CasaSugar

House Tour: Anne and Aaron's Minneapolis Home

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:00:09 -0800

Anne, Aaron, and their daughter, Iris, share their Minneapolis Cape Cod-style home with their dog, Jasper, and cat, Boxcar. The family's two-bedroom, two-bathroom home is compact but nicely sized, and they've lived there for just over five years.

Anne reports, "We've updated the house quite a bit. We installed a new boiler and water heater, replaced some of the old plumbing, repainted the outside and remodeled the kitchen. The kitchen was obviously the biggest project. I love the results, but it was so much work (and money!). I really learned a lot though."

When asked about their decorating style, Anne notes, "I don't know that I'd really say we have a distinct decorating style. We like mid-century stuff quite a bit and tend to shy away from ornate/fussy furniture. I love thrifting and try to make sure every room is a good balance of new and old stuff. With a toddler in the house, there are toys everywhere now, so dealing with that is a challenge!" I really admire a family that's able to balance their sense of style with a comfortable, functional, and kid-friendly home. See how Anne and Aaron achieve this balance in the slideshow!

Source: Flickr User AnneRosso

View Slideshow ›

Before and After: A DIY Kitchen Reno

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:00:15 -0700

Su Casa member and ambitious home renovator Jenn1979 and her husband recently bought a home. However, they also assumed ownership of a not-so-pretty, poorly working kitchen in the process.

Jenn writes, "We bought our house just over a year ago. It was built in 1900, and the kitchen had been partially renovated sometime in the '50s or '60s. The faucet had very little water pressure, there was only one small drawer (the rest were fakes), and the countertops were only 32 inches high with only 15 inches between top and bottom cabinets. Plus, the ventilation for the stovetop was the ceiling fan (which was also the main source of light)."

To see how Jenn and her hubby took this kitchen from dysfunctional to fabulous, read more.

With a lot of hard work, the new kitchen looks great. Jenn and her husband demo-ed everything, and then rewired the kitchen themselves to bring it up to code. One of the real wow factors, in my opinion, is Jenn's smart decision to rip up the vinyl floors and refinish the original, beautiful fir floors.

It took Jenn and her husband seven months of "weekend warriorism" (as Jenn aptly describes it) to rebuild their kitchen, but their efforts were well worth it. Now, the kitchen has 11 drawers instead of one, as well as a coffee bar, additional counterspace, a new window over the sink, a baking nook with butcher block and beadboard behind the fridge, and a lot more lighting. Amazing effort and result!

Have you joined my Su Casa group yet? Show off your home reno projects, just like Jenn did!

View 4 Photos ›

Before and After: Spectacular Kitchen Revisions

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:00:54 -0800

I've featured the fabulous renovation work of Laughing Sun Renovations before, and for good reason: the company's work is impeccable.

In this latest project, Laughing Sun was hired to improve a home's kitchen and bathroom. The company moved around windows and doors, improved upon cabinetry, repainted the interior surfaces, and improved the space with a variety of trims. To see the improvement, read more.

The new space is a modern take on a farmhouse kitchen, with its white custom cabinetry, lovely open shelving, oak floors, butcherblock countertops, and natural stonework. I also love how the stainless steel appliances and pendant lamp tone down the earthiness that would otherwise dominate the room.

It's generally agreed that improving the kitchen is one of the top ways to increase a home's value, especially if you're interested in selling your home. While the owners of this 1930s home could probably fetch a pretty penny for their improved kitchen space, I wouldn't sell this home if I were them. It's simply too lovely to give up!

Source

Before and After: Zulkey's Kitchen Revamp

CasaSugar — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:30:03 -0800

Su Casa member Zulkey and her husband bought their house less than a year ago in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. Since that time, they have been busily renovating the 10-year-old home, including this bedroom transformation. Throughout the process, they've relied on the help of their good friend and interior designer Jessica Riddle, who's helped them with everything from choosing paint colors to rearranging rooms.

The kitchen was originally plagued with a painfully dull white paint that blurred into the cabinets.

