You've done a brilliant job in working with what's there; I'm sure you will eventually make it the gorgeous home you want (and get another Smeg; I saw a Smeg place in Holland and thought of you). xo
Each time you wrote about the kitchen from hell I thought Oh it can't be that bad. Now I have see it, yes it is the kitchen from hell. Sabin did a good job with the walls though. When I look at the pictures it is like someone moved into the house but is totally out of place, like not matching. Since it is only temporary situation, the house is doing its job, giving shelter.
Have a lovely weekend with lots of sunshine so we can enjoy the outdoors.
You are one of only two people I know who could make something of those spaces, and only you could do it with such great color. (My friend Katie would have a lot of great lines, but also a lot of browns and greys.)
And that stove would make me cry. On a regular basis. Oh, and those countertops: are they veneered to look like granite? Ugh!
You know, that kitchen from hell is almost alright...well the pink anyway. Those glass tops are just awful. But anyway...that pink is very retro and could work under the right mistress (myself not being one of them, and I'm guessing you neither). You've definitely got the place looking like a home already, even if it isn't done yet. All your little handmade touches radiate little hearts through my computer screen. : ) Hang in there and cultivate lots of patience... try to enjoy the creative process of a house becoming. I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation. : )
Seriously, who did that to your kitchen and what were they thinking? You were so right, they were very mean to your house! I'm surprised it hasn't staged a riot... But you have made it homey for now, and it sounds like it will be wonderful in the end! (Just stay outside, a lot, or at least out of the kitchen.)
Your hom is welcoming! I love and adore all the colors! That is one thing missing from my home! I need more color!
I agree the kitchen is terrible! However, it will be soooo exciting for your new kitchen! You will be soooo happy! I can't wait to see it! Can you rip up the office carpet? Whats under the linolium in the kitchen? If its concrete, just use concrete its a wonderful flooring specially when painted!
despite the bad carpet and pink kitchen your new place looks lovely and spacious and so full of light. great place, cogratulations, I'm sure you'll love it there
I find your new house exciting because we don't really know what it's going to be yet. I think once you paint over the pink in the kitchen it will be more tolerable. That shade of pink is definitely not your style.
Looks good to me, way way better than I expected from how you describe it! Seems really odd seeing your things in the 'wrong' place as it were, but the light is so lovely...it will be worth the slog.
Am so pleased to see the pile of washing waiting to be put away. I have a similar, permanent feature. I call it my 'art installation'. ;-)
julie, i can't believe you've only just moved into this place - i've been living out of boxes for such a long time, i won't even try to remember for how long...
and if it's any consolation at all: i have a very bad lino kitchen floor.
anyhoo - your house already looks so much like a lovely home with a real soul, it will be absolutely stunning once you're moving ahead with your renovations.
That kitchen truly is awful! But I think it's amazing what you've done with the rest so far! It's so colorful and bright already. And I'm loving the fabric circles on the curtains of course :)) I really cannot wait to see what it'll look like when you're all done with it, I suspect I will be extremely jealous :))
Now, I understand your encouragement to me to move 'for the bathtub'...only those who have to be without, truly understand! Think we've almost made the decision to move...but I feel your pain in the need for renovation, the work, time and expense can seem overwhelming...It's definitely a patience producer! The light is truly fabulous in the new place...windows! Love all the color you decorate with...such fun! I was tickled to see the scarf and know that you love it so! Yea!
June 3, 2010 at 5:34 AM
during my week at home sick with the dread disease (whatever it may be - the two doctors i've seen don't really agree, but it seems that some of the many meds i'm now taking are beginning to work), i've had time to give myself a little talking to about this house. i was having moments of depression and even anger about how awful it is and how little the previous owners seemed to do with it. and i was missing my beautiful kitchen on poppelvej. i won't say that i miss it any less (yes, you, my pretty red smeg), but i've talked myself around. there are things i can do to make this livable in the meantime before we build-on and create a brand new and even better kitchen. and we did, after all, choose this, so it's not like i've been forced into this situation (tho' leaving the appliances behind is something i've been forced into, but we're not going to go there. again.).
i thought i'd give you a little glimpse of the inside and what we have to put up with until the renovations can take place...
