to start : we're building a kitchen nook

It's gonna happen because it has to happen. Our galley kitchen is rather small, say 120 square feet, and it's had at least two eat-in areas that I know of. The previous owners thankfully removed a bar-height double-stool counter that faced the dining room, backs to the south-facing window (fools!). We've been using a small table and chairs for anything but eating. It's become the dump-all, and we all hate it. Waste of space, waste of furniture, and totally unhelpful for all those kid paintings I want to make with, well, the kids. And if you know anything of kids, which I'm sure everyone does, then you know this is bound to happen unless you have a proper area.

Here's a flashback to the kitchen we purchased, and a bit about what we did with it the first 4 months.

We did a lot of cosmetic work, and then it looked like this:

And it mostly looks like that today, with minor tweaks.

Here's the area in question:

We've since removed the two garbage cans, and the table area is never that clean. Just sayin'. Never.

Here's what I'm looking for with the kitchen nook:

1. Seating for 4-6 adults, 5-8 kids
2. Something that looks like it fits
3. A pedastal table for greater legroom
4. An overhang so that legs can kick back, swing, etc. without hitting the bench itself.
5. An area for coloring, painting, snacking, help with baking, homework, etc. 
6. Not the place we really eat meals (we really like using our actual dining room for that!).

Source: designsponge.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: simplyseleta.typepad.com via Larissa on Pinterest

And this is another option, a bracketed bench. I'm hesitant about the added cleaning space underneath, and I prefer the permanency of the previous two looks, but this is a great alternative.

Source: desiretoinspire.net via Jennifer on Pinterest

I tried something and it failed. And then I found this light tutorial and it hit me, I was trying too hard for something so simple. There's a better way.

Source: inmyownstyle.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Mom Hawk is on board to help, and Hawk and I are hopefully evicting the current table and chairs this week (to the Hawk-family lending circus we call Mom Hawk's basement storage room).

We figure we can build our whole piece, minus paint, for under $100. Seriously. If not, we'll fail and you can enjoy the results. Either way, I'll have my dinging nook!

Anyone else tackle something like this? Anything I should know?

icj,
`j

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light me up, baby

Last Thursday was a great day. Mom Hawk came over and continued work on the basement. She pulled down the remaining panels, cleared the debris, and finished painting the ceiling. We hauled out what we could until Ace woke from his first nap, and then he and I went shopping.

Shopping you say? Oh yes, shopping.

I never go shopping. We haven't made a major home purchase in about a year and with a son to look after, the budget is just more, well, parent-like. I haven't even gone to any of my favorite fun stores like World Market, Crate & Barrel, Pier One, or Marshall's because if we have the funds I'm out buying itty-bitty clothes for itty-bitty body or we're handling medical bills. I'm quite content with this, but it sure builds up a good desire for some creative spending in a gal.

With the electrician on site today and in the coming weeks, and with a few new light fixtures we simply have to purchase to cover the new holes in the basement, Mom Hawk suggested we find what we want now so that he can install them all at once. Pressure. I am not the best shopper when I need to make a big decision. A time-crunch with a creative adrenaline rush, sure. But real purchases we'll have to live with for years? Not so much.

Regardless, I enjoy doing this sort of thing on my own, so Ace and I saddled up and snagged some time at Menards & Home Depot. Hawk had a work bowling party that afternoon (how fun is that?!) so it was easy to text photos and opinions back and forth. 

The best part? RAce had fun and Hawk and I agreed on the look and size we wanted. I focused on the outdoor lighting and kept my eyes pealed for good kitchen lanterns. Here's what sonny boy and I found during the first part of the day:

These were all at Menard's. I actually enjoyed myself here. There was a pretty big selection, and I felt we could afford any of the pieces. The Menard's guide said that all the pieces were metal, not plastic. My goal in this at the beginning was to limit spending here. We don't plan to live in this house much beyond 10 years unless we add a major renovation (affectionately called the bay trifecta by locals: master bedroom, additional full bath, over a new family room; sometimes this also includes a kitchen renovation). Everything here ranged between $18-58.

