2015 was a great year for new laminate patterns — both retro inspired and retro revivals — and we’ve been so excited to see these colorful, cheery prints popping up in readers’kitchens. First we saw Wilsonart’s new retro style ‘Betty’ laminate in Nancy’s kitchen and Patti and Darin’s Yabba Dabba DIY kitchen and now — we are green with yes, here it comes — Envy — seeing Wilsonart’s ‘Envy Daisy’ — a recreation by Wilsonart of one of their 1970s designs — in reader Kristen’s retro kitchen remodel in progress.
Kristen writes:
My husband, Michael, and I moved into our house 6 1/2 years ago, and it was not kept up. We lived in the upstairs half story while we (with the help of family and professionals) did extensive work on the main level. Major job changes, unfortunate discoveries as we peeled back the layers of the house, exhaustion, and my passion for restoring and doing it right put us at tackling the kitchen four years into owning the house.
There were a few critters living in it when we bought it, and unfortunately the original kitchen cabinets were destroyed by them. Among many other later discoveries, we found the roof had severe leaks complicated by the way two small additions were put on the house and complex ice dam issues.
We salvaged the cabinets out of two other 1950/60s homes in the area and refinished them ourselves. We had their dimensions modified to fit in a couple cases. We also salvaged over 500 sq. ft. of 1 1/2″ oak flooring from another house in the area that was sadly going to be town down. I learned about these opportunities through Craigslist. The flooring throughout the main level now all matches, although I’d like to install linoleum or the small pebble looking sheet vinyl I’ve seen featured on RR in the immediate kitchen area.
The refrigerator and stove are placeholders right now, because our super nice neighbors gave them to us when they switched to stainless steel. Can’t beat that price! The oven hood also isn’t installed yet, as well as half of the electrical work.
I started my own business teaching kids and adults sewing, See Kitty Sew, this past fall, and the upstairs half story needed electrical work to be a sewing studio so that jumped ahead of the kitchen for resource allocation. See Kitty Sew is thriving, so now I feel ready to approach the kitchen after the holidays. I know it’s desperately in need of some cohesiveness with the mix I’ve got going on currently.
My plan has always been to do a 1960s green and blue kitchen, but then 1950s/early 60s cabinets became available and other than a solid, the only print I could find at the time was the Wilsonart “Daisy” laminate (1970s). Of course after installation I read about the Jonathan Adler laminate options but no looking back! I loooooooove the counters. In fact my cabinet maker that did the counters suspects I’m one of the first to get the pattern based on his interaction with the company. It took awhile for a sample to even be available when I first spotted them on their website. I picked the print in October and the cabinet maker didn’t receive the laminate until the first week of January.
I’m considering wallpaper (I looooooooove wallpaper) and adding shelves to the side of the tall cabinet that is next to the sink. Or??? I’m open to any ideas! Of course trim and electrical work are needed…and light fixtures that I’ve been hunting for.
It’s difficult to tell this story without feeling like I’m rambling. But then it feels like I’m jumping around a lot — well, because it has felt like a whirlwind in real life. I’m sure you and RR readers understand much more than when I try to tell my friends ha!
I can’t say enough how much I love RR. I am always spreading the word about how much fun it is to embrace your house, reuse materials, and do things the hard way!
Wowl Kristen, we absolutely love how your kitchen is shaping up — especially since you are using reclaimed materials and doing things “The Hard Way.” Those cabinets! The flooring! The countertops!!! Yours is a great story! Please keep us in the loop as everyhing comes together — we are breathless to see what you do with the walls! Thanks so much for sharing your progress!
Read more about Wilsonart ‘Daisy’ laminate and see all the color ways in our story.
LuAnn says
Wow, Kristen! Love how your kitchen is coming along. It looks like you’ve done so much of the hard work already. Salvaging the cabinets, refinishing and modifying them…I just got up and I’m already tired just thinking about all that work. Love the floors and the countertops. My sister moved into a new house in the early sixties and her appliances were light blue. *Sigh* They were divine. I think that her cupboards were similar to yours. Anyway, blue and green sounds awesome. 🙂
pam kueber says
I agree: Salvaging and refinishing the wood cabinetry — which is GORGEOUS — way to go, Kristen!!!
