Kitchen of the Week: Quirky Texas Remodel
Playful Remodel Amps Up the Personality of 130-Year-Old Kitchen
This Austin, Texas kitchen is part of a 130-year-old home owned by Houzz reader Robert Mace. A mishmash of vintage pieces and salvaged materials, Mace describes the space's look as "grandma on acid."
Most of this home was built in the early 1890s, in a standard Louisiana shotgun-shack style. Mace purchased the house after falling in love with the home's tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and heart-of-pine floors — all wrapped up in a cozy 1,110 square feet.
The home was full of history, and just what he was looking for — except for the kitchen. When the house was built, the kitchen was on an open back porch with a lean-to roof. When it was purchased years later, the new owners closed in the porch, and threw on a few awkward additions. Mace had to brace himself for a total remodel.
We got a glimpse of it recently in our roundup of Houzz readers' real-life kitchens. Here is a closer look:
Most of this home was built in the early 1890s, in a standard Louisiana shotgun-shack style. Mace purchased the house after falling in love with the home's tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and heart-of-pine floors — all wrapped up in a cozy 1,110 square feet.
The home was full of history, and just what he was looking for — except for the kitchen. When the house was built, the kitchen was on an open back porch with a lean-to roof. When it was purchased years later, the new owners closed in the porch, and threw on a few awkward additions. Mace had to brace himself for a total remodel.
We got a glimpse of it recently in our roundup of Houzz readers' real-life kitchens. Here is a closer look:
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"When we bought the house, the kitchen still had the sloping, linoleum-covered porch floor, the 7-foot porch ceiling, and the awful appliances, cabinets, and countertops," says Mace. "Everything was sloped, including the countertop. If we spilled something, we had to run to the other side of the room to catch it before it hit the wall or dripped off the counter!"
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Mace decided he wanted to remodel the kitchen so that it made sense with the rest of the home's unique character. Instead of trying to make it something it wasn't, he decided to embrace its funk and give it some style.
Structurally, he had the ceiling raised, added slightly larger windows, and leveled the floor and countertops. The new counter is a sturdy, red-dyed concrete.
Structurally, he had the ceiling raised, added slightly larger windows, and leveled the floor and countertops. The new counter is a sturdy, red-dyed concrete.
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During demolition, the contractor discovered the original flue from when the kitchen was located on the back porch. "It was hidden behind drywall in the back of a closet," says Mace. "It was a pleasant surprise. This flue ties the kitchen to the house's history, and also gives us a great place to hang our pots and pans."
It's clear Mace wanted a playful sensibility to live in every nook and cranny of this kitchen. A vintage fan collection, a dustpan made out of a license plate, and a George Nelson Ball Clock are only a taste of the quirky style that Mace infused into the space.
It's clear Mace wanted a playful sensibility to live in every nook and cranny of this kitchen. A vintage fan collection, a dustpan made out of a license plate, and a George Nelson Ball Clock are only a taste of the quirky style that Mace infused into the space.
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Mace decided to paint the pine floor various colors before painting it the final shade of green. "We did this so that as the floor is worn, it looks like history is slowly being revealed," he says. He even told the contractor not to protect the floor while working, and the resulting dents gave the floor an even more aged appearance. "It also kept us from worrying about our own denting and dinging later," he says.
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A refrigerator covered in every sticker and magnet imaginable sits next to a standalone pantry. All the cabinets in the kitchen are made from salvaged materials on the home's site. The pantry is made with a repurposed door that used to be between the kitchen and the office.
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Conveniently, Mace's neighbor was redoing his kitchen at the same time. A few of his old cabinets live on in Mace's kitchen. "Rubbing them with purple paint brought out this cool crazing in the old paint," says Mace. All of the cabinetry is also modular, so each piece can be taken out and replaced individually — in case he ever gets sick of the look.
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Look closely on either side of the countertop, and you'll see what appears to be an old fashioned gas heater grill. Since Mace loves to listen to music while cooking, he repurposed two heater grills from the bathroom as speaker units on either side of the kitchen.
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To say that Mace's kitchen is a collection of tchotchkes and trinkets is an understatement. This corner shelf houses an array of spices in glass bottles in every shape and size, topped with a final vintage fan.
"This remodel is now 10 years old and it still looks as fresh as it did when it was first completed," Mace says. "Paradoxically, using well-worn or vintage materials and pre-aging new materials has kept the kitchen from aging at all over the past decade."
More ideas:
23 Inspiring Real-Life Kitchens
Your Kitchen: Mix Wood and Painted Finishes
Browse more kitchen photos
"This remodel is now 10 years old and it still looks as fresh as it did when it was first completed," Mace says. "Paradoxically, using well-worn or vintage materials and pre-aging new materials has kept the kitchen from aging at all over the past decade."
More ideas:
23 Inspiring Real-Life Kitchens
Your Kitchen: Mix Wood and Painted Finishes
Browse more kitchen photos
Ideabook updated on Aug. 11, 2011.
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"KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD" !!!
(grandma on acid-too funny!)
I know many spaces like this that have been created by genious artists in my home town of Rochester Indiana. They have always had a strong influence in my design work. You have created a user-friendly kitchen that utilizes space well while not comprimising your own sense of style. Recycling materials is done with heart, humor and purpose.
LOVE THIS SPACE. WELL DONE!!!
What a unique kitchen and perfect for Austin - a place I spent a good amount of time in when I was in school! Some of it is a little rough for my particular taste, but its still great.
So is there a site like Houzz but with artist's handmade houses? Because that would be really interesting.