Budget-Friendly Grey, Gold + Pink Kitchen Makeover

Time to show you the budget-friendly, grey, gold and pink makeover we gave my Mom's kitchen!
 
We ran into some small problems along the way, like backsplash tile which never showed up and peel and stick flooring which refuses to stay stuck.  Mom has this weird aversion to backsplash tile, so she was thrilled by the former problem - but kind of bummed by the latter.  There's also still a little more we'd like to do in here: after 20+ years, my Dad finally installed the under cabinet lighting but we still need to paint and install the corresponding trim.  We'd also like to add more art above the coffee station and we're on the hunt for the perfect rug - although my Mom had a cute rag rug already that works well for now.

These little details will be ironed out over the months to come because Mom and I are both fans of slow (read: we're broke) design, but I didn't want to make you wait any longer because I've teased you with this kitchen refresh since the summer! 

So let's get to it!  Here's a look at the before:

Mom's kitchen, which my parents renovated in the 1980s, looked super cute at one time, with a light and bright mint green, peach and white color combo.  She really made the best of a small, dark kitchen on a budget - a classic, all white kitchen still looks good today.  But the wallpaper had long ago peeled off the walls, the vinyl flooring was discolored from the glue, the laminate counters were chipped, and the melamine cabinets had started to bubble (one reason I avoid melamine like the plague).  Her light fixture was missing (long story), the faucet was dented, the fluorescent light fixture about the sink was just a naked bulb.  Plus it was SO cluttered and messy, because it's difficult to care about keeping a space orderly when it looks shabby.  Mom was always complaining about a lack of counter space to actually cook in here, plus a too large dining table - the only space to eat in the house - really made the kitchen cramped.

The kitchen is really in need of a major reno, but that's not in the cards for my parents right now, so Mom and I rolled up our sleeves.  There's nothing a little paint and de-cluttering can't fix!

Here's a look at the kitchen today:



Pictures don't accurately capture how cozy and fresh this kitchen feels now - it just glows, thanks to the soft pink walls and touches of brushed gold.  Here's a closer look at everything we did:

The Cabinets:

The first thing we did was paint the melamine kitchen cabinets with Rust-Oleum's Cabinet Transformations Kit (in Winter Fog, un-glazed) which adheres SO well - even on melamine - with no sanding required.   If you look close, you can still see some flaws where the melamine was bubbling, but it looks so much better than before!  It's also a great way for Mom to experiment with a darker cabinet color, something she's been contemplating for the real reno.

I took photos in different lighting conditions, and you can see how sometimes it reads more pink and sometimes more golden - it's such a pretty wall color/cabinetry combo.

The Walls:

We painted the yellow walls a soft pink (Behr's Shea) because out of all of the paint swatches we considered (numbering in the hundreds, I'm sure), this soft pink looked the freshest and cheeriest under all lighting conditions.  It really brightened the room - even more than white - which was essential for this dark kitchen.  We replaced the baseboard because we found baseboard identical to the to 1950s baseboard elsewhere in the house, but we left the door and window trim.  After an afternoon of caulking (my favorite job), we painted out the trim to match the walls for a seamless look.

The Counters:

To keep things bright, we refinished Mom's laminate counters in a glittering white!  They were in really rough shape, with chips, stains, and missing pieces.  The laminate was even de-laminating from the MDF base.  Click here for the tutorial because I shared some great tips for repairing the laminate counters: we glued back the laminate and where pieces were missing, I built them back up with a mold-able epoxy compound.  Then we used Rust-Oleum's Countertop Transformations Mica (in white) and the counters are now a sparkly white:

It's difficult to photograph, but they just sparkle like crazy when the sun shines in. 
  

The Cabinet Hardware:

I already shared the tutorial for how we refinished Mom's shiny brass knobs - they look so fresh with their new brushed brass look.  Plus we saved a bundle not having the buy new hardware.  
 

The Sink + Faucet:

Although we tried to work with what we had, Mom did buy a new window (she had to replace the windows on the main floor) plus a new sink because her old white acrylic one was just too awful.  We picked up an inexpensive stainless sink to complement her new Pfister Tamera faucet, generously provided by Pfister.  The faucet is something she can use again when she renovates for real (or she can donate it to me for my fish room makeover!). 

