Here are the kitchen pictures I've been promising you, the world, and you, Rosie. To the world I will say that Suzanne painted the walls and Rosie painted the cupboards.
Here are some before pictures.
Oh, we were living in a dark, dark world. If anything, these pictures make it look better than it really was — more shiny and clean. I don't know why that would be. I really hated these cupboards. I really think the rounded corners on the island scream 70s. Ugh.
Something like this corner cupboard (for some reason in our family we call this “the rounding thing”) seemed like it just had to be ripped out. I got depressed every time I opened it, which was a lot, since I don't have a lot of cupboards.
Some things in this kitchen are good things. It's pretty cool to have a fireplace in the kitchen, although I'm finding out that it's far better to have your chimney go up the side of your house than come up the middle, simply because you need to rent a big expensive boom to reach to it when it comes time to put in a liner or do anything else that involves putting weight on it.
And if your back were to that window you would be looking at my table and the sliding door which leads out to a pretty, shady deck, as you will see. So that's all good.
But some things are just bad choices, and I have no idea how to fix them without spending megabucks. For instance, that one little window over the sink on the left.
It could be bigger, or there could be three of them…very little light comes in here spring and fall. I have no southern light at all — great choice for Massachusetts! Way to make the winters seem long and particularly cold! And how will I fix that? And I really hate that island (but soon you will see how not terrible it looks in the “after” pictures)!
And how about how my work area goes out towards the mudroom there, right in the traffic pattern. Sigh.
And besides being paralyzed by the thought that my problems can only be solved by an architect, a designer, and $80,000, I hate the thought of living like this, even for a little while:
But thanks to the girls, here's what I have now:
I don't know about you, but I can't keep my fridge cleared off, so hopefully you can overlook that and other signs of real life going on here. I also want you to know that the yellow appears deeper in real life. It's called Hawthorne Yellow by Benjamin Moore, and the cabinets are in their Aura paint…maybe I'll tell you about that later, if you remind me.
Do you like it?
Please notice my window mistreatments/abuse (go here for more on this and the reason I have a colander hanging way up there).
You will also notice that the plates don't go all the way across.
I have found something out about myself: I can only handle this many plates. Some kind friends will give me others, saying “here's a plate for your wall!” and I am so grateful, but I can't take down and dust more than this, and I can't coordinate more than this, and this is what I'm sticking with. I have these over here, but they are little (and the one above the doorway, in the picture above — that one is from Portugal — thanks Rosie!):
This fridge is sort of too big looking for this space, but I'm keeping it because it's the only one in the dent-and-scratch that was big enough for us and cheap enough for us and yet (sort of) fit; it's got those nifty double doors, which I love because the stupid design of my kitchen actually doesn't allow for the door to open left OR right (if it opens to the left, I have to reach around it while I'm working. If to the right, everyone will get in my way when they are getting stuff). Also, freezer on the bottom just makes sense. I'm up here — here's where my eyes are — why do I have to be bending down to get the lettuce? Hmmm?
When you turn around with the sink at your back, you now see this:
My pantry (remember the video?) is off to the left in this picture, and to the right of my fireplace, which I'm not going to show you…
…no, I'm not going to show you this:
Which is what you see when the table is behind you and the sliding door is on your right. Yes, a half-pulled-out wood-burning insert and a yanked-out fender, and a canning pot (see all those pears in those other pictures? Well.) — and a really bad floor. This is all Phase III and will be reported on later. For now, think about this:
… the one really good plate I have up there above the sink. It depicts the Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts — the oldest frame house in America. People like to dispute that as soon as you say it, but note well: I said oldest FRAME house. We used to live up the street from this house, and my mother-in-law gave me this plate. The others on that wall are from Marshall's 🙂
I need to take off the little magnet thingies on those open cabinets. Do you like or hate that I left the cabinets open? How about that bottom one? I gotta tell you — it's a whole lot easier to get the pots out without the doors… maybe I need classier pots, though.
More details later (can you wait? Can you?). Rosie gets impatient with long posts, and this one's gone on long enough!
Dee says
your kitchen look fantabulous!
Rosie says
Thank you, Mama! I know what you mean about the "before" picture – it does look surprisingly good. I actually tried not to intentionally make it look bad, but I also took it with the lunch stuff still all over the counter (as you will see if you look closely). The "after" pictures look beautiful. What a great painting job. Your daughters must really know what they're doing.Are the pears from our trees?
Leila says
Yes, naturally; who would buy a bunch of puny pears like that! They are very tasty though! 🙂
Traci says
WOW! That makes the world of difference!!! Super job!!!
Mrs. Pickles says
Aw, it looks so happy and sunshiney now! And I love your rainbowey magnet-sided fridge. 🙂 It makes it look like a REAL family lives here!
Mrs Bossy says
Thank God for generous, roll yer sleeves up daughters! A kitchen has been resurrected! I particularly like the cabinets near the sink that are now open shelves. Did you paint the island base black? Lovely. Just lovely, and so warm & relaxing.