Thursday, November 1, 2018

Kitchen in progress


Kind of like the Carousel of Progress at Disneyland, except that there's no animatronics or fun sing alongs, and we're going backwards instead of forwards ;)

This is the view of my kitchen from the doorway of the dining room.


Essentially,  this is how the kitchen always looks. I removed a bit of clutter, but I didn't really "stage" the room. 

Because, I just don't do that.

meh.

Oh and the tiny bit of Halloween decor is gone as of this morning.

You might notice the dog bed under the island in some of the pictures. That's Bubba's nest and I wasn't going to disturb him for a few pictures ;)



And edited to add:

This is a very well used kitchen, where I cook from scratch every single day, with the rare exception that we go out to lunch or dinner.

I don't want anyone to think it's just for looks :)


Anyway, this is your view to the right when you walk in.


And here's a close up of the shelves.


The top shelf holds an old serving tray, some gifts I've been given over the years and a little tin that I painted. The second shelf holds a coca cola crate with my grandfather's baby bowl in it along with his cup and some WWI cookbooks that his mother might have cooked from when he was little, although these particular ones didn't belong to her personally. There's also a vintage biscuit cutter, a pastry cutter and a depression glass measuring cup/juicer, all three of which I actually use. The third shelf holds my jars of rice, sugar and flour, and the fourth shelf holds a reproduction cookie jar from my daughter, Annie, some random jar of Halloween candy and my 'new to me' 1940s radio. 


It still lights up and works! But sadly, since the only way I can listen to an oldies radio station that plays the 20s through the 40s, it really just hides Alexa.

I usually listen to The UK 1940s Radio Station on iheart radio.

I'm probably repeating myself to a few of you, but these are the original cabinets. The white tile and 1930s sink were put in by me. Well, not me personally, but you know what I mean ;)

You can see what the kitchen looked like when I moved in and my inspiration for the restoration 'here'. And what it looked like three years ago 'here'.


My view when I'm washing dishes.


This is the view towards the dining room...


including the worlds most used and loved apron that needs to be replaced, soon! lol


Eventually, I plan on replacing the island with an enamel topped table like this...


But I haven't come across one in my price range and that price range isn't 500 to 1000 bucks.

Just saying ;)

Here's my stove, which seems to fool a lot of people into thinking it's old, but it's not. 

That was my intention when I bought it though, so I guess it works.


One day, with any luck, I'll come across one of these beauties (that still works and is also in my price range) and replace it.


Patience is key.

In the next picture, you can see the original exhaust fan that still works and where I keep my cookbooks.


I love my whole kitchen, but if I had to pick my favorite part, besides the appliances, it would be the breakfast nook.


I can't imagine why they ever went out of style. It's where I have my morning coffee, where I talk on the phone, visit with friends, eat... etc.

I just love it to pieces.


This is the view towards the "mudroom", which is in quotations, because even though it's a place to hang coats and put dirty shoes, it's really just a hallway to the downstairs and an exit to the side yard ;)


And there's Julia, just humming away :)


Oh how I love her...





To give you a better idea of what my kitchen is like, I took a video.

Don't think I'm in this video either, because I'm not.

Not even my voice.

It's just the kitchen with the radio playing.

If you want, you can make it bigger by watching it on youtube.





And here's another I took in black and white, just for fun :)



So that's it.

I'm thinking about doing videos of other rooms too and maybe a house tour, to give you a better feeling of what it's like to actually be in my house, so let me know if you'd like that and I'll see what I can do :)

xo
rue

54 comments:

  1. Wow, that video really makes me feel like I stepped back in time, and that I am really in your kitchen! It's really a very special place. I see those enamel topped tables here in Minnesota quite often and they're not too expensive. You may need to plan a road trip next summer!

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    1. You, my dear, just gave me a great idea! My son lives in Minnesota, so I'm going to look at craigslist where he lives :) Although, a road trip does sound fun :) And thank you!

      xo

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    2. Rue, don't forget to look on Facebook Marketplace - whether in your vicinity or your son's in MN. Sometimes you can find some great deals there.

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  2. Your kitchen is so lovely...you have done a wonderful job restoring it! Love the video!

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  3. Can everyone see both videos? I had to edit and although I see them both, I'm wondering if everyone else does.

    Thanks!
    xo

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    Replies
    1. Yep.. both videos are up and running.
      Thanks!

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    2. Videos worked great--I clicked on the box on the lower right and watched it full-screen.

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  4. You've done a fantastic job with the restoration of your kitchen and with all of the decorating. Both videos play and you did a great job with them also.

