As a dedicated reader to the print versions of the Washington Post "Local Living" section on Thursdays and the "Real Estate" section on Saturdays (and yes I do still pour through the Real Estate open house ads on Sundays, in print, even though as a Realtor I have access to our local Multiple Listing Service directly), a couple weeks ago I enjoyed an article about the modern kitchen of 2013. It got me thinking about my own kitchen, aka the reason we bought our house. (OK, we actually bought our house for lots of reasons like its Tudor style, the wonderful location in the woods and close to my daughters' schools, the gorgeous original wood floors, the massive fireplaces that I adore, the laundry shoot, etc.; the kitchen was the reason we insisted on coming to the open house.) I thought the Post article was a little light on function and tilted toward style and while I love the look of my kitchen, I appreciate its layout and features even more.
Most days begin, after my first sips of coffee, with making my girls' lunches. Tucked at one end of the 7-1/2 ft center island is a shallow cabinet we call the lunch station. Note the lunch boxes, water bottles, small reusable storage containers and lunch utensils. Mealtimes are made easier by the pair of refrigerator drawers installed near the kitchen table. In these we keep beverages like milk and OJ, pop and beer, as well as bagels, bread, yogurts and sour cream.
The 36 inch, 6 burner Wolf dual-fuel stove is great for cooking, although the oven does take a while to preheat and there is only one oven space, so we did have to supplement with my beloved countertop Breville toaster convection oven (not shown). I should mention some style elements that are not as in vogue today yet I do like them personally - the dark soapstone counters (I am partial to the matte finish) and the slate backsplash. According to the Post article, rich cherry cabinets are still popular. My favorite part of our cabinetry is the convenient and ample storage it gives us. This particular set is next to the table again so we can store all our daily dishes for quick table setting and dishwasher unloading. The lower ones feature pull-out shelves too.
A buzz word in real estate today is Open Concept. Well that is two words. The previous owners who renovated the kitchen and dining room into its current configuration did eliminate one wall to create the single room and open the space to the living room. They also enhanced the pass-through to the back addition (done by the previous previous owners). We use this space as a dining room plus sun room including music space, so we enjoy hearing our fourth grader play the clarinet and love it every single time we pass food and then dirty dishes through this window.
So those are the highlights of my dream kitchen, which also happens to be our actual kitchen. Kitchens are a central and important feature of any home so buying a home with a renovated kitchen or one with hopes of renovating yourself (like some current buyer clients of mine) is something I discuss with buyers almost every day. What works well in your dream kitchen? And how can I help you find or build it?
I have been on a quest for living room sconces for over a year and a half. I share my story to "Keep It Real" about improvements to your home. Not all projects are a weekend success or an instant fix. I struggle with decisions just like you. And taking the time to make the right choice for your home and your family can be so rewarding that it is worth the time and effort. Well, mostly. Effort yes; time... not so much.
It all began when we bought our Bethesda home almost two years ago. We loved everything about it, except the wood thing over our massive living room fireplace. I am sure it was treasured over the years by previous owners and I respected its unique nature. It just was not for my family. So yes, we removed it. To be more accurate, at the end of September 2011, I paid my friend Pieter to take it all down including the mantel. Much to our surprise, behind that wooden facade was an archeological find of fireplace embellishments over the decades. We found a slip of paper dated 1951 back there, plus dubious wiring faintly visible on the photo on the right. And yes, those little metal electrical covers that promised of lighting to come.
Jump ahead to late January 2012 to discover minor progress on the lighting front. We hired an electrician to confirm and modernize the connection between the wires behind those plates and a switch on the wall by the front door. As a temporary solution, they crudely though safely attached two mismatched light bulbs to the wires, to validate electrical success. Running in parallel to our sconce quest was the restoration of the plaster. We'll call this phase the retro industrial look. Visitors politely tried to ignore it. But by mid-spring 2012, our plaster guy had applied 13 layers over 6 or 7 visits to reach the point where we were ready for sconce selection and painting.
I created a Pinterest board for living room sconce ideas. Friends weighed in. I vacillated between much bling, subtle oil rubbed bronze, antiqued but new fixtures, custom-made from New York City, and many in between. I narrowed in on a vintage look, to keep with the style of our 1938 Tudor. A random postcard from Artisan Lamp Company in Cleveland Park, Washington, DC, led me to dropping by their shop one evening in February 2013; yes that much time had passed. I found some I liked. I mentioned them to my loving spouse. He wondered why I had not bought them. Next time I could get there was April 4, 2013. I found an American vintage pair from the 1920s or 1930s with crystal and brass. And it only took me 8 days to get an electrician here to install them on a dimmer switch. Tah dah! I present to you the final product. Now we just need a mantel.
Quote of the Day: Something for home buyers to keep in mind when seeing houses.
You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
-Mark Twain
A couple observations:
1. I guess I like Mark Twain quotes; I have posted at least one other.
2. Many times, buyers tour through potential new homes and fixate on one (or more) negative aspect of the house, like the ugly tiles in the owner's suite bath or the unpleasant harvest gold color of the laundry room walls, rather than taking the broader view of the space, layout, unique features, and the home's value in total. Of course the space and usage of a home are crucial to a buyer, as is location (for commute distance and options, access to services and amenities like recreation). But the surfaces like carpeting and wall color can all be easily and relatively inexpensively changed.
You cannot move a property, but you can certainly paint your laundry room.
Last evening I was talking with my good friend Pete, who is passionate about the theater. Specifically he is focusing his current efforts on promoting theater-going as a hobby. As we discussed it further, I realized that I could expand my "On the Ground" features to include not only nearby theaters, but also art spaces and other cultural opportunities such as museums and landmarks. Further, I believe the concept of a neighborhood, a community, encompasses other aspects like access to transit and other transportation options like Bike Share (mentioned here), shopping for daily necessities (groceries and medicines) and more fun things like home decor, dining and night life, and recreation.
So watch for more comprehensive "On the Ground" posts in the coming weeks and months. I have three already in the works and I envision more to follow.
