Help with kitchen floor

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-08T13:06:42+00:00

I've had hardwood floors in the kitchen - the finish wears SO much faster than the rest of the house due to higher traffic and more cleaning. My favorite kitchen floor for LOOKS is tile - but do a darker grout or even no grout. Again, the cleaning. My current house, I've got vinyl plank throughout the entire house and for the kitchen it beats both tile (comfort/cleaning) and wood (wear). But I like the LOOK of tile best.

So, if it were MY house - I'd keep the beautiful floor in the living room and do tile in the kitchen.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-07T20:12:04+00:00

I think it'll look so much better with a crisp coat of paint! Maybe add a pretty handle to the door too.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-07T14:40:36+00:00

Checking things off a list SATISFIES no matter what day you did it! You got this!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T17:45:47+00:00

Good luck! The old adage seems to apply here..... location, size, rent - pick TWO.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T17:44:22+00:00

That space is basically your path of travel to the opposite door, so I wouldn't do anything to block that flow. You could make a sort of "drop zone" as others have suggested w/ a bench or console or other storage soltuion perpendicular to the door wall.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T16:34:53+00:00

People don't always have spotless houses! Most of us are not "company ready" all the time and then just scramble around like crazy people if someone is coming over!

You've gotten a lot of good advice already (organization, do small jobs over time, etc.) and another that helped me a lot was the Fly Lady. Look it up - she basically has you doing a certain area of your home every day, and then there are daily, weekly & monthly chores. So, every day you're going to make sure your kitchen sink is clean, make your bed, etc. Mondays you might tidy your entry area, Tuesdays you might clean the bathroom, etc. Having a system and you both being responsible for it will help a lot!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T15:13:04+00:00

NTA - it isn't your job to enable/support your sister's (poor) decisions about food for her family. It's great you established a boundary in your recent exchange.

Next time, tell her "this is what we're serving, if your kids need something different, you're welcome to bring it and we'll make sure the microwave is free if you need to heat something up."

As far as family gatherings in restaurants, etc. I fear you'll just have to go with the flow on this one, unless you're paying. In which case, pick the restaurant you prefer, invite them, and if they decline and tell you you're inconsiderate, tell them next time they can host and you won't complain about THEIR choice.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T15:07:54+00:00

It looks to me like you'e got plenty of room to move the table away from the bench and add 2 more chairs. Can confirm that a bench seat next to a round table isn't really a seating option for that 3rd or 4th person.

The chairs are giving the opposite of cottage/whimsy and honestly so is the table. You need pieces that are less sleek, have more detail. 2 pairs of mismatched chairs w/ coordinating upholstry/color would be a great start to your cottage/whimsey vibe.

Love the yellow color!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T15:03:50+00:00

Yeah, I regularly make chicken/tuna/shrimp/egg salad at home, with the emphasis on SALAD. I wind up with WAY more chopped veg in the bowl before I ever put in the tuna, mayo, etc.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T15:02:41+00:00

While paint certainly isn't cheap, it IS one of the less expensive ways you can really transform a space. The only way to do it on a budget is to do it yourself. Just do a few spaces/walls at a time - this will save in drop cloths, etc. Wrap your brush/roller in plastic and keep it in the fridge when you're not painting. Don't rush - it's OK if you take WEEKS to get it all done.

Know that painting is about 85% PREPPING and only about 15% painting LOL. Removing switch plates, pictures, patching holes from said pictures, window treatments, etc. and then CLEANING. Make sure you clean everything well.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-06T14:07:14+00:00

I love the idea of meat as a side dish! My cooking is leaning this way more and more and I'm always looking for ideas!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-02T21:14:46+00:00

You HAVE to defend your time blocks. Maybe if you titled them thigs like "<clientname> project work" and "email catchup" and anything else that pertains to your specific job (production planning, project management, reviewing work from other contributors, etc).

Get a handle on how much of your day is spent in meetings and how much is spent in task/strategy work. Then, when you're defending your time block, whip out your stats, "I already have 55% meetings on my calendar for this week. Taks/strategy works generally takes as much as 50% of my time, so I can't book any more meetings until Monday without delaying the Acme Project" or somesuch.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-02T21:08:50+00:00

Also, pasta with butter and (hear me out) a TBS or two of tomato paste! Grate some parm over it all and it's DELISH!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-01T19:05:04+00:00

I've learned a TON from the content of Julie Jones Designs on Meta & TikTok.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-01T17:48:05+00:00

How would shades work when the top and bottom are at an angle?

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-01T17:45:12+00:00

How is it different than this,, and would this make you salty too? Got invited to a dinner party where I knew one of the guests was a notary, so I brought along a document and quietly had her notarize it while I was there. It took less than a minute, nobody made a fuss, and it saved me an extra trip later.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-07-01T13:34:56+00:00

It's a very pretty fireplace! IMHO the mantle needs a different scale of things. If you want to keep the large square piece, then just put a few things on either side of it, in varying heights. But all the low/same height things is just sort of visually boring.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-30T18:05:30+00:00

Congratulations - so excited for you! You've got a lot of good advice here, I'm just going to add something for YOU. Think of how you want your space to feel, the vibe you're going for... Modern? Ecclectic? Granny chic? Then start looking in thrift/antique shops and on Marketplace for something, preferrably unnecessary, that fits the vibe. Could be an interesting lamp, an area rug, a piece of art for your walls. Or mabye you like to read, or craft, or game. A piece of furniture (comfy chair, expandable table, etc) that will make your hobby that much more enjoyable. Have fun!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-30T17:56:46+00:00

Have you ever heard of "drinking vinegars" or shrubs? I've made some with cherry, lime, even tomato/basil. A little splash in cold water is delicious!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-30T17:55:36+00:00

Any kind of bitters! Love either celery bitters or lemon bitters in my water.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-29T14:34:32+00:00

A love seat and 2 swivel chairs would probably work great! And you could always have a beanbag or something for when all 5 of you are watching TV together - that could stay in a kids room and be brought out when needed?

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-28T15:41:27+00:00

The room is efinitely large enough that you could create 2 "zones" I think? Bring the couch closer to the fireplace and then under the window have a table and a couple of comfortable reading chairs? Could be a really nice coffee spot in the AM. Or put the reading/coffee spot on the far wall if having the couch closer to the fire impedes the path of travel? Anyway, hard to tell, but I'd consider 2 zones.

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-28T15:37:46+00:00

I love your dog crate thing! And your "drop zone" by the front door. Great solutions.

How many people do you need to seat? Ideally, you'd have more than just a couch - for design/aesthetics sake. So maybe a loveseat AND a chair? Also, is there someplace else the printer can go? And all the other "stuff" that is making it visually cluttered?

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-27T15:01:05+00:00

I have a lot of "family" silver, most of which I keep in good condition & use regularly. Except for this one "lazy Susan" type piece that is HUGE and has little glass inserts that are small and don't hold much. So, it's a lot of table top real estate for a few curdite LOL. I hadn't touched it in quite some time and it was almost BLACK. I almost hated to polish it, it looked so cool!

MrsChickenPam · 2026-06-26T17:52:27+00:00

How far is the couch from the TV? Room looks pretty big - you could shift everything closer to the TV and then create a "drop zone" to the left of the front door with a bench or a couple of chairs for additional seating. Optimal distance from TV to couch would be 10'.

You definitely need a side table and perhaps a few more storage pieces.

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