kitchen update number eleventy-billion

What, you thought we were done already?

No. No we're not...

But we do have some new stuff to share that's kind of a big deal, especially when it really makes the room seem 'done'.

Even when it's not, quite.

Check out the crown y'all-

and those base boards.

Never thought I'd be so excited over....base boards.

As you can see, we still need to paint the entire ceiling since we have a few spots like this-

But the way that trim just hugs the cabinets...

I mean it.

I'm in love.

Here's what we've been looking at since the cabinets were installed last September-

Poor, trim-less room.

But now...

Ba-da-bing-ba-da-BOOM.

And that's not the only change.

We've been using my great-grandmother's table + chairs since we were married because, well...it's fabulous and I love it-

but it really isn't suited for the banquette I've built in my head (and on Pinterest). I searched high and low for several months, and then I found it via Craigslist, via a blog...

Still on the hunt for chairs, but isn't the table a beaut?

A pedestal table, just like I had in mind. Already painted white at the bottom and distressed.

Just look at those lovely claws...

The top is au natural and smooth as a baby's bootay I kid you not.

I must thank the lovely couple who sold it to me, not only for the crazy low price of $50, but also for not looking at me like a crazy person while I stood in their house and rubbed my hands across the table, semi-hugged it, and acted like a giddy school girl who's just touched the Bieber. They also set up furniture around it to make a stand-in banquette so that I could be sure the table was the size I needed.

It was.

Our other table + chairs is now happily living in the man cave, by the way. Hubs and his friends eat in there all the time, so it all works out rather nicely.

And while we're on the subject of new furniture, we welcomed another piece into our house yesterday, even though this one won't be staying in the kitchen.

I've always wanted an Eames rocker and the Foundary had a crazy good deal on these about a month ago.

So I pounced.

The Foundary is another of those deal-a-day sites, showcasing several different brands of home decor/household goods every day. You can check them out HERE.

We introduced the chair to MM last night and she was smitten.

Can't wait to take it outside for a photo shoot with the kiddos.

Then we introduced it to the new table and I'm not gonna lie,

there was an attraction between the two.

And that's all the news that is the news on the kitchen front. The next order of business will be to make the banquette out of the cabinets I found last week at Surplus Warehouse. Can't wait. We also have to finish painting the trim/windows/doors, figure out what to do with the mudroom nook, paint the ceiling, have a lot of electrical work done, make curtains & cushions for the banquette, and then we might just be done.

Might.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with kitchen update, eleventy-billion and one entitled 'The banquette has landed'.

Until then,

Happy Wednesday!



kitchen inspiration

just wanted to share a few pictures of pure kitchen gorgeousness with you today-

via Traditional Home

Loving the banquette in the photo above and this is the closest photo I've found to what we'll end up with (hopefully) in our own space.  Also loving the silver fixture and wood floors.

***

via Traiditional Home

white cabinetry,

black countertops,

white subway tile,

Amen.

***

via Traditional Home

Loving those pendant lights and cabinets to the ceiling.

***

via Traditional Home

Gorgeous wood floors, white cabinets, and a fabulous pop of color in the window.

***

via House Beautiful

Again with the fab silver lights

***

via House Beautiful

Same lighting idea here, different color.

And, not that I would be brave enough for this myself, but I'm really diggin' those turquoise cabinets.

***

via House Beautiful

I'm sharing this pic because I love the lighting, but see the pillows?

Yup,

houndstooth.

Can you guess what I googled after finding this photo?

hint...houndstooth cross stitch pattern...

***

Love the banquette, pillows, and EAT.

***

via Traiditional Home

Again with those fabulous lights and wood floors...

***

via House Beautiful

subway tile,

subway tile,

subway tile.

***

And...

just for fun-

via House Beautiful

All I could think of when I saw this was,

"Oh what a pretty kitchen Snow White had..."

(and yes, I realize there are only 6 chairs. maybe they stuck Grumpy in the corner?)

Happy Thursday Friends!



Kitchen demo has begun {picture me jumping up and down screaming}

If you've followed this blog for any length of time,

you've heard me mention our oh-so-hideous kitchen a time or twenty.

Don't get me wrong-

I'm a lover of all things vintage.

Wait, let's try that again-

I'm a lover of ALMOST all things vintage.

When it comes to cabinets fashioned from pine paneling and counter tops made from a surface that burns when you set anything remotely hot on top, not to mention the fact that there is some sort of silver flashing making up the edge of the counter tops.....

well folks,

I'm not a fan.

Here's some 'before' pictures for your viewing pleasure-

and here's a pic of what it looked like the day we moved in and slid those nice shiny appliances into place-

Here's a shot in full-on party mode with the crown molding ripped out-

and here's another angle.

That's O and me making the Pioneer Woman's salsa for the party last weekend.

This is where we are as of today-

the breakfast nook-

Underneath the top layer of ceramic tile is a layer of peel-and-stick linoleum (see above) and underneath that is a yellow-speckled linoleum straight from 1960 that is stuck ohsowell to the slab. It's literally coming up in small pieces as the hubs and his friends were scraping and scraping and scraping it last night, so I don't have a great picture of the bottom layer. Just think about what's on Betty Draper's kitchen floor and that's what we've got folks. 

