# Let's See Your Kitchen/Dining Rooms



## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

In the thread ---
[thread="80636"]Show Us Your Face [/thread]
@GeneMachine made an excellent suggestion ... *Nice! Perhaps we should make another thread along the lines of "show your kitchen/dining room"? *...

I think that is another fantastic idea from such a wonderful community...





  








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our great room, a combo of the the dining area opens up to the

living area/dining/kitchen front room and door





  








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my kitchen isn't very big I adore my hutch/buffet

but it works for me





  








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I have both my grandmother's the kitchen, my room

collection of tea cups as well

as some my Mom brought me

from her travels

... and this is my small part of the world


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Hehe, thanks for taking that one up. I can't find my phone right now, so we have to settle for an old pic of our dining room. Lots of windows, lots of light:





  








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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Love all of that natural light Gene


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Gene lives a rare life in Germany. The single family home is not a common lifestyle there, at least when i was there in the 80s.


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

phatch said:


> Gene lives a rare life in Germany. The single family home is not a common lifestyle there, at least when i was there in the 80s.


Really depends where you are, rural or city. We do not really have that amount of open land that for example the US have. so naturally, things are more compact, more people live in apartment blocks etc. So did I for years - I finally got out, though and found me a nice place in the country, with lots of open space. It is not really the average way to live, I agree with that. Love it, though


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## butzy (Jan 8, 2010)

Nothing fancy here as I live mainly outdoors:

My house is basically just a place to sleep and got flooded a couple of years age. Still haven't managed to paint the inside as there is always something else that's more important.

This is my set up, and the 2 plate cast iron stove that I cooked on for years





  








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And last year, I finally got myself a proper gas stove with 5 burners and an oven /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif





  








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It makes live a lot easier, but I can always use the lodge kitchen as well, if I want and then:

There is always this as well 





  








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No dining room, as said I live and eat outdoors, indoors is for sleeping





  








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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I love it butzy!  living outdoors is fantastic!  I just wish that we had more green, as you have!


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

Well, yes, there is the whole outdoor kitchen thing. But I guess the local wildlife here can't compete with yours...





  








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## lagom (Sep 5, 2012)

Its finally spring so our cooking and dinning go outside till the end of summer. 
The new stove.




  








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Current dinning room




  








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And this weekend we're expanding the dinning area, hoping to get it done today before the rain tomorrow




  








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## lagom (Sep 5, 2012)

Reverse the last 2 pics.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@GeneMachine

@Lagom

... both killer

I hadn't even thought about the outdoor living/kitchen/dining avenue...





  








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we added on an extended flagstone patio out back for just that...

nothing fancy-pants, just a table two chairs, a bench to lounge on (not in photo),

and a cheap-propane-tank grill.. it works for us...


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

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Yes, a repost. You know how spices stay fresher longer if you keep them in a cool, dark place?


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## genemachine (Sep 26, 2012)

teamfat said:


> at_stove.jpg
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> 
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You are definitely adding enough "cool" to the place


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

I'm kinda embarrassed to post pics of my dining room because we still use two folding chairs although me moved here almost 2 years ago.. The cushions are outdoor cushions too. We're trying to purchase furniture little by little, but my husband and I usually end up spending our little extra on going away. However, this past year we were able to get a lovely hutch from an estate auction that was handmade locally here in the New England area. Still, it seems bare, so we're working on it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif



















But my favorite part of the dining room isn't a piece of furniture, it's the view from the dining room table.

Truth be told, I'm not that crazy about our house, and have had buyers remorse, but the views all around are quite stunning, it keeps me content and at peace.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

_"However, this past year we were able to get a lovely hutch from an estate auction that was handmade locally here in the New England area. Still, it seems bare, so we're working on it."_

That is the best way to purchase furniture. Every piece must have a story to tell as you continue to line the nest. Tranquil surroundings, you are at peace there. Love the color green on the walls, it looks like a light sage, is there a name for it ? I'm in pale yellows.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Yes, I agree. I'm just too impatient to wait till the pieces find me!

The paint color is called weekend getaway in flat, by BM.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/weekendgetaway

It's a very serene color. I chose it because I wanted to further draw in the nature from the window views.


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

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Here's the least messy part of my small city apartment kitchen.

It's galley style and, as Chicago city apartment kitchens go, is pretty roomy and well laid out, with lots of cupboard space. All of it filled to the brim. The other half is too cluttered to show anyone.





  








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And part of my small dining room.





  








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Another view of the dining room. The other walls are lined with bookshelves. Overflowing bookshelves.

