Search Results for: dining room
or how about this? [kitchen design revisited]
Remember those sketchup images that we posted last week? The ones we were all excited about? Well, they are officially old news…put them in your virtual recycling bin because Kyle has busted out some mad sketchup skills on this revised design.
This week we started thinking more about lighting, which led to thinking more about the ceiling, which led to vaulting the ceiling. It’s an idea we’ve tossed around for a while. Originally, our plan was to vault the living room space and do a loft over the back half of the house. Concerns about loft head height and acoustical separation from the bedroom below eventually nixed that idea. But because we will be creating a long and narrow kitchen/dining/living space, we also wanted to avoid the “bowling alley” effect. Here’s what we’re thinking:
We’ll vault the ceiling over the kitchen and dining area. Not only should this do wonders for general volume of the space, but it also allows us to add some skylights. This is our south-facing wall and in Seattle, we’ll take all the light we can get. The vertical window at the dining area is actually an extra window that’s sitting in our basement. We’d been thinking about a way to try to use it and we like the playfulness of the window-to-skylight composition. The skylight “wells” around the glass will be splayed out in an effort to bounce more light into the space. Ideally, with this setup we’ll be able to avoid turning on lights during the day.
The skylight in the kitchen will frame the view of the large Douglas Fir tree in our neighbor’s yard. The metal picture rail at the back splash is for spices and we’ll extend it (visually) to the dining room wall as a place for art, candles, whatever. We’re still working on the lighting design. We like what we have, but we’re just not sure it’s in the budget. But it’s also important to get it right. We know all too well the effects of really bad lighting.
The steel members at the vaulted area are tie rods, which not only look cool (well, to architects at least) but they are necessary to tie the roof structure together since we’ll be removing all the joists in this area. [Similar to what we did at the front porch.] For the vaulted ceiling, we’re thinking about some type of tongue and groove paneling painted white.
This view is standing in the kitchen looking back towards the dining and living area with a glimpse of the bedroom to the right. [The dark wall behind the translucent man is a peek into what will be the 2nd bedroom.] The built-in bench to the left of the table will have extra storage space under the seat.
A similar view with the sliding doors in their closed position.
And there’s the linen drum pendant we saw in the West Elm catalog! The shelf to the left will double as a guard rail for the stairs down to the basement and a shelving/storage unit. [In a small house, every inch counts!]
And here we are standing at the front door. In the living room, our ceiling joists run north-south so the plan is to first install plywood or some type of subfloor in the attic, then tear out the lath and plaster and leave the joists exposed. We think this will be an interesting expression of the old house and will add a bit of extra height to the space. The piece of furniture between the dining and living area will serve as a room divider and storage space. (The yellow panel will slide over to hide the TV.) The unit will also be on casters so we can push it out of the way if we need to accommodate more people at the table. [Unfortunately, we don’t actually own any of the furniture in this model (except for the table).] Here’s hoping we find an Eames chair on the side of the road with a “free” sign on it!
So that’s where we’re at. The design is bound to change some more and we still have lots of finishes and materials to finalize, but we really like the direction things are heading.
new from west elm
Kyle came home from work tonight with three pages torn out of the new West Elm catalog. [images linked to website.]
How would these look in the future dining room? At $80 each they’re a reasonable option. [I love the yellow, but we’d probably play it safe and go with the dark brown.] And the wrap is a playful variation on most of the bent plywood chairs out there.
Oh…and what about this large pendant ($150) to go over the dining room table? We love how natural linen diffuses artificial light and the cotton cover at the bottom means you’re not looking up at an ugly bulb.
If you look closely at the sketchup model of the kitchen, you’ll see a metal ledge below the vent hood. We’re thinking about something similar to the above as a modern and clean way to store spices and other small everyday kitchen objects. I’ve seen similar metal ledges, but this one is only $55 for a 4′ strip.
year in review
While 2009 is not quite over, I think it’s safe to say that this year’s house projects certainly are. To recap, the year started out by tying up loose ends in the basement. As part of the structural revamping we did in 2008, we needed to complete the seismic retrofit which entailed anchoring the framing to the concrete foundation, insulating, and installing sheathing. We then moved on to a massive purging and organizing effort and discovered that our new crawl space-turned-short basement provided more than enough room for most of our storage needs. In March, we dove straight into the exterior restoration/reconstruction project and didn’t come up for air until October. In November we finished an art project for the bedroom and by December we could barely muster the energy to hang some garland.
Although we are enjoying this little break, we are also gearing up for 2010 with our eyes set on one thing: the kitchen! The plan right now is to spend January and February finishing up some small projects (the front porch/mudroom and a bathroom art project) in addition to finalizing the details of the kitchen. Because this project will probably disrupt our daily lives more than anything we’ve done so far (as in, we will be without a kitchen, living room or dining room for at least a couple months) we’re committed to doing as much research and planning as possible before we pick up a sledge-hammer. To save up a bit more money and avoid bare studs during the cold months, we’re hoping to delay the start of demo until April. But…knowing us, we probably won’t be able to wait that long.
Happy Holidays!
