The Power of Before and After

It’s fun to look at old photos of our house, before it was renovated. Here’s the space that’s now our dining room on December 6, 2012. Yes, this used to be a place where people cooked food. Gee, I have no idea why the house fell out of escrow twice before we came along. No, not scary at all…

We closed on December 31, 2012, and started work immediately. Here it is on February 6, after demolition and all-new plumbing and wiring.

There was nothing salvageable, including the old linoleum floor, which Chuck ripped up with the help of a friend’s BFT (otherwise known as the Big F****** Tool), a giant iron pry bar that looks like it was passed down over generations since the Viking era.

By February 8, new oak hardwood was down, matching original 1955 hardwood throughout the rest of the house.

On February 26, new cabinets went in, followed by a beverage fridge.

By March 9, we were moved in, but still hadn’t put away all of our stuff. The cabinets were still missing the quartz countertop.

And here is the finished product, completed in June 2013! It was a ton of work, but we love our dining room.

 

 

 

Another Kitchen Photo

I haven’t posted in a while, so here’s another view of the kitchen. I love how Chuck’s design opened this former bedroom into the dining room and living room. The colors and textures were all selected to coordinate with each other from room to room. The pale green walls in the living room speak to the atmospheric blue kitchen backsplash tile and blue accents in the handmade pendant lights, while a darker shade of gray defines the entrance as a separate space from the kitchen and dining room. The bamboo living room ceiling and the dark wood kitchen cabinets also tie the space together.

Here’s the kitchen when we first looked at the house on December 6, 2012.  It was shoved into a corner of what is now our dining room at the far end of the first photo. Our neighbors later told us that many people had viewed the house while it was on the market but walked right back out again, put off by its condition.Here’s the same space now.

Another Mid-Century Kitchen

Now that our kitchen is done, Chuck has had more time to work on other people’s kitchens. Look at this one! It’s in a 1960s-era house in San Luis Obispo, built a few years after ours. I love all of the white cabinets and white quartz countertops. He updated the house’s existing galley kitchen with modern appliances and storage but kept the mid-century flair.

Our Kitchen Is Done!

Chuck has finished all of the little projects in our kitchen, and it looks amazing. I love this view into the living room. This used to be a dark bedroom, but with a beam to support the load of the roof we could open the wall. I also love the play of colors and textures. The pale gray walls, quartz countertop and airy blue backsplash in the kitchen coordinate with the soft green walls and gleaming white stone in the living room.

Here’s another view. Notice how Chuck also mixed colors of cabinets, with dark lower cabinets along the walls, and white cabinets on the upper level and island. The ultra-durable Compac quartz countertops installed by our friends at Pyramid Marble Tile and Masonry are gorgeous and will keep their good looks for many years to come.

I love the big section of backsplash tile on this wall. The blue glass also plays off the blue in the pendant lights. And notice the trim around the microwave to give it that built-in look.

Here are the “before” pictures. Who would have thought this drab space could turn into such a bright, airy kitchen?

 

 

Fireplace Finished

Chuck has finished all of the stone surrounding the fireplace, making a beautiful feature wall. Isn’t it gorgeous?

The wall is a white quartz called Norstone. I love how the irregular blocks catch the light and cast dramatic shadows. And on the floor is a slab of Caesarstone quartz. It’s dark in this picture, but it’s a color called Wild Rice:

It coordinates beautifully with the hardwood floors and stone throughout the rest of the space. The interior of the house is 99% done, and stay tuned for more pictures!

More Kitchen Views

Our kitchen is very nearly done, with just a few trim pieces left to go. Recently the narrow countertop on the shelf between the kitchen and living room went in. Like the countertops in the rest of the kitchen, it’s a solid quartz surface from Compac in Spain. We sourced this product from Pacific Shore Stones of San Luis Obispo where our good friend Suzanne Morosoli helped us find the perfect materials. Pyramid Marble Tile and Masonry of Santa Barbara expertly installed all of our countertops.

I love Chuck’s color combination of cool gray next to the atmospheric blue of the glass tile backsplash, which fits in perfectly with our coastal setting. It’s inspired by the ever-changing play of light across the waves and hills right outside.

Kitchen Sunrise

The kitchen is coming along nicely. A narrow slab of matching quartz will be installed on the ledge behind the sink soon. Our countertops are by Compac, a Spanish company that Chuck happens to feature in his C W Quinn Home showroom. The countertops are nearly indestructible and will look beautiful for years to come.

They look white in these pictures, but they’re actually pale gray to complement the color scheme in the kitchen, living room and dining room. A pure white countertop might also seem too sterile, as we want our house to look warm and inviting. Compac calls this countertop color “Luna,” and it does have the quality and shimmer of moonlight.

It’s a dramatic transformation from the original kitchen! Remember that the old kitchen was crammed into a corner of the house, and we moved it into the center.

And here’s my favorite view again. The waves crashing onto Pismo Beach in the morning are a soothing sight.

Our Kitchen Countertops Are Here!

The countertops were installed yesterday! We have gleaming quartz on every horizontal surface.

And I love the new undermount sink. The hole on the left is for the faucet, and the the right for the disposal button. Much more convenient than fishing for a switch on the wall.

 

This atmospheric blue backsplash is next. It will coordinate beautifully with the pale gray, blue and green color scheme in the connecting dining room and living room.

 

 

More Kitchen Cabinets

Our upper kitchen cabinets are installed! I love the contrast of white upper and dark lower cabinets.

Our white quartz countertops will be installed soon too, as they came by yesterday to template everything. And here’s our ocean view, in front of the sink. It’s enough to make me actually enjoy washing dishes!The appliances will be installed soon. Before that the hardwood floors, both the original 1955 solid oak hardwood and the new solid oak we bought to expand into the dining room, entry and hall closets will be refinished. This will take several days next week, and we won’t be able to enter most of the interior. There can’t be any dust or disturbance while the new finish cures. Can’t wait!

Color Scheme Preview

And now for a preview of our color scheme. Our views are of ocean, hills, and sky so we’re going with watery cool blues and grays in the tiles, paint color, wallpaper and countertops. The wood tones in the original hardwood floors and new cabinets, along with some accent wallpaper will warm it up. We’re getting the cabinets and countertops from Chuck’s C W Quinn Home showroom in San Luis Obispo, of course. It’s very convenient to be married to a kitchen and bath designer for a project of this scope.