Friday, October 17, 2014

The Ugly Truth ~ before and after our kitchen restoration...

Several readers commented on our kitchen and Mr. HB suggested that I show you what our kitchen was like before we did the renovations...it was UGLY!
See for yourselves what we lived in before we did the restoration.
It took many years, lots of money, and hard work AND it required IMMENSE patience on my part...


I cannot believe we once lived in this kitchen...and what was with all the baskets?






Believe it or not I was able to serve meals to our growing family
host Christmas dinner
and we continued to entertain hosting many dinner parties!


The kitchen changes one wall at a time over a period of several years.




Starts to take shape...












Can you guess what I got for Christmas in 1998?


The Humble Bungalow Kitchen today.




The mission arts and crafts table is where I sit and write my blog.
I see that Chester snuck into the picture.

Mr. HB did these renovations on weekends and evenings over several years.
He could not take time off from his busy practice so he worked weekends and evenings.
He's a very talented fellow and has a keen eye for design and detail...
perhaps that is why his chosen profession is architecture.

Restoring our bungalow has been a labour of love...
Our Humble Bungalow is a designated home on the Victoria Heritage List which protects it from demolition.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

Hostess


37 comments:

GSL said...

Wow! That makes a 'reno' look like a quick touch-up. Mr. HB practically disemboweled and then rebuilt and he did beautiful work. Bunglaows are a very big thing in Chicago and renos are eligible for all kinds of tax incentives, loans, etc. and they really do add so much charm (and value) to everything around them.

Grace @ Sense and Simplicity said...

Well done with the fantastic reno - and yhe patience to live through it.

Madame Là-bas said...

Your husband is indeed creative and talented! I had the "basket thing" going in the 1970's along with the Ikea pendant light and wallpaper festooned with strawberries. It is funny how are tastes change as time passes.Your commitment to your home has paid off in that it is such a beautiful and comfortable space today.

Blue Booby said...

I got a kick out of what looked like desk lamps and the big bow on the range. It's amazing what we can live through one wall at a time. Beautifully done.

Lorrie said...

What an amazing transformation. How patiently your husband did such excellent work. Good renos take time - I always wonder about these 2-3 day quick renovations on television.Seems impossible to get quality in that time.
Baskets were certainly in style many years ago - I had lots of them around my kitchen, too. Your kitchen looks like a place you enjoy being.

Anonymous said...

Oh yes - the baskets. I had a lovely collection that sat on top of the overhead cupboards! I see that you may have coped during all that chaos but what about the glove? She looks positively deflated on those pics. We completed a similar restoration in our first home and Mr. T. likewise was burning the candle at both ends. We look back now and wonder how we ever did it with two small children at the time as well. He virtually built the extension to our kitchen so that we had a family room and completely renovated the kitchen, moving the oven and hotplates, tiling the floors and wood panelling all the walls etc. He had no experience and an office job so learnt as he went along. We recently visited the house with our youngest daughter as it was on the market. It still looked pretty cute. We had saloon type batwing doors into the dining room too!! Your restoration looks amazing and having an architect does make everything look authentic and rich looking. Our son is an architect - just about to complete his first big project on his own after biting the bullet and going out on his own, He is designing a home for his cousin. He previously did work very similar to Mr T. designing areas within the city Art precinct as his firm had government projects. He is a clever boy - must get it from his dad. Thanks for sharing - I love a restoration/renovation. Tonkath x

La Vie Quotidienne said...

This is fascinating, you did such a spectacular job. My house has been through several different kitchen renovations, I know what a immense job it is, costly and so inconvenient. My husband passed away at the start of the last one, I finished it on my own, it was completely torn apart so I had no choice. Yours, being historically accurate must have had it's own set of very complex problems. It really is lovely. Thank you for sharing it with us.

KSL said...

Wow - what a huge difference. He's so talented, and you're so patient. Of course I had baskets hanging on the walls in those days too, and the tiniest kitchen imaginable. Somehow I also managed to cook huge dinners in it though, and way more complex recipes than I make now. I only had to stand in one spot and could reach the refrigerator, range and sink all at the same time. Your kitchen is just so beautiful now. And cozy.

LPC said...

Really amazing - especially that you could make this happen over time, and persist. Lovely work, and looks like a wonderful place to hang out. One question - you prefer not to have a gas range?

DaniBP said...

Wow it's amazing and it took Years! Incredible, and this will give me patience for our own kitchen renovation which is going to by in the blink of an eye by comparison. I have no excuse to whine that's for sure.
Your hubs clearly had a vision and is very talented, what a result. And you are very patient and clearly had the same vision so you get credit as well. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Anonymous said...

