I love comments. Adore them!! You bloggers are so talented and helpful. Hope that anyone reading yesterday's post will stick around and read the comments. Besides, that's where I've answered any questions you may have had including Sandi's rather personal one. ;>
Now where was I? Oh, the kitchen. Would you believe that the space that you see in my header and the space I've shown you with the dining room table all connects to the kitchen? Yes, it's one large space. The kitchen has not been redone...same old cabinets, same old hardware, same old, same old. But I don't mind because that's the look I enjoy best in kitchens...grandma's kitchen. Of all the kitchens I searched, I found a couple that I'm sharing here by way of explanation. Here they come...
This should please you lovers of red. Red is not my favorite color, but you get the idea that it's a vintage look that I most appreciate. Here's another in greens and lots of colors actually...
The above photo is taken through the pantry. I'd love a pantry. Do you have one? If you do, I'm jealous. The common denominator in both photos is the white...I think. Yes, I do believe it's all the white so I need to remember that: I adore white woodwork!
And here, as promised, is a photo of my own kitchen or a portion of it...
Moving on to my tiny bathroom, which was once described by my carpenter as "substandard." Ouchie! And I put quite a chunk of change into that bathroom back in 1994 because I hadn't been here a month before the sink fell off the wall and the pipes broke and the basement flooded. Still, I know what he means, it's much too small and there's only a shower. That has never been a problem for me because I loathe bathing in a tub. But I can understand why some would prefer one.
Here are two photos of my bathroom...
This taking pictures of one's space has been very helpful. I have seen it with "new eyes" and the first thing that I see is that simple changes are going to be made that will have a big impact. For example, I do not like the "rustic" items on the wall in conjunction with the vintage mirrors. That's going to be changed and soon!
Here are a couple of photos of bathrooms I enjoy. Again, a "farmhouse" style with a chair, etc. My former bathroom had room for a bureau and a chair...loved that!
The unifying theme? That claw-footed tub! And, even as I realize this and know that I will never want such a thing in my home...they're not easy to clean and they take up too much space, and they cost a fortune, and if you had an old one to recoat it would also cost a fortune, I know where this pseudo desire is coming from. It is a childhood memory of pleasant bath times in my grandmother's claw-footed tub. Okay, I can deal with that then. ;>
I think that we'll save the "beyond" for tomorrow. It's too frightening for Friday anyway.
Love all your pictures...we truly love the color scheme...we saw the tiny space in the top you were talking about in the previous post...what do you have tucked away in there right now?
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day!
smiles, kari & kijsa
First of all I'm mad about that glass jar in your banner. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the red kitchen with the vintage green bowls...what are they called anyway? I have a pantry but not a butler's pantry which is what is pictured. I want a butler's pantry very bad.
I agree with what you've said about the things hanging in the bathroom. The vintage mirrors are great..perfect. The other items just don't seem to fit.
What are your thoughts on the kitchen? There are probably some simple things that could transform it. Vintage fabrics on the window. I don't know, I'm not too good at figuring these things out. I'm really good at agreeing after the fact though! HA.
Hi Vee...on my lower level..I have 30 ft ceilings so my kitchen, living room and dining room are all open to each other too....I like it ok..but unless you go into one of the bedrooms there really isn't anywhere to go to get away inside the house!!But I am NOT complaining!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Robin
Well, I am with Mari-Nanci....I get the feeling you won't be there long anyway..... to me it sounds like a move is in the wind if I read between the lines.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't spend a lot of money on structural stuff at all.
Just pick up a few accessories that will go with you when you move....
And if it is of longer duration, painting and papering is also a perfect option... it is not that expensive, you can do most of it yourself, and for me... I would definitely not live a year with colours that don't make me happy. They even have bargain bins of incorrectly mixed paint at the hardware stores...and some of it is beautiful...
My take on the bathroom is that it is too small to have any clutter or "stuff" at all. I would take everything off the wall. I would opt for a huge chunk of mirror behind the door... to give the illusion of "larger" in the reflection of the whole bathroom. You could use some baseboard or window molding and make a simple frame for it yourself... paint the frame a colour if you like.. to match a new curtain for the shower. Or.. no frame at all. A small painting job if you want to change colours in there...and change the shower curtain as well.. a new one with a pretty pattern would change the whole look. Get rid of the smaller things on the toilet back and also the window sill.... just a nice green plant for me.... it makes it look alive and green and clean..... could be one with some drooping fronds or leaves that hang down below the window sill a bit. For me, I would get rid of the frilly little whisp of curtain... and go with two small panels matching the shower curtain & a simple shade.
