Hi! Thanks a million.

The Contac Paper I have used and was very satisfied with the results. Make sure you cut it just a hair bigger as with will shrink over time just a tiny little bit.

I just recently came across a method for frosting glass that is easily removable. It uses a mix with epsom salt that you put on with a stencil. It is not permanent so you can change the design or words when you tire of them. I have never tried it yet, but was thinking about doing a holiday design on my door window. [*I tried posting a link to the site that explains the recipe and method of application but got a GW warning that is was spam when I hit submit and the message can't be posted. So I guess you will have to do a Google search for the recipe if you are intersted in learning about it.]

I have used Gila Window Film with good results. It was easy to apply and lasts until you decide to remove it. It is a plastic film where you wet the glue backing with soap water. I used the mirror film for heat resistance and privacy but you can read good review about the frosted version online. Here is a link to their website and I see they have recently redesigned it. It's kind of hard to manuver the nw site now and seems complicated for the first time visitor.

http://www.gilafilms.com/index.htm

About your question to vote on a knob/pull...........I like them all. Any of those would look great in you new space. In that case I would go with the best priced ones.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gila Window Film

Wow....that's a hard one. I like them all. I was wondering what you were going to do.

If you go with the glass knobs, will you also do glass handles? I could see them in your kitchen. I have the jadeite green milk glass knobs and handles from "Look in the Attic". I like them but when I first put them on I thought they had a bit of a "cartoony" look. Which isn't a bad thing to me, but gave me pause. I got used to them right away and they make me smile now.

Here is a link that might be useful: glass handles and knobs

Dilly Dally, thanks for all the help! The Gila window film looks really neat. I'll check out the recipe for Epsom salts too, I like the idea that it can be removed at any point.

Bananafana, Very pretty jadeite knobs and pulls! Look in the Attic is a very neat site, thanks for posting it!

I'm pretty sure at this point I want to mix bin pulls for handles and glass knobs. I don't know why, but I just like the mis-matched look of them. I'm still leaning towards the barrel glass knobs, I dug up a little info about them and that style was used in the 30's - 40' .. which matches up with the stove. I think I need to sit down and make myself a mock-up on size before I order to see if they will be large enough though.

Just for future reference, because I know you are all dying to know ;) *LOL* .. a 2 liter bottle cap is 1 1/8" .. yes I've spent the morning measuring stuff.

This is as far back as I could get and still snap the pic :

BTW, You have options with the Gila window film if you want lettering. You can cut out letters and put them up. You do not have to do the entire glass all in the frosted film. The Gila film is very thin unlike the Contac paper/plastic.

I had a friend who got an estimate for an artistic painter to letter the windows on his new business, and the estimate was waaay out of his budget. He got the Gila film and had a talented friend cut out the letters and he put them up. It looks amazing and the cost was below the budget he had originally planned for the project. They look like permanent lettering but they are removable if you ever need to change them too.

The knobs and pulls were delivered today. The knobs are actually pretty 'beefy' and I'm pleased with them.

( Had my middle DD help me this time *LOL* )

The bin pulls I'm a bit more conflicted on. They are 4" long tip to tip, which is a good sized bin pull. I some how thought they'd be more 'hefty' though. I guess they're in scale with the drawers, what do you guys think?

Good or Whimpy?

LOVE them! I too expected the knobs to almost disappear, and the bin pulls to be weightier looking, but honestly? I think they're awesome!

When you get all of the bin pulls and knobs on, it'll look like your kitchen is wearing jewelry!

I think it's just that you're used to seeing the vast expanse of the white cabinetry. (From one obsessor to another, though, don't install them if you're not "feeling" them!)

I think they look good and not whimpy.

If you are really conflicted about it............take some doubled duct tape and set them all in place. They will hold in place long enough for pictures to be taken and even longer. Duct tape is cheap. Give it some thought using the photos from different angles in the room and of course post them here for opinions.:)

This might be better than drilling them in place and then wavering on your decision.

Thanks so much for the help Reno and Dilly Dally!

I really like the shape of the bin pulls a lot, but like Reno said, I had something weightier in mind. I was a bit 'put off' when I first opened the package with the pulls. Where as with the knobs I was certain they were keepers as soon as I saw them.

My DH walked in soon after I opened the package and said that he really liked them. He could also tell I wasn't too sure on the pulls. Honestly I think I'm being a bit fussy though, because when I hold them up to the drawers, they really do look in proportion with them.

I like Dilly Dally's idea of duct taping them up and I think I'll try that today if I can find some duct tape around here.

Here they are installed, I think the bin pulls ended up working out fine and overall I'm pleased how the hardware looks. It's nice to have hardware on the cabinets now, that is for sure!! We had a whoops and cracked one of the glass knobs right down the middle, it's fairly easy to tighten them too hard. I didn't order any extras either ( which I should have) so now I have to place another order.