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looking into the living room.
naff ceiling constructed out of rough planks normally used for making fences.
covering up some of the horrible, cheap office-style carpet with my turkish rug.
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i chose to put a few books (gardening, decor and craft) and things we love on the shelf, in order to make it seem more livable.
the carpet is yucky office-style carpet and that depresses me a little bit.
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the curtains were on the windows, but i dressed them up with some fabric circles.
as you can see, that's the corner where i sit and knit.
sabin's scarf in colorful mercerized egyptian cotton is going rather slowly.
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the kitchen from hell.
still pepto bismol pink (i will remedy that in the near future, for reals).
this crappy linoleum floor depresses me as well (i can't even get it clean!) - i miss my oak floors!!
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but at least i have my kitchen aid and my posh red kettle.
and the window above the sink is nice.
plus there are lots of cupboards, and that's good.
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i despise that stove (and refrigerator for that matter).
for one, it's not gas, for another, those glass-topped stoves just seem so fake and cop-outish somehow.
and the left front burner is totally iffy - sometimes too hot, sometimes hardly heating at all.
when i stand in the kitchen and get worked up about missing my old kitchen, it's because of this stove.
[Image]
our bedroom - obligatory basket of clean laundry at the foot of the bed.
i'm good at doing laundry, but rubbish at putting it away.
great light from the window - i like that.
the pictures look a bit random on the wall, because we just used existing nails that were there.
it's hard to tell, but i also dressed up the curtains with a turquoise border - they were plain cream colored.
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sabin has been allowed to set her inner artist free and is painting what she wants on her walls.
circles on the left and a little jackson pollack action on the right.
the t.v. will be hung on the wall once she's finished.
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the one and only little bathroom - shower only, no bathtub (don't get me started on how much i miss my bathtub).
as husband says, it's actually the best room in the house.
by which he means it's the one that's been most recently redone.
[Image]
and my little desk area - looking quite a lot like it did at the old house - some things can't change too much.
the light is also nice here, tho' the window looks out on a naff little entryway with makeshift clotheslines.
the people who lived here before were apparently obsessed with clothelines - they're everywhere there possibly could be one.
note the pretty scarf on the doorknob - it's from the magnificent debra! and i love it!
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the indoor spaces being what they are, i had to create a homey outdoor space.
if the sun would just reliably shine, i'd be out there all the time.
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i found out that tho' this looks fetching under that tree, i've got to move it.
too much bird poo.
we've been discussing the order of our renovations quite extensively. our architect is nearly ready with some drawings for us and we're getting excited to see them. the expansion of the house is essentially going to be a separate, new building off the back of the existing house. it will be one large room that's kitchen, dining area and living room in one. it will be joined to the old house by some kind of exciting, creative, mostly glass solution (at least we hope that's what erik will come up with). so it will be possible to build it first while continuing to live in the old house. once it's built and we have a new kitchen up and running, we can tear down the old main house, which currently houses the kitchen, and do the renovations to the "left wing" of the house, where our bedrooms, bath, laundry and living room are at the moment. now, if the old house would just sell....people keep looking, but they don't seem to be buying.
20 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formYou've done a brilliant job in working with what's there; I'm sure you will eventually make it the gorgeous home you want (and get another Smeg; I saw a Smeg place in Holland and thought of you). xo
May 28, 2010 at 11:50 AM
what a wonderful light in every room of your house!
May 28, 2010 at 11:55 AM
Each time you wrote about the kitchen from hell I thought Oh it can't be that bad. Now I have see it, yes it is the kitchen from hell.
Sabin did a good job with the walls though.
When I look at the pictures it is like someone moved into the house but is totally out of place, like not matching.
Since it is only temporary situation, the house is doing its job, giving shelter.
Have a lovely weekend with lots of sunshine so we can enjoy the outdoors.
May 28, 2010 at 12:00 PM
Only you, Julochka, could take a barren interior landscape and turn it into a delightful retreat. Just lovely!
