A whole lot of stainless like that reminds me of autopsy rooms...I see sheeted cadavers on those countertops:)
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A whole lot of stainless like that reminds me of autopsy rooms...I see sheeted cadavers on those countertops:)
Rosarugosa: Our wood countertop required only being kept dry and the grooves cleaned out. No problem. The paneling had a finish on it already. We lived there 11 years and I don't recall any wear to it, but there must have been. Maybe some scratches? I do know the current owner refinished it, tho. We saved $$ on the countertops, but we splurged on some things: Pella windows throughout (you can see in the picture), a Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove (our only heat), and 6" walls. We had to pay a small fortune to get the Defiant stove to CA by train -- they weren't available Out West then. We didn't use the paneling for our walls, btw, but only for the ceiling in the kitchen. Another weird thing we did, I guess. I could go on ... :D
Some more pictures to share -- nothing to do with countertops. ... these were taken about 30 years after it was built ...
The front: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...54277057_n.jpg
The Defiant: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/..._3205074_n.jpg
Living Room: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...66_42217_n.jpg
DH made the screen door.
Living Room door: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/..._4290935_n.jpg
DH did the stained glass.
And the truck that made it all possible: Our '52 GMC one-ton truck -- #1 son learned to drive in this truck when he was seven.
EDIT: forgot to post the link to the truck! https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...20040718_n.jpg (it was green, such as it was) ...
Kestrel: Thanks for sharing the great pictures! Your DH is quite talented. We've paid big bucks for wooden storm/screen doors - I hate the big-box aluminum ones. Very cool truck!
This thread has definitely helped me decide that wood will be the countertop material for us. Another plus for wood: my IL's have a beefy, thick oak kitchen table. It's truly a wonderful table. It has seen decades of constant use in a household of smokers, and whenever it would get a burn or two, they would just sand it and add a few coats of poly. So I like the fact that a serious burn or stain would be more fixable with wood than with other surfaces.
When the friend of my family passed on back in September 2012, I found myself working with one of his sisters to move his two properties here in Arizona. Both properties were in horrible shape - not so much dirty as unmaintained and the kitchen was the worst. Seriously the appliances had never been maintained and dated to Nixon's leaving the White House. A few months after both properties sold, the sister called me and told me to look up the addresses of the properties on trulia.com I think it was.
The kitchens looked amazing, and part of it was the wonderful laminate countertops that had been installed. The laminate was made to look like some kind of stone and it really worked with the cabinets that had been installed. I am a big believer in laminate after this, especially as I believe personally that granite is a bit of a fad, kind of like how I feel about stainless steel appliances. Just my two cents. Rob
I HATE stainless appliances. They always look dirty. When I was a kid my mother put a post-it note on each of the kitchen cabinets (white painted doors) that said "Please use the handle", because she was tired of cleaning off our grubby fingerprints. Maybe if I did the same with our fridge... I'd much rather have basic black.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
Appliances sheathed in real stainless steel do, indeed, show off every grubby fingerprint. Then consumer-grade appliance makers smartened up and started applying coatings to the steel to fend off fingerprints -- or using materials that looked like stainless steel but weren't. That particular problem has been receding into the distance for years.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
That said, I find stainless steel appliances so ubiquitous as to border on cliché and, for that reason alone, will choose another color. :)
Now . . . stainless steel bathroom stall dividers? THAT'S a bad idea . . . ew ew ewQuote:
Originally Posted by jp1
I have this tiny kitchen in my tiny cottage. When it was remodeled before I bought it the owner put in granite and stainless steel. It is not a sleek look in this house, but fits the cottage style of the house. I never thought I would want it either, but after living with the granite and stainless steel for awhile now I absolutely love it.... I never liked white appliances because they just look dirty after awhile, and I hate black - they show dust, cat hair, etc. The stainless just looks nice, and the granite is a natural beautiful stone look. I can't imagine granite being a fad, because after all, a countertop made of rock will last forever! I will never replace it...
Not to be contrary, but granite is kind of a fad. Granite has existed for thousands of years, but its use as a countertop material dates back only a few decades.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yarrow
Fads are the antithesis of "forever". Color preferences change (avocado green or harvest gold or pink appliances, anyone?), preferences for light/dark/highly-patterned/shaded/monochromatic come and go. And, interestingly, granite and marble countertops used to be the province only of rich people. Now that pretty much anyone can have granite if they want it, rich people seeking kitchens which are a cut above are looking for materials other than granite and marble. Even if the countertops they have will last forever.
I FINALLY heard someone on HGTV wrinkle his nose at granite/stainless steel BECAUSE he felt that it was going to be tomorrow's harvest gold/shag carpet. He was clearly more of a visionary buyer and he and his partner wound up buying something pretty modern and cutting edge. But it was so refreshing to not hear the common chant: "Oh! And I LOVE the granite and stainless steel!" I get annoyed when people purchase with the mind of sheep.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinMN
If I had more money to spend on my counter, I would have gone for IceStone or PaperStone or concrete.
It does seem like once something becomes available to the masses, it loses its appeal. The whole notion of having abundant and expensive counter tops is fairly recent. I recall that my grandparents and parents kitchens might have had 3-5 ft of counter space total and it were made of either wood or tile. We recently stayed at a cabin where the counter tops were granite, only slightly polished and had a natural, rough-chiseled edge. I thought they looked kind of "eternal." If my mother were still alive, she would say that granite is for tombstones.Quote:
Now that pretty much anyone can have granite if they want it, rich people seeking kitchens which are a cut above are looking for materials other than granite and marble.