Here's a little video of the hubs in action-

(warning- ripping up ceramic tile is flippin LOUD, so make sure the volume isn't up too high on your computer)

Now that we've seen the 'before' we can tal. Here's an inspiration photo-

I know that some of you will call me stark raving mad for putting hardwoods in my kitchen being that there are 3 littles living here, but just look at that beautiful picture! We ripped up carpets and put down hardwood in the dining room, foyer, living room, and hallway when we moved in, so now it will all connect and flow. I'm all about the flow when moving through a house.

can.not.wait.

However, floors are actually the last stop on this renovation train, so I'll be waiting a while for those beautiful planks. In the meantime, I'll be keeping you updated here on what's been ripped out and what colors I'm choosing and how much dynamite the hubs eventually used to get that linoleum up.

Just kidding.

We're off to Oliver's last swim lesson for the summer-

where oh where did the time go?

Until next time friends!

a dresser-turned-kitchen-island = genius

if you've never read the blog,

Little Green Notebook,

you should.

Jenny is the author, and her blog is where she jots down lots of beautiful design tidbits + beautiful eye candy.

She took a dresser

sans hutch...

and turned it into this ultra-fab kitchen island-

I don't know about you, but I'm totally inspired to find an old dresser to turn into my OWN fab kitchen island.

For all the deets on the makeover, click HERE

What about you?

Done any furniture makeovers lately?

Do tell.



2011 Home Goals

I'm making a list of goals for our house this year for several reasons, most important of which is to get our boo-tays in gear again after doing SO MUCH WORK to it in the first year we were in it and a big fat almost nothing to it in the second. I'll also be linked up with the Nester, so check out the rest of what everyone's planning to do in 2011 over on her blog.

The biggest challenge, of course, and one of the 3 rooms we've yet to overhaul is the dreaded kitchen. The other 2 rooms are the bathrooms. You may remember that I talked about one of those HERE.

I will now allow you time to prepare yourselves for the horror that is...

our kitchen.

are you ready?

(it's bad)

I mean it.

Sit down.

(cue stabbing music from Psycho)

our house was built in 1960 and nothing, nothing has been done to the kitchen since then except for some painting of the paneling and some ceramic tile. And ohbytheway- there are 2 layers of linoleum underneath that tile. In case you wondered. One is yellow and one is green.

We did buy all new stainless appliances when we moved in since there were no appliances at all, and see that dishwasher? It's the quietest on the market!

But that's where the good stuff ends in here.

Back to the countertops-

Ever wonder what countertops from 1960 look like?

That's it folks.

Complete with that beauty of a silver edge.

(please imagine me motioning to the counterop now, Vanna-style)

Wanna know what happens to countertops like this when you sit oh-so-hot-stuff on them?

That.

That is what we're working with here, folks.

Awesome.

I think it's easy to see why the kitchen is our number one goal to overhaul this year.

And,

there's also this...

(I'm so ashamed)

This is the closet in our foyer.

Those are coats (mostly) that you see hanging in there.

As coats should.

And those are boxes.

LOTS of boxes, some empty, but most holding things to list on ebay. Goal number 2 is to actually list that stuff to rid our lives of the boxes.

Because,

well that's just pure craziness folks.

I would also like to clean every closet in our house this year because, quite frankly, if you have small children who are growing out of their clothes at the speed of light, well then you need to.

My son still has 2T clothing in his and he's, ummm, sort of about to turn 6.

(I know, I know....it's awful. Not the turning 6 part, but the fact that there are still much-too-small-for-him clothes in there. Please tell me I'm not the only one behind on this so I'll feel better about confessing this to the internet.)

My third goal,

and it's a BIG one,

is to spend more time at my home with her-

and her-

and him.

And now,

since I totally horrified you with those pics of my kitchen and foyer closet,

let's have a look at some of the prettier parts of our house,

because there are lots.

I promise.

the hubs made that shelf for me when we were dating.

I absolutely love it.

I love initials.

If you know me, you know this.

You can't go far in our house without running into lots of letters. These are mine and the hubs initials,

purchased for a few bucks a piece at Michael's.

I love our beautiful painted-white-by-us mantle, mostly because of the lovelies that I get to put up there.

I know.

This pic is horrible.

But I love that red accent pillow in front of the blk/white one.

I didn't even straighten and crease it for you.

Sorry.

I love my vinyl collection of Broadway cast albums, Barbra, and the Beatles.

Did I mention I loved initials?

I also love that award from my father and that film reel.

LOVE.

Oh how I love my piano.

The first big purchase I made on my own.

Oh how I love the sound of little fingers plinking those keys.

While I havn't rearranged everything after Christmas yet,

I love this cabinet in our dining room and all the pretties it holds.

Again,

with an 'M'.

And down there on the bottom?

Well that's just General Grievous hangin out.

See?

There was some pretty stuff in there, right?

I just couldn't rag on our house too much,

ya know.

Because we do love her so.

(But the kitchen's gotta go, am I right?)