Skipping to the Kitchen

I have a love-hate relationship with my kitchen.  I think many of us do.



When we bought this house, we had to basically clear out our savings to get rid of our other house because we were so under water.  It was an adorable house too-so unfortunate.  But for various reasons, we had to make the move.

When we picked this house, it was neutral enough that I could live with some of its neutral/ugliness-like tile floors and neutral berber carpet---oohh, how I would love hardwood again though---- but that is going to be awhile because one of the good things about this house is the size.  The listing for the house said it was just over 3,000 square feet which gives a family of five a nice amount of space but it also means it will cost a lot of money to put in hardwood floors,

The kitchen had older already painted white cabinets-so neutral enough- It had really bad laminate counters-which we took care of by doing the Encore Concrete Countertop kit in Onyx.  This was a great three hundred dollar fix for really bad looking counter tops.  I have had absolutely no issues with them and have had them for about two years now.

I opened up some of my cabinets and added the same fabric to the backs of the cabinet that is on the seats of my banquette to add a little interest.  To be honest I don't know that I love the look.  It is a little too busy for me.  Sometimes when I look in that direction, I feel a little overwhelmed.  There is a little too much going on.  I may end up putting the cabinet doors back up.  When people come over, they always compliment it.  I think it probably is cozy looking or charming, but living with it is a little different.

I made some valances based on Leslie from My Old Country House's tutorial.  They have held up great and have had no issues.  People that come over think they are wooden or professionally done and are floored when I tell them that I made them out of foam board.   When I receive a compliment and then basically say how cheap something was or what a joke it was to make, people laugh at me.  But that is just me, I am not one to act like something more than it was.

The office/computer area-I need to/want to repaint this desk...thinking of going red....like the kitchen doors but not sure, maybe it is too much red in this room, maybe I will get sick of it.....I like my kids' current art work here.....it makes me happy......

Chalkboard wall and red door leading to the garage-enough said----I do have a framed sign on this door, It's  a reminder for us to take out the garbage every time we leave the house----our dogs like to eat garbage-don't they all?

My banquette!!!!! Oh how I wish I had a before shot of this bad girl!  People love this and think I had it custom made.  In every house we have lived in, it has fit perfectly.  I bought it for maybe $250 and it was UGLY! Seriously UGLY.....and then I gave it some LOVE.....I have recovered her twice so far and am thinking of recovering and repainting her soon.  I just sanded her down, painted her black, and covered her up.  Last year I switched out the table to a bigger one from Pier One.  I don't love this table.  It is a little wobbly which is annoying, but I am not buying another one at this point.  I am currently in the process of reupholstering this wingback chair-I have been on pause for about one month-for no reason-But I love having this chair at the table---so comfy- a cup of coffee, a doggie on your lap, reading blogs--it does not get much better than that.

What don't I like about this kitchen?...fridge, floors, cabinets, sink, layout, microwave, the lighting a LOT!!!!  But I have tried to make it aesthetically pleasing while we save money to do the floors and the kitchen.  I am also trying to be more positive, optimistic, thankful etc.  So it is cozy, comfy, has some good space, and I have a kitchen!