    Thanks for sharing your lovely home ~ FlowerLady

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  5. Wow, I love what you've done with your kitchen. Mine has the original cabinets, too. They are from either the twenties or the forties, (I'm not sure,) but they need to be painted and repaired. I have a breakfast nook, too! They are so fabulous. I always loved my grandma's in Fullerton as a child. Now I'm going to watch your videos. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Great videos! You have made your home feel welcoming and cozy, and I'm sure that your old house loves having you as it's caretaker.
    I think some of the things that were in old houses have gone out of fashion largely due to the way everyone is in a rush these days.
    Not too many folks sit down and have breakfast together, or any meal for that matter, so sadly eat in nooks are no longer needed/used.
    I am sad anytime I see a house without a front porch. Just imagine all the evening chat sessions that are being missed out on.
    Keep up the great work, and thanks for sharing with us.
    I miss all of our old houses :)

    ~Smiles :)
    ~K.

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  7. You're kitchen (well the whole house really:) - is such a cozy nest! That arch above the kitchen nook is just so charming (again - the whole house is!) And thanks for notes on all of the blogs you love - if you love them - I will:) *I have four dogs I trip over daily - they each have their own little nooks. I can't imagine a life without dogs/cats - and anything else that finds a home here:) So seeing your Bubba sacked out in his bed just makes my day! Thanks for sharing the GREAT pictures!!

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    Replies
    1. Awww.... you're so welcome, Karen! And thank you for sharing a little bit of your world too :)

      xoxo

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  8. Oh Rue - I am almost speechless. Your kitchen is just perfection. Can I ask the fragrance of your candle? I plan on watching your video daily as a piece of calmness in this scary time. I want to totally immerse myself in your world :) Thank you.

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  9. Love the video Rue and I love your kitchen. I feel like I have gone back in time to a slower calmer time in life.
    Everything looks great.
    I think the video of the house is a great idea.
    Gives us more of what the rooms really look like instead of just still pics.
    You might be giving me an idea here!
    Happy Friday and weekend.
    Kris

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  10. I LOVE your kitchen and would love to see a house tour. I have an enamel table like you want. I paid $35 for it around 18 years ago. Mine has a black edge, though. I, too, wish they made the booths in kitchens still. I remember my great aunt having one in an 1800s home in Maggie Valley, NC. Oh! How I wish I could go back to those old times.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cate! I sure I would have had the foresight to buy some of these wants a while back, before they became popular again.

      xo

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  11. P.S. I lived in a 1933 home for years and wanted a period stove to go with it. I found a 1930s Crosley stove in very good condition in the town in which my brother lived. He picked it up for me and the next time we went to visit him, we brought it home. Did I mention I paid $85?

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  12. P.P.S. Sorry, won't add another tidbit after this. I had the same sink in my 1933 home. If you ever need to replace the faucet, they sell them at Ace Hardware for around $50.

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  13. Your kitchen is so stinking cute! I have a friend that had a stove like that in her last house (sadly, she had to leave it with the house when they sold it) but she used it every day. I think she got hers off of ebay.
    Looking forward to seeing more videos soon! :)

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    Replies
    1. Poor thing! I would have been devastated.

      xoxo

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  14. I love your kitchen Rue. Love that it's not staged. Love that it is useful. Love that It's reeeeeal! Julia looks awesome and right at home 😊

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  15. I love every single little detail--and I viewed this twice last night, again now and want to show it to my kids who are coming in to visit us this weekend. Someone above said it's like stepping back in time and it is and shows so clearly how appealing kitchens from that time were.

    It's like I took one of my 1930s magazines, opened it up to a kitchen ad printed in gray tones and like magic it comes to life in full color like the Wizard of Oz movie did. How did you do that??

    You knew what the answer would be when you asked if we wanted more videos; more more more!

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  16. Your kitchen is completely charming, Rue! I love that it's never 'staged' and that, like mine, it's a true working kitchen! Mine is not nearly as cool as yours, but I do love it in all its 90's glory, ha ha!! Julia is the perfect fit for your kitchen, she looks as if she's always been there!

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  17. oooh, I'm just so in love with your house! Such old fashioned charm! What a gem.... we modernized our kitchen and toyed with buying the appliance that look ancient but aren't really - and then copped out and went for new. I kinda regret it.

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  18. You're kitchen is adorable! I'm sure that, as well as I do, you have to keep your floor clean, other wise, the floor starts to stain. I have found that The Top Cleaner is a website that has helped me find the best companies to clean my kitchen floors, they did an awesome job!

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  19. I love Every. Single. Thing. about your kitchen. Thank goodness there are people like you who keep and restore the originals to the home. How much more lovely and interesting than the "sheeple" (sheep/people) who all have the same granite/stainless steel/one-big-room. In our last house, I had researched and bought antique light fixtures--but the people who bought the house took them all out and put in the Walmart-special-$9.99 lights everywhere. I envy you that beautiful little breakfast nook and I, too, love that sink. Good job, Rue!!! More, please......

