Before & After: ’70s Kitchen Remodel

Hooked on Houses reader Hairy Weisenheimer (not her real name!), who lives in an American Foursquare built in 1921, sent me the photos of her kitchen makeover. The room was stuck in a bad 1970s remodel with orange Formica countertops and faux-brick linoleum. The transformation was pretty amazing. Take a look.

Here’s what she had to say about the “before:”

This is what it looked like when we moved in. A disgusting mix of Tangerine and Creamsicle paint colors in a matte finish and countertops in two shades of dayglow, in your face, orange. The floor was half linoleum in a red brick pattern much more suited to a pizza parlor, and half greyish indoor/outdoor carpeting. This kitchen hadn’t been updated since the 70’s.

Have you ever noticed how “before” photos are never very good? Why is that? Does the camera not want to capture ugly rooms too clearly? Well, squint and you’ll see what Hairy had to work with here. Her husband took them with a disposable camera. Look at these orange countertops!

They added flooring, pendant lights, stainless-steel appliances, granite…well, here, I’ll let her tell you all the details:

New Italian tile, paint, appliances, countertops in Duponts “Smokey Topaz”, a larger island, and new pendant lights. Still wanting to add crown molding and paint the ceiling something other than white, but I’m very pleased with the results so far.

We got lucky finding the right contractors to do the big work, and were able to get this all done within 6 weeks of moving in. Thank god, as walking into the “before ” kitchen every morning depressed the beejeesus out of me.

She should definitely be pleased because it’s beautiful. Hard to believe it’s the same space! Here it is in progress, with the new tile floors added:

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Then they exchanged the orange Formica countertops (above) for granite (below):

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And replaced the ceiling fan with these pendant lights:

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Again, here’s the “before” photo:

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And the final result:

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Many thanks to Hairy Weisenheimmer for sharing her remodel with us. She’s a loyal reader whose funny response to Tommy Hilfiger’s Stone Hill Estate made the list of Top 10 Comments for March.

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Check out her blog at It’s a Weisenheimmer World to see more before and after photos from her home (love her dining room) and find out why she calls herself “Hairy” (even though she isn’t!).-

If You’re Hooked on Before & Afters:

• Lily’s Little Bathroom Makeover
• Bathroom Mirror Makeovers
• Home Office Makeover
• A Colorful Kitchen Makeover
• Crown Molding Magic: Our Family Room Fireplace Makeover
  
• How to Give Old Appliances the Stainless-Steel Look
• Giving Old Fireplaces a New Look
• Giving an Old House a New Face with Curb Appeal
• My Writing Room Makeover