A Kitchen Budget Beauty

In 1997, Kathleen Wedin, shoved her old, broken stove off the deck of her home. Her farmhouse was built in 1915 in Washington state. Kathleen, an interior designer, decided she could re-do her old kitchen on a dime. The contractor had given her husband a quote of $35,000. to re-model the kitchen. She did it for a fraction of the cost without compomising her goals. The photographer was Philip Clayton-Thompson.

She thought her great grandmother's 1800's hutch would enhance the atmosphere and display her             collections of blue and white china, including the ones she brought back from Sweden. She asked her     husband to install an old oak gym floor that had been stored in the barn since the late 40's. Initially, he    said no because he didn't think he could do it justice. But she reassured him she did not want "perfect" , she wanted character and age. He tackled the job with the purchase of stain and a protective finish and  completed the entire floor for just $35.00.

 

This is what the kitchen looked like before she chunked the stove.

The windows were re-cycled from other parts of the house bringing in much needed light. And the          cabinets were freshened up with paint. She made her new countertops by using her own sheets of           plywood and pine lumber for edging. A carpenter installed these for her and she added a patina with      stain and wax. She hired a craftsman to fashion a pine table, an island and a pot rack to display her        copper collection. French doors off the breakfast room offer access to the deck beyond. The refrigerator is located near the formal diningroom, yet is still convenient to the work area. An island equipped with  an electric range routes traffic from the breakfast area around the work area.

                         
                               This is a picture of her great-grandmother's hutch with her prized dishes.

She used an old fashioned rose-pattern wall covering. She brought her favorite dishes and homegrown flowers to the table. White wicker chairs compiment her blue and white china.

The new wood floor beneath it all used to be a gymnasium. The total cost for her new kitchen was $3,500.00, a tenth of what the contractor had given them for a quoted price.