It all started innocently enough. My master plan for Sunday morning was to straighten up the kitchen and then go play with my horse the rest of the day. However, part way into it, some hideous wave of silliness came over me and it quickly became The Project"... as in "The Project that should take three days but I am going to finish it in one..."
So.... here's the BEFORE picture. Not bad, nice solid oak cabinets with black granite Corian counter tops and stainless appliances. We plan to install vintage tin tile back splash and under cabinet lighting this year as our Christmas gift to each other. The floors are a nice silvery-grey ceramic tile. Circling the ceiling are 35 Bing and Grondahl Yule Aften plates, one for every year the DH and I have been married. I began begging for him to stop giving me these about 10 years ago, but every year under the Christmas tree there's another one. He tries to be sneaky about it, marking the package "from Santa", but I know what I know.... and this has Timothy Wayne written all over it. Since it is entirely possible that we will be together for another 30+ years this plate thingy could become a real problem.
Er... where was I? Oh...I stripped everything out of the kitchen, including the cafe curtains, which really didn't take very long. For the most part, I have always been a minimalist regarding counter clutter, and removing the small accumulation of necessities took only a few minutes. The scrubbing and sweeping and polishing took a lot longer.
Then, before the DH could stop me, I had gathered up the "stuff", anything, everything, that looked like it might work well as a counter decoration. I pulled crusty old things out of cupboards and closets and stacked it all on the kitchen table...which quickly overflowed to the floor. Somewhere in the excitement of gathering goodies a little voice (possibly the DH?) whispered that I should maybe slow down a bit, because, really, this had to be practical as well as blog-worthy.
Oh dear, I think I did get a little carried away. The DH was anxiously hovering in the background, worried that I actually might just be able to fit all this onto the counter tops and forever clutter up his kitchen, or move his pans and utensils around where he could never find them again. I told him he could turn on the hunting/fishing/outdoor channel while I worked and this seemed to distract him!
Now here's the AFTER picture, showing the kitchen table and chandelier. I hang tons of junk on the chandelier, vintage buttons from the 1800's strung on rusty wires and hung as though they were the finest leaded crystal, several tarnished silver pieces, a star made out of cut glass beads. You can't see it here, but there's a big ceiling medallion, newly installed, that is above the light.
An old ceiling tin covers the end of the island and sort of sets the tone for everything else. The small counter at the left is where I drop my purse each evening and pull out the iphone and blackberry to charge them up - and keeps them handy if there's a work emergency. Behind the small white door is a nice little pantry. On the counter to the far right is the coffee station, where I make french press with Starbucks Cafe Verona every morning.
This is my favorite view. I love the corner sink. Wish I'd been able to talk the DH into a single basin, but his argument was "but how will we wash and rinse dishes without two basins?" My reply was "WASH dishes?" In the 6 years we've been here, only the dishwasher has actually washed dishes. I think I'll be able to have that single basin in the next house... when we downsize.
I sewed new curtains out of this nubbly unbleached cotton, only $2.50 per yard. I made dining room drapes too, trimming both in a coordinating cotton and some crocheted lace I dug out of the clearance bin at the local fabric shop. These are so soft and the fabric hangs really nice. I have smoked bamboo blinds that I would like to remove because they are such a bear cat to raise and lower, but they add nice texture as a header for now.
Love the little black apothecary chest that I painted last winter. A crusty chain and weight from a furnace damper hangs on the front, along with a bit of old tulle and a picture of a pretty girl. My favorite lemon verbena soap and a wooden hand brush are ready to wash the horsey smell off my hands when I come in from the barn. A French style candlestick and dark candle sit atop the little chest, along with a little green plant and water spritzer.
A set of wooden trays, a funky bird cage thingy, two vintage mason jars, a set of old black canisters and a nice plaster frieze sits on top of the fridge. I'm going to put the three piece plaster frieze above the french doors in the dining room this weekend, and will probably replace it with a nice green plant to make this vignette a bit softer.
On the side of the fridge I hung this old silverplate tray on one of those handy 3M hooks, hiding the hook with a fluffy black tulle bow. One of the handles was missing, and left two holes for me to thread the tulle through. A scrap of ceiling tile gives me another surface to tack notes up. I just need to make some cool magnets now...
My purse goes in a little basket on the counter, a couple wooden boxes hold my keys, and a bucket of trash, I mean, old crusty things, sits in front. I love good trash.
Wire (you can't see it) and wooden candlesticks, an old silver plate and cake stand, Star's winter flowers, two crocks from Anthropologie, a mirrored dresser tray with a collection of old salt/pepper shakers sits on the kitchen island.
Which reminds me, Star selected the winner of her winter flowers give-away and she picked Mary, a lovely lady who blogs at Mary's Meanderings. Mary, if you will email me your address, your pretty winter flowers will be coming your way soon!
Ahhhhh... the coffee station. A big bamboo tray, old McCoy drip cups, a silver creamer and sugar set, a basket of old spoons, a silly sign and transferware plate, a really nice old black oval frame, a scale that my son drug home from some garage sale (how thoughtful!), a little crock and an old lamp decorate this space. In the picture frame to the far right I've framed a piece of nice scrapbook paper in a black/ivory damask print. Just a bit more drama...
The mate to the picture frame is next to the sink, along with this pretty green clock I bought from the Pier 1 clearance rack last week. Too good to pass up, and.... I have a thing for clocks.
On the kitchen table a round wooden plate holds an old oval frame, a metal flower frog, a vintage silver serving stand, some moss, a couple elderly glass and ceramic knobs, and a nice candle. Another little candle sits in a silver child's cup, and my cloth napkins are ready to use in the chippy holder to the left.
Exhausted, but happy, maybe now I can go play with my horse? Have a great week everyone!
Eileen
