Tag: Kitchen

A Classic Bathroom Design
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Discover the DXV collections.

I chose matching bridge faucets from American Standard for the utility sink in the laundry room of our last house. When I shared the finished room on the blog, I wrote “that’s pretty much my dream sink and if we ever leave this house, it would be one of the things I’d miss most.” And I do! I miss that awesome setup.

Having liked my American Standard faucets so much, I was happy to accept an invitation to see their DXV line at a local showroom, so I visited Ferguson in Downers Grove.

The DXV line has over 70 products (like freestanding tubs, toilets, sinks, and faucets), grouped into four broad styles: Classic (1880–1920), Golden Era (1920–1950), Modern (1950–1990), and Contemporary (1990–today).

The Classic series had some of my favorite offerings — fixtures that would be right at home in my Victorian. Plenty of things that would have been right at home in our old house, too.

The Wyatt toilet and sink are from the Golden Era collection — another favorite. The console sink was paired with a more modern faucet than I would have chosen though. Wouldn’t it be perfect with one of their more vintage-style faucets and a great wallpaper in the room?

When I got home from the showroom, I started thinking about how I would design a bathroom around those same base pieces. I’m drawn to old houses with period details, but I don’t mind mixing different elements in as long as the look is complementary. I went with a subdued palette but still played with texture and pattern to bring in some design interest. And a quick note on the wood floor: I’m aware that it is not the best flooring for a bathroom! We have it in each of our bathrooms here though and I’ve grown to love the look.
September 3, 2014
The Victorian House: Kitchen, Bathroom, Office, and Back Porch #1

Here’s the rest of our new house’s first floor! Think of this as ‘The First Floor: The Wallpapered Edition.’ (There will be more upstairs, too.)

You’ve seen a glimpse of the kitchen already. Here she is, in all her glory.

Tin ceiling! Not original, but period-appropriate.

The stove is not vented. It’s wood burning on the left, gas on the right. We immediately blew out the pilot light five minutes into owning the house, and had to run to a neighbor for matches. Then it happened again, and again (but at least we had the matches to relight it). Good times!

Here you can see the house’s back stairs on the left, and the bathroom on the right.

The bathroom has a small-scale geometric wallpaper above white beadboard.

The bathroom upstairs on the second floor only has a tub. The kids take baths, but Brandon and I usually shower, so this may be our primary bathroom.

Here’s the room that will become my office. It slopes down considerably, but when we had our home inspection, I also brought in a structural engineer to assess this room and a few other spots. His verdict: it’s an old house with some quirks, but it is structurally sound. (In fact, he placed it in the top 10% of homes he has seen and was impressed by its good condition.)

It leads to a little porch (and I do mean little) that can only be accessed from the room. Such a great spot!

You’ve seen the entire first floor now, between today’s photos and the ones in yesterday’s post. Tomorrow, we head upstairs!

August 27, 2013
Cooking on Vintage and Antique Stoves?

I’m sure some of you have (or have cooked on) vintage stoves. Care to share your experiences? When I think of vintage stoves, I think of sweet mid-century models like these.

1 // 2 // 3

What is waiting for us in the new house though, is this.

That’s our new kitchen! (And the first and only sneak peek inside until we close on the house next week.) The stove isn’t just vintage, it’s antique. It has four gas burners on the right side, and the oven directly below has a dial for ‘hot’ and ‘very hot.’ Precise! There’s also a pilot light that shoots out flames with the push of a button, which will be fun for the whole family. (We’re going to have to look into rigging some kind of stove guard. Or rear perfect children that will never touch The Forbidden Stove.)

I don’t know if/how it can be vented. I’m not sure if it’s still wood-burning on the left or if it can be converted to electric at some point. It’s an amazing focal point, but frankly, I’m feeling weirdly apprehensive about using it! I’m expecting a bit of a learning curve — especially with the oven.

Next week, next week!

August 13, 2013
Eleanor and Brandon

That face!

March 27, 2013
The Top of the Fridge

I styled the top of my fridge yesterday. I did this, then I did this later, which looks like this. It isn’t quite right yet, but it’s a start. This is riveting stuff here, I know! I started thinking about it though — what does one put above a freestanding fridge, assuming you do want something up there? Here are some of the options I’ve seen.

Dozens of apples in a charmingly rustic wire basket, with eggs. (Really, stylists? Really?)

A lone gumball machine. (Again, really?)

Vintage Cathrineholm bakeware. (This one makes more sense.)

A vintage Kaj Franck bowl. (This one seems appropriate, too.)

A mismatched collection of feminine baskets. (Cute.)

And my favorite, a taxidermied peacock. (Of course!)

Basically, we can all put whatever we want up there. Free license!

I still need to play around with my arrangement a bit. I like the clock above the fridge (though I’m still waiting on this one, and may swap it out), and I suppose I’ll keep a plant up there instead of getting hanging planters. I’ll probably shy away from the peafowl, but that’s just personal preference.

March 25, 2013
A Big Ol’ Clock and Hanging Planters
More plans for the kitchen. I don’t think my old “Eat” sign above the fridge is coming back, and the fern in a punch bowl (yep) that’s on top looks funny. A couple of these may be their replacements:
1. Pif Paf Puf Hanging Storage
  Turn ’em into planters?
2. Newgate Brixton Wall Clock
  I ordered this last month and the delivery date has been pushed back repeatedly. I’m hoping it will get here (and look good) eventually.
3. White Hanging Ceramic Bullet Planter
  I like having plants in the kitchen, but my cats will eat them if I don’t get them up and out of their reach. Jerks.
4. Classic 24-Hour Clock
  I’ve posted this one before. If the other is canceled, this one would work, but it’s smaller.
5. Wall Ball Planters
  Skip the hanging planters and go for the wall, maybe?
March 14, 2013