White on White.
Although I actually did leave the apartment this weekend, I spent a lot of time in it, as well. I was on one of my numerous redecorating raids! This weekend, it was all about white. Don't ask me why, I just grew tired of all my kitschy, turquoise colored walls, mismatched dishes and went, instead, with a starker, clean, European-like look. I was inspired by some images I saw in Maison's Coté Sud magazine I perused last weekend, including this photo above, and decided it was time for a change. Here's a peak at the new kitchen...with a fresh coat of crisp, clean white paint, and a re-organization of my serving pieces, dishware and cooking utensils. Now, I'm ready to cook up a storm! Perhaps I'll only cook white things...like mashed potatoes!
This vintage potato chip rack serves as an excellent additional storagefor some serving pieces and linens I don't mind leaving out in the open.
I still have to contend with the hideous brown mottled tile,but I am hoping all the clean white helps to diminish it!
I priced out having the tile refinished in white, but at
a pricey $900 estimate, I think it's too steep for a renter.
The "before" shots. Yuck.
57 comments:
Oh you know I am loving this!
What a beautiful apartment! I love it! Am I the only one in SF with an apartment that isn't allowed to paint/hang things from the walls, etc.? Or is it just because I'm new here?
I liked the turquise too..but the white walls are sooo clean and fresh looking :) Great choice!
Oh, I love it! I am a total and complete white freak! Most of my flat is white, black (and shades therein...some cream, beige), and my kitchen is the basic old white/black (which I love!) with red accents!
LOL...yes, the trials of a renter dealing with yucky tile! But, I think the white looks much better than the turquoise with that (gasp!) nasty tile! (No worries...I have horrible tile in my bathroom...fortunately it's hidden by the shower curtin.)
I have a white kitchen in my current apartment as well. At first I wasn't too thrilled about it coming from another place where I could paint whatever color I wanted. But the white definitely grew on me. I love thowing in pops of primary colors for accents. And it makes your kitchen look so much bigger!
i'm glad y'all like it! :)
liana - i'm just one of those bad tenants that paint no matter what. but my landlords aren't too strict about it, either. i just have to live in a place i like, even if i do lose part of my security deposit! :)
Oh ,maybe because I am European and I'm tired of the white kitchens I have to admit I did like the before-blue color, lol...
But also the new look is so intimate and calmed!
Lovely! I actually think that the tile kind of works - it makes it look sort of vintagey and keeps things warm. If it were all-white it would be hospital-esque...
I have an all-white kitchen and I'm always on the hunt to style it in a way that incorporates a dash of color for a warm welcome.
Doesn't it feel good to have a "new" room?!?
love it all:)
Looks great! Crisp and clean. Your tiles look pretty good next to all that white, but I was wondering if you've considered asking your landlord if he or she would split the cost of replacing the tile with you? We had hideous powder blue carpet in our bedroom and wanted to replace it but our landlord didn't want to bother with it. He ended up letting us replace it when we offered to pay for half. It made such a big difference to me!
Love it! My heart is always with white kitchens and bathrooms, so fresh and clean! I also love your organization! cheers! becky
I just love love love white...
Almost all of my posts feature gorgeous white interiors
So fresh and clean! I've heard you can paint tile w/ porcelain (?) paint.
Love the white! Have you thought about painting the tile? It can be done, if your landlord perhaps plans on replacing it someday anyway...
my landlord is pretty much MIA. i doubt they would contribute to my tile, since i have been trying to get the outside windows washed for two years! ;)
i thought about doing the paint myself, but i hear it's pretty toxic, and i'm afraid it will scrape too easily. i got a quote on the professional - but $900 is too steep for me. I think I can live with it, for awhile, anyway. :)
Victoria, I can not believe how much you change your place.
I love the white but still like the turquoise.
Oh bummer that your landlord is a deadbeat. I convinced my landloard to replace mine for me. Just wanted to rub it in. Ha ha! No, seriously, yours still looks way better than mine! :D
I love the white, and I have to say that I really do like the way the tile looks with the white. I wouldn't change it. I do also like the white better than the turquoise.
My landlord is MIA too. Sometimes, tho, I think that's a good thing.
One of the white things I did throughout the house (I have a ton of windows) was purchase cheap white shears (curtins) from KMart back in the day. I cannot tell you how many compliments I get on those...which makes me giggle 'cuz they were cheap! Three shears are on the each side of the windows with one shear looped and draped over. Shazam!
is that a jar full of dirty coins in your kitchen? ick.
yes it is, francis. but i don't touch them while i'm cooking. i guess i never thought of them as icky. ;)
Since there's a top on the jar, I don't see how it matters. A kitchen sponge is probably dirtier...(at least from what I read in magazines.)
So, now worries sfgirl!
Your transformation is lovely! Im on a bit of a white streak myself - it still has to manifest completely, but Im definitely feeling it. I think it comes from a very strong urge for simplicity. Hard to overcome those colors though...
I agree with Francis. I didn't see the pennies etc there on the kitchen countertop. Straight up, coins shouldn't be in the kitchen. Disgusting germ magnets (I work at a bank!). But that's just me. I'm just super clean around food. All in all, the white is nice.
OOOO, girl, the white is nice; but you could have embraced that tile and created a Crazy Chocolate Cooking Cave :) Maybe next time.
you could always paint your tile light gray. it would be a huge improvement over the brown.... there must be some type of tile paint that would also be possible to clean.
