lebaiym's Profile

Sorry about the grammar! I was too excited to edit! lol!

If you really love the sofa, have it reupholstered. You may want to chose a less expensive (but just as nice) fabric to make it cost effective.

A good upholsterer can work wonders with the springs, batting and wood restoration.

In addition, you can have custom modifications done (a firmer or softer seat, higher arms, etc) to make the sofa perfectly comfortable for *your* ergonomic needs.

In the end, it could end up costing you the same, or less, than a new sofa and you end up with EXACTLY what you want.

I'm having a wingback recliner reupholstered now. It would've cost $400 if I'd gone with a mid-line fabric and just had the legs restored to the original. But I'm having the legs heavily modified and shortened, the arms are being raised, the back is getting extra lumbar support and I've chosen 5 different fabrics (including several sq feet of real leather) and added a custom throw pillow to the mix. It's costing me right around $1000, but it will be my perfect chair in color, design and comfort.

Totally worth it!

After spinal surgery, I now have trouble bending over. Anything low is impossible to get to.

I especially love the rail system on the backsplash. With this, I can have almost everything at the right height.

Because I'm also short, cupboard pull-down shelves would give me extra storage space. That's something for another day.

Also, I *LOVE* my refrigerator with the freezer drawer on the bottom.

My husband and I had similar experiences growing up: our bedrooms were *ours*. The rest of the house belonged to our parents. There were very rare occasions where we were allowed to build a fort in the living room, but we were expected to clean up after ourselves.

So that's what we did with our kids. They weren't stifled or felt unwelcome in their own home, but they had to learn boundaries and respect for common areas.

When they're little, yes, they were in the living room where I could watch them. But around the age of four, it was time for them to keep their mess to themselves.

I had three 'zones'. Mom and dad's bedroom and bathroom. OFF LIMITS. The common areas (living room, dining room and kitchen) and their areas (their rooms and, when we had it, the family room). We ALL cleaned the common areas before bed, as a team. (Ten minute tidy, we called it.)

seven years ago I was in a similar situation to yours. Very little money and an unacceptable kitchen. I didn't see the funds for a new one in our future, so I did almost exactly what you did. Black cabinets and open shelving.

It's served me very well, but I wouldn't do black again. It shows dirt and dust worse than white!

The open shelves weren't a major problem. Once a week, I'd go 'round everything with a feather duster. Two minutes. Not a big deal.

All-in-all, GREAT JOB! (You did better than I did!) You won't regret it and you'll have a kitchen you can live with for years. So much better!

i couldn't live with this (I'm one of those dreaded 'beige' and 'earth tone' people), but I'm glad that places like this are out there. It's very well done and I appreciate variety in life!