May 28, 2010 at 1:38 PM
You are one of only two people I know who could make something of those spaces, and only you could do it with such great color. (My friend Katie would have a lot of great lines, but also a lot of browns and greys.)
And that stove would make me cry. On a regular basis. Oh, and those countertops: are they veneered to look like granite? Ugh!
May 28, 2010 at 4:04 PM
You know, that kitchen from hell is almost alright...well the pink anyway. Those glass tops are just awful. But anyway...that pink is very retro and could work under the right mistress (myself not being one of them, and I'm guessing you neither). You've definitely got the place looking like a home already, even if it isn't done yet. All your little handmade touches radiate little hearts through my computer screen. : ) Hang in there and cultivate lots of patience... try to enjoy the creative process of a house becoming. I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation. : )
May 28, 2010 at 4:11 PM
Seriously, who did that to your kitchen and what were they thinking? You were so right, they were very mean to your house! I'm surprised it hasn't staged a riot...
But you have made it homey for now, and it sounds like it will be wonderful in the end! (Just stay outside, a lot, or at least out of the kitchen.)
May 28, 2010 at 6:03 PM
Your hom is welcoming! I love and adore all the colors! That is one thing missing from my home! I need more color!
I agree the kitchen is terrible! However, it will be soooo exciting for your new kitchen! You will be soooo happy! I can't wait to see it!
Can you rip up the office carpet? Whats under the linolium in the kitchen? If its concrete, just use concrete its a wonderful flooring specially when painted!
Trina
www.mommeville.com
May 28, 2010 at 6:47 PM
despite the bad carpet and pink kitchen your new place looks lovely and spacious and so full of light. great place, cogratulations, I'm sure you'll love it there
May 28, 2010 at 7:27 PM
The couch under the tree is so divine.
The house will be wonderful. You've such a good eye for color, pattern, shape.
May 28, 2010 at 9:31 PM
I find your new house exciting because we don't really know what it's going to be yet. I think once you paint over the pink in the kitchen it will be more tolerable. That shade of pink is definitely not your style.
Thanks for showing us around. Get better quick.
May 28, 2010 at 10:47 PM
Looks good to me, way way better than I expected from how you describe it! Seems really odd seeing your things in the 'wrong' place as it were, but the light is so lovely...it will be worth the slog.
Am so pleased to see the pile of washing waiting to be put away. I have a similar, permanent feature. I call it my 'art installation'. ;-)
x
May 29, 2010 at 12:00 AM
What really strikes me is how light and bright it all looks. I especially love your sewing area.
When does the banishment of pepto bismol pink begin?
May 29, 2010 at 12:58 AM
so homely and cheerful!
May 29, 2010 at 7:59 AM
Gosh that kitchen is... pink...
On the plus side, the whole house seems filled with light.
It will be fine. I hope you feel better soon.
May 29, 2010 at 10:40 AM
I hope you feel well soon!
You've done a good job of injecting personality into the place! Also, I've said ti before, but Sabine is quite the talent!
May 29, 2010 at 10:55 AM
julie, i can't believe you've only just moved into this place - i've been living out of boxes for such a long time, i won't even try to remember for how long...
and if it's any consolation at all: i have a very bad lino kitchen floor.
anyhoo - your house already looks so much like a lovely home with a real soul, it will be absolutely stunning once you're moving ahead with your renovations.
May 29, 2010 at 11:11 PM
That kitchen truly is awful! But I think it's amazing what you've done with the rest so far! It's so colorful and bright already. And I'm loving the fabric circles on the curtains of course :))
I really cannot wait to see what it'll look like when you're all done with it, I suspect I will be extremely jealous :))
May 31, 2010 at 8:08 AM
Looks lovely. Dig the kitchen. Am a total dissenter.
May 31, 2010 at 8:51 AM
Now, I understand your encouragement to me to move 'for the bathtub'...only those who have to be without, truly understand! Think we've almost made the decision to move...but I feel your pain in the need for renovation, the work, time and expense can seem overwhelming...It's definitely a patience producer! The light is truly fabulous in the new place...windows! Love all the color you decorate with...such fun! I was tickled to see the scarf and know that you love it so! Yea!
June 3, 2010 at 5:34 AM