After we ran our story about the new colorful Wilsonart Laminates, reader Lora flagged Pam down on Facebook to let her know she had recently installed the Kiwi Go Wavy laminate profiled in the story. What a bright and cheery kitchen. I can’t imagine you could ever feel sad when cooking, eating or entertaining in such a happy and inviting space.
Above: Lora’s “before” kitchen.
Lora’s old kitchen was pretty cute too — decorated in red, white and yellow with lots knick-knacks. I had to ask her — why the change — and what was her inspiration for the new kitchen design? Apparently it all came down to one plate:
Lora wrote:
Before I renovated, my kitchen was more in the reds with a lot of Formica cherries…my new design was inspired by the star burst plates! I loved my red kitchen, but after 8 years, I wanted to change our interior style to more mid century!
The process of renovating my kitchen went good and fast! I painted the walls with the star burst pattern, and colors from my inspiration plate. Just the paint made such a change, plus de-cluttering and changing the room from the warm color collectibles to cool colors. Most things were found at thrift shops, Ikea (flower hanging lamps) and Ross were I get some nifty odds and ends. I wanted to do the boomerang counter tops, but knowing the re-sale of houses in the future, boomerang might not be something the next owner would want. I went to our local counter top biz and saw the Wilsonart Go Wavy in kiwi and fell in Love! Two weeks later, the new laminate was installed in only one day! Hurray!
Lora’s effort to replicate the googies on her Franciscan Starburst plate onto her walls was quite impressive indeed. as Pam would say, that must have been *some therapy* — but certainly cheaper than wallpaper, and easy to paint over if you move:
What a great way to add some mid century pizazz to your dining room, Lora — those starbursts really help tie all the colors in the kitchen and dining area together.
When I asked Lora about her love of all things vintage, she replied:
I’ve been into Vintage for years! I’ve owned my own Vintage Boutique since 1991. A Friend offered her Vintage Boutique to me after supporting her shop for years! I do Retro Chi Design for Vintage renovations, run my Boutique for Fashions and Collectibles, and also do window design for theaters, local businesses and movie sets, in period pieces. I even drove a 1956 Mercury for 16 years-which added to the fun!
Lora’s next project for her kitchen — to install a mosaic tile backsplash (pictured above).
What do I love most about Lora’s kitchen designs — past and present? She was able to pull off two completely different looks. She started with basic white cabinets with a vintage feel — and with just a little bit of paint, changing around her accessories and installing different laminate countertops — all inexpensive fixes — Lora has a totally “new” kitchen. That’s creative folks — and fits into the mid century mantra of working with what you have. Bravo on a job well done, Lora — and thanks so much for sharing your photos and your story!
Pamela H. says
Beautiful! I would be interested in knowing where the tile for the purposed blacksplash is from. I previously mentioned doing my kitchen, and have a nice vingtage pottery collection I want to showcase in my remodeled kitchen. Lora, if you don’t mind, could you kindly share info on those beatiful tiles? Many thanks!!
Lora Jabot says
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for asking! The tile is authentic Vintage tile I purchased on line years ago while I was remodeling Vintage houses for a local Agent. There was a 12 sheet leftover and Now I have the Tile to finish my back Splash! The tile looks like Pool tile, in the day! I’ll paint random Kiwi color to really make it match! 😉
pam kueber says
Pamela H, you should take a look at Modwalls.com. They have lots of tile like this.
tammyCA says
Gosh, I love it…lots! I love those colors of the new kitchen but, I also love the prior kitchen, too! That is my dilemma…I love a lot of styles and colors and can never decide. My collectibles & small appliances are also in various colors…I’ve got aquas, pinks, jadeite, chartreuse, reds, yellow…must be why I love vintage tableclothes so much.
But, Lora’s kitchen is fun and cheerful and that is always my style. Great job!
Dawn says
I loved it before. But the after is spectacular. I have seen that plate in many an antique store and have ALWAYS loved that design. I love how happy it all looks!
Saundra A says
Painting the frames of the cabinets with the color is such a great idea! Amazing look.
Brandon McBride says
A little off topic, but I love that old car.
Kitchen looks great, too!
Sarah V @ Crafty Waffles says
Love, love, love! As Pam said, a great reminder that a lick of paint nad some creativity can give you the look you want without the big pricetag. It’s looking crisp clean, retro but still relevant- I’d say a great mini-investment in your home, Bravo!
Wendy M. says
Oooh, I think I am going to be revisiting this story repeatedly for inspiration. I LOVE what you’ve done with your kitchen, Lora! I have the same accent colors in my kitchen, but I haven’t been able to figure out how to pull it all together. Beautiful job!
Lee in Florida says
There is Franciscan Starburst fabric available for the curtains… jus’ sayin. 😉
Lynn-O-Matic says
Yes, I have some, and it’s really nice. Would make a great story. I’d love to know more about how it came to be. http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlesuzyhomemaker
Everything here is so nicely done, but I could definitely see a little Franciscan Starburst fabric being worked in somehow. Placemats?
Lora Jabot says
Let’s See your Kitchens! 😉
Jenny A. says
I love the before and the after. Both are great! I love the cherries from the red kitchen. Super, super cute. I also love the colors in the after and those kiwi countertops are fab. Either way, I’d be very happy cooking in that kitchen! I also drooled a little over that car. Yum!
Lora Jabot says
😉
Penne says
I love your new kitchen Lora. About a month ago I bought a grey and pink formica table with hairpin legs that I love, but my kitchen is red, white and green. You inspired me to take a closer look and really all I need to do is make new curtains and change out some accessories and the table would fit right in. The rug under your table and chairs caught my eye. Is that six bath mats pieced together? It looks terrific. It gave me an idea for my office/craft room. Thanks.
Cheryl Voorhees says
I would love to see a picture of your gray and pink table. I have one that we have used for about 20 years. In my last house, I had pink counter tops and had the pink and gray color scheme going on. Now I have only the table and lots of pink kitchen items from the 50;s.