1/14/09

Kitchen BEFORE Shots.... BEWARE!!


I commented to Melissa at The Inspired Room "So as I’m thinking about what post to link… it hits me! Even though I fuss over the ugly cabinets in my kitchen, that space is still beautiful to me. I love it because I love that fabric. EVERY DAY I love that room because I look up and see that fabric. Isn’t that all it takes? Just looking up and finding what is beautiful to us. When I look up at those valences I see the sunshine through the windows (and try to ignore the fingerprints on it) and the beauty of the day and I’m instantly lifted. When I look up I see how many ways the Lord has blessed me and how much I have been given and all the opportunities that are mine. So, I share what inspires me each morning as I face whatever mess might be lurking in the sink… the beauty I see when I look up."  My dear friend Melissa at helped me realize that though I want to redo these cabinets... I still love this room... one great thing saves me... What???  read on if you dare!

I promised I would post these... but please reader beware.
Beware of this really long post...  BEWARE of bad lighting.. because it didn't matter that I shot this room 50 times at 4 different angles... TODAY this shot wasn't going to work.  You get the idea.. table, chairs and an off center builder light...


Beware of getting too absorbed into my Pretty Organized Palace. Keep in mind I'm "Pretty Organized"... not Organized, not Really Organized, or Totally Organized... The dishes in the sink tell all!

As does the "stuff" on top of my fridge...(toys that need time out.)

Beware of how much I LOVE this fabric... it's running my life now.

I've painted everything to match this fabric... and I'll paint it all again to match this fabric. Mind you, I only had enough money to barely cover those awful blinds... not enough to do what I wanted (like take them to the ceiling or LINE them) ... but enough to get this fabric (and ever so glad I did buy it because I'm afraid it's lost forever.) I HEART toile and this toile sings to me every day and every night.  I'm lining my coffin in this fabric.

An no worries friends... they're properly mistreated for my dear friend Nester.    I tacked them to a 2x2 piece of wood that lovey hubby screwed into my wall (HAD to have them stick out over my fluted trim!)  They're not perfect but they're beautiful.
It helps me to forget this... the evidence that I live in a house of 8.


and this... the evening mess after the kids are in bed... I'm too ashamed to turn and get the picture of my sink.  


Some things dear blogging friends are better left unposted.  Just imagine that every time anyone in our family of 8 was hungry or thirsty they got a new plate or cup and that it's all piled in the sink and on the counter... because the 8 year old still hasn't unloaded the dishes...  you get the picture.

So now you have the kitchen tour.  My kitchen. It's in need of some love.

I've had the paint wheel out and would LOVE to hear what my design mind blogging buddies have to say.  For sure I'm getting some storage on each side of my kitchen sink window where DUH there should have been cabinets... options my foot!  These were necessities.

What color do YOU think the cabinets should be? I LOVE the green and brown in THIS POST ...  and I love the second light green cabinets (and the cream) in THIS POST should I change my wall color too?  Can't wait to hear your two cents!


16 comments:

Erica Shurter said...

woo hoo! How fun! I love the greens too! If you go with the green cabinets, I think you're going to want to change your wall color! I can't wait to see how it turns out!!!

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Oooo, what a nice big kitchen. How about black? Is that too dramatic for you? Somehow that just struck me when I looked at your room. I could rethink though if you hate the idea. So many options!

xo

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

Or, you know, now that I am looking at the fabric, a nice chocolate brown might be pretty. I'm going back and forth between the comments and the photo and by the time I get to the comment box I forget what you have in the room...going back to look again...

Queen of Cards said...

Honestly, I think we have totally opposite tastes, but we just painted our cabinets, yellow, red and espresso brown. It sounds awful but if you go to my blog azandrosky.blogspot.com you can see the almost finished product (and a lot of the in progress) I have new photos to post too. I know what you are going through, it is so hard to decided. I liked the idea of black but with that many hands in your house, I would go crazy with cleaning fingerprints nonstop-stay with a lighter color. Good Luck and I will keep watching for a finished project.

Sandy said...

The fabric IS lovely and you have such a nice large space! Since you love the fabric so is there a tone you could pull out of them that would look nice as a cabinet color? Best of luck deciding!

Lindsay @ Makely said...

I hear ya on the toile! I wake up in a toile bedroom (God bless my husband) and just smile.

How about doing the cabinets green with a white glaze on top to pull in that "French Country" theme of the toile?

Pretty Organizer said...

Ooo How I love your great ideas! Thank you readers. Melissa... chocolate sounds great.. but I also love the green...

Too lazy to take down my fabric so I think I'll paint around it. I know, so unprofessional.

Liv.W.Lind.. you have a toile room? Sigh.. you're hubby wins a prize. Good man!

Jane In The Jungle said...

OK I'm going with the glazed beige in the French Provencial kitchen. Especially because of your choice of toile and the French influence in it. I think darken the walls but keep the cabinets light. That would also bring more of the toile to the forefront, love contrast!!

Sara said...

Check out this blog post: It wasn't the black the struck me...but just that she did it herself! http://chriskauffman.blogspot.com/2008/12/power-of-paint.html

Hollie said...

love your kitchen...it's so big!

i like chocolates and greens also.

can't wait to see the after pics!

Quirky Cottage Owners said...

Toys that need a time out. Too funny. Have you thought about two colors on your cabinets. Green centers and brown surrounds? I'll be following your progress.
Rita

Buzzings of a Queen Bee! said...

Oh you should definitely paint! That fabric is gorgeous and I LOVE the color of the cabinets in that first link you posted. So pretty!!! :)
Carrie

Vintagesquirrel said...

First, let me say that I 'm very familiar with the top of the fridge time-out for toys.

I adore the light green cabinets in the second link. If you painted them green, you might want to choose another color from that gorgeous fabric.

TheFiveDays said...

Umm, I LOVE that fabric!! I was going to ask you what it was before I read your post and, sigh, that it is no longer available. It is really lovely!

Also, I am shocked at how wonderful your kitchen looks at the end of the day. I've got three little ones and ours NEVER looks as good as yours does at its worst. How do you keep it so tidy??!

And, as a side note, I am working on getting our kitchen all reorganized and I'm trying to look inside as many other women's cupboards as I can. I imagine that as a mom of 8 you have some really great ideas on where to put things and how to store items.

So...if you ever feel like taking more pictures...I'd love to see the inside of the cabinets!!

Thanks for sharing.

~Tamie

Screaming Meme said...

I'm wanting to paint my cabinets too! I love the green idea...And not everyone will have that color! Hi, My name is Meme from Screaming Meme! I want to personally invite you to share in a blog I just started...called Project: {Create A Home}...It is a blog that we all share in...we teach each other how to create a better life in 2009! I would love for you to join in...whether you want to be a writer, a follower or a commenter...we would love to have you! I have a personal blog called Screaming Meme...It is going to be a DIY 2009 year over there! I look forward to getting to know you! Meme

Anonymous said...

You have a very spacious kitchen! How I wish my kitchen were that big that’s why I have a lot of canisters, trays, and other simple kitchen organizers to help me assemble my kitchen well. Anyway, I suggest you go with green cabinets—the shade is cool to the eyes and will also brighten your kitchen.

 
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