Aren't we sick of homogenized housing yet??

[JaneV2.0]

I liked the back yard. As I've mentioned before, I hate open kitchens, and that was no exception.

Since I've only ever owned houses built in the seventies, I'm A-OK with formica in the kitchen; it's served me well over the years (even though it's always been yellow .) If I ever do get my dream dwelling, I may hire a designer or contractor who can facilitate things. I know what I want, roughly, but not necessarily how to get there.

[catherine]

I know what I want, roughly, but not necessarily how to get there.

Yeah, the getting there is the hard part. I know exactly what IL was talking about her other house taking 30 years. Same for me.

Geila, maybe our difference in preferences is a regional thing.. Your need for open and light in CA, and my need for "cozy" in VT--also, I really value architectural detail--not so much reducing things to a white box. I love coffered ceilings, built-in bookcases, reading nooks, and surprises around the corner.

My issue with this do-over is that they called it a Craftsman cottage, but they didn't do what they said--I don't feel they paid homage to its roots at all. Whether you like that design style or not, don't turn a house with an iconic style like that into a Joanna Gaines rip-off and say that it's still a Craftsman.

[catherine]

Catherine, IKEA sells butcher block wood counter tops:

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/kitch...tertops-24264/

Also, Lumber liquidators has a really impressive 8 foot one that would match your Boos table:


https://www.lumberliquidators.com/ll...SABEgJUg_D_BwE

8 feet is a lot,but you could probably find a use for the remainder somewhere else, or make a desk somewhere.

Or make cutting boards!

We don't have the Boos counter anymore!! First, we found it uncomfortable to sit on counter stools for a long time and we have too small of a living room for accent chairs, so my kids would come up and leave with sore butts. Second, we LOVE our old, very "wabi-sabi" farmhouse table Jim bought years ago. It was hard to give that up when we were downsizing, plus, the four chairs we have to go with it came from our favorite Japanese restaurant. We had taken our kids there almost every Saturday night for years. When they were renovating, I asked the owner if he would sell us 4 chairs, as I was looking for simple chairs like his, and he gave them to us, and even dropped them off at our house. So they have sentimental value.

But to your point: Yes, that was exactly my first thought--to get a butcher block countertop! I almost hit the "buy" button on one from this company. https://butcherblockco.com but they're expensive, too. I didn't think of IKEA and Lumber Liquidators.. I may go back to my original thought--we put up an IKEA magnetic knife thing right above that cabinet (See the IKEA one here https://knifelover.com/top-10-best-m...knife-holders/). so a butcher block right there would be perfect.

[Tybee]

We don't have the Boos counter anymore!! First, we found it uncomfortable to sit on counter stools for a long time and we have too small of a living room for accent chairs, so my kids would come up and leave with sore butts. Second, we LOVE our old, very "wabi-sabi" farmhouse table Jim bought years ago. It was hard to give that up when we were downsizing, plus, the four chairs we have to go with it came from our favorite Japanese restaurant. We had taken our kids there almost every Saturday night for years. When they were renovating, I asked the owner if he would sell us 4 chairs, as I was looking for simple chairs like his, and he gave them to us, and even dropped them off at our house. So they have sentimental value.

But to your point: Yes, that was exactly my first thought--to get a butcher block countertop! I almost hit the "buy" button on one from this company. https://butcherblockco.com but they're expensive, too. I didn't think of IKEA and Lumber Liquidators.. I may go back to my original thought--we put up an IKEA magnetic knife thing right above that cabinet (See the IKEA one here https://knifelover.com/top-10-best-m...knife-holders/). so a butcher block right there would be perfect.

We put in IKEA countertops in our house in Illinois and they were very nice and very easy to work with--they are thinner than the Lumber Liquidators and would probably fit in better with the smaller scale.

[Alan]

Yes, that was exactly my first thought--to get a butcher block countertop! I almost hit the "buy" button on one from this company. https://butcherblockco.com but they're expensive, too. I didn't think of IKEA and Lumber Liquidators.. I may go back to my original thought--we put up an IKEA magnetic knife thing right above that cabinet (See the IKEA one here https://knifelover.com/top-10-best-m...knife-holders/). so a butcher block right there would be perfect.

We bought an IKEA butcher block countertop about 18 years ago. It was 25" x 60" and we cut it down a bit to fit a small kitchen island and I've used it as my cutting board for all this time. I think it was about $60 and I'm pretty sure it will last forever.

[catherine]

Nice, Alan! That looks almost exactly the size I would want. (25 x 27.5).

[Alan]

Nice, Alan! That looks almost exactly the size I would want. (25 x 27.5).

This one was cut down to 25x40 and it's 1.5" thick. Someone else mentioned the IKEA ones were thinner than from another source, but I think 1.5" is just about perfect.

[pinkytoe]

I think the word craftsman is often incorrectly used when describing houses by those who are not familiar with the original designs. Although the clean aesthetic of her remodeling appeals to me, it seems like these re-dos start to look too much alike. Same types of light fixtures, etc. I am a serial house looker and it amazes me how many really ugly houses there are out there.

[Gardnr]

The Magnolia influence is HUGE in this country We quit watching as we felt like all the homes began to look the same.

I will say, they've done wonders for the economy in WACO however. And in 2020? Their own Cable TV network! Chip and Joanna are an industry at this point! They may well give O a run for her money.

[razz]

I love an open kitchen, sort of the farmhouse type with the dining table. My little efficient house has one large room - kitchen, dining area and living room complete with fireplace. I love its convenience and efficiency for mixing with guests, ease of food prep and generally keeping clean. The house in the OP is too busy and cluttered with stuff.
Interesting how different the viewpoints are in each post above.