Comments on: Thoughts from a ‘Dated’ Kitchen

By: April

April — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:17:46 +0000

Diane, I am moved by your image of the worn floor tiles in the old church and the inner beauty they represent. I also like your image of the simple Shaker furniture serving as a frame for the inner beauty of those who use it.

Your comments are helping me to see a distinction between beautiful objects as showy displays of affluence and beautiful objects as thoughtful expressions of our deepest selves.

Thank you.

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:02:05 +0000

April,
I enjoy beautiful interiors, but it is the beauty part that matters to me, not that appliances are “up to date.” I remember travelling to a little centuries old church with grooves in the floor tiles from the many souls who had crossed the threshold in search of spiritual sustenance. Now, which is more beautiful: 12 inch tiles, or the worn ones of that church?
But it seems that it is not always the case that people prefer new materials in interiors. Antiques are popular, and some people try to get the aged look with certain paint techniques. I don’t know what the difference is between desirable “patina” and merely, “dated.” Perhaps something to do with perceived class?
I’m not a particular fan of Shaker style furniture, but I do appreciate that the simplicity of the style can frame the inner beauty of those and the life that happens around it. Maybe if the prospective buyers of your house knew you, they would love the kitchen, too!

By: Jim Z.

Jim Z. — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:53:52 +0000

Oh, and Tung-oil finish. This stuff (after cleaning wood surfaces with something like Murphy’s oil soap and a kitchen brush), that comes in clear or with a stain color, can make even the most tired-looking wood surfaces look classy and new.

I use a brush to apply it, can require multiple coats depending on the original condition of your surface.

Most of the time stripping old finish not required, just cleaning (very dirty surfaces may require denatured alcohol and fine steel wool before the oil soap). No urethane varnish on the top - you just add another coat of tung oil finish every several years to refresh.

I even did this to an old desk at my former office, and others asked me to finish theirs, too.

By: Gail

Gail — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:39:53 +0000

Blame HGTV. I love to watch it to get ideas on how to repair things that don’t work for me. But they push granite left and right and pooh pooh most other types of counters. But most of their house hunters are also looking for 180,000 + houses, not the everyday person price so it’s obvious who they gear their shows to. It has to be a statement of some kind that we let a TV show dictate our tastes. It’s keeping up with the Jones like always.

By: Jim Z.

Jim Z. — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:25:52 +0000

Beware those 12″ tiles on any sub-floor that is anything but absolutely flat and well-supported. Once installed, they can develop hairline cracks (right down the middle of a line of tiles) in response to even the least bit of house settling.

I’m with you on interiors. There are so many ways of keeping the basic bones of a house and sprucing them up with such things as paint, elbow grease-cleaning, etc. In a prior house I installed wood veneer on the cabinet doors of the entire kitchen, high and low (maybe 18-20 cabinet doors). Glued the stuff on each door one by one, and it looked so good I surprised myself. Hate to think that the new owners ripped all that out after we sold!

By: Ann Riccardi

Ann Riccardi — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:13:24 +0000

April, I loved this essay. We are getting a tankless hot water heater and the contractor said that he knew a decorator who could update our house! It came as surprise to us since we thought our house looked great.

Ann