In the kitchen, (oh, no...more painting!) I guess because I know how much difference a change of colour can make in a room. Hard to know how much wall you have visible..but paint it..and paint the cupboards.. change out the hardware on the cupboards..and voila...a totally new look to your kitchen.
When we bought our delapidated square box of a house we had a loosely woven plan to completely renovate it within 10 years...but it has become 20 years. In the meantime,we have to live here...so..we want it pretty and acceptable to us in most ways. Believe me when I say it is not perfect yet..but getting there. I have had no tile on my backsplash for years... during which time we were deciding what to do with our kitchen. Now we are tired of "doing" after one and a half years on our bathroom..(which we totally gutted and did all by ourselves) so we will put on some cheap but nice looking tiles..and wait 3 years til we are ready to do the kitchen over. We have given up on the trades ... this city is booming, has been for years..you can't get reliable or affordable people..so we bought books, DVDs etc... figured it out ourselves and now, we just do it.
Well, blabby me ....as per usual... more than my 2 cents worth...
And, now..I am off to the plant store again; looking at large LIVE palms. Can you believe I could have and kill....about 9 of the real things for the price of one silk that size!!
Yes, we have a small pantry. Not a walk through butler's pantry, like that pic you showed!!! ,-)
ReplyDeleteWhen we built this house _years_ ago, I wanted a pantry and a laundry shoot. Got both. Today, there are laws against laundry shoots! Can you imagine?!?
Oh sure, some kid might try to go down it. Wellll, I had small boys when we moved here, one being only 2 years of age. And they did not DARE do such a thing. Afraid of Mom! -hehhhh- Yeah, back in the day when Mom said something and kids knew they had _better_ listen!
Of course they did plenty of boy-things, out of my eye sight. But... try zapping down our laundry shoot... NOOOO. Grand daughters let toys and dolls go down and then retrieved them. But... no children or grands have tried it themselves. Not with this Mama/Nana!!!!!!!
Btw, please don't forget to go back and read the question from the Clueless One... in comments on your last entry. :-)))) And of course you know who The Clueless One is! ,-)
Mari-Nanci
I do enjoy visiting homes in this way. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteShould have mentioned in last post I was very taken with the light in your room. It makes such a good picture on your header.
Would you believe it, we used to have a pantry and when we had the kitchen redone some 14 years ago I gave up my pantry to include it into the fitted kitchen. I often regret it because I know how ,much wasted space is there behind my fridge.
Well, I won't give you any decorating tips because I'm no expert! Having said that...don't change your kitchen cabinets...they're great! Antique white with antique pulls are perfect. Yellow suits you...just throw in a splash here and there to make your day.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering why you would want a chair in your bathroom...you would never actually sit on it, would you? I have debated putting a chair in my ensuite, but thought it would be just one more 'thing'...for looks only.
What I'm really interested in, is knowing what your place 'smells' like. I never really thought about how important that is to a home before!
I love the red and white kitchen!! I have a lot of white in my kitchen. I have a Fiestaware collection and I like all the color with the white.
ReplyDeleteMy bathroom too is small, but I do have one of those old claw foot bathtubs. It's the one and only tub that has been in this house and is in fine shape. I prefer to take a shower but every so often a nice bath in that tub is heavenly.
I don't have a pantry but would love one too.
I love looking at all the pictures.
Hey Vee - have you seen the planking painted white? If you check out Garden Antiques, there are some photos of a kitchen with the planking painted white. Then you could do yellow accents if you wanted. But I love your kitchen the way it is. I think we just get used to what we have and forget how it first looked. Change is always nice. We're never satisfied, are we? I turned an old broom closet in the laundry room into a little pantry, but I DO love the butler's pantry. See, I'm not satisfied either... Vickie
ReplyDeleteYes, I covet a pantry too. I use the shower in my downstairs bathroom as a "pantry". I put a shelving unit in there. The temperature is perfect in that room to store food LOL! Love all the pictures and I agree with you. I love the vintage mirrors but the other items don't fit.
ReplyDeleteManuela
My you are pulling out all the stops here Vee! Such fun, you have some great inspiration!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Melissa