"this kitchen needs an island"

Since the day we moved into our new home
almost 15 years ago, my husband has been
suggesting that our kitchen needs an island.
I don't know why he even cares.... it's not
like he ever steps foot in it!

But, I had to agree with him.  Our U-shaped
kitchen is on the large size, at least for our
home.
When the center of the room is not being
taken up by a baby's high chair or playpen,

it's just a wasted space.
But it is not big enough for a permanent
full-size island. 
So we've been on the look out all these
years for just the right size
something-or-other to put in this vast
expanse of nothingness.

One day, not too long ago, hubby's
buddy was about to trash a
"stainless" commercial table that
had been in his garage forever.
Hubby brought it home and
expected me to be excited about it.
I hated it!
No way was I gonna
let that thing inside my home.

It sat outside for about 3 months,
being used as a catch all by the
back door, until I finally relented
and let him clean it up and bring it
into the kitchen.

I went to Home Depot and bought
some spray paint, to spruce up the
legs and bottom.
This is a specialized "hammered" finish.

 It was looking good!  And the size of it
is perfect for our kitchen....but something
was missing.
I grabbed the wooden stool we had
been using as an end table in the
livingroom.  We decided to use it next
to the island.
But, we'd have to paint it to match.

 This is as far as hubby got with it.
I waited 4 weeks, then finished painting
it myself.






Here is the finished product.  The wooden
stool now looks like it is made out of
metal.

The ugly commercial table has been
transformed into a sit-down space
in my once bare kitchen, and adds a
modern element that was missing.

I use it all the time, sitting down
to read a magazine while I'm
cooking, or eating breakfast.

 
This whole project cost us $12,
for the spray paint.

white paint makes everything look good

Just because something is old and ugly,
doesn't mean it can't look good again.
You've seen makeovers on people. 
The same thing can be done for really
old, seemingly used up furniture.

About four years ago, my husband was
helping his mom move out of her
apartment, and in with her daughter.
She needed to get rid of an old dresser
that she'd had for as long as he could
remember. He called me to see if I
wanted him to bring it home.
Duh. . . . . of course!

I wish I had some pictures to show you
just how ugly this monster was when I
first laid eyes on it.

I was dark wood, with no finish left on
it at all. It had old fashioned pulls which
were a cross between brass and brown. 
The top had taken it's fair share of abuse.

We put it in the spare room that I was
fixing to make into a playroom for our
growing number of grandchildren.

My plan was to paint each drawer a
different bright primary color. . . .
but that never happened.
I even brought it outside once, for
about 2 weeks, but hubby never got
around to sanding it down for me.
So I brought it back into the playroom
and forgot about it.

Until. . . . my daughter and I decided
to convert one of my spare rooms into
our studio for our on-line businesses.

We designed our studio using,
among other things, pieces we found
at IKEA. 

I finally got hubby to sand down the
monster, then paint it white with two
coats of Behr Premium semi-gloss.

We looked all over for pulls that
would fit the holes left by the
old ugly ones.
They were nowhere to be found.
So, instead, I purchased enough to
screw into every hole, so there
are two pulls on some areas that
only had one before.
But this just adds to the makeover!
The dresser now has a modern
flair that it lacked before.

Once it was ready, hubby installed the
cubby on top, and we were in business.
It now resembles a wall unit or hutch,
and it's a beautiful addition to the room.

Now this is my favorite part of our studio!

Making an Ugly Duckling into something beautiful

Hi, I'm a mother of three children who have grown up and moved away from our 4 bedroom home.  For the first time ever, my husband and I have the whole house to ourselves, empty nesters I guess they call it.

For the past year my oldest daughter and her family had been living with us, helping us pay the bills, since my husband was an out-of-work carpenter. When they moved in, I had to downsize...alot...and I got rid of truck loads of stuff.

When they moved out a month ago, my home was suddenly clutter free. Great, right?
Yes, and No.  We still had our furniture, and that's about it.  Except for the artwork on the living room walls, my home was devoid of any sense of style.

Some people could live like that. Not me. By nature I am an interior designer.  By trade I am a design consultant.  When I walk into any room, no matter where I am, I start thinking about ways I would make it more beautiful.  I think about furniture placement, color, fabrics, texture, all those things that can make even the smallest room a great place to live in.

Because my husband just went back to work...construction...uhg...
and the fact that we just lost a huge source for paying our bills, I really have no money to go out and start shopping for fabulous items to fill my home.  So, instead, I have to do what I've really always done.
I find things and transform them into pieces that make people say "wow, that's beautiful, where did you get that?"
I keep my eyes open and things appear, on the side of the road, next to dumpsters, and of course at thrift stores.  I spend very little money fixing them up, and then I find the perfect spot to place them, where they can have a new, beautiful life.

This blog is about my design adventure, filling my home with style....taking an "ugly duckling" and, with very little money, making it into a beautiful swan.  I hope I can be an inspiration to others in making their house into a home, on a shoe string budget.