My kitchen/dining room (Pictures) - Page 2

[MisaGoat]

Originally Posted by diana_of_the_dunes 

Originally Posted by MisaGoat

I am not sure exactly what house style you would classify it as. The house was built in 1930. Here is the picture of the outside (from when we looked at it when it was for sale)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2301627...9655/lightbox/

The walls are actually Benjamin Moore Hush which in person is a beige color. It must be the lighting that makes them look different in the pictures.

You have an American Foursquare house. They were most common from 1890 - 1930s, and can have Victorian, Craftsman, Colonial, etc. styling inside. I'd label yours as a (mostly) Craftsman Foursquare because of the coffered ceiling in the dining room, the 5-panel doors, and the little windows flanking the fireplace. Traditionally, built-in bookcases would have been on either side of the fireplace. Yours may have been removed at some point (or were never added). The fireplace windows also look to be divided into 3, which is another common Craftsman detail.

The front porch columns, being rounded, make it look a little bit Colonial. So do the turned spindles on the stairway, but it's common for homes of that area to be a little eclectic and mix styles.

Lovely home! I have a Foursquare as well, but nowhere near as ornate as yours.

Thanks for all the information! I thought it was most like a four-square but it doesn't have the traditional four square layout. You enter into the living room that has the staircase and fireplace, then straight to the dining room and kitchen with a half bath. Upstairs is a full bath and two bedrooms (there were originally three bedrooms but a previous owner converted the two smaller bedrooms into one).  It does have a hip roof that is slate (a lot of the houses in our neighborhood have slate roofs or did at some point).

We want to add built-in cabinets next to the fireplace and redo the mantel and hearth. I want a tiled fireplace. I don't know when we will bet to the fireplace but I would like to do it eventually.

The windows by the fireplace are dived in 3 and appear to be the original glass, which has a pebbled texture.

Thank you, I want to see pictures of your home too! I didn't think my house was particularly ornate.

[MisaGoat]

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie 

I love your kid's presence... always there. He looks wonderful. It's a nice kitchen, too!

Thanks! He was being a knight. His Halloween costume is getting good use for dress up. These are actually the pictures he isn't in as much.

Now I am looking at the downstairs and it doesn't look like the pictures, *sigh* I have to get it back in order. How quickly it gets messy!

[mich]

Looks great, love the shelves over the stove. And the ceiling is beautiful.

We also have a foursquare, love them!

[Katie T]

Love it! The ceiling in the dining room is beautiful! Love the hutch, island, all the beautiful wood work. I would love to have a house like that! As for curtains can you sew or know someone who can? I would get a linen of some sort (so it hangs nice) and have them tailor made but you can pull them off the rod and run through the washer when needed.

You have done a great job!

[kittywitty]

It looks wonderful!  I must say, I love your whole house.  I love old houses and yours still has a ton of character left in it.  It's very beautiful!

[nola79]

Looks great! You have a lovely home...and your son is adorable.

[MisaGoat]

Originally Posted by Katie T 

Love it! The ceiling in the dining room is beautiful! Love the hutch, island, all the beautiful wood work. I would love to have a house like that! As for curtains can you sew or know someone who can? I would get a linen of some sort (so it hangs nice) and have them tailor made but you can pull them off the rod and run through the washer when needed.

You have done a great job!

Thanks!

I can sew a little, I can probably manage to make curtains for the windows. I have a friend who is great at sewing, maybe we can make them together next time she is here.

I'll come back and post more pictures of the rest of the house when the other rooms are cleared or I finish the projects I have in mind.
 

[SilverFish]

i agree with making a window treatment out of fabric as opposed to blinds. much easier to throw the whole thing in the wash with a little bleach once in a while than cleaning a blind slat by slat (especially greasy baked on dust... ugh!). i would go with a basic roman blind in a light linen or muslin. easy to make, easy to wash, has a simple, modern look that wouldn't clash with the more traditional elements of your kitchen.

[diana_of_the_dunes]

Originally Posted by MisaGoat 

Quote:

Originally Posted by diana_of_the_dunes 

Originally Posted by MisaGoat

I am not sure exactly what house style you would classify it as. The house was built in 1930. Here is the picture of the outside (from when we looked at it when it was for sale)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2301627...9655/lightbox/

The walls are actually Benjamin Moore Hush which in person is a beige color. It must be the lighting that makes them look different in the pictures.

You have an American Foursquare house. They were most common from 1890 - 1930s, and can have Victorian, Craftsman, Colonial, etc. styling inside. I'd label yours as a (mostly) Craftsman Foursquare because of the coffered ceiling in the dining room, the 5-panel doors, and the little windows flanking the fireplace. Traditionally, built-in bookcases would have been on either side of the fireplace. Yours may have been removed at some point (or were never added). The fireplace windows also look to be divided into 3, which is another common Craftsman detail.

