Kathy's Remodeling Blog

New furniture collection from Angelo Surmelis

You already know about Angelo Surmelis if you watch the wildly successful Rate My Space on HGTV.

You might have seen Angelo's own kitchen remodel featured in my Pardon Our Dust series for the L.A. Times.

Now there's even more Angelo to love as he unveils his own furniture line, angelo:HOME. The first pieces, leather "Garbo Chairs" seen her, are available only to Costco members at Costco.com. You get two chairs for $580 and that includes shipping.

Here's what Angelo says about the Garbo Chairs:

"The cool thing about my job is that I can try to create what I have always wanted. For years I've searched for the perfect pair of leather chairs that would work in a particular seating area. The challenge was finding something that fit a few different criteria. Not too big and bulky, contemporary enough to feel current, yet not trendy... somewhat traditional in order to have timeless appeal, and a price that felt like I wasn't being extravagant. Well, I never found that combination. There were certainly many amazing chairs to choose from but nothing that hit all of the notes. That is why I designed my Garbo chair... it comes in a rich chocolate bonded leather with beautiful espresso stained wooden legs. The only thing better, is that Costco.com is offering a pair of them for less than you normally can find just one. Who doesn't love that?!"

The rest of the line, such as the yellow chair Angelo is sitting on above, will be available at Overstock.com Aug. 10 and from CSNStores.com and Sears.com on Aug. 17. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. For a sneak preview of his sofas and love seats, click here. And to see his chairs, click here.

435-square-foot apartment feels airy and spacious

I'm enthralled with this 435-square-foot apartment in Greenwich Village, N.Y. It has only one window, in the living room, yet the space feels light and open. What you see here is the living room from each end, with the kitchen on one side, and the bedroom on the other side through glass doors. (Click photo to enlarge.)

The story in the New York Times says the couple — husband Suchitra Van is from India and wife Nette Gaastra is from Holland — bought the apartment for $296,000 and remodeled it with $26,000 they got from wedding gifts, along with $15,000 of their own savings. That's $41,000 to remodel a space just a bit larger than a two-car garage.

How did they spend the money? Some prices were revealed: a DeLonghi stove for $1,762, a G.E. dishwasher for $622 and a Hansgrohe shower faucet for (wow!) $670. The steel-framed doors into the bedroom cost $986 and were shipped from India and fitted with glass in Manhattan. And yet, the four Ikea cabinets cost only $141. The floor looks expensive, and the husband designed the porcelain enamel backsplash and countertop.

This place makes me want to declutter and lighten up.

See the full story and more pictures.

(Photos: New York Times)

Where the Money Went: Fitzgerald bathroom

This bathroom remodel is a little different than most because homeowner Cindy Fitzgerald just happened to have a good friend who happened to be an interior designer who happened to have just redone her own upscale bathroom and who happened to have some upscale materials left over, which she offered to Cindy.

We won't all have that opportunity. I'm not sure I even have an well-to-do friends anymore. But that's what happened here. 

The most important item on the list below is the cost for the countertop material. As you'll see, when you buy solid-surface countertop (like Corian) for a custom top, you often have to buy a whole slab of it, which is a waste of money and material when you only need a small amount. The same is true for a slab of granite. I've met a few homeowners with partial slabs of granite in their garages leftover from small projects. The remedy is to find a partial piece and not buy a whole slab.

Below are the actual costs for the bathroom shown above. Read the story. See more pictures. And see lists of costs from other projects.

	Recovered Material Cost	Material Cost  (if purchased Retail)
Countertop	$300	$800	(min. 80 sq. ft)
Cabinet	$0	$200
Italian ceramic floor tile	$0	$660	($22 sq. ft x 30)
Glass tile (shower /tub)	$0	$2,304	($24 sq ft x 96)
Labor	$10,000	(including stone fabrication)
Fixtures	$3,800
Shower door	$1,100
Recovered Materials Cost:	$300
	$15,200	(TOTAL ACTUAL COST)
	$3,964.00	(TOTAL SAVINGS)

(Photos: Los Angeles Times)