Paint it

Eventually, this kitchen will be entirely redone. For now, it needs a cheerful facelift. Teresa, a world traveler, wants to incorporate maps into the design. She envisions them decoupaged onto the front of the cabinet doors and drawers.

As a designer, one of the most challenging aspects of the job is working with the client's ideas. Decoupaged maps is not something I would recommend, and tried to discourage. This is what she wants. Ultimately, the most important part of designing is making the client happy.

Photo used with permission from here

She'd also like to replace the worn vinyl floor. I'm recommending a paint job to tide her over until the kitchen is entirely redone. My advice: tear out the vinyl, sand, paint and seal and then hire an artist to paint a compass on the floor...like this:

Photo: Robert Bach for The Oregonian

Portland, Oregon artist Tim Stapleton painted this compass on his nephew's floor years ago. I still love the design.

I hired Tim to paint a faux rug on the bathroom floor at our old house in Silverton. I painted over the peel-n-stick vinyl, sealed it, and let it dry for a couple days. Then Tim painted the faux rug, and we sealed it again. Not only did it hold up beautifully for more than 15 years, it was a favorite find of visitors to our home.

Bathroom photos: Marv Bondarowicz for The Oregonian