kitchen – Francois et Moi

Before & After: Tasha’s Charming Modern Kitchen

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 17:02:24 +0000

You know it’s going to be a good day when you have a killer Before & After kitchen renovation on your calendar to share. The matte black details in Tasha of Tchotchkes Design Studio’s kitchen are so delicious; you are not going to want to miss this transformation. –Erin Interior designer & vintage curator, Tasha Schultz’s, most recent design project strikes a personal chord with a complete renovation of her own kitchen in the 1942 classic story and a half she shares with her husband, Travis and two Italian greyhounds, Cheeto and Russell in St. Paul, MN. The original kitchen, though charming, was very poorly updated throughout the years. “We had characteristics like original cabinetry, but cheaply updated laminate countertops. We definitely lacked storage and countertop space (which are a necessity in a small kitchen),” explains Tasha. Photo Credit: Tchotchkes Design Studio What was your vision for the redesigned space? “I really wanted our new kitchen to feel like us as a couple. Clean, Modern with vintage charm while still fitting with the period of our home. Inspiration for the cabinetry came from a modern profile I’d seen on a recent trip to Chicago. I knew I had to do […]

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Simple Stylings’ Bright & Renovated DIY Kitchen

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 30 May 2017 14:10:48 +0000

I recently caught up with the lovely Summer Hogan, brains behind lifestyle site, Simple Stylings, and she was kind enough to share her stunning DIY kitchen remodel with me, along with insight into her design goals & the challenges she encountered amidst the process. What began as a need to replace some 15+ year old buckling linoleum, morphed into a full-blown gut remodel (as many home projects do!), and the result is equal parts beautiful and functional with a side of bright & happy. If you’re considering tackling a DIY kitchen remodel or just plain love a good BEFORE & AFTER, read on for loads of insight and inspiration. Let’s start with a look at the BEFORE & the fully gutted space… And now for the AFTER: What were your main goals for the new kitchen design? My main goals were to create a beautiful space that is also functional for our family. A place where we talk, hang out and cook together. The bar and stools definitely help make the space conducive for that. What was your biggest design challenge and how did you solve the issue? The biggest challenge for us was cabinets. Brand new custom cabinets were […]

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Francois Renovates: 2016 Home Projects (Before & After!)

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 14:00:29 +0000

With a full year of home projects under our belts (and because I’m pregnant and unapologetically sentimental right now), I decided to take a look back through everything we’ve tackled in this house so far. Seeing it all rounded up in one place, I almost couldn’t believe how far we’ve come since closing in July of 2015. Though much of the main kitchen and the upstairs apartment kitchen renovations (we have an upstairs apartment that we rent out) were tackled at the end of 2015, finishing touches and the actual blog posts went up in 2016, so I decided to include these spaces as well. I’ve linked each before/after pairing back to the original post in case you want to see more or are looking for a product source. I hope you enjoy the walk back through this year’s home projects as much as I did! Main Kitchen Renovation Living Room Makeover Dining Room Makeover Upstairs Apartment Re-design Backyard Re-Design (Apartment Therapy Renovation Diary) Photo Credit: Kory Kevin Studio Guest Room / Office Makeover Think this post is worth a read? Please share! Francois Renovates: 2016 Before & AftersClick To Tweet Follow

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Francois Renovates: Kitchen Window Makeover

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 17:41:17 +0000

Happy Hump Day! Today I want to share a little backstory on the window makeover in our kitchen. Since we didn’t have the budget to replace the windows with historic-quality glazing (that the house really should have), we decided to keep the existing ones and give them a facelift. To be honest though, I feel torn about replacing original windows in the first place. In our scenario, the windows are 90 years old, and we’d be lucky to have new windows last half as long. New windows would definitely be more energy efficient, but if their lifespan is shorter, are they really more environmentally friendly? I’d love to hear your thoughts if you have an opinion on the topic because I keep going back and forth! Alright, so here was a before shot of the windows (and kitchen). Caramel goodness galore with aged brass hardware on the windows. One thing that was interesting is the kitchen’s woodwork was completely different than the rest of the home’s dark cocoa wood stain. (Before photo courtesy of Zillow.) The window update consisted of fresh paint, refinishing the original window hardware to match the cabinet hardware, and adding window treatments. With the kitchen’s wood […]

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Francois Renovates: Kitchen Reveal {Before & After}

