Before-the "wall" was made of frosted textured glass with painted studs. I kind of liked the look, but it was just too much for LD. So we pretty much gutted that space, including the vanity (located behind wall) and sink. Harold put up a new wall and installed our new vanity, but we asked him to leave the backside unfinished because we wanted to do something creative with it.
After taking a break from finishing the kitchen, we decided to tackle the big yellow wall in the master bedroom. We had been living with it since we moved in (mostly because we could not decide how to finish it). Our initial plans were to put in sheets of walnut veneer plywood, but we started having second thoughts about it. Then we considered birch veneer plywood, smooth cement board, rough cement board, and Inhabit embossed wall flats.
A couple of months ago we were shopping around for slate for our sunroom. We decided to check Factory Surplus (where we purchased the limestone for our entryway). Unfortunately they were bought out by Worldwide Liquidators, but we decided to go ahead and check them out. We did not find anything we liked for the sunroom, but came across some walnut hardwood flooring at a good price. For some reason we both paused when we came across it, and we were both thinking the same thing. We can use it to cover up the big yellow wall!
It was a relatively simple project that involved fitting, cutting, and nailing. You might be able to make out our signatures in this photo. Halfway into our project, LD came up with the creative idea of putting a message inside the wall. So I wrote up a short letter and we placed it inside a Ziploc bag. If anybody ever tore down this wall, they are in for a nice surprise. I decided to take it a step further, and sign the big yellow wall.
Around 6 hours of work later, we ended up with a beautiful walnut wall! After our experience with the Minwax Helmsman Urethane on the pecky cypress wall, we definitely want a low or no VOC finish. We are considering trying out vinegar, a beeswax finish, or maybe some chopping block oil. Stay tuned.
Before-the "wall" was made of frosted textured glass with painted studs. I kind of liked the look, but it was just too much for LD. So we pretty much gutted that space, including the vanity (located behind wall) and sink. Harold put up a new wall and installed our new vanity, but we asked him to leave the backside unfinished because we wanted to do something creative with it. 
After taking a break from finishing the kitchen, we decided to tackle the big yellow wall in the master bedroom. We had been living with it since we moved in (mostly because we could not decide how to finish it). Our initial plans were to put in sheets of walnut veneer plywood, but we started having second thoughts about it. Then we considered birch veneer plywood, smooth cement board, rough cement board, and Inhabit embossed wall flats.
A couple of months ago we were shopping around for slate for our sunroom. We decided to check Factory Surplus (where we purchased the limestone for our entryway). Unfortunately they were bought out by Worldwide Liquidators, but we decided to go ahead and check them out. We did not find anything we liked for the sunroom, but came across some walnut hardwood flooring at a good price. For some reason we both paused when we came across it, and we were both thinking the same thing. We can use it to cover up the big yellow wall! 
It was a relatively simple project that involved fitting, cutting, and nailing. You might be able to make out our signatures in this photo. Halfway into our project, LD came up with the creative idea of putting a message inside the wall. So I wrote up a short letter and we placed it inside a Ziploc bag. If anybody ever tore down this wall, they are in for a nice surprise. I decided to take it a step further, and sign the big yellow wall.
Around 6 hours of work later, we ended up with a beautiful walnut wall! After our experience with the Minwax Helmsman Urethane on the pecky cypress wall, we definitely want a low or no VOC finish. We are considering trying out vinegar, a beeswax finish, or maybe some chopping block oil. Stay tuned.
I'm glad we were able to put the topcoat on the pecky cypress because it gave us a chance to evaluate the two built-in cabinets in the space. For the built-in next to the fireplace we are considering white lacquer for the base and a dark stain for the top. It will be a bit challenging because the wall appears "red" or "rust" colored. We are not sure what to do with the built-in cabinets nearest the kitchen. I think we will wait for the house to "speak" to us again. However,
Today we went to scope out some flooring options. We looked at the SnapStone tile and the new Konecto. But what really seemed to be the winner (for now) are the Shaw carpet tiles. We really liked the Haven pattern in the urchin color, and the Reed pattern in the mangrove color.