I must have seen the same episode. It was so refreshing to see someone not go 'ga-ga' over granite/stainless steel. I've also heard that stainless steel is soooo 2011, made me laugh. To me stainless steel (which I had in a previous home) means finger prints, water spots and much upkeep. Granite is nice but I have other things to spend my money on such as electric, heat, taxes, etc..Quote:
Originally Posted by catherine
I love the idea of IceStone or Vetrazzo, on appearance alone (nevermind the recycled aspect of it). Unfortunately their cost makes granite look like the budget choice. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by catherine
Stainless steel is on a 20+ year run because it is what's used in real commercial kitchens. People like to feel like their home kitchen is 'restaurant quality' or 'professional' and there's nothing wrong with that. You can get stainless from almost the very bottom end of appliances all the way to the very top. In fact, at the top there are still very few other options. Stainless can look just as good in a cabin as it can in a modern loft so its probably here to stay. In the most recent cost vs. value report from NAHB (I can't link non-members to it) stainless steel appliances fall into that 'no-brainer' category for any house above $225,000. We just renovated our place and DW went with all stainless because the stove I picked out was also stainless, there was no other choice in that model, so she wanted it all to match.
All kinds of crazy countertop options are coming online. You can get jatoba or wenge butcherblock, custom glass in any color that even has lighting underneath to make it glow, soapstone is popular, recycled paper is an option, concrete is the new granite (we have it because I can make the tops in the garage), etc. Personally, I'm still a laminate fan because the new stuff is durable and it doesn't cost a fortune or make a mess to overlay it with a new color or pattern a few years down the road, but DW would have none of that. Something new will be the hot thing next year, guaranteed.
Well I think my counters out date yours. My house has the original 1950's mint green/dark green tiles in my kitchen (and original tiles, baths, sinks and toilets in both bath rooms - one bath in baby blue and the other pink) and they are still in great condition. I'm a sucker for tile anyways and like it much better than anything "new" out there and it seems to last forever with very little maintenance. Of course it does look very dated - in a trendy retro way that I like - and tile generally cost a lot to install. My sink (also orginial 1950s white cast iron double sink with the spout coming out of the wall) is actually embedded in the tiles so I'd have to remove them if I wanted a new sink.Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
This is a picture of a bathroom but it's basicly how my kitchen tiles look:
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/att...7&d=1386274792
That tile is NICE! Most of my neighborhood is 50's early 60's and there are a few thriving businesses that specialize in used and reproduction "vintage mid-century" (I am having trouble adjusting to the term since it might include me) furnishings. I can attest that tile like that in good shape would be highly desirable in my area.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spartana
Spartana, I would LOVE to have a bathroom like that! Every time I see one like it on HGTv and the people talk about wanting to change it if they buy the house I feel the need to shout "NOOO!" At the tv.
If I ever spend money on restaurant grade appliances it will be because I have enough money to hire a restaurant grade chef to use them. My cooking ability would not be improved by those appliances.
Well my bathrooms are even MORE retro and "vintage mid-century" as Roger would say (and that almost...almost mind you...includes me too :-)!) then that photo. That photo I posted is almost down right modern compared to my old bathrooms - one pink titled and one baby blue titled with original fixtures. But I'm like you guys - love the old retro look and go crazy when people want to take out perfectly good and functional things to make them sleek and modern. However trying to find matching tile has been difficult as the sizes I have (weird sizes and weirder bullnosed tile) don't seem to exist anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
I was looking for a project a few months back and toured a warehouse that is owned by a plumbing supply company and has been since 1938. On the 5th floor there is a HUGE stash of pink, blue and green bathroom fixtures from the 1950s. Tubs, toilets, sinks...all there in all colors. I'm talking HUNDREDS of fixtures all still in the original packaging! The owner said his dad got a "great deal" on them in the 1960s when white became the way to go. Maybe not such a great deal to carry inventory for 50 years, but cool nonetheless. I asked him if they came with the building and he said that could be arranged! Lol.
I'd love to see that place!! My bathroom sinks, tubs and toilets are all white (in that very heavy molded painted cast iron) and not in those wild colors (which I do think are cool) so I'm not too retro. But the bathrooms are tiny and the fixtures huge compared to today so they often seem to overwhelm the space. I do love the functionality and size of more modern kitchens and bathroom - and the easy care of the new counter top material - but have grown fond of the vintage look too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregg
But then some things can be too vintage :-)!:
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/att...8&d=1386441746
Wow, Spartana, you're almost making me wish I still had my vintage bathrooms and kitchen... except mine were in pretty bad shape. Fixtures and tiles cracked or missing pieces or just cruddy. Yours really looks pretty good!
But I do admit that the functionality is what I love about my kitchen now. I made just a few very simple changes to the cabinetry and boy, it's a pleasure to work in now.
Ha Ha - well those aren't mine - which are all white - but they are similar (my bathrooms are bigger though but not by much). Not sure I could handle green and pink tubs, sinks and toilet! I'll take a photo of my stuff and post it in another thread we can start on "vintage" things. Or see if I find photos similar online somewhere. If I wasn't planning on selling the house in the near future (2014) then I might actually decorate with vintage stuff from the 1950's (all that kitchy pink, green, and blue stuff I see in old photos) but as a minimalistwho likes whites and beiges it might be too much for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by catherine
This is the kind of craigslist ad I was talking about where we might be able to get some countertop for a good price. I would just have to fid a fabricator that could repurpose it to our space.
Seems crazy that people feel the need to remodel something like this:
http://austin.craigslist.org/fuo/4232536814.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveinMN
For me, this granite will be forever....it is really beautiful, and very neutral colors. I will be able to use many different colors with it over the years, so will be able to change things up with it as to not get bored. I could never afford to change it out anyway for anything possibly better in the future, although, I can't imagine what could be better.... I just lucked into this lovely stuff when I bought my little cottage. And I am grateful that it will last me years and years. :)