Here was a quick snapshot of some choices for the kitchen. Of these three I liked the outside two, the left the best:

Then we hit up a Home Depot across the street and found these:

I picked up a few from Menard's and a few from HD. Love this modern age of return-if-unused!

Big trouble spot: I didn't want to choose lighting, especially in one day, that Hawk and I didn't really like. We don't have the sort of expense budget to waste on items we settle for, you know? We're doing fine, financially, but it's because we value our dollar and want to see it come back to us in quality.

Then, I got a call from Mom Hawk suggesting we at least take a look at a local shop, City Lights. I love walking through their showroom because it is arranged well and feels classy and clean. So for this second venture, Hawk met up with Ace and I after work. 

This. Was. Brilliant.

We arrived and discovered that the showroom is offering 50% off retail price, with free shipping (it's almost all by-order-only).

We had a blast. We quickly found some options for the exterior lights within the same budget as M & HD. We spent a good 45 minutes searching through indoor lighting in the hopes of finding great kitchen lanterns until our guide confirmed that we can use outdoor lighting on the inside!

Eureka! We ran back to the outdoor lighting section, set Ace free on the ground, and spent another hour reexamining our decisions both outdoor and in. Does this come in a ceiling mount? What length might it hang? What is the difference between oil rubbed bronze and black? How will this age? And so forth.

We're almost firm in our decisions. We need to make them final this week in order to receive the discount, so as soon as we're on board, I'll let you know! I'm really excited.

Hope you had a lovely weekend! 

icj,
~j

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i wish

and maybe it will come true...


I have a little birthday money left. Well, actually, all my birthday money is left (here's to the Hawk-influenced frugal side of me, where I actually wait a really long time to make sure I want what I buy).


So I think I'm going to get this:

anthropologie

Measuring cups. I already have 2 sets, yes, but they are not pretty, and you can't put them on the counter and hear people say, "Oh, what is that very cool and unique thing you have on your counter?" 


I'm not crazy about the inside color combo, but it isn't bad.

Like it?


Happy Wednesday!


icj,
~j

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kitchen update part IV

Here we were last August:

And here we are today! (forgive the low-res images...my camera's on it's last flash).

view from the pantry

view from the dining room

view from under the clock

our quaint seating area

pantry

view from the hallway

The number one thing people comment on after the black cabinet is our hanging pot rack, which we found at Crate & Barrel. The pots and pans are all Calphalon. This was Hawk's first husband-installation duty back at the apartment, so when he got to the house, he was a pro.

Since we honeymooned in Siesta Key, Florida, we thought it only fitting that we hit Disneyworld for one day (and we were glad it was only one day). We sat for this silhouette. We think Hawk's eyelashes are rather stunning and that I look a bit like a Disney character...

Next big thing: the clock! After months of admiring the Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn clocks, we found this at Target for just under $100! Recently, we went window shopping and found a very similar look in RH. It had a plastic rim, so we think we got quite the steel with this glass-front Target find.

We house our biggest-together wedding gift money purchase: our Wustoff knife set. We can't go a day without these babies. I highly recommend that knive-shoppers consider the advice we were given: Go for the good stuff. Make sure it balances perfectly in your hand, that it is truly sharp, and that it has blad

My grandmother had these in her kitchen from either the 60's or the 30's, I don't remember which. I use them to store my Starbucks coffee, Indian spices, and packets of coffee additives. Aren't they pretty and sleek?

Just across the way, we have our three C&B additions. Brown sugar, flour, and white sugar. Very convenient and cheerful.

Our kitchen still needs the following:

1. A new light above the sink (or any light at all...check out the dangling one we have right now)
2. Two new lantern-like lights in place of the 80's frosted-dishes we currently see.
3. Window treatment around the breakfast table
4. Maybe paint the breakfast table...Hawk, pretty please?
5. Duvels under the black cabinets to complete the built-in look.

Not bad for a first experiment. Thanks for checking us out!

~j & Hawk

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kitchen update part III

Today's post is about hardware. As you can see in the photo below, our original kitchen cabinet hardware was spiffy. 

