The kitchen after the remodel. The cabinets were not replaced, but given an excellent oil-based paint job. The same kitchen before the remodel. Notice how the refrigerator in the rear of the photo was moved to make room for more counter space. Shortly after Vicki Reitz and her husband bought a 2,500-square-foot postwar, split-level home, he…
Last year, we enjoyed reading about a $12,000 luxury kitchen remodel with granite counters, tile back splashes and nice appliances. Now that the economy is terrible, it's time to revisit the topic of what I like to call "tightwad remodeling." To the right, you see the kitchen being used for Christmastime cooking. And isn't that…
This kitchen works for me. I could definitely cook next to a fireplace, couldn’t you? So who lives here? Here are some facts: • The house, in the rolling hills of Montana, was built to look old. • The stone around the fireplace and doorway is from Montana. • Some flooring planks were salvaged from…
Behold the lovely Ikea Varde cabinet for $329 — sleek, elegant, understated. However, when you see how much work this requires for assembly, you may have a different opinion of it — confusing, complicated, mind-boggling. Check out this set of photos of a guy putting together the cabinet (click on Play Again when you see assembled…
Me? I LOVE this kitchen. I can feel it in my bones. Maybe it's the $10,000 (or more) worth of earthy tile that gets my attention. The stove is freakishly small for the space, and I don't see why it couldn't be as wide as the blue tile section. I found this kitchen and several others…
Where the money went (selected items): Hutch: $800 Ceiling lights: $400 each Light over sink: $99 Stove: $5,000 Stools: $325 each Teak column: $800 Cabinets, stove vent, sink, faucet: $4,100 Drinking water filter and faucet: $270 Marble countertop: $850 Marble fabrication and installation: $1,500 Cork flooring and installation: $1,800 Subway tile: $350 Tile installation: $600…
Can you imagine yourself cooking here? I’m not sure if the famous former athlete whose home contains this kitchen actually cooks here. That’s what hired help is for, right? (Not that I have personal experience with having a professional cook in the house, but I’ve heard that it’s done.) Here’s what you should notice to…
Reader Mary Kay Ulsamer writes in about her great experience having one of the “inspiration rooms” on Rate My Space, Angelo Surmelis’ new show. (You see above the kitchen Angelo redid.) On Rate My Space, Angelo makes over some room that really needs help. And here’s what I found out from Angelo: the show pays…
Becoming farmers in midlife is a new trend. An article in the New York Times tells the story of hotel executive Dan Gibson, who wanted to try his hand at farming instead. His wife Susan needed some persuading and she finally agreed, based on this sink and this view. “She was standing there with a…
