Photo: Michael Hanson for AOL
Once upon a time in the summer of '98, the kitchen in this Seattle 1902 duplex home was gutted and redesigned. Armed with an $8,000 budget, creative ideas and the courage to dive into a dumpster if needed, homeowners Timothy Siciliano and Patrick Angus transformed a depressing old linoleum and fraying contact paper-covered kitchen into a cheery user-friendly space. Patrick paints the before picture, "Just imagine how pretty the countertops were after the blood-red linoleum was covered with green, yellow and white contact paper."
Besides moving a few windows and removing a non-structural column, most of the improvements were cosmetic. In anticipation of an eventual kitchen remodel, they had wisely stowed some things away (a hanging light fixture and glass shelves from Barneys, for example). In addition, they bought base cabinets from IKEA and purchased the refrigerator and stove secondhand. Timothy and Patrick left the hardwood floors as is. Patches and markings showed signs of prior renovations. "Some people like to erase all signs of the past," Patrick says. "I like to always leave a bit behind."
The kitchen is a reflection of two distinct and creative personalities. Timothy explains, "Patrick is the decorator and I'm the college student." Timothy owns a retro-inspired party goods biz (
Party Partners), loves color (especially orange) and is the designated chef. Patrick is the creative director for
Mario's, an upscale clothier, loves identifying all of his finds and is a part-time dessert maker.
Both men are aesthetes. Timothy derives great satisfaction from cooking and presenting food, while Patrick is jazzed by arranging things just so. By profession, Patrick is a visual merchandiser. The talent he exercises in the store windows translates to the home. He says, "Make sure to find objects that you love, want to look at daily and share with others." Patrick sorts his stash by theme, shape or color. He plays with size and scale, and makes sure that frequently used objects are easily accessible. When he's done futzing, he steps back and looks it over. Then he might take another step back.
Their family kitchen doles out healthful home-cooking as well as delicious eye candy. With Timothy's passion for vegetables and whimsy, and Patrick's for dishes and history, they created a richly endowed space that's great for cooking and hanging out. Their individuality is complimentary. Timothy is rather poetic, "He is the lake. I am the water skier."
(Patrick was unavailable for the photo shoot. He was, however, available for the post-shoot interview. Better to be heard and not seen than to be not seen and not heard at all!)
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Seattle Special: From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Timothy Siciliano spends roughly four hours a day in his kitchen doing everyday kitchen activities like preparing food, drinking coffee and reading the paper. But before he and partner Patrick Angus (not home at the time of this galleryhoot) did a complete overhaul of the space, spending even five minutes there was torture. Timothy describes the former dingy kitchen as "ugly, horrible and disorienting."
Michael Hanson for AOL
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Timothy Siciliano spends roughly four hours a day in his kitchen doing everyday kitchen activities like preparing food, drinking coffee and reading the paper. But before he and partner Patrick Angus (not home at the time of this galleryhoot) did a complete overhaul of the space, spending even five minutes there was torture. Timothy describes the former dingy kitchen as "ugly, horrible and disorienting."
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
The color-saturated dining room leads into the kitchen via a swinging door that can usually be found left open. Twenty years ago, the dining room was an uninspiring shade of butter yellow with a thick, equally uninspiring, textured wallpaper featured below the chair rail. Patrick planned to paint the entire room a deep moody blue, but as he started peeling the wallpaper, he discovered a beautiful emerald green color underneath. It was a tad shabby, but Patrick, a lover of old things, could never quite get up the nerve to repaint the walls. Recently however, Patrick found some nerve and finished the paint job. He says, "It looks like a decade old patina, unless you look very close."
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Curtains and blinds have purposely been omitted. The kitchen takes advantage of its southwest exposure. The budget-sensitive gut renovation included base cabinets from IKEA, glass shelves reclaimed from a Barneys department store dumpster and secondhand appliances. Timothy calls it "a mix of function, funk, modern, old and lotsa art."
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Patrick and Timothy surround themselves with things that make them happy and this means "lotsa art." During one of their gallery strolls they discovered sculptor Kensuke Yamada's "Cinderella." Patrick bought it for Timothy's birthday.
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Timothy's tips for a perfect French press cuppa joe:
Make sure the grind is not too fine and not too coarse.
2 scoops per cup – you want it strong.
Let boiling water sit for a moment before pouring.
Pour water in slowly and stir with spoon.
Let sit for about a minute.
Press and serve.
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Patrick bought the old beloved kitchen island at auction. Timothy likens getting it home and up the stairs to building the pyramids. "A friend and I brought it up, "says Timothy, explaining that he was on the bottom. "I kept saying, 'Don't let go, it'll kill me.' Honestly, I don't know how we did it."
