Our Home ... The Kitchen!

Apr 23

Happy Tuesday ... This was supposed to go up yesterday ... I have had some major Computer issues that I believe are thankfully fixed! On a good note, I think Spring has finally come to New England ... daffodils are bursting from the ground and the trees are budding!

Last Monday I took you into our Bedroom and promised a peek into our Closet and Bathroom. I have changed direction, I get to do that ... right? I had a little Palm Beach inspiration that needs some time to get right ... so I am taking you to the kitchen!

When we bought this house, almost 6 years ago, we gutted the kitchen, eating area, dining room and family room. It was a typical Colonial with lots of small rooms and we wanted a little more open feeling!

Here is how it started:

The Kitchen was actually pretty okay ... but tiny ... you know how Real Estate photos make things look bigger than they are? The kitchen window looked out over the back yard.

Before (Real Estate Photo):

The eating area looked over the front drive and was very small and almost secluded feeling. There was a little "walkway" outside this window ... and we pushed the walls out to gain an extra 150 square feet! ... Plus the garage door opened to this outdoor porch, we wanted it to open into the kitchen.

Eating Area Before (Real Estate Photo):

Off to the side was the Family Room ... with doors out to the screened in porch. We blew out those doors and closed in the porch for our sunroom ... you'll have to wait to see that!

Family Room, Before (Real Estate Photo):

Clients ask me all the time how they should start if they have a blank slate. There seems to be a rule that you start with the floor or rug first. Maybe. Start with something you love. A piece of fabric, a piece of furniture, a vase or a piece of Art.

Our whole room was built around our Antique French Advertisement Poster.

The Two chairs I had just brought home from Brimfield.

Here's how it looked with no kitchen and no family room! Walls fixed, drywalled and painted. New Doors (where the window over the kitchen sink used to be) and

Our Girl.

We actually "flipped" the kitchen, so above is where our new eating area is, and to the right, the old "secluded" boxy eating area became the kitchen!

The photo above also shows our table which was really an outdoor table with a skirt ... The dogs loved playing hide and seek here!

I cannot tell you how much dog hair accumulated here ... YUK!!

Copper Farm Sink and Copper Faucet ... and yes, two dishwashers. These two appliances saved our marriage!! With four kids and three dogs, these babies run day and night!!

I chose brushed nickel hardware to tie in the ovens and the stove top. And made the conscious choice to let the copper sink and faucet stand alone.

We added the corbel and wall detail for a "separation" and just some fun to give the house a little more personality!

And just recently we added one of my custom tables out of reclaimed pine. No more doggies trying to tip the table and playing "fort"!!

Up Close detail of the table with a painted base ...

I had the slipcovers made using some stamped linen panels I bought at Scott's in Atlanta. The two other chairs were from an old dining set that I painted and recovered in zebra. I am really feeling the need to now paint them gray/white and give them a burlap or linen seat cover. Things are always changing here!