KHinNJ's Profile

Oh for heaven's sakes, you nicey nice nicers are not doing the homeowner any favors. Why put the pictures up there if you don't expect to get a little criticism? If all you expect is praise then you're going to miss the constructive comments about how to make it look better. This is not my ideal remodel. There are a lot of things that I wouldn't have done in that kitchen. I've remodeled kitchens and I've made my own mistakes. But in this case, it's not the end of the world. It just needs some tweaking, mostly in the area of color and hardware finishes. He did a good job for the money he had.

Aw, shucks! Lovely seems to have been taken. How about, "charming"?

Wasn't there a post last week on a takeoff of Anthropologie's Ordinal dresser?
Here's the dresser from the Anthropologie site:
http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-furniture/960069.jsp
And here's the post from last week:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-after-anthropologie-inspired-dresser-craftaholics-anonymous-170471

I wouldn't paint this sucker glossy white. Too booooooring, no matter how many lime green and orange thingies and gewgaws you put on top.

BTW, I couldn't disagree more with Heather's advice to stay out of the marketplace. My favorite glass base lamp came from the Marketplace. I love it. I love it more than the ones I had seen that were similar in other catalogues that cost hundreds of dollars more. It's perfect for my living room.
I also love the dishware. Dirt cheap, colorful and practical. AND most of my curtains are Ikea plain white Matelasse. They're cheap and elegant. There's a lot more good stuff there if you use your imagination.

My mom shared a bunk bed with her older sister when she was a kid, which is probably why my sister and I *didn't* have them. Biggest complaint: in the summer, my aunt kicked my mom to the upper bunk and in the fall the aunt switched again. So my mom was always either freezing or hot. These things are probably easily solvable today with the right heating/AC system. But they never worried about safety. I've never heard of a kid being hurt on a bunkbed. Oh sure, there are probably all kinds of stories about what can happen if you fall out. But in all my decades of being alive and knowing countless families who have had bunks, I have never heard of a single safety incident. Parents these days worry too much about stuff our parents never worried about. I still have one kid at home but if I had two who were the same sex and only a few years apart and limited room, they'd be in bunks, no doubt about it.

Here's a bubble chandelier that looks like it's easy to make:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/weve-blogged-about-jean-pelles-76151
This one is from Secrets of a Stylist. It's called an Orblando. Also easy to make and creative: http://hommemaker.com/2011/09/21/d-i-why-orb-lando/

LOLOL! You've got to be kidding. This is not a mess. This is just a case of not putting things away for a day. Your nightstand doesn't even have any plates or wineglasses on it. Please.

Yep, I wanted to buy my grandparents' house. I love that little house. I moved a lot too and no place seemed like home more than that house. My uncle owns it now and he rents it out. It wouldn't sell because he's planning to move there himself in a couple of years. But yeah, I know just how you feel.
My bedroom was teeny tiny. It was slightly bigger than my current walk in closet. But it faced the woods and the east and in the spring mornings, the sun would come flooding in and the leaves murmured in the wind. It was lovely.

Ehhhhh, I don't like it. I'd be banging my head on those things and it makes me think of the space ship in the movie Alien.
Maybe as a lantern on a desk or countertop?

I had an old ugly kitchen once. You can paint it by following the steps everyone suggested above (deglaze, scuff, prime paint). There's also another option. Change the door fronts with paintable mdf doors. They don't have to be expensive and you can pick the door style that suits your tastes. MDF Shaker doors are dirt cheap. Paint them creamy white and then all you have to do is make the rest of the cabinet match. You will be able to live with your old kitchen a lot longer.