Kitchen Re-Do: Before and After

BEFORE

AFTER

The kitchen is done. The layout is the same and we did not need new appliances. These are the changes that make a huge difference:

Painting some of the wood cabinets white. My husband does not believe in messing with wood so it was a real struggle to convince him to paint any of the oak cabinets. I think we struck just the right balance by painting one end of the kitchen but leaving the other portion au natural. We replaced some cabinets but Little Cove Furniture did a perfect job matching the new cabinets to the ones that stayed.

Updating the ceiling fixtures and lighting. The kitchen is SO much brighter now! Replacing the big brown paddled ceiling fan with a smaller ceiling fan with white paddles made a huge difference in making the kitchen seem bigger.

Replacing the floor. After 37 years, the faux brick floor was dirty and dingy. Our new floor is bright and easy to clean (I am always thinking of our cleaning lady).

Replacing the back splash. Years ago we used Mexican tile which became quite dated and was separating from the wall. Our new backsplash is much more modern and really makes the kitchen fresh.

Removing an unused desk. In three decades, I never once sat at the kitchen desk. It was in an awkward place, not easily accessible. Removing the desk and two unused radiators makes the kitchen seem so much bigger.

Minimizing clutter. Half of the kitchen stuff is still in another room. The kitchen is open and airy because my clutter has not migrated back. How long will it be before treasured figurines and travel souvenirs return? I would say 6 months tops.

What is the biggest lesson I have learned from this experience?

Before undertaking a project like this, you better have someone interested in making design choices

Leanne Cobb. Who needs Martha Stewart when Leanne lives nearby?

from a million different options. I am paralyzed by too much choice. Hiring Leeanne Cobb was key to the successful redo. She and Ron enjoyed analyzing different counter top materials, flooring options, and paint selection. Not me. I weighed in when the choices were whittled down to two.

What is my most significant piece of advice?

If you are old like me and remodeling the kitchen, make sure the warranties on all materials exceed your life expectancy. That ensures you will never have to remodel again!

Facing Death and Dismemberment in Richmond

My husband and I visited Richmond for the weekend as a Valentine’s Day getaway.

Ron and I on James River Pipeline Trail. Notice my tight grip on the handrail

One of our adventures proved heart-stopping. We innocently decided to enjoy the James River Pipeline Walkway. The need to descend to the trail via a metal ladder should have been an indication that we were not about to enjoy an easy stroll. The good news: The walkway follows a pipeline. The bad news: the pipeline is 8 feet above the James River.

As I get older, I get more nervous about things like walking along an elevated sewer pipe with steep drop offs to swirling river rapids. A catwalk with a hand rail is available for parts of the walkway. Other sections have no handrails and an uneven layer of dirt replaces metal tread ways. My husband thought it a great adventure. My knuckles were white from gripping the handrail. My heart was pounding not from love for my husband but from fear of losing my balance.

I could see the Richmond Times-Dispatch headline: Old Person falls from trail into James River. Body recovered in Hampton Roads.

When we finally reached the end, there was no relief. The trail was underwater due to higher than average rainfall. To exit, you had to LEAP over swirling waters onto a rock and climb up a hill side. My husband blithely made the jump and held out his hand for me to do the same. After thinking about it for roughly 10 seconds, I declined. When I fall into the arms of my husband I want to be on level ground.

I turned around. The metal staircase at the other end was a far more reliable exit.

Richmond offers so much to see and do—we visited the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the lively neighborhood of Careytown, the White House of the Confederacy, the Virginia State Capitol and Fountain Bookstore, “the quirkiest, heartwarmingest bookstore on the planet.”

I assure you all these places are a lot safer than the Pipeline of Fear Walkway.

My husband loved the excitment of this trail. I just worried about falling into the James River.

No guardrail. In honor of valentine' Day, my heart was pounding. But not from love...from fear!

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Kitchen Re-Do: Construction Done. Now Comes the Hard Part

Our kitchen has been re-floored, re-tiled, re-countered, re-plumbed, re-wired, re-painted and re-built.

The construction phase of the kitchen re-do is over!

This is just some of the kitchen stuff I must now trash or treasure

Now comes the hard part. I have to put everything back. Kitchen stuff is strewn across two rooms of our house. Glasses, plates, pots, pans, enough cleaning supplies to make the Trump Tower sparkle, utensils, coffee cups…the list goes on and on.

Before returning all this stuff I am going to sort through it and discard unneeded items following the advice of the latest cleaning guru, Marie Kondo. She says to only keep things that “spark joy.” There go the cleaning supplies. The wine glasses definitely stay.

I will post a final picture once everything is back in the kitchen and decorative touches have been added. Believe me, it might be a while.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the wonderful contractors who made it all possible.

John Norton, owner of CT Carpet One, job foreman Julio, and Ron celebrate completing the new tile floor

The young men from Clean Sweep were invaluable during the tear now phase and preparing the kitchen for new improvements.

John , supervisor from Countertop Solutions, makes sure all measurements are accurate before ordering final counter tops and tile.

the tile guys from Countertop Solutions apply the tile backsplash to the kitchen

The plumbers from Charles Town Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning worked long and hard to get the plumbing reconfigured for the new sink.

The true hero of the kitchen re-do: my husband Ron who primed and re-painted the entire kitchen, replaced door knobs and hinges, installed ceiling fan and new light fixtures, and worked side by side with every contractor.