designsilverlake's Profile

I'm staring at these pictures and pretty much drooling over all of this. Some truly genius transformations here that I think truly make this space so much better than before. The stair transformation from railing and steps to a large wide step platform is genius. I love how that just opens up the place and makes it feel so much larger. The addition of the brick in the kitchen and the bedroom really adds a sense of history and texture to the architecture, which I'm sure echoes the exteriors of the building. A lot of times in these loft spaces, the interiors lose all textures and detail so I'm glad to see some of this was put back, even if it's "fake".

I do think that this style is more traditional (tile, cabinets, trim choices) with a touch of industrial but who really cares what style it is - it's GORGEOUS!!!!

I don't shop at the actually JCPenney store, but their online home section is fabulous for cheap blackout shades and cheap rugs. We bought blackout shades for the bedrooms and roller shades for the rest of the house, and they were definitely the best deal. We've also purchased for a rental property and they've always worked out great. They look much expensive than they actually are. You can even order custom sizes. They're blackout shades are amazing for the price!!!!

Raise hell with Ikea and make them replace them all til they're perfect. Ikea needs to do a better job of screening their subs and they won't do it unless people make them realize there's a problem. Their countertop prices really aren't cheaper, even with the 20% discount - I shopped around and ended up with a guy I found on craigslist who had good reviews. Way cheaper too.

Geez, these comments are so critical. I think this is hilarious. I love the toy-action-pull-the-trigger-light explosion. Come on, that's awesome people!!!! Who cares if it's not our style, as long as she and her hubby like it!

I'm a home flipper and have installed at least 4 kitchens with Ikea cabinets. Lets say I have a love hate relationship with them. I also have them in my own house and have come to love them for their flexibility (even after 8 years!).
I've only used non-Ikea cabinets once (Kraftmaid from Home Depot) and I was happy with those. The were well built, arrived already assembled and were very sturdy. But back to Ikea.

Ikea cabinets are great if you're somewhat handy (save on assembling them yourself), and don't need cabinets built to specific measurements. If you're not handy at all and paying someone to assemble them, I would question doing the Ikea route as the savings would all be lost in labor costs. I've always assembled my own cabinets and they're not difficult. If you can put the Billy bookcase together, you can do kitchen cabinets. They're all the same. My 3 year old son even helped me out :)
The ones in my house and rental unit have all stood up to wear and tear very well. A few areas have gotten scratched but overall I've been very impressed with their durability. I think my door style was called Adel or something like that. Two of our rental units have the light khaki colored doors (now discontinued) and they've held up extremely well. They look brand new!
The drawers have all worked great and the hinges are like the best European ones.

**I should warn you to brace yourself when the Ikea delivery truck comes. If your kitchen is big, you might pass out when you see all the big and small boxes arrive. It's not for the faint of heart. Make sure you have spouse or friends to help. Especially if you have a tall pantry in your layout.

Good luck!

Two things: darkened shades and EAR PLUGS. The plugs might sound crazy but I swear, they have completely transformed my sleep. I have always been a really light sleeper and any tiny noise wakes me up. My mom and sister are like this also and it's always been so annoying because every little sound disrupts our sleep! But after having kids, I was desperate for some solid sleep and resorted to ear plugs so I could nap.

I prefer the gel ones as they work WAY better than the soft squishy ones. Because it blocks out every sound, I can also fall asleep super quickly. Super quickly and super sound = better sleep for me! yay! I do find that I still need at least 8-9 hours of sleep a night (I think I come from a family of sleepers!) to feel refreshed.

Try the plugs, it will feel weird the first two or three nights because you can feel them in your ears. But you will NOT be disappointed by the quality of sleep you get, promise!!!!!