 

 
The Table + Art:

Lacking a dining room in the small, post-war home my great-grandfather built, we always ate in the kitchen the way my great-grandparents did.  In the 1980s and 90s, we had a small round table with drop down leaves so it could nestle close to the wall.  In the 2000s my Mom bought new living room furniture and a dining room table in a much nicer teak wood, but it was a bit too big for daily use.  It was challenging to maneuver around it and once Hubby became a permanent fixture, dinner for four was a tight squeeze.  I finally encouraged my Mom to move the dining table to the living room, where there is space, and to put a much smaller tulip table in the kitchen for tea time or brunch for two.  I already shared the makeover of my old tulip table - and the top my father-in-law helped me hack.

Do you recognize the art?  It's my 1960s cat print from the townhouse!  The brushed gold frame, muted pink color palette, and retro vibe are perfect in here. 

The Table Top Lamp:

I feel like this might need explaining?  My Mom LOATHES overhead lighting - especially fluorescent lighting - which is why her naked bulb situation made her cringe.  Eventually, she started using a lamp at the table so she could turn off the overhead lighting during dinner.  When the dining table moved, the lamp moved with it so Mom stole this little brown vintage Lotte lamp from me for the tulip table.  The scale is adorable and the retro look is perfect.  It might seem odd, but it really is nice to have this little lamp on when I come over for tea and gossip.  Even though her overhead lighting situation has greatly improved (with a light fixture - how novel), having this little lamp feels cozy, especially with the days getting so much shorter.




The Coffee Station:

My parents have an elaborate, professional-grade coffee making set up, which they scored for a really good price because they knew someone who owned a coffee shop.  It really commandeered my Mom's minimal kitchen prep space, though.  Between the coffee maker and the microwave -and all of the random stuff piled up on the counter - she had no spot to work.  I suggested she try living without the microwave (I don't have one and never, ever miss it), reorganize a little to find room in her cabinets for the dry goods she stored on the counter, and move the coffee stuff to this little cubby (which originally housed the tiny 1950s fridge).  All of the coffee stuff is together now - along with a vintage cookie jar picked up for a quarter (my Mummu has the exact same one) - and out of the way.  I couldn't help make my Mom's kitchen any bigger, but moving the coffee machine and microwave, and de-cluttering a little, have tripled her counter space, making the kitchen way more functional for her.

The Peel and Stick Tile Floor:

Mom and I were SO excited about this peel and stick tile floor, which brought together all of the colors: the blush pink walls, the grey cabinets, the burnt orange tweed chairs and the warm brown wood tones.  But it refuses to stay stuck in some spots!  We're so incredibly frustrated and currently chatting with the distributor but I'm not sure they can fix it.  We might need to replace it, which we're really disappointed about.  On the plus side, when Mom tackles a renovation for good, now we know that a busier pattern can work, even though her kitchen is small - we were so terrified to commit to anything not white, because that's what was there for so long. 

The Odds + Sods:

In addition to refinishing the cabinetry, counters, replacing and repairing trim, painting the walls and trim and laying down new flooring, we also did some little things.  Mom's naked bulb ceiling fixture was replaced by a fixture she already had.  It had wobbled, so she hadn't put it up, but Hubby took it apart, fixed it, and it looks perfect!  We cut a new sheet of plexi for the fluorescent light fixture and, using a simple bracket, installed that so the light over the sink is no longer a bulb.  Her kitchen door was painted grey to match the cabinets and a door knob was finally installed.  Hubby and I also built a cute pink and gold dog bowl stand for when Szuka visits.  

There you have it - Mom's new kitchen!  I'll be back with a tutorial for refinishing the counters and cabinets - and maybe even a mini update down the road once we fix the flooring situation and accessorize a little more.

Mom is thrilled with how the kitchen looks now and it's sparked a wave of updates and decluttering in the house - we just found the perfect mid-century mod inspired fabric on clearance, so the living room is getting a refresh too (starting with cute new pillows and sheers).