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 18:39:10 +0000

This post is part of an ongoing series, Francois Renovates. Find the other posts in this series Here, Here, Here & Here At long last, here are the Before & After details of our DIY kitchen renovation! A majority of the project wrapped up in October, but finishing up those last little details has been like pulling teeth for Ken and I. After a 3 month renovation, the last thing we felt like doing on a Saturday morning was caulking crown molding and touching up the trim paint. Alas, though, it’s finished, and ah, does it feel good. Check out the Before and After shots below! So let’s rewind back to July 2015 and look at the kitchen when we bought the home. At first glance, the fully inset cabinet doors were in great condition, and I thought we might be able to get away with a coat of paint on them. But the inside of the cabinets were a much different story. They were a spider-infested, layer-upon-painted-contact-paper mess. The North wall of the kitchen consisted solely of a refrigerator, a free-standing stove, and that’s about it! The kitchen also didn’t have a dishwasher, much counter space or task lighting […]

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Francois Renovates: Progress Update

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:32:42 +0000

This post is part of a larger series called Francois Renovates. Check out the other posts in the series here and here. To be honest, these past few week I’ve been experiencing a bit of DIY renovation burnout. We officially moved into our home last Monday and have been living amongst the construction debris and unpacked boxes for a few week now. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so many Subway sandwiches in such a short period of time…ever! It’s cheap, relatively healthy?, and no plate or silverware are required. I swear they see me coming and start in on my Veggie Delight on 9 Grain Wheat before I can even mutter the words. In any case, I’ve just kind of put the blinders on to the craziness at our house and have been trying to keep a good attitude about it all, because this chaos is only temporary. It’s a means to an (oh-so-fabulous) end and we really are so fortunate to be able to do this at all! So the cabinets, countertops and some of the appliances have arrived and things are starting to come together! Yahoo. I can see the light. Follow

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Francois Renovates: The Owner’s Suite Kitchen Progress

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 14:11:03 +0000

It’s been about a month since we began renovation on our 1934 Tudor duplex. Read more about the duplex here! A majority of the work has been concentrated in renovating the 1st floor owner’s suite kitchen, but we’ve also been tackling a less involved upstairs renter’s suite kitchen renovation as well as small updates to bring this frozen-in-time 1934 Tudor into the 21st century. Oh and did I mention we’re also up against a deadline to be out of our current apartment by Sept 30th? {Gulp} No pressure at all, right? In reworking the owner’s suite kitchen we went round and round on whether to open up the North kitchen wall to create one GIANT kitchen/dining/living space, but in doing so, we’d adsorb the coveted 3rd bedroom. We’re we willing to lose the 3rd bedroom that was a must-have item during our house hunt? Then there was the duplex component to consider; down the road if we decide to move on, and rent out the owner’s suite, a 3 bedroom apartment will surely rent for more than a 2 bedroom. In the end, with short term goals of starting our family here and long term rent-ability goals in mind, keeping […]

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Francois Renovates: A Duplex

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 14:45:42 +0000

On Friday, July 17th it became official; Ken and I kicked off our first home buying experience by also simultaneously becoming landlords. Yep, we bought a duplex! As you may or may not know, we’d casually been considering buying a house for several years now, only semi-seriously looking for about a year, and only “let’s-make-this-happen-now” looking for about a month before we found THE place. It became pretty clear to us this year as we hit MLS with our game faces on in May, that we were in the market for a duplex property. With this being our first purchase, we knew it probably wouldn’t be our forever home, so the idea of buying a property that could pay 1/2 our monthly mortgage in the short term, and give us a bit more financial freedom and options down the road, it was a move we couldn’t help but get excited about. The home we landed on is a 1934 Tudor-style duplex that has the appearance of a single family home from the street (a rare gem!). Then as you enter the foyer, the units split off into two. We plan to live on the first floor which has 3 bedrooms […]

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Dancing Mannequin Magnets

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Fri, 15 May 2015 12:56:24 +0000

After a bit of radio silence during a non-stop busy week, I’m back today to #1) wish you a Happy Friday! YAY! And #2) share a fun interactive mannequin magnet project using mini artist’s mannequins from the art store (or you can also find them here!). I created “dancing” themed mannequin magnets because I think the human form is really beautifully expressed through dance, but of course, they’re repositionable, so the poses in which they can strike are virtually endless. The key to success here lies in the magnets. I’m talking the silver “super magnets,” not the black old school ones–they’re just not strong enough to hold up the mannequins. Materials: 5-1/4″ mini artist’s mannequins Spray paint or acrylic paint/paint brush Heavy duty magnets (Extra strength) Industrial strength clear drying adhesive 1. Remove the stand that the mannequin comes on by pulling and twisting the stand away from the mannequin.2. Spray paint mannequin with desired color. A few coats are needed, and you’ll want to reposition the pose of the mannequin each time so that no natural wood is left showing at the end. Allow to dry completely. 3. Stack two magnets together. Using two magnets will provide more magnetic holding power, as well as give […]

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