avoiding a dated look in your house....... (Phoenix, Tucson: short sale, 2013)

[MarianR]

Good thread! We are getting close to replacing the appliances that came with the house and will need new countertops eventually so need to have some coordination in mind. The kitchen now has an almond refrigerator and dishwasher and a stainless steel range. The countertops are almond Formica (which stains easily). We took out the old plastic covered fluorescent lights and had the ceiling repainted (almost matches, weren't happy with the job but you have to look closely to notice) and put in a new fluorescent fixture. The floor will stay - most of our house has eight inch Italian tile in a mottled orange/tan pattern, hard to describe but very southwesty looking - and the cupboards wlll stay - medium oak. The walls are off-white, so the room is too vanilla.
Both of us dislike stainless steel and granite countertops, so we are thinking almond appliances and maybe tile countertops - a friend has some nice ones - in a green or light brown.

[Corso]

Concrete counter tops are the cat's behind. Modern, chic, look great, and the best part....your neighbor definitely won't have them.

[azdr0710]

glad this thread I started is generating interest....it might actually keep people from making a horrible and/or costly mistake!....

yes, concrete countertops, I think, will not go out of style if they aren't in some weird color...but they are very, very expensive, currently....making them yourself is possible, but requires a good bit of planning, skill and patience

crown molding, to me, is a bit of a current trend that may not last....my opinion.....but it does have a traditional look, if that's what you want

yes, as said, I think many of those recessed kitchen ceilings are evidence of florescent lighting once being up in there....I can see how that lighting was popular back in the 70s because it did provide a whole lot of even, bright lighting for kitchen tasks, but now it seems glaring and institutional, I guess.....

does anybody think these recessed "can" ceiling lights will go out (become dated, I mean!)?....hope not, as I just had a bunch put in to replace older fixtures.....to me, they seem clean, low-key, subtle, and the light quality from them is very, very nice if you use the standard can bulbs and not CFLs.....

haven't taken a tub since I was 11 or so, so I had my standard tub/shower taken out and put in a walk-in shower only....one of the best things I've done....can get pricey, or not if you're careful.....the glass doors can be pricey....how many of you really fill up that huge sunken Roman tub every day?!...

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by MarianR

maybe tile countertops - a friend has some nice ones - in a green or light brown.

be careful of the grout eventually getting stained (darkened)....may want to keep other ideas in mind rather than tile where water and other stuff will affect the grout....my experience

[CheyDee]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

be careful of the grout eventually getting stained (darkened)....may want to keep other ideas in mind rather than tile where water and other stuff will affect the grout....my experience

The grout needs to be sealed from time to time, but keeping it clean looking is easier than most think. I had tile counters in two baths and my kitchen in a prior home. When the grout no longer looked clean and pretty, I used to buy a $1 bottle of acrylic craft paint (really!) and simply paint the grout. Not only was it a snap to freshen up, I was able to completely change the color of the grout on any decorating whim. I was afraid the paint would run or otherwise be a disaster but, much to my surprise, it never did. After painting it once, it only required further touch ups once every year or two.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

glad this thread I started is generating interest....it might actually keep people from making a horrible and/or costly mistake!....

yes, concrete countertops, I think, will not go out of style if they aren't in some weird color...but they are very, very expensive, currently....making them yourself is possible, but requires a good bit of planning, skill and patience

crown molding, to me, is a bit of a current trend that may not last....my opinion.....but it does have a traditional look, if that's what you want

yes, as said, I think many of those recessed kitchen ceilings are evidence of florescent lighting once being up in there....I can see how that lighting was popular back in the 70s because it did provide a whole lot of even, bright lighting for kitchen tasks, but now it seems glaring and institutional, I guess.....

does anybody think these recessed "can" ceiling lights will go out (become dated, I mean!)?....hope not, as I just had a bunch put in to replace older fixtures.....to me, they seem clean, low-key, subtle, and the light quality from them is very, very nice if you use the standard can bulbs and not CFLs.....

haven't taken a tub since I was 11 or so, so I had my standard tub/shower taken out and put in a walk-in shower only....one of the best things I've done....can get pricey, or not if you're careful.....the glass doors can be pricey....how many of you really fill up that huge sunken Roman tub every day?!...

Crown molding...the desert house has none and people buying are looking for touches similar to where they come from...cheap fix.

Tub, whether you use or not...if with jets...priceless when looking at a house...mine is plain and used twice in 6 months...but if had jets, might be different....we also have a nice walk-in shower in the master. I would take out the tub and replace if not renting.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

yes, as said, I think many of those recessed kitchen ceilings are evidence of florescent lighting once being up in there....I can see how that lighting was popular back in the 70s because it did provide a whole lot of even, bright lighting for kitchen tasks, but now it seems glaring and institutional, I guess.....

does anybody think these recessed "can" ceiling lights will go out (become dated, I mean!)?....hope not, as I just had a bunch put in to replace older fixtures.....to me, they seem clean, low-key, subtle, and the light quality from them is very, very nice if you use the standard can bulbs and not CFLs........

I don't think they will go out of style anytime soon but I could picture then being smaller sized as the years go on (compact fluorescent bulbs though more light than they did just a cuple years ago).

[azcanadienne]

lol - love this thread! I'm determined to do my house ONCE, and then I don't want to do it again!

Having said that...color me a fan of stainless appliances. But, it's not a fad-thing for me - I've loved them for 30-40 decades!!! Probably from having worked in several restaurants in the past...it just feels more like a "real" kitchen to me, if there's stainless everywhere

But I'm still gonna stick with my existing tile floors - this summer has proved their worth to me!

[SloCoChef]

I saw a casual home TV show where the homeowner busted up some cool vases and other glass/tile things she had - and inlaid those bits along with decorative little tiles - put all of that in a mold concrete form - after it set - she had a one of a kind totally unique concrete kitchen counter top ... can't get any more custom than that - I did hear though that you have to make sure your base cabinetry can support the wt. of the concrete - if you go with a nice 2 inch thick amount it can way up to 22 pounds a foot! It's also a DIY in a garage - making a template, the mold, pouring, removing and then installing - sealing with wax ... I think concrete is cheap.... Installed must be pricey though

[rjrcm]

Originally Posted by CheyDee

...What I see a lot of around here which I don't particularly care for are the doorless master bathrooms, with a water closet. What's up with that? Firstly, if one partner gets up in the middle of the night or earlier than the other, the glaring light from the doorless room can very annoying to the remaining sleeper; the water runnnig in the sink can seem quite loud in the still of the night, without a door to buffer some of that sound. ....

Completely agree for the same reasons. We recently remodeled our master bath and added a door. Much better now .