GREEN - THREE THINGS

THINGS I ADDED: I added the most beautiful footed planter to my pottery collection although I can easily see it being used as a candy bowl. It was hand-crafted by the oh so talented Jess of The Honey Blues. Can't wait to add to my collection with more of her pieces. 

THINGS TO DO: Although we have gotten so far in checking things off our list on making this place home we still have quite the list remaining. Some of that list has been moved to a list saved for years down the road as budget loosens. There is also some of those to-do's that should have been checked off long ago yet they linger. One, for example, is this old telephone jack that just hangs there. It has no power and I finally bought a plate to cover it yet it just sits starring me down every time I walk down my favorite hall. 

THINGS THAT ARE DONE: I finally decided to hang one of my staghorn ferns in this empty spot in the kitchen. I tried art and nothing seemed to fit, but this little guy. It adds the natural element I love and the movement this spot needed among a whole lot of hard edged appliances. 

The Not So Pretty

I'm not sure what this space would be defined as. Laundry room, kitchen nook, original breakfast room? Oh, how I would love to meet the original owners and have them walk me through every space and say what the intended purpose was. This space currently serves as the open laundry area. Part of me loves being able to be in the kitchen and do laundry at the same time. The other part of me can't stand that it invites clutter and well it really is messing with my pretty new kitchen re-do look. Since closing in January I have evaluated this space over and over. 

Here are just a few options that I have mulled over since moving in at the beginning of the year...

1. At first I thought we would enclose the space and add some sort of old schoolhouse door so light could still shine through. The space would remain a full functioning laundry room and I would add simple shelving for storage. This one is just perfect. 

2. & 3. I then came across Michelle Adams office and LOVED the builtins. Of course I have never stopped thinking about Jessica De Ruiter's office since spotting it years ago. We do desire having an office space that is more open to the living area so as the kiddos get older I am able to monitor more closely their computer use. I think a combination of both the offices would solve the office storage dilemma and also give us a space to work. I love the thought of having a more communal office area. 

4. We have also considered moving the refrigerator into this space and adding open storage to serve as a pantry. Love how the above uses a window to define the two spaces so light would still come in. This would also give us room to get the microwave and some other appliances out of this main kitchen area. Since it is plumbed we potentially could add another small sink into the mix. It potentially could be what pantry dreams are made of. 

In both the latter two options we would move the laundry to the huge hall closet by the bedrooms. It was serving as a play place for Ellie, but she hasn't used it in months so now it's just wasted space. What way would you all lean towards? Wish it was a big enough nook to serve all purposes, but alas it's not. 

kitchen re-do on a budget...

I can not even believe that this post is actually happening. When we bought this house I knew that the kitchen had potential for a quick and budget friendly fix. In the end it ended up not being so quick, but it was budget friendly. It took us about 6 months to get this far and I am actually glad that we took it a little slower so I had time to mull it all over. You can see where it started here and the second phase here, and then the third.

This West Elm table used to serve as our desk in our old house. The black and wood chairs are still a favorite of mine from Industry West. the legs are just oh so pretty. The cesca chairs were a craigslist find for our old dining room. The floors still need to be refinished or changed all together, but that fits into a not so budget friendly future project.

Can you believe I almost painted the hutch Alabaster white to blend it in with the walls? This is where taking our time really paid off. I am pretty much obsessed with the way the inky black paint shows off the copper. The original rippled glass is a favorite of mine.

The knobs and hinges are original to the house. I changed them out for copper bin pulls that I found for $2.00 a piece on amazon. Unfortunately they haven't been restocked in months. You can see the old laminate here. From a distance it just looks white, but up close it has swirls. Ack. Part of me wants to try the concrete over lay that I first saw here, but wonder about longevity. Anyone try it before?

This used to be all closed storage and once we had it painted out I realized I like it better without the doors. It shows off our everyday plate set and my grandmothers ironstone. The bottom to cabinets we ended up closing off for the kiddos snacks. I added two bin pulls here to mimic big drawers. To the left is our open laundry room area. That is for a whole other post though.

The green floors don't bother me as much now that everything is dark. We may do something with them this fall, but then again maybe not. So many projects and so little time and it all adds up financially pretty quickly.

The appliances are new. Our fridge went out and then the panel on the front of the dishwasher fell off all in the same week. It was Memorial Day weekend so we shopped around a bit. Kitchenaid was having a huge sale at Lowe's plus we had a 10% off coupon so we went ahead and bit the bullet. They really were the catalyst on finishing off the kitchen. I wish I had somewhere else for the microwave and blender, but for now we do not. We use them everyday so I prefer to have them both in plain sight. I also want to add either art or a collection of stag horn ferns to the left of the fridge. Still mulling that one over though. I would also love to add either this or this for our knives to get a little bit more off the counter. Again still mulling.

If you recall the original stove was huge and once we switched it out it left a huge gap. We had this made by the same friend who made our modern firepit. I love the extra storage it provided, helped make the kitchen look more finished, and provides safety from the stove.

Of course our cow print made it into this kitchen too. Our original plan for this kitchen is to make it good enough for a few years then re-do it completely. Currently I am so happy with this space I am so tempted to change out the counters to a stone and call it a day. Can't tell if it's my slight project burn out talking though.

SOURCES: wall color sherwin williams alabaster | cabinet color farrow and ball railings matched by SW in an oil base | overhead lights | sink light {similar} | slipcover on restoration hardware sofa | black chair in dining room | table {similar} | cesca chair {similar} | copper bin pulls {similar} | everyday plates | rug | cow print | glass canisters | black canister {similar, similar, similar} | towel holder | blender | tote bag | chemex | mason jars  | mugs | serving bowl on fridge