The other rooms in the house? They are not quite as calming. But we are making progress little by little, and some things are just going to take time (like painting all the trim in the house with a fresh coat (or three) of white paint). I'm learning to enjoy the process and not rush things. Although I am sure our neighbors would appreciate if we "rushed" improving our yards a bit. :)
The last time we chatted about the kitchen (three months ago!) we had removed the cabinets and the soffit above them, and painted the walls. Since then, we've continued to work on little projects here and there. One of the projects that I am just wild about was adding some shelving to give us some storage (since we removed all the upper cabinets). Sometimes when I get the idea for a project, I can see it in my head, but the execution comes out less than stellar. This used to happen to me all the time when I drew a lot. I could see it in my head but could not make my fingers reproduce that on paper. But this project? It exceeded my expectations. Behold.
They're cute, right? I knew, pretty much from the moment that we took out the cabinets, that we'd put up some shelving between the window and the door. All it took was two pine boards from Home Depot (or was it Lowes?), six brackets from IKEA, and some stain, poly and paint. And there you have a functional and pretty little addition to our kitchen. Here's a picture from a little further back so you can see how it all plays together.
By the way, if anyone knows of a microwave that is cute to look at, I am all ears. I can't figure out anywhere else to put the darn thing, but it's just so... black and hulking. ANYWAYS. Redirect your attention to the cute shelves. One of my favorite details is the fact that I painted the bottoms of the shelves in a deep green. It was one of those off the cuff - hey let's try this!- kind of things, but I really like how it's slightly unexpected and brings in a bit of color.
So that is one completed project that I am loving. We have also, since May, replaced the seventies light with this classy and brassy chandelier.
It's a huge improvement over what was there, for sure. When we went out one night to pick this up (for $20 off Craigslist - hurray!), we obviously had the kids with us. So Javi asked "mommy, why we buyed this light?" and I told him it was because I didn't like the one that was hanging in the dining area. He thought about that for a long time, and then at lunchtime the next day we had the exact same conversation. He then proceeded to take me through the house and ask me if I liked every other light in the house. :)
Anyways, it's a huge improvement. There still feels like something is a bit off with it, (too gold? too white? too... much?) but it's so much better than what was there. And brighter too! I also hung up some curtains and found a really cool mirror at the thrift store so this side of the room is looking a bit fancier.
I really like the direction this room is heading - lots of visual interest from the brick wall, all the warm wood tones from the dining set and the shelves, and the deep greens and purples. Oh, and I also found these little hanging planters that are just like the ones my Grandma has hanging on either side of her sink. Although her plants are real, because her thumb is amazingly green. I have much less of a green thumb, and also three little babes to remember to take care of before I water plants, so my succulents are fake. :)
How much do you love my little herb tiles on the backsplash? They're kinda charming. I just wish that rosemary wasn't represented three times all within a foot of each other. But - cute. I'm searching for a new little light for over the sink to replace that fluorescent awesomeness. And I think some new knobs and hinges are in order for these cabinets, but I haven't totally made up my mind about that. The next project we'll be tackling in this space? Flooring. For reals. The carpet has seen better days and we have only lived here for four months. :)