The front porch columns, being rounded, make it look a little bit Colonial. So do the turned spindles on the stairway, but it's common for homes of that area to be a little eclectic and mix styles.

Lovely home! I have a Foursquare as well, but nowhere near as ornate as yours.

Thanks for all the information! I thought it was most like a four-square but it doesn't have the traditional four square layout. You enter into the living room that has the staircase and fireplace, then straight to the dining room and kitchen with a half bath. Upstairs is a full bath and two bedrooms (there were originally three bedrooms but a previous owner converted the two smaller bedrooms into one).  It does have a hip roof that is slate (a lot of the houses in our neighborhood have slate roofs or did at some point).

We want to add built-in cabinets next to the fireplace and redo the mantel and hearth. I want a tiled fireplace. I don't know when we will bet to the fireplace but I would like to do it eventually.

The windows by the fireplace are dived in 3 and appear to be the original glass, which has a pebbled texture.

Thank you, I want to see pictures of your home too! I didn't think my house was particularly ornate.

I have lots of pics up on my blog: http://prairiebox.blogspot.com  You'll have to sift through to find house pictures; all I've posted about lately is my chickens!! 

We have the same window/door molding, but mine has no fireplace (oh how I wish!!) or box-beam ceilings.  No built-ins either.  We do have an open stairway, which I love.  And our layout isn't a textbook Foursquare layout either.  The living room is across the whole front; kitchen and dining in the rear, each taking up about half the width; and 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, and linen closet upstairs.  A previous owner enclosed our back porch, and we have a laundry/mudroom and half bath out there.  Your floorplan appears to have been elongated to make it fit better on a narrow city lot.  But it still looks like it meets the "official" Foursquare rules! 

[amma_mama]

Cute kitchen!

For the windows, I would do something sheer so that you still get a lot of light - you have great windows and natural light is a plus. We are lucky to have our kitchen facing the back of the house, so I can go without window coverings (there are blinds from the previous owner that we never use).

For the space above the stove, I am not so keen on open shelves in the kitchen (sorry!) unless it is dedicated exclusively to decorative items. I would do a hood with cabinets above the stove, perhaps with additional counterspace and a below-counter cabinet where the microwave is (which can stay on top of the new cabinet). I think that would give that part of the kitchen a much neater look.

You didn't ask, but I would also take the arm chair out of the dining room. It is a lovely area (great ceiling!), and very cozy, but I think the chair looks out of place and makes it look more cramped...perhaps a small table with a plant or decorative item if you feel you need something in the corner?

[AllyRae]

Lovely!  I also love the ceiling in your dining room...that's some nice detail!

[green_momma2007]

I love all the windows!

[lookatreestar]

see this is totally my style, il ove the open feel! i hate having so many cabinets and not being able to see my food. if i don't see it i have a tendency to not use it. love your kitchen!! clean and comfy 

[Brees_Mama]

You have a gorgeous home and kitchen!

[MisaGoat]

I have lots of pics up on my blog: http://prairiebox.blogspot.com  You'll have to sift through to find house pictures; all I've posted about lately is my chickens!! 

We have the same window/door molding, but mine has no fireplace (oh how I wish!!) or box-beam ceilings.  No built-ins either.  We do have an open stairway, which I love.  And our layout isn't a textbook Foursquare layout either.  The living room is across the whole front; kitchen and dining in the rear, each taking up about half the width; and 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, and linen closet upstairs.  A previous owner enclosed our back porch, and we have a laundry/mudroom and half bath out there.  Your floorplan appears to have been elongated to make it fit better on a narrow city lot.  But it still looks like it meets the "official" Foursquare rules! 

I looked at your blog! I love how much work you've done to the house. I have lots of projects in my head but I don't know when I'll get around to it. Please tell me it won't take me 5 years to get around to refinishing the floors! I really wanted to do it before we moved in but I wasn't sure about the closing costs and we ended up moving in the day after closing. I do like your open staircase. I also see things in your house we like/have -Mucha prints, we had the same old kmart dining room table. My son's room is a blue-green that looks a lot like one of your bedrooms. Also I have very similar ideas for the eventual bathroom remodel, I picked out almost the same materials! (ok well in my head because that project will be in years)

Was your trim painted when you moved in? I've contemplated stripping ours but it seems like a huge job.

Our lot is really narrow I think it is 33x150.

AmmaMama-the chair doesn't belong in the dining room, it was moved there when we rearranged the living room. We haven't decided what to do with the chair yet, so it is in the corner of the dining room. Our kitchen is also in the back of the house but the lot behind us is a big apartment building and now that the leaves are coming down we are quite visible.

lookatreestar-that is my dilemma about the open shelves, I worry that cabinets will just get stuffed (like the ones in the island) and things won't be used. But I also think it looks busy the way it is.

Thanks for the input and compliments! I can't wait to get the rest of the house in order and painted.