<p>[COTE</a> DE TEXAS: Kitchens 101: Elements to Copy](<a href=“http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2009/01/kitchens-101-elements-to-copy.html]COTE”>COTE DE TEXAS: Kitchens 101: Elements to Copy)</p>
<p>Gee, thanks. You have now got me obsessing over my kitchen more than ever!</p>
<p>Actually, real thanks. This is a fun read.</p>
<p>^^^ Thanks for the link. Beautifully inspiring kitchens!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the kind words of approval/support of my choices. I was very nervous about making wrong choices and being stuck with them for a reaaally long time. We are working with a pretty tight budget so every decision had to be made with value in mind. When we priced it, the tier one granites were cheaper than any quartz which is why we have granite.<br>
Beautiful kitchens on the Texas link. I think I’ve seen some of them on Garden Web or at least ones very similiar.
I loved the light bright, sort of old fashioned look which was sort of what I went for. The granite I chose is very similiar to the marble look. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, we will have to do many updates to sell our 1988 house we currently live in.
We’ve updated here and there over the years but there will be lots to do before we can sell. We have the dread “popcorn” ceilings in the upstairs of our house. They’ve never really bothered us but seem to be a deal breaker for HGTV shoppers!</p>
<p>Kajon, no worries…a screen porch was one of our must-have items. It’s 10’ deep x 25’ long. DH plans to live out there!</p>
<p>^^^So when do we get a tour?</p>
<p>The one thing that struck me on the Texas link was that nearly all the kitchens were marble… maybe they were going for a theme that month or something, but beautiful carrerra marble is a bad choice for kitchen counters unless you don’t really intend to, like, <em>cook</em> in the kitchen. Keep one slab for the “pastry counter”, yes. Put it everywhere? Not if you use citrus, vinegar, wine or deeply colored foods…</p>
<p>I’m just wondering how anyone has the money to upgrade/redecorate while paying for college? I’ll be living with exactly what I have now for at least the next 7 years. Sigh.</p>
<p>We’re on the next to last year of college since '98. 7 years seems like a deal !</p>
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<p>Some people just have a boat load of money. I am very blessed and don’t want for anything of real value. But occasionally I’ll drive down Beverly Drive in Highland Park and think to myself, “What do these people DO for a living that pays for this kind of lifestyle?!” We’re talking 10 million dollar homes, and I imagine many of them have multiple homes in addition to the primary one. Those people write the 50K tuition check and never even notice the money is gone. C’est la vie.</p>
<p>^ Agree…Especially the young ones…what DO they do to afford those houses ?</p>
<p>IB…hedge funds…is what they do.</p>
<p>From the link:</p>
<p>“This kitchen suddenly looks dated, though its elements are current – the stainless appliances and center island with granite certainly remains in fashion. But the honey colored wood and floors have been left behind for either darker woods, or gray and white paint.”</p>
<p>Should have been left behind? Because of fashion?? The honey-colored Shaker cabinetry and hardwood floors in that picture are classic and timeless. It’s ridiculous to say that the owners “should” have chosen darker wood or paint. Unless you remodel because you’re putting the home on the market, there is no “should” when it comes to shades of finish. IMHO, that picture is the homiest, prettiest, most practical kitchen in the article. You know that 20 years from now, a new family will come in and have to strip all that trendy gray paint, saying “I can’t believe they covered up this gorgeous wood! What were they thinking?”</p>
<p>Yes, I have honey-colored custom Shaker cabinets and floors I got two years ago. I’m certain I’ll still love them in 20 years – maybe even 50 years – just as the Shakers did. I don’t think that’s going to be true for those hopping on a gray-kitchen bandwagon. Never mind the fact that in that glossy white marble kitchen, every drip, spill and crumb announces itself like a flashing neon sign.</p>
<p>^^^^I agree that there are some looks which always stay in style, or at least come back around eventually. I also agree that unless you’re planning to flip your property, it’s best to stay away from really trendy looks.</p>
<p>I appreciate the design of some of the very modern kitchens, but many of them really lack warmth and a sense of “home.”</p>
<p>Hanna, I agree. My kitchen looks like the one in the picture (if one takes out the “current” elements and replaces them with “passe” white appliances and grey Corian), and I love the honey finish! If we were to move and have a new kitchen put in, I’ll go with the same finish. Those glossy white marble kitchens… they look so artificial, morgue-esque and ghost-like! LOL. I cannot imagine anyone with kids and/or pets being able to keep those kitchens looking clean (unless they have a dedicated maid brigade doing hourly clean up!)</p>
<p>Hanna- I agree!!! I have had that colour scheme in my kitchen in more than once house since the mid to late 90s and I still prefer it to any others I have seen.</p>
<p>The white/light/grey kitchens look lovely in those photos, but for some one else, not me. Ironically my parents have been trying to sell their home for about 4 years and one of the comments they were getting was that the white painted kitchen cabinets were passe’. Apparently they passed right back in to being trendy!</p>
<p>I don’t want to be, nor can I afford to be, a slave to fashions, I want to have what I like, I just want it to be classic, not scream any particular decade. What I did 10-15 years ago became extremely popular, so I supposed now it will look dated eventually, but whatever.</p>
