Vintage Inspiration

After I got a divorce a while back, I bought my first home on my own. I had just enough money to purchase the house, so the fixing up of it was to be done by me and my kids. I think at one time or another they all have worked on this house and continue to help me today. I loved the layout and size of the house but it was totally 70's, shag carpet and all. When you walk into the front door, the kitchen is right there. So to make some type of entrance, Bryce basically gutted most of the kitchen & dining room and a few walls as well to open it up. And since this was truly done with little money, we got by with what we had. On the floors, Bryce covered the horrible linoleum that was there with tongue & groove planks. They are normally are used on walls. We roughed them up a bit, and then put a sealer on top. The display cabinet came from Country Roads, as most of my stuff does. It gave the house more of an entrance as you come in the front door. The "leg" on the right belongs to a mannequin that stares out my front bay window. I love light so there are no curtains in my house. The mannequin often frightens people when they peer inside!

I love this old stove and it does work, although I don't use it. I've got my stove kind of hidden in the back of the kitchen by the refrig. By taking down the walls that Bryce demo'd, it made the kitchen and dining room so much more open. But we also took all of the ugly dark kitchen cabinets out. The only thing left is where my sink is, and once we re-do the kitchen that will go too.

I love this big old primitive cabinet. It stores all my food and also covers up some rough parts on the wall behind it where there was a wall that divided the kitchen from the dining room.

This is one of my very favorite old primitive cupboards. All the paint is original and its got some killer red paint on the inside. It holds all my plates, bowls, and dishes, etc.

Although this isn't one of my favorite pieces, it does have the old wavy glass in it and is great for all the glasses and the drawers work well for silverware and other smaller type items.

You know how once you get one banana box, you have to get a second. These are great for storing all kinds of things.

Another little wallbanger that hangs near the sink on the wall that had more ugly cabinets ripped off of it. It holds smaller items in it. 

I use this old metal A& P metal crate for storage. It sits on top of my refrigerator. The old insulators were my Dad's.  It's nice to glance at them from time to time and remember my Dad.

This is where the wall that divided the kitchen from the dining room was. To cover up the rough brick, I just added a little two piece white cabinet and an old architectural column.

There's the other side of the fireplace and on the left, the dining room and on the right the kitchen. 

I really hate this yellow paint. When I moved in they had dark paneling on all the walls. And for the time being, I just painted them. Not sure "why" I did yellow though. I'm hoping to get some nice bead board up in the near future.

More storage that sits across from the big showcase by the front door. I use all these pieces for storage. I really love the little green cabinet on the wall. It's an oldie, and everything on it is original. 

Because we tore out all the old cabinets, and a wall, the ceiling was really beat up. An easy fix was to cover it up with old ceiling tins. 

The dining room that  flows well with the kitchen has my old harvest table. It was one of my first primitives I ever bought for $150! It has eight chairs that fit nicely around it as well. 

Another one of my favorite cupboards in the dining room!

This table I fondly refer to as my "kids" table. It will seat four, which is good since my son and his wife are expecting their second baby in July. That makes four little grandkids for me so far!

I've rambled enough through this post and with this picture, it kind of sums up why we ripped up all the kitchen and part of the dining room. It all flows really well, with a step down to my family room/living room whichever you call it. I think now, more than ever, decorating and using vintage stuff in your every day lives is so much more economical than buying new. Especially if you are in this biz of antiques! I'm joining my friend Debra today on her lovely blog of Vintage Inspirations! Have a great day!!