8.17.2012

Then & Now: The Kitchen




As previously mentioned, in honor of being in Kingston Road for two years, I'm taking a look back at some of the transformation we've undertaken so far. The now pictures were taken on the fourth of July when the house was ready for the party we threw, and was about as staged as it gets (minus the party prep) aside from Christmas. It was a good time to grab some shots. 

The kitchen transformation is not as dramatic visually as the living room, with the exception of the counter and cabinet that we added in one corner. But, we did also add a lot of pull out wire drawers inside all of the cabinets that have drastically increased the storage capacity of the kitchen. 

New Counter Area:





Fridge Corner:







So what did we do in the kitchen?
  • new cabinet with drawers and new counter top
  • pull out wire drawers in almost all the existing cabinets
  • new microwave hood above the cook top
  • paint


What's left?
  • light fixture above the sink
  • finish the edge of the cabinet to hide the exposed side of the microwave
  • install one more wire drawer in far corner cabinet to right of sink
  • find a better storage solution for pot lids
  • and way down the road...redo the whole thing!



















8.10.2012

Two Years Later (Then & Now: The Living Room)


Two years ago today, Greg and I closed on our house on Kingston Road. It's hard to believe it's been two years already, but it also seems like we can't remember it any other way. The day after we closed, we headed off to Martha's Vineyard to spend some time relaxing while we got the floors refinished before moving in. It seems fitting that we are again on the island for a last getaway before Luigi arrives this fall. 

In honor of the two years we've been in the house, I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts looking back on all the progress that we've made in the last two years. It seems that we don't often stop, and when we look back at all we've accomplished, it's easy to see why. 

I know I have a lot of catching up to so with the deck project and the baby's room. I will work on weaving those in as well. But for now, please enjoy the first installment of "Then & Now." I decided this was a better title than "Before & After," because our house still is, and probably always will be, a work in progress. So, without further ado, here's a look back at the living room before and since we moved in, and how it was looking this year on the fourth of July, when the house was a close to staged as it gets (aside from Christmas). 

The Big Window:





The Fireplace Wall: 







View from the Stairs:





View toward the Stairs:







It's hard to believe it's that same pale yellow room we walked into two years ago. Here's a run down of of some of the things we did:

  • refinished floors
  • paint 
  • window treatments
  • hung TV and speakers on wall
  • added shelves and entertainment until to right of TV
  • new lamp shades
  • replaced recliner with double reclining love seat
  • replaced white slipcovers on side chairs with purple ones
  • replaced coffee table with freshly painted green table from Gram's house
  • started (but not nearly finished) accessorizing (work in progress...right?!)


Things still on the to do list:

  • expand the purple carpet by at least one row of tiles
  • find better lighting for reading in the love seat
  • cable management for the TV and entertainment unit
  • hang art going up the stairs
  • accessorize the shelves on either side of TV in a more thoughtful way
  • update/add photos to frames
  • find a permanent solution for the covering the glass door of the tall cabinet for hidden storage
  • paint the trim and fireplace white
  • paint the top "back splash" of the mantel the same color as the wall
  • paint or tile over the brick of the fireplace
  • add the back speakers of the surround sound system
Yeah, so there's still a few things on the list. We not succeed in hitting my mom's suggested 3 year decorating plan, since this next year is destined to be more baby than house focused. But that's ok. I think we've accomplished quite a bit already. And it definitely feels like home!