Fascinating! Your home today is a perfect blend of the best of old and new, while staying true to its integrity. I love it. Violet.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

There is gas available on our street but at the time of the renovation it would have added many more thousands of dollars to hook up to the service. I love cooking with gas as the gas ranges have a great ability to control the temperature from piping hot to a low simmer.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The glove was "worn out" with all the work going on in the kitchen!
Thankfully newer gloves have come along to take it's place :-))

Jeannine said...

Thanks for sharing. I feel better about my long waits for projects to be completed! I guess I'm not the only one :-)

TARYTERRE said...

Beautiful transformation.

Jim & Sonya Guthrie said...

Wow, now that's a Humble Kitchen, that turned into a master piece!! I especially loved the wallpaper cabinets ;) You had great patience, Leslie. I gasped when I saw the open floor...and wondered how you managed to keep your children away from that? It all paid off ;)

Heather Robinson said...

What I love most is that it looks as if the kitchen had always been that way...even if it did take an enormous amount of work to get there...

frugalscholar said...

Oh, that house needed you and your husband! My in-laws lived in an arts and crafts house in Pasadena--it had no interior details left of the period.

materfamilias said...

Wow! Kudos to your and Mr. B. for patiently and lovingly transforming that kitchen into what the house deserved. Brilliant!

Lisa said...

I love looking at your before and after photos. You have done an amazing job of restoring this home to how it is really suppose to look. I always love looking around and admiring all the little details you put into your rooms... although I'm not so sure about the baskets... was that a thing? ;)

Anonymous said...

A stove for Christmas? Them's fighting words!

But congrats on the kitchen - my old professor was right - TTT - things take time!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Hi,

I came back because there is a new book that you might be interested in, "How to be like a Parisian whereever you are". What I thought might be pertinent to you is that there are recommendations for what to pack on a trip to Paris. Enjoy!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I bought that book a few weeks ago and it was not at all what I was expecting...I'd like to know what you think when you read it.

Veronica Roth said...

Boy oh boy, what an amazing transformation. My craftsman cottage here in Van has an updated "modern" kitchen and not much to do with the old craftsman style. How I would long for a beautiful wooden kitchen like yours, but having done a kitchen reno in the past, (where I had to cook on the BBQ for a couple months), I don't think I have the energy for that.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

It seems that a lot of us had baskets...gosh they look tacky. Kind of like shoulder pads and 80's big hair!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The children were old enough not to fall down the hole...the cats were curious but they didn't try jumping down either.

No Sacrifice Bags said...

You and Mr.HB did a beautiful job. What a transformation! It's former state reminds me of my kitchen,up at the cottage,with it's wallpaper cabinets. lol. I've been meaning to renovate for years; but never seem to get around to it.

Deborah Montgomery said...

Wow, a beautiful transformation! It looks ever so much better. You and your husband did a terrific job.

emma said...

I LOVE your kitchen! I can so relate - we have been in our Edwardian house 15 years now, and our period kitchen is still evolving. My latest "temporary" kitchen setup has lasted since, oh, 2003!

Northmoon said...

What a transformation! Your husband is very talented, and you both obviously care very much about respecting the heritage of your house. Lovely kitchen, thank you for sharing the renovation photos; I find them fascinating.

Anonymous said...

What is behind the stove/oven? It looks like there is a space in between the back of the stove/oven and the window - a little bit unusual. Maybe it's a stairway going downstairs to the basement? Love the idea of being able to see outside while using the stovetops but you don't seem to have a kitchen fan that sucks the cooking smell and steam outside (or maybe I am not seeing the whole picture). Thanks for the pictures! Emily

Duchesse said...

A loving and skillful restoration! I don't find the 'before' SO ugly; rather, it's cluttered.

If a full, custom reno is out of reach, most kitchens can be improved by cleaning out all the extra visual elements (baskets, knick-knacks) , re-surfacing cupboards, updating hardware, improving lighting. Not everyone has the talent (Host) and patience (Hostess) not to mention the funds even if the labour is provided with love, not cash.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Emily oh you have keen powers of observation!
Yes there are stairs leading to the lower level...laundry, guest and hobby rooms as well as Mr. HB's workshop. There is no fan so we have to open the windows to air out the kitchen area which on a cold day is not ideal but we press on!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Clutter gone bad...
I cannot believe that I had all that junk in there!
Looked like I needed a serious decorating intervention...I have done a complete shift and changed my ways.

Sheila said...

What a beautiful and caring restoration of your kitchen! It's lovely!

Anonymous said...

Haha! No, I love kitchens so I notice these things, that's all. Compliments to your husband for doing such a good job! Emily

Greeker than the Greeks said...

Well worth all the work.
Splendid!