Tag: white

Falling for My White Kitchen

I painted the door to the bathroom white this weekend, along with the door between the kitchen and dining room. I cleaned the bare wood, did a little sanding (and broke out my “retro safety glasses”), then primed and put two coats of paint on. I also got rid of the high chair.

I was looking through some of my decorating books, and I saw a kitchen I liked with an old industrial stool in it. I realized I had something similar from when I bought my dining room chairs, and I got excited. I also thought that maybe an old print we’ve had sitting in the basement (um, there are a lot of things “sitting” in the basement right now) would work on the wall where the high chair was. When I brought the two up, I got really excited. I may have fallen for my white kitchen.

It looked like this before.

Not bad (and maybe preferred by some), but I do like the current look more. Brandon and I worked so hard on that kitchen (we demolished and replaced everything except the flooring when we moved in), but five years of yellow paint and shabby wood was enough.

Here’s the ‘get your bearings’ shot (taken from the dining room), complete with crazy lady scrawl to highlight all of my kitchen’s flaws. Yay!

The wide-angle lens makes it look huge. It is not. The size doesn’t bother me, but all that white is a little boring. Maybe painting the back door would help? Or a colorful refrigerator! OK, the door is more doable, but I’ve been dreaming about having a cute fridge for years. I mean, COME ON. I could totally pull that look off in my kitchen.

Moving on.

The print belonged to Brandon’s grandmother. My mother-in-law said that her mom talked a shop owner into selling it to her, though it wasn’t actually for sale. I was able to attribute the quote to Candice Bergen. I don’t know anything more about it, but I do like it a whole lot.

That little dino guy used to be lime green. He stays because August likes him so much, but I did give him a more subtle paint job. He and the vintage canisters were picked up at The Vintage Bazaar, and the Heath Ceramics vase was a San Francisco souvenir.

The sink side of the kitchen looks like it has all along. Some flowers would be nice in that vase, but alas, none on hand.

Just like last time, the window treatments are coming in last. I’m second guessing my decision to use the Rifle Paper backdrop fabric because the windows actually look good bare. Although maybe they could go from good to great with curtains? Roman shades? Roller shades? Or the fabric from the curtains I just tried in the office? (Those are likely being returned soon.)

I was going to paint the lower cabinets. Again, now I’m not so sure. I think I should paint the back door, and maybe bring in a rug. New light? Keep the white paint? I don’t know anymore. I like the white a lot more than I did though, that’s for sure. Not bad for a DIY IKEA kitchen in a hundred-year-old bungalow.

February 11, 2013
All White Now

It had been a while since I’d made a major mistake in my decorating (although I’m fully aware that you may feel differently!). I’m feeling very ‘meh’ about the white walls in the kitchen. I love all-white rooms, but I’m afraid the look may not be for me. And Brandon likes it even less than I do.

I took the kids with me to a local paint store (big ups to Paulson’s Paint in Forest Park — my favorite) to pick up a few testers. There are so many subtle variations between shades of white, and I wanted to get it right.

I went with ‘Moonlight White’ (on the bottom) over ‘White Dove,’ both Benjamin Moore, because the latter seemed to be too perfect a match for the trim (Behr’s ‘Swiss Coffee’). Now that the whole room has been painted with two coats, the cool undertone up against the creamy cabinets and trim call to mind the pallor of primer.

I could be judging it prematurely. The next step will be to sew the curtains (which I have been putting off because I’m not sure how I want to make them yet), and then I’ll reassess. The kitchen is very white right now, but the full plan was to hang the new curtains and paint the lower cabinets. I’ll do it virtually in Photoshop first, so I can see if I like the look or not. I’m a little worried that it might start to feel a bit kindergarten-esque with the bright color I had in mind.

The above paint color shopping list was for testers. ‘November Rain’ was another option to look into if I didn’t like white on the walls, so that shows you the confidence I had going into this.

January 7, 2013
The Bedroom’s Mini-Makeover

Coral & Gray, with Black & White Details

The bedroom is looking a bit different these days. The shell of the room is the same. Same charcoal gray walls, same layout, same bed. All the furniture is the same, actually. The only changes have been the bed linens and the botanical print from the living room.

I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to keep the lighting fixture in the room. Both kids want to swing from it.

Details, texture…

The book situation, as usual, is a little out of hand. The bookshelf is starting to see books stacked two deep, and Brandon and I each have stacks on top of, underneath, and to the sides of our bedside tables. The library bookshelves are already full though.

The black and white pillows and throw were from IKEA, and the coral bedding was from west elm. Little changes (only a mini-makeover, remember), but I love the look.

July 26, 2012
Statement Lighting
Here we have the stuff of dreams. Numbers two and three may be within reach, and for the impact they have they’re worth it, but they’ll likely require saving up a bit.
1. Superordinate Antler Chandelier, $5900
2. Patrick Townsend Orbit Chandelier, $600
3. High-Minded Chandelier, $998
4. Artichoke Frosted Glass Pendant, $66,000
  (The plain white versions are a bargain at $7,000-$14,000.)
March 27, 2012
Arranging a Collection

I’ve shown you how I’ve rearranged my dining room hutch full of white ceramics before, but I hadn’t ever shown my process. So here’s how I do it… I start with the big items first. You can’t shoehorn them in at the end anyway, and if you start with a pleasing arrangement the rest will fall into place.

Obviously I have such a hodgepodge of items that a symmetrical layout isn’t an option for me (though I do love symmetry). I work around that by making sure that the overall layout is visually balanced. For example, see that open lattice-work square in the bottom left? That gets balanced out by the votive holders on the right middle shelf and the scallops of the vintage cake stand on the top left.

I add all the little bits and bobbins that I love at the end. Admittedly they can make the arrangement a little cluttered, so I do edit them down some. Not all of my pieces made it back in, but I tend to rearrange things often so they’ll be back next time.

I love having the built-in hutch to display everything. I wasn’t so sure about it when we moved in, but I’ve since embraced it. I’m still undecided about the beadboard (paint it or leave it natural?), but I’m going to live with it for a while before I choose. It ties in the wood floors and our wood dining set, and the contrast is nice with all of the white. I’ve pinned fabric to the back many times before, so that’s always an option as well. Besides, closing the doors gives the whole thing a bit more polish. Doesn’t everything always look better behind glass?

October 13, 2010
The Bedroom, Dressed in White

One nice thing about sleeping my days away lately (pregnancy makes you tired)… when I wake up the room is so light and bright.

With a house full of pattern and color, it’s refreshing to have a calm oasis in the bedroom. We already had white curtains that weren’t being used anywhere, and I bought all of the white bedding (a duvet set, sheet set, and two extra pillowcases) at IKEA for less than $75. The duvet cover isn’t as textured as the pin-tuck set I had wanted, but it was a much more affordable option.

I bought the west elm rug a while back when it was on sale, and I’m so glad I did. It’s so soft and perfect.

I’m sure I’ll end up mixing pattern and color in again eventually, but right now I’m loving my bedroom all dressed in white.

March 26, 2009