When reader Amanda wrote to me asking for recommendations on what to do with her 1950’s kitchen, I said “Let’s see some pictures!” So here they are. Leave your own ideas in the comments.

Here’s my input:

I still dream about those cabinets from this post and I think Amanda has to go PINK, PINK, PINK! Whatever color you choose (PINK!), I think the “Rick Wrench $50 paint job” are some of the best tips on the internets.

And don’t forget the pink fridge to match from this post. Ok, if these are too pricey, get an old fridge and paint it along with the cabinets. I’m not sure how I feel about vintage fridges though. Energy wasters, ya know?

Throw in a splash of blue for the counter top. See this post.

Vintage linoleum from Second Hand Rose. Kind of expensive. Hmm….how creative are you? I’m seeing painted floors.

Do you know about Retro Renovation? You can spend hours on that blog!

I’m done. Ok, your turn!

Web Urbanist recently featured ten of the coolest counter and surface material designs. Although they’re all really beautiful, I noticed that the more spectacular ones are lit from behind.

So my question is, do you really need to spend a fortune on semi precious gemstones or lava to get that same glowing effect? Sure, if you have the money, be my guest (and loan me some). But I’m thinking that you can probably achieve a very cool effect by backlighting just about anything.

Some ideas:

1. Colored glass or plexi

2. Individual glass marbles, tiles or quartz stones

3. Transparent paint for glass

4. Stained glass

5. Embedded anything in resin

6. Punched metal

7. Old photographic transparencies

8. Strings of Christmas lights under clear glass

Now obviously if these are surfaces where water will penetrate, you’ll need to protect them. Do I even have to mention that any paint, holey metal or photo should be underneath the glass? And if it’s a countertop, make sure you’ve checked into heat, breakage and seams? But you knew that already, right?

The lighting is something that can be adjusted. You may not want it evenly lit. Perhaps some shadow areas would give a more dramatic effect. Just make sure you have your wiring and spacial issues worked out in advance! Keep in mind that lighting from behind will take up at least a couple inches, and that’s some narrow lighting I’m talking about.

Wine Cellar Designs

You’ve probably seen recycled wine barrel bars and wine barrel chairs. I love this stuff, but it doesn’t fit every home. Perhaps it’s a tad goofy. But the floor! Ah, the reclaimed wine barrel floor! How could you not love that? It may look like any other reclaimed oak floor, but the numbers are what makes it. Is the $39 per square foot worth it though? Maybe not. You could always fake it. Stamp or burn some numbers into the wood before sealing and there you go.

Via Luxury Housing Trends

**Archive. Originally posted January 30, 2008.

Since we looked at vintage cabinets yesterday, we figured we would give you some options for matching retro laminate countertops.

Formica’s Classic Boomerang: Coral

We all know the biggie: Formica. Their “Classics” collection includes Boomerang, originally designed in the 50’s. This pattern bounces back to us (Get it? Because it’s a boomerang) in 4 historically kitsch colors, including aqua, coral, charcoal and skylark.

Formica’s Classic VirrVarr: Light Blue

Also available from the Classic collection is the VirrVarr, a European pattern. VirrVarr means criss cross in Swedish. This only comes in white and blue.

Read about Formica’s participation in environmental programs such as LEED and Greenguard here.

Nevamar, from Panolam Industries, came out with the Twist N’ Shout retro design not too long ago. There are 3 different color options: orange, blue or yellow.

Nevamar’s LamMate’s “Way Cool Encounter”

Nevamar offers custom print laminates that can allow any digital file to be incorporated into the laminate. They also offer some funky solid colors. They are not as readily available as Formica, so check out their dealer locator.

Nevamar Laminates are Greenguard certified.

Wilson Art’s Retro Mint

Wilson Art offers 4 “retro” designs under it’s Indie Collection. They also have some groovy retro looking designs such as:

Kaleidascope

Mondrian

Plaid

See here for Wilson Art’s Green Guard certification and other environmental info.

This month’s quick, cheap and easy DIY counter top choice comes from The Hardware Aisle.

What is it? Plywood! There’s no need to remove your existing counter top to feed the landfill. Furniture grade veneer can be affixed to existing material. Edges should consist of solid wood and surface can be coated for protection.

Full DIY here.

My own input? I doubt this will last forever, so why not make it look as nice as possible while it’s there? I’d add trim around the edges to fancy it up a bit. You can caulk it, but water will eventually find it’s away between the top and trim. If you plan on keeping the counter top for a long while, you should stay on top of the sealer and caulk! But remember that bars often have wood counter tops and they seem to last just fine.

Related:Charles and Hudson

Emilia will be working with me every Sunday.

The coldest day of the year didn’t keep people away from the Brooklyn Flea. What happened to the sun yesterday?! Man, was it cold out there!!! So, that’s my excuse for this semi lame post you are about to read. I didn’t get around the whole market to take pics and interview vendors as I had planned because I just wanted to sit under my moving blanket, which is what we were using to prevent hypothermia.

We finally nabbed a couple of VERY WORN Carhartt coats from Eddie. We looked like we were homeless and probably scared people off, but we were warm. Eddie was there with his Dad (a 70 something year old man who looks 30). So Eddie would be Lamont to his Dad’s Fred?

I’m sure Brownstoner will post how many folks came through, but sometime during the afternoon I heard that the count was at 9,000 and they were expecting it to hit 15,000 by the end of the day. Not bad for a first day with arctic temperatures.

