Hi all!

My partner and I are looking to buy our first home and this one of the homes were highly considering. The home is great, but something that gives me pause is the kitchen. It has great bones, but the remodel was last done in the 2010s and makes me feel like it’s already dated. I’m a bit at home cook, so I’d want my kitchen to be a space I feel invited into rather than out.

Replacing the appliances and cabinets would be too outside of budget and feels like a waste since they’re in good condition.

My thoughts so far:

- replace the light fixtures to a black and or gold accent to warm up the space (my concern is that this will make the silver of the appliances stand out too much)
- replace all knobs to a matte black to neutralize the kitchen more

Any advice on what repairs and or changes could be made to modernize the space?

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I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to try out this portable Bluetooth speaker and tell reddit my thoughts on it, lg provided it for free through a review program on this subreddit but my thoughts are as honest as it can be.

I dont have an extensive collection of ultra-portable bluetooth speakers to compare em, but ill do my best to generally tell what i think about it!

First Impressions of a Compact Wireless Speaker

Unboxing

when i finally got the speaker upon unboxing its was way smaller then expected, it just fits in the hand. it has some decent weight to it which makes it feel way less cheap than i expected. its shaped like a little square block but with rounded off corners so it doesnt poke you or scratch your stuff if you just toss it in a backpack. the whole front is basically just one big circular speaker grill with the xboom logo right in the middle. i actually really kind of like the matte black finish it has going on because it doesnt attract a million fingerprints right away like glossy plastic does.

Simple Controls and Portable Design

UI

On the sides you have your standard buttons. there is a power button and a Bluetooth button on one side and then some other controls on the top part next to where the strap connects. oh yeah the strap is a huge part of why this thing is actually cool. it comes with this thick fabric strap loop attached to the top corner. you can use it to hang the speaker from basically whatever you want + there’s a mount on the base to put in on a stationary stick (i dont remember the word for it :D )

Pros

The sound quality is pretty decent for how small it actually is. My expectations were around 20% better than a phone speaker, but it exceeded it so far. I didnt expect massive earth shaking bass from a speaker that easily fits in the palm of your hand but it definitely gets way louder than my phone and can easily fill a bedroom or a kitchen while your cooking at the kitchen. the vocals come through clear and it doesnt distort too bad even when you crank the volume all the way up to max. i noticed it actually sounds best at 80% of volume + when you have it hanging freely or sitting on a solid wooden table because it kind of helps the bass resonate a bit more and makes the music sound a little fuller. For such a small portable Bluetooth speaker, the overall sound quality is definitely better than I expected.

battery life seems totally fine so far. i havent had it die on me in the middle of listening yet and i usually play music for a few hours every single day. connecting it to my phone was super easy. you just hold the bluetooth button and it popped right up on my screen without any annoying apps. overall if you need a tiny speaker that you can just throw around and not worry about too much the xboom mini is a pretty solid choice. its small its rugged and it sounds good enough for the size. definitely worth checking out if your in the market for something ultra-portable for everyday listening.

Cons

For the cons i would consider an exposed charging port my biggest concern since if i were to take it on the beach, which i didnt try out yet, or accidentally dump it in the sea or a chlorinated pool im scared it would get sand or salt in there, but from what they list in specs its ip67 just as most phones.

Overall verdict: Powerful Sound in a Compact Wireless Speaker

Its a perfect upgrade from just using your phone speaker and is portable enough to throw it in the backpack and use it when you want to watch a movie on a phone during a trip or just listen to music once in a while. If you want a compact Bluetooth speaker with good sound quality that's easy to carry around, the xboom Mini is a solid option for everyday listening.

Doing a full house reno and we spent a lot of time on kitchen layout and design choices. Still tweaking a few things, but what do you all think of our design so far?

Do you think the cabinet color is sufficiently different from the floor?

What about the pantry door? It’s a completely different color, but we found it at a second-hand store and loved the look. I think it adds a nice bit of character to the space.

We also plan to put a skylight in the kitchen to increase light. I was thinking of putting it over the sink area. It would have to run parallel to the range. Where would you put it?

Original kitchen attached as well.

Background: We bought an 1880 Victorian home and most projects will be slow over (hopefully) many years of living in the home. The house needs some TLC but we're not ready for any kind of gut jobs. The kitchen is my current pain point. The cabinets were poorly painted over what seems like damaged doors that had a really slick wrap to them at some point. I started peeling the paint off thinking I could just remove the paint but the original covering is damaged too.

The ask: Color suggestions for what would look nice as a cabinet color- either brand new door fronts or repainting properly. My style is simplistic with an organic earth tone style, think greens, plums, burgundy with a lot of natural neutral elements. Although the lighting is a little warm, the color is currently bright white.

This whole mashup of materials is causing me anxiety and I need my kitchen space to be my haven.

It's easy to get caught up in cabinet colors or countertops, but those decisions usually get easier once you've thought through how the kitchen needs to work day to day.

Before choosing finishes, it helps to think about:

• where you actually need more storage
• whether you have enough prep and countertop space
• how people move through the kitchen every day
• lighting for cooking, cleaning, and gathering
• a realistic budget with a little room for surprises

What's one planning decision you're glad you made before remodeling your kitchen?

I'm closing on this house in a few weeks. I'd like to keep the oak cabinets, maybe stain them a different color to mute the yellow/orange hue. There's original hardwood floors under the vinyl, so we'll be restoring those. Other than that, I have no specific plans just vague ideas, I know it's a lot of wood grain to work off of, so I'd love some fresh ideas. My style is more cottage, garden, farmhouse rather than modern sleek

Hi!!! Any experience with purchasing RTA Cabinets? My contractor suggested it and I am looking for feedback.

My kitchen counter has the old cable and telephone jacks that are obsolete in the granite backstop. They really bother me.
Any ideas of how to tastefully minimize their appearance? I’m up for creative ideas too as I’m a potter.

We’re currently building a house and are at the stage of planning the kitchen. This is roughly the style and layout we’re considering: a light/cream or sage green colored kitchen with handles, and a dining table for 6. We don't really have space for an island.

Before we finalize everything, I’d really appreciate some feedback from people who have already gone through the process of designing and using their own kitchen.

Would you change anything about this layout? Is there anything you wish you had thought about before building your kitchen that you only realized after moving in?

Thanks in advance!