with a sitting area is a very good solution. But I remain concerned about how crowded things already looked down there where the couch is, and now with the loveseat, I worry. People like to feel their living room is big. And for you, when the buyer opens that front door, that's the first area they see, it sets the tone and often sells the house. SO, with that said, I want to suggest a new plan.
To avoid the crowded feel I saw with your living room, I think it might be best to remove the loveseat altogether (and coffee table) and store it elsewhere. This will end crowding. Then put an easy chair, fairly small, at an angle to the end of the couch (closest to the front door). The easy chair will be small enough compared to the loveseat, so as not to block the front door or the steps. Then when you get that rug from Target, measure the distance from the corner of the angled easy chair to the far corner of the couch, and try to get something in that length. In this manner, the rug will go by the steps and catch that chair leg. That way the rug pulls the chair into the "scene" of your living room, bridges the two sides of the room, makes the living area seem larger, provides seating that was lost by removing the loveseat, and somewhat prevents the front door area from being empty. Put the TV across from the couch, in front of the wooden wall. Still put flowering plants on either side of the steps, and if you want, you COULD snug a couple small square ottomans on either side of the TV for more temporary seating. Oh,and I still think the couch needs a cover, cheap is fine, it's the "tucking" that makes the difference.
IF the area at the front door still seems empty, you could buy the exact same style rug as the couch, only much smaller, and put it in front of the door. You could lay a cushion on top of the small chest and move it over in front of the windows. Then "behind" the door, straight across from the chest and against the wood wall, put those two spare dining chairs there. They are fine alone, but if there's room, you could put an end table between the two chairs, set a checkers or chess set on top, a floor lamp turned on, small light-colored framed print centered over the table, and that will all minimize the impact of the wood wall. And my funny, thinking a picture could go there... well, I was writing from memory, hadn't re-reviewed the photos when I just crashed in with my post.
Speaking of the two extra chairs, I think in the dining room if the two spare chairs are gone, and if you simply turn the dining table 90 degrees, so the long way goes beside the walkway instead of jutting into it, you could save the cost of a new dining set, PLUS, you see, I really like how that table and chairs looks in that dining room, it is just the perfect style and color for that spot. And of course push it closer to the door opposite the kitchen (bathroom door I think), and this will further widen the walking area.
By the way, the beautiful hall door with stained glass, perhaps you can ask a carpenter to fix it so it swings into the hallway and not into the room... that might free up some walking space in the dining area, it won't swing into the woodstove section, plus if you leave it ajar, visitors can see all the way from the living room, and see the stained glass, and on into the hallway. Now, that's not updating, but since you brought up how tight it is to walk thru there, I thought I'd give you that tip.
I want to conclude by saying I think you really do have a good grip on what to do with your home. I am only commenting from pics and descriptions here, so I do not pretend to know more about how your house ought to look than anyone else. It's just I SAW a crowded living area, I saw a loveseat in the middle of nowhere, the living area seemed coolish and not homey. I love your dining area as-is, it all matches really nicely and the light is good in there, thus my comments on that. And I DO think your solution to the slat louvre doors is really great, now that I understand how you're gonna do it! So, I'll shut up now, if my ideas don't work or whatever, I get it.
Keep us updated, keep asking us questions if you still have them, and I hope when you finally finish the "update," that you'll show us some pictures that compare to the first ones we saw, so we'll know how it came out. I've enjoyed this thread so much. Thanks, News, for your design project!
GG
You have a pretty contemporary house for the time it was built, so I do not think people will be looking for that "charm" of an older house. I would do the following:
Paint all of the trim white semi-gloss. you said you were hoping to make it modern, this is a MUST if that's what you want to project.
Front Yard-trim down the bushes to not block the windows and spray paint the lawn (w lawn paint) to hide the brown spots.
Dining- Update those closet doors to that storage unit. (or rip it out and re-finish the wall and put a server in place) I would sand and paint the table and chairs a choc brown (I like the blond wood, but it blends into your floors a little). Do something with the accent pass though. I think painting it a choc brown would make it a feature. Also, change the pass-through laminate to match kitchen counters.
Kitchen- Get rid of those spotlights and get a light fixture of decent size installed in the middle of the beamed ceiling. I like the beams, but think the area between them should be painted white to recess further and accent the beams.
Living room- Replace closet door or at least paint it white to match trim. Take down wood blinds and put up simple panels.
Back Deck- Look at your arrangement and create seating vignettes for entertaining. Think you also need some more color. Place a couple colorful urns, potted flowers, and maybe an outdoor rug.
hope that helps you. good luck, feel free to send me a direct message with any questions.
^Ha! And Whatsthenews, any pics of how you wound up updating your home? It's been a while and we would all like to see what your final choices were. Hope selling it goes well and you get positive feedback from interested buyers.
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