DIY PROJECTS

How to refinish brass hardware
How to hack a pine table top for a mid-century modern tulip base
How to repair and refinish laminate counters
How to make a dog bowl stand on hairpin legs

SOURCES

Wall Color: Behr Shea 
Cabinet Paint: Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations in Winter Fog
Brush Gold Knobs: DIY (Similar)
Counter Paint: Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformations Mica in White
Faucet: Pfister Tamera Pull Down
Tulip Table: Vintage (Similar)
Teak Chairs: Vintage (Similar)
Gold Tweed Fabric: Fabricland (Similar)
Lotte Lamp: Vintage (Similar)
Cat Print: Vintage
Pink Hairpin Leg Dog Bowl Stand: DIY 
Pink McCoy Planters: Vintage (Similar)
Glass Fruit Bowl: Iittala
House Cookie Jar: Vintage (Similar)
Yixing Clay Tea Pot: Similar
Pink Linen Napkins: Similar
Coffee Machine: Pasquini

We found, foraged, and hacked a lot of what went into my Mom's kitchen, but I tried to track down some accessories with the same retro vibe and gold, grey and pink color palette - including some things we pined for and have bookmarked for the real deal reno, like this INSANELY gorgeous gold flushmount light fixture we can't stop drooling over:

Huge thanks to Pfister for providing the faucet and Rust-Oleum for providing the Cabinet Transformations and Countertop Transformations kits as well as the spray paint for the tulip table and DIY dog bowl stand!

Mid-Century Tulip Table Makeover

This vintage tulip table makeover has taken me since 2010 to accomplish.  That's when I scored a tulip table base at a yard sale for $5.00.  I know that at least a few of my wonderful readers have been with me since the beginning - did you ever think I'd finally get around to giving this tulip table a makeover?  No, me neither... 

I really love tulip tables, but in the townhouse we already had a really gorgeous mid-century teak table in the kitchen and another one in the dining room.  My Mom ended up stealing the base from me, but because the apple didn't fall far from the tree, she didn't do anything with it for many years either.

Poor little unloved table.

In the process of tackling her budget-friendly kitchen makeover, Mom jettisoned the table that was in there.  My parents live in a small, post-war home with no dining room and a small eat in kitchen, which drove my Mom nuts because when there were people sitting at the rather large, square table, she couldn't open the stove, the fridge, or even leave the kitchen very easily.  Finally following my advice, she moved the dining room table to the living room.  Eventually a bedroom on the main floor (which is currently occupied) will become the official dining room - we already bought an insanely gorgeous brushed gold light fixture in preparation.  Even though Mom wanted the kitchen 100% table-free, I thought that a smaller table and smaller scale chairs would afford us a nice spot to have a cup of tea when I visit, without using as much floor space and disrupting the flow, so I rooted around in her garage until I found the old tulip table base and forcibly made her use it in the kitchen.

First I gave it a new look - and found a new top!

Painting the Tulip Table Base:

To revive the metal base (the existing white finish was scratched and chipped and just really worn), I scrubbed it clean, gave it a light sand, removed any dust with a tack cloth and then applied many light coats of Rust-Oleum's Universal Metallic in Pure Gold - the same paint I used for the typewriter table makeover awhile back.  (This table is most definitely a knock-off tulip table - vintage, but still not a real Saarinen - so I didn't feel guilty about re-painting it.)

I LOVE the tulip base now because Mom's kitchen cabinet hardware is brushed gold (thanks to our little DIY) and so are the hairpin legs on the new pink dog bowl stand we made.  More importantly, Mom's thrilled - the chipped old base made her sad. 

Finding a Replacement Tulip Table Top:

Finding a replacement tulip table top was trickier.  We could have made something from scratch (walnut!) but Mom's not 100% committed to the table being there so, instead of spending the time and money, I just ordered a cheap pine table top online.  I didn't love the profile, though:

I wanted the profile to look more like this.  Not to worry!  When Hubs and I went to my father-in-law's for some wood chopping, I lugged along the table top and my father-in-law routed the edge with a 45-degree chamfer router bit.

It was a bit tricky to do, because my father-in-law said it's easier to just cut the edge with that angle in the first place, as opposed to shaving off a small amount after the fact, but he managed to change the profile:

Looking for an Inexpensive Tulip Table Replacement Top?

This kind of round top can be bought in a lot of home improvement stores for really cheap and you could just use it as-is.  But if you want to change the profile, this doesn't take very long so a woodworker in your area might do it for a small fee.  As well, if the local high school or college has a woodworking class, a Starbucks gift card might be all you need to get an edge routed.  You might also want to check out some shops on Etsy that make and sell this kind of wood top and see if they can route the edge during manufacturing.  There are other options as well: this table top on Amazon is more money, but it already has a more delicate profile.  This solid reclaimed wood top is kind of neat too.  If you're not a mid-century purist, it's fairly easy to track down an affordable solution.  

