Real People Real Kitchen: Columbus, Ohio

Once upon a time, a family of four moved into a Columbus, Ohio fixer-upper with plans to flip it. Eight years and one baby later, this family of five has kept cozy and grown to love the place they call home.

In 2002, Tonda and Richard Adiansingh moved into their 1927 Columbus, Ohio home with their sons, Sterling and Evan. Sterling was just five, Evan was a baby and Brooks, now age four, wasn't even a notion. Richard was in the pharmaceutical biz and Tonda was a stay-at-home mom. They fell in love with this old house. Tonda called it "a diamond in the rough."

To their surprise, the refrigerator was nowhere to be found on move-in day. The prior owners "took" it, though that was not the agreed arrangement. The missing fridge prompted a series of kitchen upgrades which included buying new stainless appliances, installing granite countertops, refinishing the floors, adding new lighting and switching out hardware. They salvaged the wood cabinets and kept the paint color.

As they gussied up the house, Tonda began taking real estate classes. Aiming to resell in a couple of years, she and her husband made home improvements as high end as they could afford. Just as they were preparing to put their home on the market, the economy tanked, and they have since decided to lay low. Tonda, now a realtor, must demonstrate patience and Richard, now out of the pharmaceutical trade, is getting his MBA. So much for the best laid plans!

For now, though this family of five sometimes feels on top of one another, their life is here. Most of the action revolves around the long, galley-like colorful kitchen and the adjacent rooms. The flow of the house is such that the dining room, breakfast/office area and playroom are all connected by doorways or pass-thrus. Examples of the children's artwork is pinned, taped and magnetized to the walls.

The pace of everyday life multiplied by three boys and all of their activities equals some sense of chaos. Though Tonda has designated areas and baskets for stuff, countertops are often strewn with school papers and shoes get left wherever. In the big scheme of things, Tonda and Richard favor love and communication over constant clean up. "We really give our kids a voice," Tonda says. "We are in tune with them."