If These Walls Could Talk: The Kitchen with a Hundred LayersEvery kitchen tells on its owners eventually. This one had a lot to say. (Although we didnt expect to find this under the floor)-First we ripped up the fake plastic wood > Under that, 70s linoleum > under that, another layer of 1960s tile linoleum. Then tar paper. And under that, like the punchline to an 80 year-old joke, we found the original 1940s tile in tact. We were planning on installing new retro VCT tile to begin with, so it was like Christmas coming early.The farm sink stayed – then we spent months on the hunt for a Raymond Loewy-esque 50 Kelvinator fridge (thank you FB Marketplace) & Tappan range. (Turns out, Craigslist still works – we found one for free if we move it- which beat that alternative of its twin for $7800 on RetroStoveAndGasWorks.comIn the far corner, we found a time capsule: one junk drawer they forgot to gut still stocked with mementos from 50 yrs of party weekends (from the elderly former PE teacher & her weekend roommate the nun?) Shot glasses & entertaining sets from an era when house parties were an art form. Then theres the Murphy sink that folds out from the wall – common in boarding houses and tourist cottages in the early 1900s. Ours must have come in handy when the cottages that flank this one all shared a single outhouse. (See David test driving it before restoration. Its why we picked blue bath fixturesAnd we somehow stumbled upon a Chromcraft table for $70 downstate w/the exact same red top & trim as our counters.Tyrolean folk chairs (Alpine peasant chairs) a style used for centuries in Europe & later adopted in the U.S. by rustic lodges & tourist cabins (these were a 40s etsy find. Not a score, but hard as hell to find).Swapped the 70s ceiling fan for a vintage ships wheel pendant. Rug hospital thrift store. The 1925 original lake realtor lot map of Wandawega-6.There was no shortage of elbow grease (or actual grease) as we scraped, sanded, & repaired decades of wear. Glad to be done. Now – we gotta stock its cupboards & drawers. Damn. I hate antique shopping ;)Next up:The bedroom1,3,4,6,9 NathanBobey @mrsjoey8 ceramics

November 2, 2025 • Published by Tereasa Surratt • Instagram