Painting the Tulip Table Top:

With the edge routed, I gave the table top a light sand before applying light coats of Rust-Oleum Gloss White spray paint.  My Mom loathes pine (and it doesn't take stain well anyway) so I opted for paint instead of stain.  I also wanted to add some lightness into the kitchen because although we kept the counters white, the white cabinets were painted light grey and her once white vinyl floor was replaced with a darker, busier patterned floor - which you can spy in these photos.  A white table top was was a welcome addition.

To pair with the table, I loaned her (who am I kidding?  I'm never getting those back) my teak dining chairs from the townhouse kitchen.  Remember how I lovingly upholstered them in black and white houndstooth?  I laughed at the person who would have to remove all 1,000,001 staples.  That person was me.  But it was worth it because the new fabric - a gorgeous, luminous gold tweed ($5.00 on clearance from Fabricland - this is similar) is the perfect fit for Mom's style because she has pops of this hue elsewhere in the house, so the whole place is starting to look really pulled together. 

And so, after a little budget-friendly makeover, here is what that poor little abandoned tulip table looks like now:

Such a change!



My Mom's kitchen is DONE - did I mention that?!?  I'm so excited to share the reveal because it looks so refreshed, with a cute vintage appeal, for so little money.  We chose everything together and you'll be amazed to learn there is not. one. stitch of turquoise.  Yep, I can do that!

I just need to photograph the finished room and then I'll break it down into posts focusing on a few of the bigger projects (like refinishing the cabinets and repairing/painting the counters) - but expect a FULL TOUR with before and after photos very soon!

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Highs and Lows Sailing Our Ticon 30 on Lake Superior

Hubby and I launched our new-to-us Ticon 30 sailboat a lot later than we expected, largely because there was so much work to do!  A sailboat is a lot like a house: there's always something to repair or tinker with, and so we spent much of the summer in our boat on land, which made us laugh.  It still had a waterfront view, I guess.  The reason we finally did launch was not because we felt ready, but because the boat launch was getting a new concrete pad poured.  Because it would be unusable for the rest of the summer, it was either launch when we did or not at all.  Secretly I'm happy we had that extra push because I think part of the delay was just a little bit of nervousness.  Although we had a boat inspection, for all we knew the boat didn't even float!  Both of us envisioned hopping in and promptly sinking to the bottom of Lake Superior.

Luckily everything went as planned!  The launch went pretty smoothly and we knew what we were in for because we had seen the process while boat shopping:

A huge boat travel lift came to our storage spot and moved the sailboat to the water.  I wanted to cheer when the engine turned on and the boat floated, but I played it cool.  Some fellow Yacht Club members were kind enough to help us launch, with only a minimal amount of heckling.

I might have failed to mention that, from the outside, our boat is an ugly little thing.  Beige fiberglass, brown hull, forest green late 80s bimini... We've already given the inside a makeover and we'll get to the outside at some point - we both love the idea of a black hull and black sails.  But most nights I repeatedly whisper "turquoise boat, turquoise boat" while Hubby sleeps.  I'm wondering how much longer I have to do this until he wakes up one morning, unable to shake the idea of a turquoise hull.

After the boat was in the water it was up to us to get the mast on, which took my Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Hubs and I the better part of an afternoon.  I got to operate the hoist (which is a lot less impressive than it seems - just a toggle switch for up and down):

It was grueling getting that mast up!  At one point my Mom was steadying the mast by hanging onto a rope to keep it from swinging as Hubby and my Dad tried to position it.  As I lifted the mast with the hoist, Mom's length of rope shortened but she didn't let go or ask for help.  At one point I saw her sort of leap and swing by in front of me, frantically gripping the last four inches of rope, toes barely hitting the gravel.  She's tenacious, that's for sure (Mandelbaum Mom I call her).

The rigging took another day as we tried to figure out what goes where.  This is our second sailboat, but our first - a 16 foot Fireball - was much smaller and we were already accustomed to it.  Luckily Hubby's Grandpa (the same one who painted our art) was an avid sailor so Hubby knows his way around a boat - that makes one of us.

