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Kitchen

1970 home renovation

1970 kitchen renovation | the new window

It’s the post you’ve been waiting for!  Well, some of you have been asking about the window, so this post is for you. If you’ve been following our 1970 kitchen renovation, you know that the window was delayed by several weeks.  I ordered it with the garage and dining room windows back in February, but this one didn’t come with the rest and we’ve been living with exposed, dirty insulation and an off-centered old window for a couple of months. The funny thing is I’ve started to look past it since the rest of the kitchen is so beautiful, but I was looking forward to window day along with everyone else.  My window came in a couple of weeks ago and we needed to wait for everyone’s schedule to line up to get it installed.  Since our exterior is brick, it is a bit more complicated than cutting a larger

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Antiques

the duck casserole

During our secondhand shopping trip a couple of weeks ago (when we found the amazing teak patio lounge chairs) I also came home with another special find.  It wasn’t quite as amazing as getting $6,660 worth of patio furniture for $150, but it was still a good buy. So, as we were meandering through an antique store, I spotted this ceramic duck casserole and was a little surprised at my interest in inspecting it closer and checking out the price.  There was something sweet about it and it made me smile.  I’ve learned to listen to the inklings I get when shopping (most of the time.) Eh, you should put that back.  You don’t have a good spot for it.  There is something special about that.  Go back and get it! Typically, when I spot something I like, but I’m not 100% sure about it, I will leave it and

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1970 home renovation

1970 kitchen renovation | waypoint cabinets & customizations

I wanted to write this post a few weeks ago, but I kept putting it off because I’ve had so many fun things to share.  I am glad this post was pushed back, though, because it gave me a chance to really use our cabinets and to give a report on how we like the customizations we made as well as the choice to have some of the cabinets sit on the counter.  Was that a mistake?  Do we miss the counter space?  Would I change anything about the cabinets? Also, I’m asked almost daily to share the color of the cabinets and, since I bought the cabinets in this color (Painted Sage by Waypoint), I don’t have a specific paint color to share.  I am going to pull out my paint decks this week, though, to see if I can find at least one good match to share.  It

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1970 home renovation

1970 kitchen renovation | forte panel-ready fridge review

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Forte.  As always, all words and opinions expressed are honest and my own. Through the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing reviews about each of the appliances I selected for our kitchen in case you’re in the market for a new range, fridge, dishwasher, or range hood insert and my review might be helpful.  As I stated above, this post is sponsored by Forte, the maker of the fridge I am reviewing today, but I didn’t receive any talking points or boundaries about what I can write about their products.  They gave me free rein to write honest reviews, so that’s what you’re going to get.  I will share the pros and cons of each appliance so you can make an informed decision. Let’s first talk about why I selected a e.  When I first started planning out our kitchen renovation, I assumed we

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Decorating

vintage & new kitchen rugs

I usually don’t post here on the blog on Fridays.  I keep the day open so I can paint, work on projects, go shopping, and not be tied to the computer.  But, I have so much to share about the kitchen, the pool, my upcoming art sale, and other house projects, so I’m taking some time to get a post up!  And, today, I am sharing the rugs I picked for the kitchen. First of all, I found the most perfect kilim rug from my favorite source for vintage kilim rugs, THIS Etsy shop, for the area under the sink.  I wasn’t looking for a rug that was 11′ long, but when I did the measurements, it would perfectly fit along the cabinets under the window.  I was worried it might look like overkill, but I love that it spans the floor from the range to the sink to the

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1970 home renovation

1970 kitchen renovation | the eating area

Alright, my friends who have been waiting to see more of the kitchen renovation, we’re going to take a little tour of the kitchen eating area as well as a look at how the space has changed over the past few weeks.  Even as I was pulling up the before pictures, I had a hard time believing what the kitchen looked like before our renovation started.  We’ll definitely have to do a full before & after comparison post, but I thought I would share a few today. As a frame of reference here is a before and after of the floor plan.  I think some of the before pictures aren’t going to make sense since we removed some walls and have views we didn’t have before. This is the before view looking into the eating area standing just to the left of the sink… And this is the same view

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Antiques

Antique European Mould Rack

When our kitchen renovation plans were in the very early stages, I had in mind that I wanted to find an antique plate rack.  I have always been drawn to them, especially since I have an extensive collection of ironstone and dishes.  There’s always a chance I’ll find one at an antique store or market, but I was combing Maria’s shopping and van-loading pictures as she took shopping trips to Europe to fill a container to ship back to the US to sell online and in her California-based shop, Dreamy Whites.  I spotted this pretty pine rack on her Instagram stories one day, circled it, and texted her the picture. Several weeks ago, before the kitchen renovation even started, a huge box arrived unexpectedly at my doorstep.  Maria is incredibly generous, so it’s not unusual for packages to arrive when I haven’t ordered anything from her.  I opened the box,

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1970 home renovation

1970 kitchen renovation | the antique baker’s table island

You’ve been seeing little peeks of it, but let me show you the refinished antique baker’s table and how it looks in the kitchen. As a reminder, I found this antique baker’s table at the Lucketts Spring Market a few weeks ago.  I had purchased a pine counter from a blog reader for $200 (you can see that HERE), but I wasn’t convinced it was the island.  It was worth picking up, though, so I had something to use until I found just the right one and I wouldn’t feel pressured.  Plus, it will make a fantastic folding counter for the laundry room or in the garage as a workbench.  It was a no-lose purchase. But, when I was at Lucketts, finding the kitchen island was still on my list.  As I shared in my post about shopping at the Lucketts Spring Market, I initially looked at antique shop counters,

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I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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