We are still no farther on the rest of the kitchen hit list, the vent, the center light. I knew things would slow down for December though, we have two Birthdays, an Anniversary, Christmas, plus a bunch of community stuff and concerts the kids and I are involved in. After the holidays are over we'll get the rest finished up. :)

Wow! I really love that kitchen! The knobs and pulls are perfect. Cute doggy too!

That is soooooo beautiful, zipdee. Love all the white because it looks so fresh and crisp. That backsplash is gorgeous, too.

Wow,you have definitely made all the right choices!!! What a wonderful kitchen, you must just love it. It's so nice that you're enjoying it despite the business of the season.

Oh, I love the choices you made for the handles and knobs zipdee! I see how the bin pulls complement the handles on your fabulous stove. And I'm big on the glass knobs. I really appreciate how you mixed the two materials. Watching your kitchen is the most fun I've had for a long time. What's next on the kitchen?

I'm a sucker for white kitchens and yours is just beautiful! I'm having knob envy. I just replaced all the knobs in our house 4 years ago and I can just hear DH groan if I bring up switching them so soon. I'll have to be content looking at yours and drooling.

Zipdee, I love your knobs and bin pulls. The kitchen looks amazing. You really have a knack for pulling things together.

Fantastic! and the pup is cute too! It looks as though if you step into your kitchen you would really go back in time!

What a fantastic kitchen!!!!

I'm really enjoying watching this kitchen come together. I think what I like the most is that it's classic, yet vintage, and not something you see all that often. I'd love to see some artwork on the wall with B&W photos of vintage kitchens with the 50's family in them. The SS counters really make this kitchen. Are they still "temporary" until you can put in soapstone, because I think this one is just perfect.

As for the frosted glass, I've had great success with wallpaper for windows. I put it up on a couple of my family room windows since there was a lack of privacy issue with my side neighbors. If you are interested I can mail you a sample.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wallpaper for Windows.

Oh I love it!! The hardware looks *perfect*. Just the right size/scale.

Bravo!

Great vintage-looking kitchen!

Thanks so much everyone for looking at the pics and all of the positive feedback!! :) It's great to have the hardware on now, since the cabinets are frameless they were a bit of a pain to open without it on.

Pam and Copperbailey, the pup in the picture is Rider .. I love all of our dogs, but Rider is my best buddy and a total Mommy's boy, I don't take a step without him tagging along.

Bananafana, I'm hoping after the holidays we can get the rest wrapped up .. the hood vent duct, the center lights and a few other details that need to be done. Then I can start bringing in some more jadeite and red touches. I've been diligently looking for some unused or very good condition simple green and white vintage kitchen towels to make half curtains for those two windows. To just provide a bit of color up there and also so they can be pulled in the evening.

Valinsv, I really like the idea of the B&W prints, that would be fun! Part of me has really grown to like these counters, just because they are kind of unexpected and different .. they kind of add a neat twist to the kitchen in a way. So I think we are going to keep them in for a while. One of the nice things about making that decision is there's no pressure, they were inexpensive, they work great right now and they are holding up really well. So at some point we may change them out for soapstone, but it probably won't be until they need to be replaced or if I get bored with the kitchen in a couple of years and just want to fiddle. ;) Now that I've lived with the glass in front of the ovens for a while it really no longer bothers me. I think I'm going to just leave it be and put the wall words on. Thanks so much for offering to send me a sample of the frosted glass wallpaper though, it's really very thoughtful of you!! :)

Zipdee I just had to come back for another look. Your kitchen embodies everything I love about renovations:

daring construction, a combination of old and new, and extraordinary detail-work.

It truly is one of my favorites. I too lovelovelove your current countertops. I love soapstone, and it would be gorgeous in your kitchen, but there's something about that metal banding that's just so unexpected and fun. You really have an eye for design. When you look at the kitchen pics, everything flows so well; the chrome on the range, the bin pulls, the cabinetry, the metal banding, it all looks professionally designed, not "make-do". Sometimes I think the "gathered over time" look can be hard to pull off, but you've done it to perfection.

p.s. I saw your thread with the Daisy update. Since she's such a stellar hound who's flopped her way into your family's heart, I hafta ask....are you keeping her?

Reno .. wow, thank you so for the kind comments!! :) We will be keeping Daisy, five dogs is a lot to take care of, but no suitable home has presented it's self and we've become very attached to her.

I'm sorry I didn't see this before now, I'm in 'the bite of more than you can chew mode'. *LOL* We are having a sleepover for my youngest DD's birthday this weekend. I decided the stairs needed to be totally finished and hall painted before all this went down, yikes! It's been a big job, but the original newel post is back in, the treads are sanded and stained and I finally picked a color for the hall.

Here's a sneek peek .. it's still in the rough stage .. need to wait sheetrock work to dry, then paint that area, patch the woodwork and paint .. by tomorrow it should be about done hopefully.

New color :

Stairs starting to look half way decent again.

The stairway looks fantastic! More great vintage charm. If you have a minute, post pics when you get more done.