Our first sail made us wonder why the heck we had waited so long to launch because it was just perfectly idyllic!  It was dusk, the weather was beautiful, the sailing was amazing, and we were just beaming at one another.  It was so peaceful and so much more comfortable than our last sailboat, which was tiny so we always got totally soaked and spent most of the time crouch uncomfortably.

Everything was beautiful - even the industrial area near the Yacht Club looked amazing from the water at dusk.

This is the life, I thought, feeling a lot of gratitude for essentially living in one of those smarmy motivational posters I always pin on Pinterest.

But, alas, Lake Superior is not always so nice to unsuspecting sailors like us.

Cue the ominous music in the Lifetime movie of my life.

We never sailed our boat home to the lakehouse as planned, because the day we planned to sail was AWFUL!  Our tow line for the inflatable dinghy got caught in the engine but we didn't know that, so we were frantically trying to figure out why the heck we were dead in the water.  (Lesson learned: the dinghy line should always be of the floating variety.)

The channel was super windy and wavy and we were about to crash our new boat into the docks.  An older gentleman was sitting on his boat, shouting instructions but we couldn't hear him so he was just a huge distraction - until he finally communicated the problem to us (thanks!).  Before we got it, Hubby went sprinting to the bow to drop the anchor - which we'd never used, so it was a nightmare to release and we missed a collision by inches.  I was trying to steer the boat but it was my first time and I had two people yelling competing instructions at me.  I was certain I'd crash a tear a big hole in the side.  We finally sorted out the problem, got out of the channel and hoisted the sails, only to find ourselves trapped in 28km/hr gusting winds and giant swells which almost engulfed us.  It was fun at first but then the sailing became really terrifying as it felt nearly impossible to stay in the cockpit.  I was certain one of us would be thrown out.  We tightened our life jackets and white-knuckled it for an hour or so before turning around and heading back to the Yacht Club, where strong winds kept pushing us around.  We were sort of close to the slip when Hubby hollered at me to run and jump off the bow of the boat with the dock line as the boat lurched wildly.  I looked at the slip, which seemed too far to jump to, and yelled back, "you want me to what now?"  I paused, terrified of missing the slip and cracking my coconut open.  All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see Hubby, previously manning the steering wheel, race by me and leap off the boat himself.

I seriously love this guy. (He's wearing an "Arrrbucks" pirate shirt - "bilge brewed").

After we collected ourselves, surveyed the minor damage (she needs a new paint job anyway - turquooooiiisssseeee) and grabbed a hot coffee, I think we were both thinking, "well sh*t."  Neither of us were looking forward to the 5 to 7 hour journey home, having just had our asses handed to us. 

Happily, we were lucky enough to be able to rent a slip for the rest of the season!

I think the club pitied us newbies because there's usually a waiting list - years long - for slips.  When we were "initiated" into the club there was an agonizingly long 45 minute lecture about how we wouldn't get a slip and I was all, "yeah, yeah we don't need one we're mooring on our bay" so I really had to eat crow but it was worth it.  Am I ever happy that Hubby thought my "buy a boat in Toronto and sail it home" idea was ridiculous.  "Too epic," he called it (that was putting it nicely).

But subsequent sailing adventures have been a lot of fun!  

I wish the sailing season wasn't winding down already because I feel like we're only just getting the hang of it.  We'll be ready for next year though, and we'll be able to launch a lot earlier because shopping for, buying, and fixing up the boat consumed a lot of our spring and summer.  I'm excited to actually bring the boat home to our bay next year.  A neighbor made us a really cool mooring anchor that screws into the ground.  To get prepared, we're thinking about signing up for sailing lessons but in the meantime we've been taking the Ticon out in inclement weather so the next time we end up in huge swells, we won't be caught off guard.  Hubby always tries to aim for nice days but I tell him that while we're sailing from the club and have the luxury of staying close to shore, we should sail in any weather so we learn how to handle the boat no matter what Lake Superior throws at us.

P.S.  How adorable is the Yacht Club?  There's a washroom with shower facilities and a kitchen (not pictured) that is seriously nicer than mine.  They literally had to remove the couches because some dudes were just living here.

It has tulip tables, tulip tables. 

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