I just spent way too long with Windows 8 trying to figure out how to do anything with these pictures--taken with a pretty awful camera phone.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I love it Terry!  this reminds me of the first apartment DH and I had in Waikiki


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

@PP.....what a wonderful hutch...did you paint it or choose the colors for it? It's just lovely. Looks like it may have come out of an old farmhouse. I love old unique pieces like that....i like to imagine how previous families may have used and enjoyed them....dining room tables especially....all the meals shared,the cups of coffee, tea and wine drank, all the celebrations, the good and bad news received, the many, many conversations and discussions...if only they could talk!
Yes, your dining room views are wonderful and serene and the room brings that pace of nature in. I am a 'green' person as well...it's such a calming and grounding color. 
@chicagoterry....perfect! I noticed that your dining room table is bigger than your kitchen!.....lots of space to spread out and spend over a good meal with good friends and a glass or two of vino.....oh yeah, i instantly noticed your bar....nice. I always like to see an open bar with bottles sitting out instead of being tucked away somewhere inside a dark cabinet. [emoji]127864[/emoji]

joey


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Thanks, Joe /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif the hutch actually came that way (green with salmon shelves). We loved it so much we decided to keep the colors just the way they were. In fact, when the owner asked if we planned on painting it, we said, "oh, no we wouldn't dream of it, it's perfect just the way it is", and he said, "I'm so glad it's going to a good home". /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

Thanks K-Girl and Joey.

The kitchen is actually bigger than it looks in the picture but the other half was too cluttered to take a picture of.

The bar is "open" largely because I have no other place to put things. It's really mostly bottles of stuff I bake with-A couple kinds of dark rum, Cointreau and Grand Marnier-- and the makings of Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. There are bottles of wine hidden on the floor behind that table. Wine & many bottles of Banyuls & sherry vinegars I got for $2 a bottle when the European Import store I used to go to to buy cheeses, chocolate and other European treats decided to clear out a lot of stock so they could move away to a distant suburb, where I will never be able to visit them again. The stockpile of vinegar is cold comfort. 

Pollopicu--that dining room is just lovely.

K-Girl--I am envious of your lovely, large kitchen and the airiness of your space.

Both of your pictures make me even more aware of how overrun my apartment is with too much stuff.

And all of those outdoor pictures make me insanely jealous. I have a small back porch but we are not allowed to grill out there because the porch is wood. I'm on the 3rd floor, so going down to the ground level to set up a grill just never happens.


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## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

I agree Terry, your hutch looks like something I would have in my home too. 
You have done a lot with the apartment. Sometimes it's not always the space we have but what we do with it.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Thanks, Terry. There's something very Bohemian about your cooking and dining space I really enjoy. I'm not sure if you've ever watched the film "Husbands and Wives" by Woody Allen? I love their living room, they have a city Apt. and every nook and cranny is filled with books, art, and personal relics. It's like you're being hugged by this warm space. That's what your place reminds me of. Makes me miss the old days in the city.


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

Thanks PP.

 I've never seen Husbands & Wives but a lot of Woody Allen film interiors of NYC apartments are similarly cluttered and they always have much better furniture than I do. I have 2 cats, one of whom is the sweetest thing imaginable but a destructive little beast. No point in buying, say, a new couch, though I need one desperately.


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

@ chicago terry....may i ask what the black object on the table to the left of the hutch is?.. I'm probably totally off base but my guesses are;
manual orange/ citrus juicer 
wine opener 
Smiling traffic cop dish towel rack!! 

joey


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## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

Not at all food related, Joey.

It's a book press with a stack of boards for pressing things like book boards and damp paper flat stuffed in its jaws. I used to do a bit of hand bookbinding and book conservation/ repair--just for friends-- but I haven't really worked on it in ages. Maybe when I retire.


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

Wow, how cool is that? Very


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## brandon odell (Aug 19, 2012)

I'm lucky to have a nice, big kitchen with lots of counter space. It needs updated though, and I have a lot I want to do to it.




  








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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Brandon, I also have a big kitchen, but it's a double edged sword... I've been shopping around for new counter tops, and we just received the first set of quotes from an independent kitchen and bath place, I was quoted 7K for Corian.. and up to 11k for Quartz...I have 59 sq ft of counter space.  I guess I'll be visiting Lowes next week.

I'm so not the type of person that thinks any counters are worth anywhere near close to that type of money. That's insane.

I'm so over it..


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## brandon odell (Aug 19, 2012)

If you have any experience tiling, you should do them yourself. I did it at our last house. I went to a flooring liquidator and bought marble tile for $2.50 per tile. Screwed down green board, applied the tile with mastic and put on a stone rail on the front of the counter supported by a trim piece underneath, 1/4" spacing between tiles and fine ground grout. Water sealer over the grout. They looked great and cost me around $400 after I added a marble back splash. 

The only downside was having the seams between the grout because it didn't leave me with a large seamless space to roll dough. Next time I will add a wood or stainless slab if I do it again.