We had fun. Made some dough. Met a bunch of cool people.

Apologies for all the concussions caused by our sign being too low. We realized it was actually the tent that wasn’t fully extended. Oops.

So whom did I meet?

The Silver Nest divas.

There are a handful of sane commenters on Brownstoner and Debii and Suzanne of Silver Nest are 2 of them. I’m the third. I’ve known them online for awhile. Emilia had the pleasure of working with them at the Salvage Fest last year, but it was my first time meeting them in the flesh.

Reclaimed lamps from Silver Nest

Silver Nest (website under construction) offers four lines: Silver Nest, an amalgamation of things from reclaimed objects, original photography of architectural detail on pillows, and other objects. Jenny Sparrow, figures, faces, dolls, etc worked into jewelry, shadowboxes, decorative boxes, etc. Sewing Diva is mostly pillows. Blatherscat Lighting, vintage table lighting, cleaned up, often rewired, with new shades, etc.

The Moss & Ash chicks were cold too.

From their website: “Moss & Ash was born out of Annabel and Anna’s desire to share their ability to turn frumpy grandma nightgowns and muumuus into fashionable, fresh, and affordable vintage clothing. They re-make old, outdated dresses into one-of-a-kind pretty pieces, selling them with various vintage accessories that culminate in the edgy, yet feminine look that they both embrace.”

“The Bowling Alley Guy”

Couterevolution. Jim Malone crafts countertops, tables and benches out of reclaimed wood from bowling alleys. Bowling alleys began phasing out real wood for lanes in the 1980’s and Jim salvages these vanishing resources. Cool stuff!

Revere Sugar Refinery, Red Hook by Bob Marvin

Got to meet Bob Marvin of the Fort Green Photography Association. He’s the 4th sane commenter on Brownstoner. That leaves room for just one more. Bob does some fine black and white prints and still gets to work in the darkroom, which is a dying art. I didn’t get a chance to get over to his booth, but I was lucky enough that he stopped by mine. Next week, Bob!

Vintage fabrics from Repro Depot

The Silver Fox vendors woke up at 2am to come down from Albany.

VitraStone manufactures sinks, countertops and tiles. The material looks like concrete, but in fact it’s a blend of ceramic cement, fly ash and recycled glass.

70-85% of the material is recycled glass. The glass is pulled from the local recycling center. It’s crushed there and then delivered to the VitraStone facility.

The fly ash used in production is a bi-product of local coal burning plants. Millions of tons go to waste in landfills and flyash waste ponds every year.

Ceramic cement is used instead of Portland cement because the production of Portland cement accounts for 7% of all Carbon Dioxide emissions from human resources. Chemicals such as water reducers, plasticisers and acrylics that are not used in the proprietary blend of VitraStone ceramic cements.

The products come in a range of colors and can also be customized. Stained glass, fossils, stones or metals can be inlaid into the material which is then sealed with a deep penetrating sealer (food grade, no VOCs).

On the down side, VitraStone is located in Colorado. The closest showroom seems to be in Philly.

Oh yeah, and it ain’t Home Depot prices.

Bamboo flooring is the choice for many a green renovation. Personally, I haven’t gotten used to the look of it. I prefer classic looking floors that have withstood the test of time. I mean style wise, not durability.

Since bamboo is probably here to stay, let’s take a look at the pros and cons, shall we?

PROS:

Supposedly stronger than many hardwoods. It is resilient and doesn’t dent easily.

Bamboos reach maturity much faster than hardwoods. They can also be cultivated, making this a renewable source.

Highly resistant to moisture. Good for kitchens and bathrooms. We’ve covered countertops here.

If you want a “green” floor this is a less expensive and more convenient option than reclaimed antique wood. Not as nice though!

CONS

Choose the manufacturer wisely! As with anything, you get what you pay for. Some manufacturers harvest bamboo before it is mature enough to produce good quality planks. Four years of growth is recommended.

Again, check into the manufacturer. Make sure they are using glues with low or no formaldehyde and finishes that contain low VOC’s.

Bamboo is mostly harvested in China. We don’t know what the F* is going on in those plants over there. Not only that, that’s a lot of fuel wasted for a green product.

Teragren and Plyboo are 2 companies that distribute locally and keep an eye on their production.

Yes, we live like this. And we have for years. If you’re a germaphobe, please look away now.

Our long term plan is to completely redo the kitchen. We’ll probably end up adding an extension as the layout here is difficult to get around. There are windows and doors in every wall. It would be a bit cramped for an island. We also don’t love the idea of having a full bathroom right off the kitchen, but we want the home to have 2 baths. (more…)

Caroling. Ribbon cutting. Blessings.

Nine new affordable condos in Bed Stuy are complete now, thanks to Habitat for Humanity.

Each owner contributed 300 hours of labor with help from 4,000 skilled volunteers. Habitat hired a professional contractor for the exterior, core and shell of the buildings. The owners learned skills while basically building their own homes.

The condos are constructed of highly energy efficient “insulated concrete forms” meant to save homeowners up to 50% in energy bills. Eco friendly materials such as recycled glass countertops and cabinets consisting of sunflower seeds were used in the building process.

New homeowners received symbolic keys to the homes, located on Halsey Street, but cannot move in until early 2008.

Via Green Brooklyn

Via NY1

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