Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen. Show all posts

Friday, February 21, 2014

My Gray Kitchen - The Big Reveal

I will go to extreme measures to make sure I don't have any gray hair but, for some reason, I am embracing the gray in my newly painted kitchen.


The changes we made in our kitchen were few and frugal but had a HUGE impact.


Originally, the kitchen was painted with 'Remember The Alamo' by Dutch Boy, a tan paint that had green undertones.


Wanting an update, we debated over what seemed like 50 shades of Gray (how could I resist that reference?).


Stonington Gray, by Benjamin Moore, ended up being the winner.

Stonington Gray is a pale gray that has a calming effect and tranquil feel.   


The Stonington Gray set against our white cabinets not only softened how everything looked but brightened it up as well.  All of the sudden, it seemed as if the kitchen grew up.  It suddenly become more elegant and sophisticated.  


Though, to be fair, the sophistication might also be due in part to my chandelier.


The chandelier the mister bought me for my birthday finally got hung.


 And, just as much as I admire it during the day, I can't but help admire it even more at night.


The other changes to the kitchen were minor, and again frugal.


The cafe stools were painted with a grain sack design. 


We added vintage cast iron brackets to the bottom of our kitchen cabinets.


Getting a custom look without paying custom prices.


Though the pantry remains painted in Remember The Alamo, it fortunately transitions well with the kitchen.  After spending several days hand stenciling the walls, the last thing I want to do is repaint the pantry.


Now, from each and every angle...



The kitchen makes me happy...just because.


And, of course, the fresh flowers help too.


Cost of (1) can of paint (Stonington Gray) $30
Cost of Chandelier $100 (though, technically it was a birthday gift)
Cost of cabinet brackets $7
Cost of newly painted cafe stools $0

So, for under $150, my kitchen grew up and embraced her gray.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Customize Cabinets with Brackets

An easy way to give your kitchen cabinets a custom look is by adding brackets.  Brackets can be wood, metal or cast iron.


We happened to find some vintage cast iron brackets from a flea market.  The design must be fairly common because we initially found a set and a few weeks later, came across another bracket.  In total, we probably spent about $7 on all 3. 


We {a term I use loosely since I supervised the whole thing} mounted the brackets under the edge of our kitchen cabinets.


There is an option to mount to the wall as well but with plaster walls sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone.


The brackets add a charming subtle accent, giving our cabinets a more custom look.

There are always easy way to give your house custom looks without having to pay custom prices.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Cafe Stools Makeover

Though I mostly share projects that dabble in felt, believe it or not, I do like home improvement projects ranging from big to small.  Some of these home improvement projects just sort of 'speak to me'.


These dated cafe stools, kept whispering to me, every time I walked into my kitchen, that they wanted a makeover.


Seriously, how could I resist?  If your furniture starts to talk to you, you really should listen.

So, I painted the stools white, using Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Old White. 


For weeks, maybe even months, the stools remained white.  I considered transferring a cool vintage looking graphic onto the stools.  The challenge, finding an image that both the Mister and I could agree upon. 

Finally, we decided on a grain sack design. 


I made a stencil using some painter's tape and Washi tape (yay! I found another use for Washi tape), to get the grain sack design.


Dabbing Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Graphite into the DIY stencil, a grain sack design was created.

The most challenging thing, trying to duplicate the same size design, in roughly the same placement, on the second stool.


In the end, I'm glad, I'm glad we couldn't agree upon an image.  The grain sack design seems more classic. It makes a statement while still subtly blending with the decor in the my kitchen.


Since the makeover, my cafe stools have been blissfully quiet.  


I think they are happy.

I know I am.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

I'm Feeling Gray

I'm feeling gray...or grey.  The good thing about feeling gray is that gray is such a trendy color right now. 

The only problem, there are so many grays to chose from.  Bluish grays, grays with purple undertones, grays that have some brown tones, pure grays, dark grays, light grays.  The list is endless.