Living / Process
The first time we walked into our would-be house, it felt like stepping back in time…back to an era where crushed green velvet and plastic medieval chandeliers were in vogue. Before moving in, we tore up the green carpet, painted, and replaced the light fixture. Since then, we have replaced the windows, put up some temporary window trim and installed new roller shades.
Update – we gutted this room! Click here for past posts that chronicle the transformation of this space!
August + September 2006
Because we were dealing with plaster walls, we needed to do some patching and repairing prior to painting. Oh hello again green couch, you did come in handy.
The white primer alone really brightened up the room. We alsmost reconsidered our green color [and maybe we should have, considering our recent tendency to stick with white walls in cloudy Seattle], but we also wanted the space to feel cozy.
Cutting in the green paint. We chose a Benjamin Moore color that we then had matched to a zero VOC paint from American Pride.
Green paint good! We painted the ceiling and all the trim white as well.
August 2009
Here are a few shots of the “current state” of the living/dining room.
In the last three years, we’ve fussed around with the layout (usually coming back to the couch straddling the framed opening), replaced the windows, added (and then removed) an area rug, and for the most part left the space as is. Once we determined that we would eventually gut the space, it didn’t make much sense to do anything else.
Since we demoed the basement, the dining room has served as our home office and until the porch is completed, it serves as the mudroom too.
→ Living / Before
→ Living / After
Exterior / Process
In March of 2009, after what we thought might be a summer break from working on the house (ha!) we decided to tackle the outside. We were looking for a low cost, high labor project (to keep us busy) and it seems like we chose well. During its 1960’s transformation (or so we think), the house was covered in metal siding, the porches were glassed in, the teal was introduced and aluminum window replaced the original wood windows. Soon enough, we were diving into what would probably be classified as a complete exterior restoration/remodel.
See the porch transformation, flip book style!
March 2009
In early March we started removing the metal siding to see what condition the wood underneath was in.
The north side of the house was in relatively great shape! Fortunately, we were able to take the metal to a recycling facility and get a little cash for our efforts.
Juxtaposition between old and new. It’s amazing how much better the scale of the house looks with the narrower wood siding.
New Seiho dryer vent, old shingles to be demolished.
The haphazard back side of the house (new bathroom window against all closet window on the right).
April 2009
We had to remove the plants at the front of the house so we transplanted the Camelia to the side yard where we think she looks quite nice.
We were just going to demo the porch down to the structure but then discovered that it more or less needed to be entirely replaced. Spending the first 50 years or so as an open porch was the likely culprit.
In order to keep the roof structure, Kyle built temporary struts. Again, Bailey does not like what is going on here. We also were able to reuse the foundation footing but decided to pour a slab over the dirt and create some extra storage space.
For a small job like this, Kyle was able to rent a portable mixer.
After the concrete cured, Kyle got to work rebuilding the porch framing.
We also purchased a Paint Shaver Pro to take all the old paint off. Since we kept the roof structure, the rafter tails were the first to get shaved.
May 2009
Kyle sets the posts and temporarily braces them in preparation for pouring the concrete footings. The framing is also complete. Kyle built new knee braces and installed a threaded tension rod covered with conduit between the two.
More porch progress…pressure treated stair carriages and sheathing on the roof.
The decking, handrails, posts, and rail cap are all ipe, a very hard and durable wood that lasts forever with minimal maintenance. This is a detail of the handrail at the ipe post.
After the installation of the new door, Kyle sprays expanding foam into the cracks and crevices.
Bailey investigates his new view. This is shortly before he drooled all over it.
Kyle recreates his “Captain Morgan” pose after completing the porch roof…a much easier feat than its big brother two summers ago.
We used beveled cedar siding (same size and profile as the house) to wrap the sides of the porch. We then coped the boards so they transition from solid to semi-solid at the stoop.
New door hardware from Emtek.
New jelly jar light (from Home Depot!) and new Neutra house numbers from Design Within Reach.
Detail shot of the new stoop. We will eventually finish the ipe with Penofin.
A shot of the completed porch. The siding will be painted to match the house, all the trim will be white.
June 2009
We decided to go ahead and replace the remaining windows with all the other exterior work. We were very excited to replace many of our fixed windows with new operable windows. Natural ventillation, what a concept!
Installation of the new door. We chose a fir, solid core door for the interior front door, sized to fit in the existing opening.
Prepping the rough opening for the new window.
It was somewhat odd to have big gaping holes in our dining room.
New solid door with Emtek hardware and viewer.
We are thrilled with the new windows! We went with the same windows we did in the bathroom and bedroom – Eagle fir wood windows with metal cladding on the outside. Two of the dining/living windows are casements, which allows for some much needed cross ventillation. The visibility and brightness of color through the glass is also noticeably different from our old windows.
Random – scary looking dogwood tree.
Because our main windows face west, it was very important to order and install shades sooner than later. We tried out various samples, and ended up going with roller shades in a neutral, linen-esque fabric from The Shade Store.
July 2009
Happy 4th of July!
New shades, as seen from outside at night.