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
When it comes to entertaining, the guys enjoy hosting small dinner parties at their home. "Six is the perfect number of guests," says Timothy. With their mix and match aesthetic, guests can be assured that they will never eat off the same dishes twice. An old library rack proves strong enough to hold a countless assortment.
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Patrick's merchandising skills are on display all over the house. He has the knack for combining unrelated collections -- such as French advertising fans, celluloid dolls and vintage noisemakers (Timothy's collection) -- in with the china. He says, "I personally like to see a sense of humor and joy when displaying objects that have been collected over time." Other objects of interest include a set of kidney-shaped Fornasetti plates (bottom row), a silver rickshaw condiment server and a blimp-shaped spoon warmer (top row).
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Patrick believes in the gene. A lineage of stuff runs through his family. Of his paternal grandmother he says, "She loved old things for the stories they told. I think she handed this down to me." As for the Copeland Spode, his largest collection to date, he inherited the first 100 pieces from his mother who received them from his great aunt. He now has about 500 pieces.
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
Whether on display or stowed out of sight, there are always more objects to delight the eye like these mod ceramic containers which store grains and other dry goods.
From Eyesore to Eyecandy
A Free (And Chic!) New Way To Display Flowers
Make A Can Opener Work Like New Again
Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)
I have to agree that this is not the best redesigned and remodeled kitchen I have seen. It still feels cluttered and looks like a professional interior designer is needed. Maybe they should go to www.helphive.com where you can find remodeling contractors, designers, decorators, who would have made this project turn out a lot better.
ReplyPIC #6 ""A friend and I brought it up, "says Timothy, explaining that he was on the bottom. "-----------------------------
ReplySometimes you just can't improve on things from the way they are presented..
BTW, I, too, was hoping those were the "before" pictures.
They do have some beautiful pieces but I would hate to have to be the one to keep them clean.
ReplyWhat the hell is wrong with AOL? Who in their corporate mind would put up this crap!! Don;t they thini it would be appropriate to put up before photos? If these stupid guys spent $8,000. on this so called renovation, please show me what it looked like before. For the same affect I could had created this so called renovation for about $300....a few pieces of lumber and suppor brackets. Did they actually put contact paper on the counter tops? How long do they think tht will last. Get a life you corporate idiots at AOL and earn your high paid salaries!!!!!
ReplyToo cluttered for my taste, but if it works for them, to each his own.
ReplyThis isn't news to the REST of us queens.
ReplyBeing fabulous is sometimes a CURSE!
OMG, I was expecting to see something very nice, like the workers on HGTV would do. This is ugly and a mess. There is NOT one thing that I like. I, too, thought some of the pictures were before when they were the after. The awful green walls in the dining room were my first hint that this may be not to my liking. To me, it was money wasted. I would think for that money, one could get cabinet refacing, new sink, good but general new appliances, shelves, paint and a new floor. And they run a party business downstairs???? Please - think twice before you hire a party planner. You may get something worse than what I just saw.
ReplyI wouldlike to show you what I could do with $8000.00 to remodel a kitchen. I think you are pulling our leg!
ReplyThey must be kidding. They spent eight thousand on that mess. And the cheap crap on the shelves. I could see a better job done for four thousand and maybe fund some more upscale dumpsters for the dust collectors. Are those milk crates hanging on the wall?
ReplyTo each his own, I guess they like it.
I'm still looking for the "after" photos. Are you kidding me? These aren't the "before" shots?
ReplyOh, my. How disappointing.
I have to agree with just about every post. There is WAY too much going on in that kitchen and $8000 is ridiculous. If they'd done that on $1800, that would be saying something, but not a lot. I'm in the middle (well, actually toward the end) of the design phase of a kitchen remodel and I clicked on this link expecting something useful since I have a similar budget to work with. Considering that my mother-in-law (client) is a hoarder, I just got shivers looking at the gallery. Anyone else notice the sagging shelves? Wow. I also agree about the dining room. It looks like decade long moldy water damage... I can't say I like ANY thing about any of it. I also agree about the open shelves over the stove. Grease and dust and yuck...and of course the mixed materials. Makes me glad I'm custom building my cabinets so I don't even have to consider IKEA.
ReplyWhy bother it is really ugly!!!!!!
ReplyI think it looks great! light and fresh, a bit cluttered, but functuinal thats what kitchens are supposed to be like. Personally, I am tired of seeing the usual mansion kitchen re-dos with granite etc. Granite is so pretentious looking. I hope they enjoy many meals there, great job especially for the budget they were on.
ReplyI love the cozyness of the place and how they treasure and honor some of these "Old" things-- - I actually think it's the The Window and removing one of the posts/girders - that cost so much. . . plus it shows the LOVE they have in their Home
ReplyGreat Job :)
i redid my kitchen in 98 for 6400 and added a breakfast bar to it
Replyyeah dumpster jumping also