Shopping around gets couple a Western look

Green Valley News

If the home of your dreams is out of reach in these tough economic times, consider remodeling as a way to create the look and feel you desire.

Adding color and style to your home is possible these days without breaking the bank, says Green Valley resident Joe Chidester.

When he and his wife, Kathleen, were looking in 2003 for a retirement home in Green Valley, they knew they wanted a Western look. However, Joe says, new homes featuring that style were well above the couple’s price range.

Instead, they selected a 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom home in Desert Meadows II built in 1976, priced right, and with a new heating and cooling system and a new exterior paint guaranteed for 20 years.

With patience and planning, he and Kathleen have turned their modest residence into a stylish Western wonder.

Clay Pot color

Gone are the plain white interior walls, orange shag carpeting, the large entry way and small, dark living room.

The walls in the living room, kitchen and hallway now sport a soothing, orange-brown shade called Clay Pot.

The flooring is a smooth, 12-inch-square, reddish-brown Spanish tile that is easy to maintain.

A new front door with glass panes brings in more light, plus the Chidesters chose to install the matching side panels in the southern wall of their living room, which brings natural light into what had been a consistently dark room.

The living room furnishings include a mix of Southwestern pieces and antiques, including an 1857 walnut hat rack with mirror and marble-topped shelf. It belonged to Kathleen’s grandmother, while an oak washstand on the opposite side of room was her father’s.

Among other heirlooms on display are silver dishware recovered from the steamboat Emma No. 3, which had sunk in the 1850s in the Mississippi River back in the couple’s home state of Tennessee.

Larger living room

A closet off of the entry hallway hall was removed, allowing for a larger living room. Fixed double-pane windows have taken the place of an old sliding glass door between the living room and the back porch.

Back in the hallway, a door now opens opposite the living room into a third bedroom the Chidesters have transformed into an office/guest room.

In 2004, the couple was ready to tackle the outdated kitchen. They moved its entrance from the west end of the dining room to the east, so they can get to their laundry room and carport without walking the length of the kitchen.

What once was a nondescript breakfast bar now features floor-length birch cabinets with glass panes, offering plenty of cupboard space on one side and an array of drawers on the other. A thick tile countertop and black metal light fixture combine with the tile flooring to create a colorful Southwestern ambiance in this room.

“It’s a small kitchen but very convenient,” says Joe, who does much of the cooking. “I think it has personality with all the tile.”

Recycled lumber that the Chidesters’ daughter, Lynn, found was turned into display shelves in the dining room.

The couple paid $25 for their round, pre-owned dining table, and then had leaves made so they can seat up to 12 people when entertaining.

Pays to be patient

After selling real estate for 26 years and remodeling a number of homes in the Phoenix area, Chidester has found to pays to be patient when it comes to home renovations.

“It took us four years to get everything done” at their Green Valley home, including a new brick wall in the backyard, he says.

He and Kathleen set a budget for each project and checked around for the best price on everything from their new kitchen cabinets to the tile flooring.

“We really shopped around” to get the right price for the floor tile, countertop and the installation work, Joe says, noting that “I set a price range that I wouldn’t go over.”

The Chidesters also weren’t afraid to buy pre-owned furnishings they liked, from a stylish sofa and love seat another local homeowner was selling, to a wooden cabinet from the White Elephant thrift shop, and a metal and cloth room divider Joe bought for $30 at a salvage yard.

Coordinating furnishings, flooring and color choices is essential, the couple points out.

It’s easy to fall for a certain fabric or design in a store, but the Chidesters have found it’s best to bring a sample home and take your time to decide if it’s right.

The latest decorating fad may look cute in the store, but Kathleen recommends you ask yourself if it will truly stand the test of time in your home.

Finally, feel free to be versatile with your furnishings. For example, the Chidesters took a tall, wooden entertainment center made in Mexico, added more shelving and now use it to store dishware and more, instead of it housing a TV and DVD player.

kwalenga@gvnews.com | 547-9739