If you haven't had corian before, I would choose something else. Its not heat resistant enough and it stains a lot easier than marble or quartz. My customers that have corian all wish they would have chosen something else.

Around here, we have places that will install marble at $39 sq ft. I can't talk my wife into marble though. I still have to figure out what we're going to do.


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## brandon odell (Aug 19, 2012)

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I've got my "little" herb garden out the back door from the kitchen too. I'm up to 14 herbs this year.


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## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Just get yourself a Kneading / Pastry board... many styles and pretty cheap if you build it yourself.

Images for Kneading Boards


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Brandon-

I assume you're talking $39 a foot for the marble, installed. Or is it $39 plus the cost of the marble? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/surprised.gif

We retained an architect specializing in kitchen and bath design when we rebuilt our condo, and she had a thing against stone of any kind, insisting a synthetic was greatly preferable, especially from a maintenance standpoint.. We picked a "Zodiac" brand synthetic which was black with some glittery specks on it. We got a 3"x5" sample and carried it around.

We stopped into a counter shop, our sample with us: they had 2'x4' pieces of countertop material lining the walls. My wife headed to a big, black piece and said "WOW! that sure looks better in a big size." The saleslady said "Honey, that ain't Zodiac, that's Brazilian granite!" My wife looked back and forth at the wall and her sample, and then - literally - just dropped the sample into a wastebasket. I could see the handwriting on the wall, so to speak, and we went with the "Black *GALAXY*" Brazilian granite and have lived happily ever after. It has varied gold and silver flecks and, I swear to God, it looks like they're _inside_ the material and you're looking_ through_ the surface of the counter at the random flecks inside. Always dramatic.

Our supplier/installer said just wipe it with a damp cloth and otherwise leave it alone- don't need sealers, miracle oils, whatever. We've done just that for 10+ years and it's just fine. We do take care not to set really hot pans directly on it; we were warned by one of the members here not to create too great a thermal-expansion stress in the counter, though the supplier when he put it in said we didn't have to worry about stuff like that. (We got the extra-thick 1" material.) That's not much trouble, and we figure better safe than sorry.

If you lean that way, I hope your wife might take another look at what's available. We remain just absolutely delighted with it.

Ten or so years ago, we paid about $55 per square foot for the extra-thick, installed.

Mike

Edit- Just realized I misstated the name... it's Black GALAXY Brazilian granite. Got confused with the DuPont brand name Zodiac for their artificial stone counter material. Sorry for the error.


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

Brandon ODell said:


> If you have any experience tiling, you should do them yourself. I did it at our last house. I went to a flooring liquidator and bought marble tile for $2.50 per tile. Screwed down green board, applied the tile with mastic and put on a stone rail on the front of the counter supported by a trim piece underneath, 1/4" spacing between tiles and fine ground grout. Water sealer over the grout. They looked great and cost me around $400 after I added a marble back splash.
> 
> The only downside was having the seams between the grout because it didn't leave me with a large seamless space to roll dough. Next time I will add a wood or stainless slab if I do it again.
> 
> ...


I didn't realize you had posted this, sorry. I'm absolutely not handy at all. Nothing. nada. zilch. I wouldn't even be able to glue a tile in it's place. It's nice to be able to do things yourself and save the extra dough. Have wished many times I could. I once put wall paper up, tho.

Anyway, I was able to find a decent granite for $58.00 a sq ft (santa cecilia), so we'll see. Have an app next week to visit the slab.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

We did our kitchen re-do in 2009 and got our granite countertops installed for $29/sq ft (I did the demo myself)... but then I finally decided to re-do the two bathrooms in 2012 and it cost $89/sq ft !!  What a difference a few years can make, huh?


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## pollopicu (Jan 24, 2013)

MikeLM said:


> Brandon-
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> I assume you're talking $39 a foot for the marble, installed. Or is it $39 plus the cost of the marble? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/surprised.gif
> 
> ...


Mike, I just googled the counter, very nice.


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## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

MikeLM said:


> We retained an architect specializing in kitchen and bath design when we rebuilt our condo, and she had a thing against stone of any kind, insisting a synthetic was greatly preferable, especially from a maintenance standpoint..


Granite, marble and butcher block have been residential kitchen countertop standard for years. There's nothing like natural materials (for home use anyway), and I'm sure Dupont (manufacturer of Zodiac) would like to convince you otherwise. Zodiak has it's uses but I'm a bit confused that she told you it was "greatly" preferable. As a design professional I hardly ever spec'd Corian. Way too expensive. My 2 cents.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

Jake-

The first kitchen I built, almost 40 years ago, I put in Corian, which was, then, sort of the new miracle countertop. At that time, Dupont would only sell it to "qualified" installers, but one branch of the development company I worked for was in homebuilding, so I didn't have much trouble picking up what I needed. Wholesale, even. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif As an experienced woodworker, I had no trouble at all working the stuff. I just needed a couple particular sawblades (triple-chip ATB*R* as I recall) and it handled like a really hard wood, just slightly more prone to chipping. We used those counters hard for well over 30 years and were quite happy with it, but ready for a change when I did the kitchen in the new condo.