I love all the white.
What a lovely difference! The white makes the kitchen so clean and inviting. I love your vintage potato chips display rack -- and all of the pretty elements you have artistically displayed.
i love the white and i even think (at least from a distance) the mottled brown tile works really nicely with the bit of green (plants) you have. i think the transformation is amazing!
I love the white and the vintage chip holder!!
When I first saw the brown tile I thought--wow that's great! I love your inspiration picture and your new kitchen.
Good choice although you know you'll be painting it again sometime in the future when you get bored. The white is great with the cabinets and I think it makes the tiles stand out less not more.
Lisa & Alfie
Thank you all so much for all the lovely comments! And, I guess you've convinced me - I will move the darn, dirty coins! :)
I like the black tile floor with the kilim rug. It brings balance to the stark white paint and brown tile. Personally I like a little more warmth on the walls, but I live in a cave of a victorian.
Every renter feels your pain. Do you spend the money to upgrade because you're the one who has to live with it? Or do you just live with it because who wants to put more money in their pockets? I stopped upgrading. Now if I can't take it with me I don't do it . . . mind you, I've been in the same place for 12 years!
I'm so impressed - what a superb makeover! I reckon those tiles are totally subdued by what you've done to the rest of the place, to the point of looking like you wanted them there in the first place!
Love the change!
Does mottled mean the tiles have an uneven surface? Can't really see from here. If they are somewhat smooth you can cut white sticky back plastic to size and tape over them. At least the back splash ones. I have friends who've done it and it looks great. When/if you move you just peel them off :)
you could probably remove all the tiles and replace them for less than $900 rather than painting them.
We had some tile over the existing tiles (walls/and work surface) in our kitchen which is of a similar size to yours.
This worked out cheaper as we didn't need to pay for the labor to remove the existing tiles( a very hard and time consuming job)
Now that it's done you don't even know that the old tiles are there.
I like the dirty coins and they are in a jar, so they are harmless.
looking at these pictures again I like more the white style.
What a great change! I'm totally in love with white and I wish I had painted my walls white too(they are actually sand color with white door frames). Love your blog :)
I'm jealous that Benita Larsson comments on your blog!
This the difference between renting in San Francisco vs. NYC. I got a great book: Small Spaces, all apartments under 1,000 square feet. New Yorkers have no problem with upgrading their rentals. I admit: some of the stuff they did, I wouldn't - too expensive. Very interesting with regard to what we do vs NYC.
My landlord has offered to upgrade. But, I won't let him. A simple project turns into a six month project and is never quite finished.
sweet...love the white..
everything that calls my name lately is white and clean and round and simple.
I LOVE IT! What a great choice!
Yes, francis, that is a jar of coins on her countertop, but it's HER HOUSE, so get over it, quit being so rude, and leave her alone. Expressing an opinion is one thing, but being demeaning to someone who works so hard to bring us such a beautiful blog is quite another.
I don't think the turquoise is yuck but I understand the need for a radical change (I've just done the opposite - white to bright colours so I'm probably influenced by that!).
I haven't read all the comments so I don't know if anyone has mentioned it but my friends painted over the tiles in their house and it looks great. You have to use a product on them first to give the surface some teeth but then you paint with special tile paint. It'd probably stink a bit but their tiles look great and it's cheaper than replacing them. Future renters will thank you!!
It looks so so great. I have to tell you...we painted tile in our old house and I would never ever ever again do it. It's toxic and I seriously thought we were all going to be hospitalized for breathing that stuff in...dog included. I felt terrible for her because she lays on the ground and has to smell more of it than we do!
We did it in our old shower and it was potent stuff. When we moved, we hired professionals to refinish our old cast iron sink and tub and it wasn't nearly as bad. I think you've done an awesome job working with what you have and still making it look beautiful!
thank you all for all the great tips and advice. i think for now, i will leave it as the white has created a contrast i now quite like.
and don't fret about the coins - thanks to 'anon' for coming to my rescue, but all is fine. i just am not really as much of worrier about such germy things, but maybe i should be! :)
i love your vintage potato chips display rack...would you be able to share where you can get something like that?
i got the rack outside an old corner store that had closen down. but i think the flea market, or salvage yards are a good place to start. and perhaps ebay!
Love it. I too am considering a similar transformation to my dining room (I have an open kitchen to the dining area). What brand/shade/sheen of paint did you use?
it's benjamin moore's regal premium interior - semi-gloss white # N333 01. :)
am new to your blog..LUV it and all of your vintage charm. may I suggest very cool book: At Home w/White...think you'd luv it too. cheers...
I love your kitchen! It looks so fresh and bright now. You did this all in one weekend?? wow- I'm impressed. I agree $900 is too steep for a renter, but the tiling is not as obvious with the white.
thanks Sarah, yes I did it all in one weekend, but I had help from an excellent local painter (if anyone needs one - he is very reasonable and great!).
I LOVE the change! The tiles don't seem to be as bad with the white as they were with the turquoise. Then again, I'm not living there and looking at them every day! We painted our kitchen so the colors are much more soothing (pale green and white), but realized that it made the countertops look so much worse.
Where did you find the metal sorter that is hanging on the wall?
Thanks Leanne! That's an old metal magazine rack I got at Pottery Barn many years ago. I don't think they sell them anymore - but they should! People always ask about it. :)
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