I know all too well about that bite-off-more-than-you-chew mode. Although I have to admit to secretly loving deadlines like company coming, sleepover, church gathering, etc., because those times often force me into serious work mode, and I'm able to get so much more accomplished!

I'm doing the Basset-happy dance here that your Daisy gets to stay. I can't think of a better home for her! I'm curious too about the dental work you say she needs. Our Daisy has horrible looking teeth and really, really bad breath. I wasn't aware that anything could be done about that.

Reno .. With the dental work, I think Daisy might have some bad teeth that will need to be removed. I think pretty much the extent of dental work they do on dogs is cleaning ( scaling the gook off ) and removing teeth that are too far gone. I've looked over her mouth really well and nothing seems sensative when I touch, but her mouth seems sensative when she chews. We have been feeding her pretty much a soft diet to avoid having her in pain up until now. She goes in at the end of this week though, hopefully they'll be able to tell us more after her appointment.

We've had Rider and Kirby's teeth both cleaned, Bassets seem prone to get much more tarter build up than any of the other dogs we've had. Their breath can be down right eye watering too before a cleaning! I'm hoping once we get Daisy teeth taken care of it will improve her breath, boy when she breaths on you right now it make you recoil, so I know what you're talking about with your Daisy.

I knew you would understand the *bite-off-more-than-you-can-chew-mode*. *LOL* Yes, company coming does inspire you to get a move on!! :) We did get a lot of it done, but did end up running out of time since the dry time of the stain, waterlox, sheetrock mud and such slowed us down a lot! There's a few places I said .. ummmm .. I'm painting over this now to blend it in, I'll get back to it once everyone is gone. *LOL* There's sheetrock work and wood work that needs to be pointed and touched up. The whole bottom of the house is in flux right now though, it's all changing. So to the parents we didn't know that well I just explained we were in the process of a total makeover down here. It looks better than it did a couple weeks ago at least. ;)

Here's some pics of the back of the house as it stands right now. There's still a lot left to do here. The table set up is temp, as is the kids computer sitting on it right now. My DH is trying to studiously ignore me as he surfs Craigslist on it. *LOL* I'd like to take both booths, put them against the short sink wall. Find one long table or two matching tables I can put side by side and then chairs on the door side of the table. The booth legs would be hid with a built up beadboard surround. The french door hardware still needs to be purchased. That alcove will have something in it, I have three cute vintage medical cabinets I'm going to paint and putting together in there to serve as a buffet. The microwave shelf still needs to be built by the ovens to get it off the counter, etc .. etc ..

The floors are wet in these pics, I just mopped up all the sheetrock dust, so that's why they look a bit blotchy. The paint color isn't true in most of these, it's reading too pastel .. the other pictures I put up the other day are the true paint color. It's a pretty color, but really, really seems to change with lighting!

Again .. please ignore all the flaws .. this is still a huge work in progress.

Front looking back :

Back looking front .. Taz ( the stinker aussie boy ) pulled down my half curtain on the door .. that curtain was a temp soultion. I've ordered another half curtain and it's on the way.

Looking up :

OMG! I abolutely love those french doors in the back. That is so fantastic. Really adds to the space.

That green color is wonderful with the crisp white and fabulous wood. Just think when you are done......you can sit back and pat yourself on the back and say you did it!

Good luck with the rest of your project. It is so fun to watch your journey.

Kelly, thanks so much for the kind comments and encouragement. :) None of the rooms in this house are all that big, so I did my best with visual 'tricks' to make the back appear more spacious than it is. Putting the french doors across the back that open to the deck, cladding the walls and ceilings in white beadboard, putting in as many windows as possible and opening the kitchen to the eating area I think all helped out a lot to give the area a more roomy feel. It seems much more comfortable to be back here now, before these areas were really dark, uninviting and kind of made you feel a bit claustrophobic to be in.

Zipdee - your house if so nice! I love the character it has with the wood floors and the tongue n groove ceilings and the moldings. It is a beautiful home. Plus your kitchen is huge!

OOOOOOH Zip it's looking great! Charm and character everywhere!

Did you say at one point that you're removing some of the french doors behind the breakfast area? Or did I misunderstand?

Your DH is so funny staying in the pics. Mine darts out of shots immediately when I pull out my camera!

Great job on the whole house .I love what you have done and look for ward to checking your progress on things. That is a great green what the name?

Downsy .. thanks so much for the kind commets!

Reno .. At one point I was thinking about removing the set of french doors behind the booths and doing a built in back there, to give the booths, table, etc .. a built in look. I decided against it for a few reasons though. There's not enough seating when we have a whole house full of kids over and they are all hanging out in here, also I think I'd miss the light they provide. So I decided to go the other way and put the booths against the short wall, a long table/(s) and chairs instead.

Madeyna .. the color was a Valspar color, it was in their Historic collection and it was something like Humble house or close to it. We had it color matched at SW because we get a discount on their paints. If you want me to post the formula on the can let me know and I'll happy put it up for you. :)