kmta's Profile

Great idea!

As a school teacher, I bought a sheet of white laminated particle board (stiff, about 1/4" thick) a lowes and had them cut it into 1 foot by 1 foot squares. The sheet was around twenty dollars--it made tons of small "whiteboards" for students (think "green" scratch paper). You could probably buy a sheet of this (not sure what it called--it's shiny and white, same stuff some pegboard is made of) and mount it for an even more inexpensive whiteboard.

I think the difficulty here is that the red brick wall contrasts too much with the sleek tile and other newer finishes. SO--either paint the brick white (and I gather you'd rather not) or introduce some other more rustic ideas into the space--perhaps replace the medicine cabinet with something a mirror that has a reclaimed wood frame? Add some old, worn wood as a small ledge above the tile? Or possibly hunt down a small worn wood cabinet that you could mount to the wall above the toilet or across from it (that would help with storage too!)? I think the contrast is great if you are able to balance it out with some other rustic finishes. I do think if you try this you should still paint the walls--the gray you have has a greenish undertone which works against the red brick. If you could find a warm gray with brown undertones (very light) that would be pretty. Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray is a pretty one.

Seriously? I clicked on the list for the full list, and almost everything seemed totally silly and wildly overpriced. As a parent of 2, I think most of this stuff is on the list as a marketing ploy for new parents. The swaddling blanket was about the only thing that seemed at all worthwhile. Wow.

Amen to the poster who mentioned the travel tent. We travel all the time with our 22 month old. We got the tent when he was about 4 months and he loves it. He's so used to it, he has the same 'view' all the time, it's so small and portable (we got it because the pack-and-play was bulky and you never know what you'll get with cribs in other places).

We got ours from one step ahead (google them).

A word of caution--I've heard that some kids are scared of these. Our son started sleeping in his when he was so young, and we travel so frequently, it has not been a problem for us.

Unless it's my sisters, mother or close girlfriends, I hide the breastpump/accessories. Just seeing the parts drying in the kitchen makes some people uncomfortable.

Don't forget that you'll be carrying the baby, the stroller, and probably a bag (for diapers, etc.) up those three flights. I have a large baby...and it's amazing how heavy all this is together. I would put a stroller with a strap that can go over your shoulder as the top priority. We have a McClaren and have been happy with it. I'm sure there are other good choices out there too.

But I will say that babies are really messy (downright gross sometimes), and your stroller will get beat up--no matter how nice it is. Keep that in mind when considering price : )

It's not bad!

I like the idea of switching the function of the two rooms like rusted2 suggested. This would work if you have an eat-in kitchen, but I suspect that if the dining room is your main dining area, it would not work b/c it's (presumably) not convenient to the kitchen for everyday use.

If switching the two rooms doesn't work, remove the table under the window and move the round mirror to above the fireplace. Move couch as others have suggested.

I think the black stripe on the chair is very eye catching and should be balanced. You could add floor length curtains (light, neutral) with a black border along the top (6 inches-ish). A natural grass rug with a black border could help too.

A nice light neutral green could work on the walls.

Post pics of what you decide!

I think you should take out the upper cabinets along the window wall altogether. Replace with shelves. But only put dishes and glasses on those shelves. Or leave some of that space to hang pots and pans. Keep your open shelves to show your pretty things (or use baskets to hide sippy cups, etc.) Try to keep it visually simple.

There are websites from which you can order new cabinet doors. I also saw a kitchen where they took doors like yours and covered them with 1/4" high quality plywood, added molding to frame it, and then painted the whole thing (so you wouldn't need new doors, but you could have a more simple look than the curved stuff at the top of your doors). Wish I could remember where I saw that.

Paint the cabinets white. If you use a quality primer (oil based, 2 coats) after sanding, you will not have too much trouble with bleeding through. (I also saw on this old house that shellac keeps old wood from bleeding through, but have not tried this.)

Paint the walls light gray.

Add a rug that has a southwest feel. Add some terra-cotta pots with succulents or herbs (in the window, if possible).

Add wood blinds and take the curtain down.

Declutter.

We had an electrician add a new outlet for the microwave in the cabinet above it. It wasn't an outrageous expense.

Also--random detail--if you are able to replace the hardware (and I don't think it's that bad), I think the knobs should be on the corners of the cabinets, not centered halfway up as they are now.

I think this kitchen has so much potential! Please post pics of what you decide!!!

It seems to me that the two-toned walls break up the space. I think you should paint the entire wall one color. Even walls with chair rails are fine painted one color (leave the chair rail the same color as the trim, of course).

Other than that, a new overhead pendant light and artwork that fits the size of the space would help tremendously. (The current art is too small--it would probably be most affordable to have several pieces to fill the space; or, ikea lack shelves look great in dining areas. Buy 3 or 5--odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye.)

I don't think a rug or curtains are necessary. Your money could be better spent in other ways.

Please post "after" pictures!

I agree with laughing sarah! Every baby (and mom!) is different. It would be amazing if we could know ahead of time what works!

For me--I found that nursing a baby ALL THE TIME makes me want to be in different spots just to keep my sanity. So we nursed in the rocker (we have one), on the couch, in the bed, in the backyard, on the backporch. Even for middle of the night feedings, I always switched it up. Worked for us! So much of this just depends on your personality (and baby's!)