I attempted to find the 'perfect' gray online.  I visited about 20 fellow bloggers, each claiming to have found the perfect gray.  Classic Gray, Stone Harbor, Gray Pearl, Oyster Bay, Horizon, Edgecomb Gray, Eternity...it was starting to feel like it would literally be an eternity before I found a color I liked.


This is what happens when it is gray {and snowing for days on end} outside.  I get bored.  I get cage crazy.  Things end up getting painted, moved or changed.


Fortunately, I'm not the only person that feels like this.  My little helper was feeling gray, too...and she couldn't wait to offer her opinion for the perfect gray and lend a helping hand.


But, to be honest, it's hard to feel too gray when the chandelier I got for my birthday finally came out of the box it has been sitting in for 2 months...


 And, the ceiling fan came down.


And, these little brackets, we found at a flea market, finally found a place to be displayed.


What do you do when you are feeling gray?

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Kitchen Tour AND Big Giveaway

I've joined 24 talented bloggers to show off our kitchens, and not just what makes it pretty but also what makes it work.


 Welcome to my kitchen.  Come on in, take a look around and when you are done, enter a giveaway to win and amazing giveaway.  The best part of this giveaway...there will be 2 winners!  You'll have the chance to win either a Pfister Faucet worth up to $300 OR a $250 Visa gift card.

 
I like to keep things inspirational (be happy just because) and encouraging (EAT!) in my kitchen.


We built a small island in our kitchen, one that houses a wine refrigerator.  This island holds my recipes, gives my daughter a place to sit and snack or craft.


BUT, the custom greenhouse window is one of the major focal points of our kitchen.


If I had more of a green thumb, the greenhouse window would be the perfect place to grow fresh herbs.  Though I have tried to coax basil into living on one of these shelves, I've never succeeded.

 

So, my greenhouse shelves are filled with succulents, trinkets and inspiration.


Another custom feature we added to our kitchen was a DIY custom knife drawer.  My knives now stay safely in place and organized.


I do a lot of cooking in my house, though I rarely share recipes on my blog.  I like to use the recipes of other talented bloggers, friends and family.  When I cook, I like to grab some fun cooking accessories to make the process more inspiring and fun.


The flower frog is the perfect, unconventional holder for my recipes and the milk bottle Anthropologie measuring cups make me feel as if I am a better cook.


Between cooking meals, I like to have fresh fruit out and accessable.


Since I have a small kitchen, to maximize space, I use command hooks inside of my cabinets to hang oven mitts, towels, aprons and, at one point, bibs hung here as well.


My bib wearer, though, is now a sweet little 5 year old SO my kitchen is also a kid friendly and kid inspired place.

A kid inspired nook of my kitchen is next to my stove.


There you will find my recipe box.  Inside my recipe box, not recipes like you might expect but note cards filled with moments I want to remember spending with Grace.  In this nook, there is also a hand painted trivet covered with Grace's finger prints.  


The kid friendly areas of my kitchen would include the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.  I have it filled with easy to grab kid friendly snacks (with the exception of the tomatoes, I can't get her to eat a tomato for the life of me).


Another kid friendly area of my kitchen, a drawing station on the edge of my cabinet.


 She can stay close, while I am busy in the kitchen yet still have a space of her own. 


The chalk board isn't just for the little one, I've also added it to my canisters as well.


And, those canisters are in my favorite part of my kitchen, the walk in butler's pantry.


Thank you so much for stopping by and...

Don't miss the rest of the kitchen tours this week!

Thursday, August 22
Friday, August 23

And now for the giveaway!

Kitchen Tour Giveaway!

Pfister generously donated a faucet for this giveaway, and the winner of the faucet will also receive a $250 Visa gift card! To enter for your chance to win, just follow the steps below, and good luck! Step 1: Follow the bloggers below on Pinterest
 
Practically Functional

Step 2: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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