Where all Women Belong

If you guessed this post was about my future kitchen, you would be right.

Whats with the insanely sexist title you ask?  I'm feeling silly.  Overtly and overly sexist ridiculousness is a running joke in my house so I figured I would bring it to the blog, too.  You're welcome.

Anywho. I started writing down what I want to incorporate into the kitchen in the new house.  Then I remembered I started a blog for these sorts of ideas. Derp.

In a nutshell, what I want in the kitchen is practical, usable space, as much storage as possible, light, bright and airy with the whimsical beach cottage slant.  Pretty much like the rest of the house.  Color-wise, I am going white walls, colored cabinetry (shades of celery green), the same dark flooring as the rest of the house and I already have stainless steel appliances.

Now, onto the nitty gritty:

I will be doing 2-tones of the same color on the cabinets.  I am going to reuse the cabinets that currently live in the kitchen as much as possible, and otherwise will go out to ReStore and try to get cheap-o ones.  They are going to be painted anyway, so as long as their bones are good, I don't care if they mach.  That is what paint is for.

There are two ways I can go with getting two shades on the cabinetry. My first thought was to go with something I saw on  http://www.centsationalgirl.com

It is a very subtle difference here. I think doing the faces in one color and the frame in a lighter version is so sophisticated and lovely.  But maybe it is too sophisticated for a casual cottage?  Then I ran across this picture:

Here is a kitchen that is the wrong colors, and too busy for my taste, but there is something so warm and wonderful about it.  Is it the light coming through the window?  The glass shelves above the sink (I might have to incorporate that for a little mini herb garden)? All the greenery (plants, not paint) they have about?  Maybe it is the way the owners have incorporated the 2-tone cabinetry.  I am really leaning more towards this version of 2-tones.

Plus the added fun bonus... Adding glass to some of the cabinet doors (or leaving the doors off completely) and painting the interior of the upper cabs the same color as the lower, darker cabs would be so delightful.  Observe:

Does that looks like they might have painted over beadboard wallpaper inside the cabinets to you, too?

from Martha Stewart

Now, I know that the inside do not match the lower cabinetry in these pictures.  I just wanted to show how cute it is to let insides show like that.  I couldn't actually find a picture of what I have in mind, but I'm pretty sure it is going to work.  Also, how about the farm sink (I think that is what they are called?) in that second photo?  /dies

As far as counter tops go... it's been a real thinker.  I currently have Corian, and I am not happy with it.  It scratches. And it leaves marks if you put something hot on it.  And it just looks cheap. Not as cheap as laminate of course, but I still am not happy with it.  I am against the idea of tile too, so that is just out.  I have never had to live with grout, but I am guessing I would hate it. A lot.  We aren't the cleanest of people, and just the idea of all the little bits getting stuck in the grout-tracks gives me the willies.  I need a nice flat surface that I can run a cloth over and know I got everything up.

Granite and marble are probably out of the picture, even if we find remnants or go to liquidators.  It will just be too much cash to put out at the get go.  So, I have turned to the idea of butcher block counter tops.  The more I think about it, the more I LOVE the idea.  I would not seal them so that 1) they could be usable - I am a cook. I love cooking, and the idea of a counter top that is not food safe boggles the mind 2) the raw wood has natural anti-bacterial qualities 3) although I probably wouldn't cut on them much, over time, the roughening up of the wood surface would totally fit in the with rest of the house decor and 4) it's cheap.  I have been reading you can do the whole kitchen in butcher block from Ikea for $300 bucks in materials.  Yes please.

This one looks to be sealed, but I am not sure.

http://www.theletteredcottage.net/

And this one is not sealed - that or the owners don't care if they poison themselves from the bread sitting on  the sealant (as an aside, how adorable is this kitchen overall?! They even have my farm sink...)

Decorpad.com

Additionally, I am going to re-purpose a JC Penny Kitchen Cart I already own to fit the decor of the room.  The unit I have looks along the lines of this, but it is a bit longer, and is all dark cherry stained wood:

My idea is to sand and paint the unit white, add some feet instead of the wheels, then get a remnant of granite or marble for the top in order to create an island on the cheap.  I hope to find a topper that will overhang enough so that I can tuck a couple of stools at one side and have this double as a food prep (insta cutting board!) station and casual dining space.  Not that we EVER eat anywhere but at the computer desks.    In the house we are looking at, there is a non-load bearing wall in the way if where I want this beastie to go, dividing the kitchen from the dining area and living room.  I smell demolition in it's future.  Barring that (my pockets, they are not so deep), this will just get pushed up against where the wall currently is. I guess. Psh.

Another detail: bead board backsplash.  So adorable!  I have been seeing the look a lot on decorator blogs.  Honestly though, how can you not love it.  It is no wonder it has caught on with gusto.

http://kleypas.blogspot.com

The place we are looking at does not have a pantry, so I thought that this was a great idea when I saw it on  http://kleypas.blogspot.com (her redone kitchen sure looks a lot like what I envision for my future home...).  Using free-standing cabinetry as a pantry, and then replacing the solid door with curtained frame is such a good idea.  Plus, you can make the curtain tie in colors to your liking, easily clean it, and change it on it whim.
Not that I would get that whim very often.

Finally, lighting.  I hate how dreary my current kitchen is, and it isn't even that dreary.  I am just in the kitchen for most of my free time on weekdays and having fun creating fun foods on weekends, so I demand LIGHT. I want recessed lights all over the ceiling and over the sink (or maybe a pendant lamp there, but husband would hit his head on the rare occasions he does dishes).  I want undercab lighting.  And I want a pendant lamp in lieu of a chandelier or whatever over my island seating.  If it is half as cute as this one, I will just squee:

from Coastal Living

House by the beach? Make it a Beach Cottage. Duh.

