.: This is the house that will haunt me...

{Part One: The Kitchen}

Sometimes I hate what I do.  In my line of work I get to see all kinds of homes.  (It doesn't help that I'm also a complete real estate voyeur!)  Every time I enter a place, my mind goes all aflutter with ideas about the things I could do to make it better, stronger, faster (bionic designer that I am, ha ha!)  And then, as I'm mentally renovating, I begin to picture my own family in said dwelling.  And that's where it all falls apart.

This is the house that will haunt me.  I just know it will forever be "the one that got away".  It's just that kind of special.  This home has so much potential it makes my head spin; the possible return on investment is slightly mind blowing.  But enough of my drooling.  Let's get to the fun part -- what would I do with this house?

Starting with The Kitchen....

Not too pretty, eh?  Clearly, the kitchen needs a total gut job.  But the room is large and has a basically good layout, so it's really not too bad to work with. Walls, floor, cabinets and appliances all need to be replaced.  If it were me, and of course since this is my fantasy house it is, I would start by replacing the floors with a medium toned hardwood, like this....

Walnut Floors

Now, this might be a tiny bit of a stretch, since the living room hardwoods appear to be typical 1960's light stained red oak.  Normally I like uniformity within a home.  But in the back of mind I have an idea for the dining room floors that will tie it all together.

Secondly, keeping the layout basically the same, I would put in black (*gasp*) cabinets all the way to the ceiling.  (Did I say black cabinets?  Oh yes I did.  I went there.)

via That Home Site

via That Home Site

via KB Walls

Why black?  Well, because the kitchen opens just to the right of the front door, and is visible from both there and the living and dining rooms.  And frankly, nothing says "kitchen" less, and screams "elegant" more, than black cabinets.  Now, I'd like to eliminate the cabinets above the peninsula and  move the peninsula itself two or three feet further into the room, so as to create a larger work area.  I know the rest of the world prefers an island, but this kitchen doesn't really have the width to support an island, and anyway, I like a peninsula.  And the peninsula would be done in a different finish -- something warm and antique looking.

Distressed Alder cabinet, via Custom Cupboards

I would only make two other changes to the layout.  First would be to move the refrigerator to the other side of the doorway, so that it's next to the peninsula workspace.  This will open up both the doorway and the sink areas.  Second, I would cut back the wall next to the dining room, and put a microwave/wall oven cabinet there, with a 30" base cabinet next to it for extra storage.  (Maybe this afternoon I'll work up a floorplan for this...).  Not a layout change, but I would love to lower the sill height on those windows above the sink....after all, the view is gorgeous, and you should be able to enjoy it while you're doing the dishes.

For the countertops I'd like to see warm browns with flecks of black, so I'd either use a Juperana Gold granite, or Cambria Quartz in Bradshaw:

Juperana Gold Granite

Cambria Bradshaw

And maybe Jersalem Gold for the backsplash....

Jerusalem Gold mosaic from GlassTileStore

Of course, I'd have to add a stunning dining set for the eating area; in the sitting area, a small sectional and an entertainment center to replace the brown built-in; and I would have a desk against the wall (where the mid-century hutch sits currently).

Dining Set

Sectional

Entertainment Center

And the whole thing will come together on a background of Benjamin Moore Bronze Tone (2166-30).

Ah, it would be stunning!  Nothing like getting your creative juices flowing......

Tomorrow we'll hit the living and dining rooms.  In the meantime, if you'd like to check out this new listing, you can find it here, at Coldwell Banker.



ps......did I mention this kitchen has a working dumbwaiter?  I kid you not!  This, of course, would stay!

~ Leigh