<p>Hanna, you are totally right about the wood/paint thing, think about all those houses where they find wall to wall ugly shag carpet laid over “gorgeous” hardwood floors. Obviously those floors were outdated at some point and then came back into style, but are also classic! The trick is discerning what items are trendy and what are great ideas that will become classic, and most importantly that you will love living with.</p>
<p>I think the biggest trend in decent climates is more developed “outdoor” rooms. Outdoor fully equipped kitchens, outdoor family room with FP and big TV, etc etc. These excite me more than the $100,000 kitchens that seem overly large and ornate. Also a really nice three season “sunroom”. If they bring back home equity loans that’s what I would add to my house.</p>
<p>^^^^I’d just settle for 3 seasons.</p>
<p>We do have a covered deck that I adore, at least 2-3 months of the year ;)</p>
<p>As someone who has redone two houses: Number one you aren’t going to please everyone if you are fixing up to sell. We have redone our houses for us and hopefully, when we sell someone will like this too. But I have seen (in a good market) people throw their guts into fixing a house to their perfection and new owners considering the redone house a teardown (at 5 or more million dollars!). Or, in a “bad” market the teardown that is reshaped into a liveable home. </p>
<p>A tip on getting rid of popcorn ceilings: To avoid the scraping (and possible asbestos removal that can be in the popcorn ceilings) and the dirt associated with the removal of the popcorn, buy the thinnest drywall possible. Have a professional attach to ceiling properly. Paint. Gone is the popcorn…now sit back and relax with a movie.</p>
<p>I feel bad that now that the girls are out at college or on their own , I am finally trying to make the house more liveable. We never have had the money- and H thought I should somehow squeeze redecorating funds out of the grocery money- but I would have to have had a lot more energy and skilz to be able to do that! :rolleyes:.</p>
<p>But even though it was pretty shabby when they were growing up- at least it wasn’t the kind of place where there were whole rooms they weren’t allowed into- like some of * my friends had* as kids.</p>
<p>I have taken out all of my grass- as already mentioned- mainly because it wasn’t really grass anymore- it was thatch and dandelions.
Foundation plantings along the house with manicured grass is out in our town 
& I helped!</p>
<p>Of course the dog is upset- which I didn’t anticipate, as she preferred the neighbors yard anyway.</p>
<p>It does take time unfortunately for things to grow- as I also took out several non native established shrubs ( but I still have two camellia japonicas- one which I will perhaps let live & I left the privet even though I hacked it down to stubs 
)</p>
<p>The one thing H and I have decided on is a one way glass screen between us and the neighbor.
( yes I realize this is unlikely).
On our street, all the lots are 5000 sq ft. ( I have friends who have * houses* bigger than that). The house on the west side was a rental- then was vacant for two years- we planted some of the shorter ( emerald green cultivar) thujas, as a screen, just in case it became a fourplex.</p>
<p>But instead, the owner got a divorce, moved out of his house up the street and is remodeling it. First it looked like he was just adding a little space upstairs- but he is actually adding about 800sq ft to the top floor. With big windows overlooking my yard.
Since he has always made googley eyes at me- it skeeves me out.
If we put something big enough to block it- we block our sun.</p>
<p>Well the good thing is our other neighbors are great- true the east side rental has the biggest camellia I have ever seen & their driveway runs right underneath our bedroom windows- but they are nice friendly kids and the owner is one of their dads.
Our behind neighbors are also great- they have chickens, which eat all the bad bugs I hope, and they share the eggs.</p>
<p>Our house faces south & we have a front porch- which I think about enclosing- but since our house has undergone very minimal changes in 110 years, I am reluctant. ( however, I am happy they added indoor plumbing- although we still have the box where the ice used to be)</p>
<p>My H built a shed onto the detached garage- for all his stuff- however- he has been slowly getting rid of a lot- and I am planning to make it into a covered area for sitting ::::::::::::::::shh:::::::::::::::</p>
<p>Our kitchen is 12 yrs old. Guilty of the honey colored cabinets and the canned lights over the island. Our flooring is also the same color as one of the photos with the honey cabinets. Funny thing is I wanted white cabinets and the cabinet maker and H talked me out of it. I did do white in bathrooms. Stainless appliances but no stainless sink.Cabinet doors on the fridge and dishwasher. Corian was huge at the time and granite was just starting to be more common. I did a granite island and a cream corian counter with a line of granite colored at the edging. I like my counters but still wish I had done the white cabinets.
My inlaws built their house 30 yrs ago. At the time the kitchen seemed cold and modern. They used a white plain front cabinet that is very simple. White tile and a huge island with a thick butcher block top with mexican paver flooring. They used top of the line appliances with a white sub zero frig and thermador oven. Strangely their kitchen still looks modern. At the time it was quite out of the box. Amazingly they are still on the original cooktop, oven and fridge. I think the dishwasher is the only item they have had to replace.
My sister is presently doing a kitchen. I think the big difference today versus 13 yrs ago when I did my kitchen is the availability of stainless appliances in all price ranges. Back then it was only the high end brands that even had stainless.
Who has a trash compactor? Seems they are “out” but I love mine.</p>