We bought our house about a year and a half ago. The house was originally built in Milwaukee and moved here. Being as it was an older house, with plaster walls, some of the plaster cracked during the move. Rather than repair it, when the house got here, the owners put cheap wood paneling up in the living room, kitchen and den, which I am assuming were the ones with the worst cracking. It's also in the back hall and pantry. And it's very dark, which makes the whole downstairs dark.

Anyway, since we moved in, my mom and I have been working on taking the paneling down and plastering. Last summer we did the living room, this summer we are hoping to get the kitchen, den, back hall and pantry. Now that we know what we are doing, it doesn't take so long.

So yesterday we took the paneling down in the main room of the kitchen, there's a little nook that sticks out, left it up there because that part has a drop ceiling which will also need to come down. Underneath the paneling behind the stove and fridge, we found a layer of wallpaper. We had a good laugh, it's the yellow one with the baskets of flowers and fruit. Then I go to peel it off, and see that it is two layers. The flower baskets come off to reveal the blue and green flowers underneath. It amazes me to see what people used to put on there walls. I have a strip of each that is still in good shape, I'm going to cut a piece of each and have them framed and matted and hang them in the kitchen.

Even now, looking at the pics, it still makes me laugh. Oh yes, the wall paper that was on the stairs was a cream color with green foilage and Roman ruins, so I guess these ones aren't to suprising.

adina

YIKES! ;) You just reminded me that I saw striped shirts and layered miniskirts at Target the other day.... look out, cause the 80's are coming back! NOOOOOO

My neighbors just gutted their 60's house entirely... it was THAT BAD. Looks like you're having fun with it though! Post more nostalgic pics if you have any... these are fun :)

'magine coming home to that everyday :rolleyes: ! What were they thinking? Of course, I wish I had a shot of the gold-foil-with-black-velvet wall paper my mom and dad picked out when I was growing up (OK, you do the math...). That stuff still gives me nightmares.

Looked pretty good with the shag carpeting and black stained woodwork though ;) . And not just shag carpeting - some was harvest gold, some was avacado green (to match the appliances and counter top, of course) but most of it was deep red with a few other colors. Why do I remind myself about this?!

My in-laws just replaced their dark brown fridge. Still using their avocado green stove though.

We are having such a good time doing this kind of stuff. My hubby likes to do the yard work, so I pretty much have free run of the inside. Plus it's a lot of fun to work with my mom, we have a pretty good relationship. We've got all sorts of coved ceilings and arched doorways, french doors, I love my house, even though we've got years worth of work ahead of us.

My in-laws also just completed refinishing my dining room table. I've got an antique Duncan Fiefe (sp?) mahogany table that my grandparents had since before I was born.

Things are really starting to come together, it's so exciting!

adina

And kind of scary as well, because my landlords never re-did my rental apartment before I moved in - and the kitchen still has an ugly 60's yellow and cyan floral. The bathroom is the clincher - silver metallic wallpaper with green leaves. Rather than spend $$ on something I don't own, I embraced it and put up a disco ball in the bathroom!

That's a really neat idea to frame the wallpaper. Have fun redecorating!

Megan

obviously no accounting for taste but... I sorta liked it... :rolleyes:

happy remodeling...it's great you have help

My in-laws just replaced their dark brown fridge. Still using their avocado green stove though.


And my parents took it with us when we moved. Served us well for years!
Two doors, right?!?!

Megan