I'm caught up in the Pinterest craze. Holy smokes what a great little tool!  I don't really browse other people's boards so much as pin my own stuff incessantly.  Up until now I have been keeping several Google docs that have images of things I like, and to keep track of links to tuts and whatnot.  Pinterest is much easier!

The great thing about it is that I learned what the style of the new house will be - well, this is after a discussion with the hubs regarding his choices for paint tones (the man is colorblind and ergo gets no say on the color, but I allowed him to choose brights, versus whites.  I'm effing generous, right?).  We are going pastel, with the dark floors (probably not the black) and I am going to try my hand at beach cottage style.  It's so easy! It will just take time...

The last week I have been reading a lot of "how do I make my house beach cottage style"and I read the best tip ever: white slip covers.  Now, knowing our life is the dogs, you might think this is a crazy notion, but this is where the tip (that never even occurred to me) comes in:  white can be easily bleached, which means stains are easily removed, never fades, and keeping it spiffy is a quick fix.  So awesome.

As an aside but related, I saw this yesterday and I couldn't agree more! I am glad there are more people out there like us, at least enough to necessitate this awesome sign:

Looove it!

Anyway, my head is starting to fill with actual plans now that I have tones decided, colors semi picked (waiting on some more paint chips to arrive, and might have to hit Ye Olde Home Depot this weekend if the chips I got don't satisfy me), and a style truly decided.  The weird thing is, I think that this has been my style and I just never knew it.  I am always drawn to plain white ceramics, or clear glass (which all my dishes currently are).  I hate clutter and knick knacks.  Casual comfort is the way I choose to live.  I am drawn to ocotopi, jellyfish and mermaids like no ones business. I think I'll survive the whites.

I am not sure why I didn't lean towards "beach cottage" sooner.  Probably because plain white bores the bejesus out of me, but I am learning the way to get my color in is with 'pops'.  White can be fun and dramatic if you bring enough eye candy in.  As long as I stay away from beige and tan I should be quite happy!

Taste the Rainbow

Mmmmm colors colors colors.  One of my favorite things in the world is just playing with color.  I am one of those freaks that can color match anything to anything else.  I can "see" shades of color within other colors.  I am the dope who looks at something purple and can honestly tell you there is too much orange in it.  The color thing is pretty much my only natural talent.

And that means that when it comes to picking paint colors, I am having a hell of a time.

I know the general colors I want and where I want them to go.  The trouble lies in whether or not it will fit with the feel we want for the house: casual, cozy, whimsical, cottage, low-maintenance and airy.  That IS a style right?  haha!  What I envision for the style of this joint will be the subject of a future post (I just deleted an entire paragraph of info I decided to save for later).

Anyway...

The majority of the house is going to be the same green I have in my current place.  I love it so much. I have also decided that most of the new house is going to have faux wainscoting with white or off-white on the bottom so I can go bolder with my colors on the upper half.

Here is my green. So yummy! (by the way, my home monitor makes this look way different from my work monitor, which means who the hell knows what it looks like on YOUR monitor.  If I were to name the color this should be, it would be Asparagus Tips)

And just an idea of what it would kind of look like in a room with the dark floor:

Of course, I would never, ever have a light-colored couch.  That is a recipe for disaster.  Any couch we might one day have will be in a dark version of the green, or possibly brown/neutrals. The majority of the wood furnishings in the rooms will be white.

Kitchen, dining room and hallways are all going to follow the same color as the living room since chances are they will all be touching anyway.  I want white cabinets in the kitchen, dark counter top to match the floor, white backsplash, and then a stronger version of the green on whatever walls show, which won't be very much.

Under Foot

Well, we are still on pins and needles waiting to hear about the De Solo house.  The yucky news is that we found out the package STILL hasn't gone to the bank. Apparently the sellers went out of town the day after they accepted our offer, and their agent is "very part-time".  Sometimes no news is good news.  And sometimes no news is no news because nothing is freaking happening.  Our house is a pile of paper sitting on some nimrods desk.  le sigh.

Regardless of which house we end up in, we have to get it furnished and decorated and all that good stuff.  I am already working on my paint colors, and I know the wall treatments I want, both of which are subjects of future posts when I get some prime examples to post up.  Today though, I am pondering floors.

I have long hated the carpets in my current house.  I am sick of carpeting at all.  We have dogs.  WEll, that is an understatement.  We pretty much live for our dogs and they are the only children that we will ever have and so we have planned this move around them for the most part.  With that in mind, there is no reason to keep carpets.  So we are doing the hard flooring thing.

I have contemplated doing concrete floors, but I think that will cost an arm and a leg compared to good ol' laminate flooring.  It is not the best, but it is sturdy and easy to clean.  That about sums up the way we live too. We need something that will last, that we can be lazy with, and not have a heart attack over when the dogs poop on it.  Which they will.  With gusto.

So, I looked at colors today of the popular name brand and I have picked out my favorites. Luckily, one of them is also Eric's favorite, too!  Here is what we were looking at:

Madagaskar Teak (LF 000052) Nice and dark with just a hint of cherry to it.


Dark Cherry (PH 4710) I love the warmth of cherry woods. This is the darkest I saw.  But i'm leaning towards it not being quite dark enough:




Charleston Oak (080110).  Might be a little grey maybe?  It is sort of lacking warmth, but maybe that is because the first two I am drawn to have so much red in them:

And finally, Ebonized Oak (080107).  This one may very well end up being the winner. I love it.  Eric loves it.  It really depends how its going to look up against the walls and whatnot.  I need to do a style board before settling on anything.

So, there is that.  Seeing them all together like this is helpful.  Of course, I have not seen any of them in person. And I haven't put them next to my colors yet, so it is really up in the air as yet.  But hey, at least it is a start.