Portland, Oregon / 10.3.17

Today was a great day: demo day!  A crew came with trucks, tools, gloves and earplugs.  The main goal was to remove the peach tile which is in the kitchen, dining room, living room, pantry, laundry room, and cleaning closet.  They also removed the tile backsplash and the “shoe” part of the baseboards.  The interior of our house was sealed tight with plastic to keep dust away from our other living spaces.  The plastic worked well considering the amount of dust that was flying today.

Beyond the plastic near the ceiling are our bedrooms and the front of the house which has the formal living room and dining room.  There wasn’t any visible dust in the formal areas despite all of the demo today.

I remember when we bought our house I immediately told our real estate agent and my husband that I didn’t like the peach tile.  There was so much of it too.  She casually said, “Oh you can replace that.”  It seemed so simple.  Just replace the tile.  That was 13 years ago.  Better late than never I guess.

Below is a picture of the great room floor without the peach tile.  I can honestly say this ripped up, demolished floor looks better to me than that old tile.  It’s progress!

Finally, they also removed the tan backsplash in the kitchen.  We are keeping the cabinets since they are still in good condition and we are having them painted white.  Here are some pictures:

So far this has been a smooth process.  I think that I am so thrilled to have the spaces finally remodeled that I will endure any amount of pain necessary.  I have had a lot of questions about this remodel sent to me.  Thank you so much.  Here are some of the most common ones:

Q:  What did you do with your old furniture?

A. The couch, chairs, and coffee table went upstairs to our kids’ bonus room.  We had an old couch in there that was about to fall apart.  The dining set, shelves, oriental rugs, lamps, and other furnishings we gave to a friend and her sister who needed “new” furniture in their homes.

Q: How did you find your interior designer?

A: This was difficult.  We had used a person before, but wanted to try someone new.  I also asked friends for recommendations.  Finally I went to Houzz.com and starting searching.  I found my designer there and am very happy with my choice.  We have mutual friends and I have seen her work in another house.

Q: Why hire a designer when stores have in-house design services for free?

A: One thing I’ve learned is it is worth the investment to hire a designer if you budget allows.  You won’t make any paint choices you’ll regret once it gets up on the walls, you won’t buy a too-big couch for your space, and your furniture won’t look like everyone else’s furniture.  (Guilty on all counts.)  Designers have access to furniture, fabrics, lighting, etc. that the general public has never seen.

Q: How long will this project take?

A: I have been told 6 weeks or by Thanksgiving hopefully.  Cross your fingers for me!

To see previous kitchen remodeling posts visit:

My Kitchen Remodel: Before Pictures

My Kitchen Remodel: The Process

My Kitchen Remodel: One Week Until Demo

My interior designer is Taryn Emerson of Taryn Emerson Interiors in Lake Oswego, Oregon.