Kyle continues the paint shaving along the north wall. We were so thrilled with how incredible the 99 year old wood looked that we considered doing a clear stain. However, there was enough patching required and there was too much contrast between the old and new boards (the old ones looked way better!).
North and west sides almost complete! The shingles will be the last thing we do so we don’t have to worry about protecting new shingles when we paint the beveled siding.
Contrast between old and new on the south side.
August 2009
We were anxious to get one side of the house prepped for paint so we could make a decision on color. This involved shaving the old paint, sanding, setting nail heads, filling nail heads with rust-stop (old nails weren’t galvanized), spacking, sanding, caulking and then priming and painting!
The back side, very much in progress! Kyle has framed in the new attic hatch (bigger and centered on the future door location below). The porch windows will be replaced with a new future-kitchen window.
The new back door, in between coats of Daly’s Seafin Aquaspar.
Dustin came over to help paint and demo the back porch as Kyle worked on the new attic hatch doors.
Sample cans of paint color contenders.
The primer is tinted, but because it is mixed with a white base it is lighter than the final paint color. The bottom four colors are our options (it starts to repeat above that). The top two were too blue or even periwinkle. The 3rd one down was almost two gray and not quite dark enough. The bottom was our favorite. Its name is “soot”. Soot in gray Seattle…perfect! We also like the way the color looks against the white trim and dark brown window.
Kyle also installed the new back door. This will eventually be part of the kitchen, but for now it is part of the old bathroom/current bathroom anteroom.
The back porch, more closely resembling its original state from 1910.
Prepping the opening to install the door. All the white dots (upper left) are spackling that needs to be sanded.
Thanks to the help of our awesome neighbor and professional painting expert, Deb, she and I were able to prime the north side in just one afternoon. Even though it’s just tinted primer, it’s such a huge change already!
The chosen paint color (bottom swatch).
September 2009
The new wall to the right is where the old aluminum screen door used to be.
The siding needed to be cut back at random intervals so the new siding could be slipped in without looking obvious after it’s all painted and done.
New back door (old porch steps relocated), new integrated attic hatch above.
Old electrical “panel” on the right…the two holes to the left were boarded over but originally were screened as part of a natural ventilation food storage system (kitchen is on the other side).
In order to install the future kitchen window, we needed to demo the wall between the porch and the old bathroom/current bathroom ante room.
Framed rough opening for the new (future) kitchen window! I am standing approximately where the future kitchen sink will be.
Since the current kitchen window will eventually be eliminated, we decided to go ahead toss it and frame in the opening. We will probably put in a new window in the future dining area, but this will be located partially behind the existing kitchen cabinets to the right and we didn’t want to rip those out yet.
We found this old electrical permit in the “panel” on the back porch. It’s a permit for an electrical install from 1925!
alignnoneThe old porch and kitchen window are enclosed and ready to be re-sided!
Temporary fix for the old kitchen window location. We had a scrap piece of greenboard so we’ll eventually paint it white and maybe throw a few temporary shelves up. Or maybe one of those trompe l’oeil paintings that make us believe we’re in a warm sunny destination.
The old back porch will, for the time being, become part of the pseudo mudroom/bathroom ante room. We might remove the old bathroom door and old back door to get a little more light into our now dark kitchen.
Rain or shine, we have to get this project done! New siding will be patched in next and then the last of the paint shaving, prepping, etc.
Tinted primer!
New future kitchen window install. Unfortunately, the view is of the garage/carport.
Bailey takes in the new view.
Tinted primer on slats.
Starting to get a feel for the finished product (and also working too late).
Definitely working too late.
But thank goodness for work lights!
Prepping the rough opening for the new basement windows.
Shingle demo.
We opted to go ahead and paint the siding prior to shingle install so we didn’t have to worry about dripping paint. It looks tons better even with just the exposed sheathing.
New basement window and flashing.
October 2009
Insulating the old back porch. We used recycled cotton batt insulation.
Old, sad basement door.
New, happy basement door!
We spray painted all the exterior mechanical/electrical components to blend in with the shingle color.
Fresh bundles of cedar shingles! We actually fit all these in the back of the car which doubled as an amazing air freshener for several days!
For the slats, Kyle used a roller to apply the paint, then back brushed to match the texture with the rest of the house. For the other face, we applied a tinted cedar stain.
Insulation saw! I was skeptical at first, but it actually worked pretty well…much better than a utility knife, scissors, or bare hands.
Cedar shingle install. Kyle used a staple gun that we scored off Craigslist and stainless steel staples. They’re more expensive, but the galvanized staples react with the tannins in the cedar and cause streaking. Not something we want to experience after all this hard work!
We had to pull the temporary stair away to install shingles. This caused a lot of confusion for Bailey who was at a loss on how he would get back in the house. Had I not intervened, I think he was going to try to jump.
Almost there! The shingles need to be stained and those gutters need to be installed.
One coat of stain made such a huge difference! Weather pending, we’ll try to do another coat or two this year.
We had just enough energy to clean up and mow the yard that had somehow become a jungle.
Ahh. Done.
Some quick “after” shots. We still need to get out and take some decent photos when there’s better light.