I wouldn't have anything bad to say about Corian, but just point out there are a lot of interesting alternatives these days.

Mike

edit- It was a triple-chip Alternate Top Bevel with a _Raker_ tooth, I just remembered. Fixed it above.


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## brandon odell (Aug 19, 2012)

MikeLM, that is $39 per foot installed, including the cost of the marble. Its a local company. Other companies in my area start at around $60 sq ft. 

I just checked that company's website since it has been awhile since I saw one of their signs. Their current price is $35 installed. Of course, that is a "starting" price and only covers a few different marble types. Others cost more. I would be surprised if they don't charge extra for tear out and haul away and other things too.


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

This is what our kitchen was like in Feb 2007





  








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Below are pictures from today. However, if you'd like to see what changes have been made since the renovation follow this link

http://www.cheftalk.com/g/a/94/home-kitchens-for-comparison/

The first 3 in that album are of the kitchen we gave up when we moved in November 2006





  








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Looking out the bay window at the island table. Storage on the left as well as the right side base.





  








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The dining room was my 10 anniversary present to the DW. The other one was badly beat-up after 3 moves and I figured it was what she had earned with all the hassle. It's the last one we ever plan to buy too.





  








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Disclaimer; By the way....normally we're fairly private about personal property but don't mind since we have a great insurance policy, better alarm system, outstandingt neighbors (always on the watch plus a couple of them are police and heavily armed) and the city police will not hesitate in shooting thieves.


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## jake t buds (May 27, 2013)

RE : Corian. 

When you use it sparingly it might be cost effective, but when it's used commercially, at much larger square footage either in retail or hospitality applications, it can affect your budget - especially when there are cheaper alternatives. Tile for example, can be $100 or more cheaper per sq/ft., and recycled glass for backsplashes can afford the color variations one might need. Laminates can be even less expensive at $25/sq ft, although the following polymer comment applies to that as well. I also think laminates are cheap and would never use them in a residential setting. I know, lots of Ikea and Home Depot use laminates for cabinetry, but I'd rather just used raw pine or a fruit wood and finish it myself. As long as the wood came from a sustainable source. Not like brazilian mahogany -which is being depleted at alarming rates for the IMF, Wall Street, as well as governments.

Laminates as well as corian are entirely made of polymers (well, mostly). They last forever, yet your kitchen or a store for Banana Republic will not. It's not very "green." Also, when you are developing a budget for commercial use you have to manage a budget, and sometimes money is better spent elsewhere. Although marble is very expensive (depending on the type), it can be recycled, and in my opinion, is more beautiful than a man made "engineered" material. I'd even go for butcher block before plastic. Sure, there are more color combo's and customizable colors with synthetic surfaces, but it's not worth it in my opinion. I'll stay with natural materials, thank you, if at all possible. I know plastic is hard to get away from, but we need to start realizing the abuses of industry.

Again, my 2 cents.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Great thread.
Will have to see if I am as lucky posting my kitchen as I was my "face" lol.
@ChicagoTerry. I have Windows 8 as well and sometimes just want to rip my hair out and go running down the street screaming.
We are preparing for The Fisherman's retirement by downsizing.
So much stuff accumulates over time most of which has no value, monetary nor sentimental.
Was finally able to start getting rid of almost all of the tools of the trade and as things go out the door we are doing a bit of a remodel and updating.
Rambling as usual.
What I was wanting to toss out there is what do y'all think of concrete kitchen counters?
I think I may be in love with the concept of 100% self designed and DIY counters with an apron front farmer sink.
Have brought home lots of info as well as looked at a zillion pix on Pinterest.
The Fisherman says he is up for it but will have to add it to the "wish list" for now.
That's ok.
It will take me forever and a day to choose colors lol.

mimi


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@oldschool1982 beautiful re-do!


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

kaneohegirlinaz said:


> @oldschool1982 beautiful re-do!


@kaneohegirlinaz Thanks. When we moved in, the kitchen wreaked of 1966 as well as grease and stale food. We tolerated it for a couple months and then had enough! The house had been vacant for more than a year and and it needed a lot of help.

As a note, I typed this almost two weeks ago and thought it posted. Imagine my embarrassment to find it was sitting in the post reply box at the bottom of the page when I visited the thread. Certainly didn't mean to leave you hanging.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

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