To see how the kitchen got colorful, read more.

Zulkey writes, "We painted the kitchen in Sherwin Williams Wheatgrass and the backsplash with chalkboard/magnetic paint."

I love the addition of the chalkboard paint to the backsplash! It seems like a perfect way to make grocery and reminder lists while adding a fun, unexpected element to the room. Stay tuned for more photos from other rooms in Zulkey's house!

View 4 Photos ›

Before and After: A Customized Kitchen

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:00:09 -0700

A Florida Craftsman home suffered from a dated kitchen reno. Its faux wood cabinets, sad linoleum floors, and dropped ceiling seemed more institutional than inviting. This Old House recently showed readers how the home's owner, architect Manny Occhiogrosso, changed it for the better.

Here's how it looked prior to renovation.

To see its updated appearance, read more.

Manny extended the room by 46 square feet, and moved around walls to open the space and make it more functional. The room sparkles with cherry cabinets, a beautiful ceramic tile backsplash, and a new raised ceiling. I love the feel of the new and improved kitchen, which seems to match the style and period of the rest of the home.

For more details, check out This Old House.
Source

Before and After: A Kitchen Goes Victorian

CasaSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:00:33 -0700

When a New York couple bought their dream house, a Queen Anne Victorian, they discovered that the kitchen had been stripped of its period details. Instead of soaring spaces and crown molding, the dated kitchen had minimal counterspace, poor light, and very little room to cook.

To see what the couple did to remedy these issues, read more.

Working with an architect, the couple expanded the kitchen so it extended along the house's entire back wall. They installed a center island, a dining area, and French doors that open to a side porch. With the use of materials such as crown moldings, soapstone, and marble, the kitchen finally fits with the rest of the house.

Check out This Old House for the details.

View 3 Photos ›

Source

Before and After: Matt's Hurricane Katrina Makeover

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:00:25 -0700

Yesterday, I asked who you thought should win Design Star. You can still vote online through Wednesday. To make the most informed decision, I figured I'd show you some photos from each designer's makeover (check out Jen's makeover here). Both designers worked with a New Orleans family whose home had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Matt's family, the Oleagas, wanted a comfortable, minimal, and modern space.

To see what the home looked like after Matt redesigned the space, read more.
Are you a fan of Matt's renovation?

View 9 Photos ›

Source

Before and After: Jennifer's Hurricane Katrina Makeover

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:00:55 -0700

Yesterday, I asked you who you thought should win Design Star. You can still vote online through Wednesday. To make the most informed decision, I figured I'd show you some photos from each designer's makeover. Both designers worked with a New Orleans family whose home had been destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Jen's family, the Gowlands, needed a space that accommodated both their love of cooking and their big family.

Before Jen showed up, the family had very limited furniture and a raw, unfinished space, as they concentrated on rebuilding their home.

To see what the home looked like after Jen flexed her design muscles, read more.

Are you a fan of Jen's renovation?

View 6 Photos ›

Source

Before and After: A Kitchen Revision

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 07:45:29 -0700

This kitchen, which I spotted on This Old House, was cramped, uninspired, and outdated. The overhead shelving units proved to be more of a liability than a spacesaver, given the way they crowded the room.

To see what it looked like after a reno, read more.

Inspiring, huh? This is definitely a case where bright, white cabinets and open shelving help to expand a small space and really make it vibrant (those yellow and blue accents help as well). To find out all of the details, along with more photos, check out the slideshow over at TOH.

Source

Before and After: A Kitchen Goes From Drab to Delicious

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:15:11 -0700

Interior stylist Janet Grey was in for some hard work when she was commissioned to redesign this dull and drab kitchen.

To see the transformation, just read more.
Janet explains,

We replaced the basic cabinet doors, which were warped (not shown in “before” photo), with a Shaker style. We continued with the floor, bringing in the green and balancing it with black for a striking alternative-checkerboard effect. The tiled backsplash was designed to build upon these colors – a contemporary Deco look incorporating green glass mosaics to further tie in the gorgeous green knobs.

Source