Wednesday 31 October 2012

a before and after kitchen !



Not my kitchen, but one I hand-painted for a client, earlier in the year, before I got the job in the cafe.
I promised a couple of people the pictures, so here they are finally.
I didn't manage to get pictures with the clients belongings back in place, but hopefully you can see the difference.

Before

The kitchen was originally hand-painted in yellow and white and had a lot of eighties detail. My client was offered a new kitchen by her husband (nice guy) but said she loved this kitchen, so I repainted it, and they had new work surfaces (corian), floor tiles and appliances.

After

Ok, so this is probably why I haven't posted it before, because the photos are quite boring, but she just wanted a cream kitchen (with one exception) and no paint effects.

Before
Now you can see why it needed doing, with all the water damage around the sink unit, after over 20 years of use (and three kids).

After
All spruced up with hours of painting, and filling, and varnishing, and finished off with crystal handles.

Before
After
They just need to get their very old chairs re-upholstered, and the oven needs fixing in properly.

Before

After
The door in the middle goes into the laundry room.

Before

After
My client wanted a blue dresser, and I think it's great to have a bespoke piece. It took us a couple of days to get the colour right, but she loved it in the end. I should have taken that awful chair out of the shot !

Before
After
After

After
My clients were lovely people, but I don't miss this work. I don't miss sitting on the floor for hours, with a painful back and knees (the whole job took me 100 hours) and I don't miss the travelling. This job was north of London and I had to stay there, and I'm really a bit of a homebody.

Having said all that I have just accepted a small commission to do some murals. They won't take me long, I can get the time off work and there will be no bending down (as they are over double beds). I will post pictures later on.

This week we're pretty busy at the cafe because it's half term, and on Saturday I will be working all day and most of the evening because we're having fireworks on the beach. We're going to do a BBQ and pumpkin soup (that's the head chef's job, I'm just the helper!). I hope the rain holds off because it could be fun, last year they reckon 300 - 400 people showed up ! 

Wish me luck - I just hope me old knees hold up !!


13 comments:

  1. Oh, it is lovely. How 'bout you quit that cafe job and come over to California and paint Steve's kitchen. I went with white a few years ago. I love the white, but the dirt shows so much more.

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  2. Wow, you have made them look better than new - that must have been lots and lots of work. What a fabulous kitchen to have all those cabinets and I like that the one section is now blue. I can see those chairs reupholstered in a cream and blue fabric, can't you?

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  3. What beautiful cabinetry! Of course, waaaay better after they were painted! I can't wait for more pics of this pretty kitchen.
    I know that Saturday is a working day, but it looks like lots of fun. I hope your knees allow you to enjoy the BBQ! :)

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  4. That kitchen is gorgeous!!! The cabinetry, leaded glass, I love it all. I like the blue accent cabinet and the updated glass knobs. I could be very content with their kitchen and your painting is flawless. Can't wait to see the murals you paint!

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  5. I do like the kitchen simplified. The crystal knobs and blue dresser show well against the cream. I'm just about ready to paint my cupboard doors and still haven't decided whether or not to distress them. ~ Maureen

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  6. Fab job Fiona - it looks great and the blue dresser is gorgeous - I love the corian work tops too. CJ

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  7. Εxcellent job Fiona! Very neat outcome!

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  8. Hi Fiona,

    So nice to meet you! How talented you are! Love the work you did for this client, especially the robin's egg? blue of the built-in dresser-adorable! Can't wait to see your murals!

    Thanks for stopping by my place and the lovely comment. Glad to be following you!

    Poppy

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  9. You said reckon. You sure you're British and not from Texas?

    Looks good, hope your 100 hours were compensated well, but did you try to tell the client that people also pay to have cabinets distressed like her's were naturally?

    Bliss

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  10. This is fabulous! Your hard work really paid off!!!

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  11. This is a really fine job! They must be so glad for decided to keep this one kitchen because it really is fabulous and after your hard work it look absolutely brand new!
    Good luck on Saturday and hoping to see the murals you´ve been asked to do soon!

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  12. A lot of work--but it is gorgeous! So light and bright. . .I'm your newest follower!

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  13. That is an amazing kitchen - with a beautiful paint job. No wonder she wanted to keep it.

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It's always a pleasure to receive your comments. I really enjoy reading them, and a huge thank you if you are following as well !