And by spiffy, I mean, 70's.

You can also see that fabulous radio/CD player that was stashed under the window cabinets. 

So after a couple of coats of paint and primer, our cabinets took on this look:

And to paint those cabinets (see more on that here), we had to remove every screw, latch, and pull. Here's a small collection, just to give you an idea:

From piles such as this, I identified 4 different sizes of screw:

and sorted them into manageable piles for later work:

We considered repainting the existing hardware, but nixed that idea in a jiffy. We were willing to paint the hinges (it took me 7 minutes to remember just now what they're called) rather than spend money on them---after all, this is our experiment/transition kitchen until we can afford to redo the entire thing (a.k.a., pipe dream).

First, I laid out half of the hinges on one of our extra Crate & Barrel boxes:

We sprayed with this primer, in white, because we figured with all the use they'll get, we wanted that paint to stick "good":

Which created this effect after one coat:

We applied two light dustings to get the desired effect.

Then, we applied a metallic spray paint to get that "older, but still sharp" look that works with a more cottage style, in black.

The after effect:

You'll notice at the bottom of the photo, there are strips instead of hinges. We knew we wanted to leave some of the cabinets open, and the shelving involved metal adjustment strips. We didn't want them to be visible, so we painted the suckers.

We chose to paint all hardware the same, which I mention just in case anyone thinks we're amatuerish enough to paint the white cabinet hinges white and the black cabinet hinges black.

More later this afternoon!

icj,

~j

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kitchen update part II

Thanks for checking out the kitchen update part I yesterday! We're on to part II.

Most opinions offered centered around an entirely white paint job, but I figured this was the time to experiment! I searched a number of sites and magazines, and when I saw this photo, I knew I had my inspiration:

via theletteredcottage

After pulling off the cabinet doors and hardware and painting the walls with a satin Behr Limestone, I pulled out the drawers to prime and paint. Here they are with the first coat of primer:

Then, I yanked out the marble-looking contact paper that coated each drawer. Here's a side-by-side before-and-after shot:

After ripping it from every drawer, I had two piles like this in our dining room.

We placed them face up in the dining room to air dry. You can see the remnants (or beginnings of) the kitchen on the floor. We used the same Sherwin Williams Alabaster (mixed at Home Depot by Behr) on the drawers and cabinets that we used throughout the whole house on trim, chair rails, and ceilings.

Here are the top cabinets with two coats of Alabaster. Note to readers: we had two coats of primer and 2-3 coats of paint! The older wood drank everything right up, and to ensure that we didn't miss anything through each coat, we applied an upper coat to lock things in place.

Also, and this is important, I used a foam roller on everything in the kitchen. Mom Hawk got me hooked on foam rollers when she taught me to prime the cabinets (yes, everyone needs a real lesson from an experienced painter!). Here's my baby now:

I ended up using it's big sister in the green and blue rooms, though I wouldn't recommend using it with colors like blues and reds because the colors are so finicky, and foam rollers tend to cover well but pick up paint that has already been laid down. 

Now, if you went back up to the inspiration photo, you might have noticed that it showed a black kitchen. We're getting to that in a moment. 

I knew I wanted one set of cabinets to stand out. At first I thought of painting the bottom cabinets on both sides of our galley a pale french blue, but after I saw that photo, I went bolder. Here's the funny part---Layla of theletteredcottage has recently painted her black cabinets with Alabaster tops and pale blue bottoms! What are the chances!

Anyway, I was struck by her application of corbels to the base of the black cabinets. It made me think of an old built-in cottage kitchen. So we chose to single out one side of the kitchen, and one area of that one side: the cabinets surrounding the window.

Here is after three coats (the first two were satin, the second was a semi-gloss):

Alright, that's a good dollop for one day. Join us tomorrow for Etsy Friday, and next week, we'll explain painting tile and show you the final photos!

Well, final in that we haven't fixed that light hanging above the window (it still looks exactly like that) or those hanging from the ceiling, and one of the shelves needs to be cut down to size. But people encouraged us to show the in-progress shots (thank you Anna!), so we're gonna do it!

icj,

~j

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