Kristen says
Thank you, LuAnn and Pam. I got so many looks like I was crazy. So many. Today’s comments have been so validating!!
Marcia says
Thanks for sharing, Kristen. I’m going to have to re-think the Daisy pattern after seeing it on these counters. It really looks nicer than I expected in real life. I hope Wilsonart doesn’t get tired of sending me samples! Oh, and I like the wallpaper in your hallway.
Kristen says
The cabinetmaker that did the counter recommended Wilsonart specifically for the quality of their laminate and the way it wears. It really is nice! Thank you for the wallpaper compliment. I got it a few years ago, and it still makes me smile every time I look at it.
pam kueber says
I am crazy for the 1970s. Love this design!
Carolin says
I have the orange in my kitchen. I love it. I went with the metal edging.
Kristen says
The orange option almost made me abandon my plan for a green and blue kitchen. I love that one, too!
linda h says
I am thinking about the orange in hall bath and green in master bath. .
Robin, NV says
Squee!!! I so wish these had been available when I replaced my countertops. They look absolutely amazing.
Kristen says
Thanks, Robin!
Merrian says
It’s a great start to a pretty kitchen. I was thinking a green/blue fabric wall hanging or clock for the side of the tall cupboard by the sink. Shelves with rounded edges could work too, but I like the idea of keeping things smooth and not bulky.
Kristen says
Thanks for the helpful suggestions. I’ve been pondering different options. I really like the idea of a fabric wall hanging or clock- I can envision both!
Sara says
Sooooo groovy! I love it! Reminds me of my childhood in the 70’s. I’m thrilled to see designs like this coming to the mainstream market. By the time I am ready to re-do my kitchen, there will be too many choices! Love seeing this pattern installed too. Very nice job. Your kitchen is fabulous!
Kristen says
Thanks Sara! I love seeing designs rereleased!
Jacki says
Kristen, I love your counters! 3 months ago when we bought our house, I soooo wanted the Daisy. But when they told me that it was going to be $42 extra per linear foot, we decided to use the Wilsonart Betty and Endora instead as we had bathrooms to do also. I still prefer the Daisy… so fun.
pam kueber says
Hmmm… That didn’t sound right to me, so I called Heffrons/Retro Design A Moment in Time (disclosure: an advertiser here) to get their pricing for Daisy.
They told me that a 4′ x 8′ sheet is $221, plus I think there’s shipping. At $221 base, that $27 / linear foot (a 4′ deep foot).
A 4×8 sheet of Betty from Home Depot is $59, with free shipping. That’s $7/linear foot.
Yes, a big difference — but a $20/linear foot difference. So I’m not sure where your supplier got the $42 figure…
Jacki says
Thanks for checking Pam, sounds like we should have found someone else to do the counters. My husband thinks that the countertop people either have a really high markup or they just wanted us to use something that they keep in stock.
pam kueber says
I think the laminate may have a lead time, too. That’s what it says on the Heffron’s site.
But yes, I think the bigger issue may be that contractors are wary of dealing with fussy requests…
pam kueber says
That said: I love the Betty and Endora too!!!!
Kristen says
Thanks Jacki. I also love the Betty and Endora!!
linda h says
So jealous! I have been trying to talk my husband into this laminate for our bathroom. Maybe seeing this will convince him.
Kristen says
It’d be a fun print to see every morning 😉
ineffablespace says
It’s great to see this in place. It’s often hard to know what the real scale of the patterns are online, and this is larger–and the colors appear softer–in real life.
Steve H says
I agree. I liked the pattern to begin with, but I really love now after seeing it installed.
Your kitchen looks wonderful, and I think it’s especially nice that you were able to reuse salvaged cabinets and flooring. That’s something that needs to happen more often. Too much good stuff still ends up in landfills.
Kristen says
Thanks, Steve. I agree. It’s sad to think just how much ends up in the landfill when it could have so much life left in it. Reusing, salvaging, and refinishing isn’t necessarily an easy route, but so worth it to me.
Kristen says
I was actually SHOCKED when I got the sample in the mail. I thought the flowers were going to be tiny. It took me a couple days to look at the sample again just because I was having a hard to picturing it installed so I know what you mean.