New vs. Reconditioned

The husband and I are on the hunt for a new refrigerator. Our must-haves:

* stainless steel

* bottom freezer

* french doors

* 22+ cu. ft.

Here is a lovely example:

Instead of cramming the fridge into the pre-made fridge nook or buying a smaller fridge, we're moving the fridge to the other side of the room where there is already an empty wall. So size is not an issue. However, price definitely is.

There are lots of great stores nearby {HH Greg, Sears Outlet, etc.} to choose from. However, I cannot pass up a good deal, so here is my question:

Is it worth the risk to buy reconditioned appliances?

Normally, I would never even consider buying anything refurbished. The risk of the item breaking again is far too great, and since the item is refurbished, it is unlikely that it comes with a warranty. However, let me shed a little light on the subject.

Here you have the Maytag {MFD256VEM} refrigerator:

via

Looks great, meets everything on our check list, but the price?

$1529.

Granted, that is much better than the original price of $1700, but it's still much more than we'd like to pay for something that keeps our food cold.

Now here is the exact same model but it has been refurbished:

via

The price?

$1080! That is $450 in savings from the sale price and $620 from the regular price!

I'm sure there are drawbacks to buying a refurbished fridge {like the ones I listed} but can anyone with experience please let me know if it's worth the risk? Whether it was a refrigerator, washer/dryer or another large appliance {small appliances are a whole different story}, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Or, if you know of where we can purchase less expensive big ticket items, please let me know! Thank you! :)

Light & Airy Kitchens

Enjoy...

Dreamy Kitchen

Lately, I've been so busy working on my new photography website that I've neglected this poor little blog! Although this week promises to keep me just as busy, I'll do my best to post more often. Here is one of my faaaavorite kitchens by Candice Olsen. That window seat is my idea of heaven!

Turquoise Chevron Kitchen

We live in an apartment in a quiet little suburb called West Chester, just outside Philadelphia. Although I love our kitchen's open floor plan and granite countertops, the white walls and cupboards make it feel a little on the bland side. We don't want to paint, so I'd like to integrate color {my favorite shade of turquoise} and patterns {chevron, of course} to help spice it up a bit {no pun intended}. Here are some of my ideas:

utensil holder :: anthro

tumbler :: west elm

Could be used as a vase or as a small utensil holder.

tea towels :: etsy

milliken rug :: csn stores

My husband is not a fan of having a rug in the kitchen...but this one might be too fabulous to pass up!

l'epice jar :: anthro

Would be cute individually or as a set.

limmaren bottles :: IKEA

I was thinking I could use 1 for dish soap, 1 for balsamic vinegar, and 1 for olive oil. Thoughts?

mini latte bowls :: anthro

What do you think? Any other recommendations for personalizing an aparment kitchen?

Ruffled Cake Stand

I'm on the hunt for the perfect cake stand. I'd like to use it for my sister's Bridal Shower, as well as her wedding {they're having a Candy Bar}.

Qualifications:
- white
- pedestal
- "ruffled" edges
- 12" or more in diameter
- $30 or less

Here are some pictures of what I'm looking for {these particular stands are no longer available, wahh}:

Please let me know if you have any idea where I can buy something similar!


P.S. My brother-in-law is now in Rehab after his motorcycle accident on Sunday. He's doing Physical Therapy 3-6 hours a day and is slowly healing. Thank you so much for your kind words and prayers!

Rug City

Thanks for your help on the rug selections for our kitchen! Here are some great ones I found online:

{jcpenney}

{kohls}

{kohls}

{jcpenney}

{kohls}

{jcpenney}

Who knew that Kohl's and Penney's had such great rugs? I'm still going to stop by Home Goods/Marshall's to check out their selection {hopefully right after I pick up my sneaky little Chevron pillow from Target! Post regarding that one to come}. If nothing there calls out to me, I'll most likely order the JC Penney rug from the last picture; I absolute LOVE it! What is the name of that pattern, anyway?? It's one of my favorites but I don't even know what it's called! Help me, savvy designers!

Underfoot

I am on the hunt for a new rug. Our kitchen is not a very large space, but after seeing this beautiful image, I feel that we could easily do something similar:

{Caitlin Wilson Design}

I'm looking for something inexpensive {$20-$40 range), as it will frequently be walked on {and spilled on}. We like the rug pictured above and are interested in a 2x4' or 3x5' size, simple lines, geometric shapes, and the colors black, grey, and white.

Any suggestions?


Thanks for those of you who commented on my design dilemma this morning. As you can see, I decided to go with a 3-column template implemented by myself {found here} with a white background and a header I created. I really appreciate your input!

Good Morning!

Isn't this a fabulous breakfast nook?

{Canadian House and Home}

I love the corner bench and fluffy pillows. My plan is to have something similar in our future kitchen. For now, we are renting, and the only table we have is a teeny tiny oak one that once belonged to my grandma.

The funny thing about that picture is that I actually own two of the grey/brown patterned pillows. About a year ago, I found them at TJMaxx and immediately snatched them up for our Master Bedroom. They had the 20x20" size and the 12x18" size but I only needed the 20x20"...now that I've seen this image, I wish I'd bought more! Still, it's kind of neat to see something you had already bought show up in a design magazine :)

Well, the husband is at a conference so I am skipping church this morning. Here are my fabulous plans for the day:

:: Finish this yummy piece of toast with grape jam

:: Fold laundry while catching up on last week's episode of Grey's Anatomy

:: Get the house back in order {Does your house look like a bomb exploded in it after you have had company over? It always seems to take a few days for us to get it back in shape}

:: Have my wedding and engagement rings cleaned and inspected

:: Stop by Borders to make use of this

:: Clean the bathtub/shower {ahhh my least favorite chore}

:: Order pictures for the Hall

:: Order pictures for the Living Room

:: Take a picture for this {most likely of the beautiful flowers some friends gave us as a housewarming gift the other day}

:: Watch a chick flick and fold more laundry {for just the 2 of us, we certainly have a lot of it!}

Pretty glamorous, huh? ;)

So, what are your plans for the weekend? Better yet, have you ever bought anything that you later found showcased in a store or magazine that you admired?

Garbage!

Rachael Ray charges $30 for this "Garbage Bowl"...

Do people actually buy these???

I can't decide which one I hate more! If you think this PLASTIC BOWL is worth $30, you are ridiculously gullible the ideal consumer.

Look:

I have a bowl that I use to hold discarded food...yet mine is from the Dollar Store! And guess what? My bowl does the exact same thing and I think it looks 10 times better than Rachael Ray's!

It just makes me sad that people are so easily deceived by commercials and gimmicks.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone who actually bought one of these garbage bowls. Please feel free to leave a comment, listing its redeeming qualities ~ if it has any ;)

Have you ever been suckered into buying a gizmo that you later realized you didn't even need?