My Cottage Kitchen Reveal!

I have been silent for a bit,

busy settling into my new cottage.

I had in my mind to wait until

things were a bit more finished,

( bit more perfect?)

before posting pictures.

I have now decided,

there is no perfect time,

the house will be an ongoing 

project for a long time to come.

I am still waiting for the painter to finish,

the electrician to

 work me into his schedule,

and a call back from the handyman.

So, I am just going to start sharing.

The room most finished at the moment

(and one my favorites)

is the kitchen.

Do you remember the original kitchen?

It was entirely gutted.

After some extensive wall work,

the floor was the first new addition.

This room has come together exactly as

I saw it in my mind's eye.

That doesn't always happen.

White cabinets,

black granite counter tops,

white subway tiles and

a black and white floor

are the elements that created this kitchen.

It's a small, galley style kitchen

that totally fits my lifestyle.

This is the view from the dining room.

My old black cabinet,

purchased from a moving neighbor

in my previous neighborhood,

found a perfect home here.

It now stands in front of what was

previously the doorway to the pantry.

The pantry is now gone,

so the opening in the hallway,

around the corner could be created...

...to house the stackable washer and dryer.

The existing kitchen windows

were perfect for glass panels

I had designed and made

for my previous house.

I love them in this space.

When planning this kitchen,

I knew I wanted a white cast iron sink.

I needed a fairly small one because

of this kitchen's size.

I found just the right sized one from Kohler.

The original kitchen was without a dishwasher,

but a space was created for one.

My benevolent sheep's head

keeps an eye on all the

doings in the kitchen.

I have never had a gas stove before.

So, since that's what was here before,

I decided to give it a try.

SO glad I did!

One of the features I am particularly enjoying

is the griddle in the center.

It makes remarkably good bacon!

Window treatments thus far 

are a matter of using what I had from 

my previous house.

This was a window topper at that house,

which was folded over a rod for a

triangular effect.

This canister set has been with me

for at least 25 years or more,

during which all but one lid

has gotten broken.

They are now nicely housing

some of my violets.

Are you seeing a color trend,

besides the black and white?

I have used and loved

red, blue and yellow together

for a long time.

For this house,

I have used the same gray

on the walls throughout.

But, I am certainly

still using my favorite

color combination! 

Linking this week to
Metamorphosis Monday at
Between Naps on the Porch

Wow Us Wednesdays at
Savvy Southern Style

Kitchen and Baths...the End is Near!

The end REALLY is in sight.

Except for some trim paint,

the kitchen and baths are complete.

The refrigerator in this picture is not 

sitting flush against the wall,

waiting for a bit of paint above it,

so it will not stick out this much 

once it's in place.

Remember when I posted about

"happiness is having a living room full of kitchen appliances"

a few weeks ago?

I was mistaken.

Happiness is having a cleared living room...

 and having all your kitchen appliances

in place...IN the kitchen!

Missing one drawer pull in this picture.

This drawer had to be reordered, 

so it's a little late getting its handle.

My first ever gas stove!

Both bathrooms are pretty complete also.

This is the upstairs bath.

Both bathrooms have the same color way,

sinks, bead board, and flooring.

Their personalities will 

define themselves once I start decorating,

and they "tell" me 

how they want to look!

This is the downstairs bath.

Note the mirror.

It was my grandmother's 

and I used it in my present house.

It got a new coat of paint

and reoriented to hang 

differently for this space.

I'm very happy to be able to 

continue using it.

Move date:  June 6...continuing to count down!

Happiness is...

...a living room full of kitchen appliances!

That's what greeted me yesterday 

when I opened the front door!

It means we're getting closer

to the finish line

with the kitchen!

And speaking of the kitchen,

the cabinets started getting installed yesterday!

This has the makings of a fine

little cottage kitchen!

Do you see my vision???

And look what is in full bloom 

in my "new" garden.

Life is indeed good!

Vinyl Wall Decals--How Easy is That?

Imaginary conversation in my head, when someone first sees my new kitchen artwork...

(them) "How gorgeous is that! How'd you do it?"

(me) "With a very steady hand..."

Just kidding. I would give credit where credit is due.

Earlier this fall while visiting my brother Rick

and his (very creative) wife, Terry,

I spied some nifty wall decals she had on her walls.

She assured me they were very simple to use.

Once I started looking for a place to "install" some,

I found loads of places.

I have several archways that cried out

for some sort of pretty script.

The back door would be the perfect place for an "Entre Vous..."

(Am I remembering my college French correctly?)
The doorway to my office could have my business' name...

the possibilities were endless.

I finally settled upon this wall in my kitchen,

above my small breakfast table.

Next step, finding the PERFECT decal.

I went to the "go-to" place, Etsy.

I have decided, if you can't find what you want at Etsy,

it either doesn't exist or you don't need it in the first place.
The choices are endless.

I found my "my" decal at Willow Creek Signs.

It arrived within four or five days of ordering it.

I kid you not, it took me about fifteen minutes

to have this project finished!

The instructions were clear and to the point.

It could not have been simplier.

The perfect sentiment about the kitchen!
You may have noticed I already have my kitchen Christmas tree in place.
That's ONLY because Buttermilk Cottage's
Second Annual Fiber Art Show and Holiday Sale
is this weekend.
Big doings here this week!
Have a good one!

I'm linking up with the following parties this week:
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
First a Dream for the RE-Party
Cottage Instincts for Make It 4 Monday
Savvy Southern Style for Before and After

Mixing it Up

I came across this little metal sign in an antique/treasure shop last week. Without a doubt, it is not old, just meant to look that way.

I was attracted to it on several levels. The colors are great in my kitchen, I love my coffee, which I often have with the morning paper (note the "newsprint" of the sign's cup), and it has the word "Paris" on it. So, it came home with me. I knew I'd use it in the kitchen, but did not have a specific location in mind. After playing with it in several spots, it ended up in this little corner.

That prompted a move of all the small kitchen appliances since this is where the food processor and mixer sat before the sign went up. Because the coffee maker got moved next to the sign (duh...) that meant the cabinet above had to be cleaned out, so the cups and saucers, mugs, coffee and filters could be nearby.

Does this happen to you?

You get one new thing and it turns your whole room around?

Change is good...sometimes.