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    Replies
    1. You are so sweet, Vikki! Thank you :)

      xo

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    2. Oh and those people that did that... I have no words....

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  20. Thanks for the tour of your fabulous kitchen, Rue! Loved the video, too except that it would be better with you in it. ;-) Or, at least, your voice. xoxo

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  21. I love your house so much! The video was great! You need to take videos of all of your rooms!

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  22. Your home is gorgeous, just found you, looking forward to reading your archives.

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  23. I, of course, love your kitchen, BUT, I am curious about your "every day, from scratch" cooking. Nobody does that much anymore and I would love to hear what you cook. Recipes not necessary, just a list. I love to read about your house and projects. Thank you for sharing!
    Diana in Illinois

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  24. I love your home Rue! It is so welcoming. Your kitchen is awesome and I think it is wonderful how you are keeping the past alive by restoring the older pieces and using all of the things that most just decorate with! We listen to quite a bit of 40s music also...*sigh*...so great! Looking forward to seeing more! Love and hugs!

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  25. I absolutely love your kitchen. Maybe that is because our kitchens are very similar. Great minds think alike :) Things that I love about yours that I do not have are your amazing vintage sink, your breakfast nook and your vintage tile. You have a beautiful kitchen and one that takes me back in time to crock mixing bowls, cotton aprons and bread in the oven. Back in time when life was filled with amazing homemade foods and 1940 and 1950 music playing on the radio while you dance about the kitchen mixing up great foods for your family.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Connie :)

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  26. Neat video in color and B&W. What a great Kitchen! Your sink is the best.
    I am going to make sure I start cooking more, you have put me in the mood. Loved the music while being shown around.
    I see your stove top coffee pot, I miss mine, I must get another. . Like your flooring also.
    Thank you for the tour, enjoyed it.
    betsy

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  27. The music creates the perfect atmosphere. The nook is adorable, and the entire kitchen is precious. You are so lucky that the sink was still there! Unfortunately, my father did not have one in his stash for me. xoox Su

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  28. I enjoyed the video. The B&W is so fun. What a great idea. I love the nook too. I know I would enjoy it in the same ways you mention.. but I'd have coffee with Jeremy. ;-) LOL
    xx oo
    Carla

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  29. I did enjoy the video.
    I just love the breakfast nook... it's just perfect.

    All the best Jan

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  30. I love videos, they always give you a much better sense of a space than photos. Fun! And that nook, I agree. Why did they ever go out. I would sit there all day long...just lovely.

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  31. Left a comment on your YouTube too. I enjoyed the little tour and so happy that your kitchen is turning out as you like it. It's so wonderful. I wish we could turn back the hands of time in some ways.. though not in others.
    I love old time radio and listen daily. I like your radio a lot.
    Hugs

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  32. What a very charming kitchen, Rue! One of my friends in Brooklyn had a built in breakfast nook like yours that I always loved. In my dreams my kitchen would have a cast iron stove as my maternal grandmother had one in her farmhouse kitchen in Pennsylvania when I was growing up. I loved that big old black stove that cooked the most marvelous foods! She also had a gas stove that my uncle installed for her nut she never used it. Every time I visit an old house museum and see a cast iron stove I swoon with memories. You are so fortunate to live in a house that has all thse wonderful antique features that you love so much--I really enjoyed the videos!

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  33. Loved the tour - and your kitchen - ahhhh , i feel peaceful, cozy and safe like a kid - just looking at them. Love your youtube also .... again - another enjoyable post by you.

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  34. I enjoy seeing how you decorate and keep things in line with the vintage decor style of the home. I love when people refurbish an antique and not try to repurpose it. You have a lovely home.

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  35. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that kitchen. I love the space for the table! How about taking that table and putting old roller wheels on it to move into the sport for the island? I wished I had room for a island. Nice job.

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  36. I love your kitchen. I love how it is separate from the rest of the house. It is charming and must be a wonderful place to cook and bake. The breakfast nook is inviting! In my childhood home, we had one in our kitchen too. I loved it! I enjoyed seeing the video too. Thank you!

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  37. I am absolutely loving your gorgeous blog! Thanks

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  38. Rue!! I've thought about you a million times... Haven't blogged in 92 forevers. I'm thinking I might do it again.... Your home is just tooooooo darling! I love every 'lil smidge of it. YUMMMMY! LOVE the colors of the kitchen and I think I'd never leave that room. It just feels like....... welll......... home! Many blessings to you. Was so surprised and delighted that you popped up when I was searching for something else.... It was meant to be. .... Lovies, Spencer

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  39. Not sure where you're located, but there are two of the enamel top tables on sale on Facebook Marketplace, here in Myrtle Beach, SC. One is $60 and the other is $65.

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