Okay so a few years ago I did a blog post entitled My Kitchen Want List. To this day it is the most viewed post on my blog. I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it has something to do with search words or something. Who knows. But anyway, not a single thing from my previous Want List made it into my kitchen. Chalk it up to changing tastes and a desire to funnel funds into other projects instead.
Fast forward to now and my kitchen has gone from this
to this.
Huge transformation? No. Dramatic change? Not really.
Honestly, there really isn't much to see here. I'm such a minimalist and a cheapskate that I don't push my decor into the interesting column. It's just an everyday kitchen with nothing too special about it. I post it not because it's particularly post-able but because I like to document the story behind where and how we live.
The wall color is a continuation from the wall color in our family room. I wanted to paint more walls but Rob tends to like an accent wall. I actually thought I would like the color a little more than I do, otherwise I'd probably go ahead and paint more. The blue/black (depending on the light) pulls out the orange in the cabinets which I'm not thrilled about but at least it brings a little more personality to the space. The white outlet covers are so noticeable!
I decided to clear as much as possible off of the countertops because I cook with the kids all the time and need all the space I can get. I keep only mandatory, much-used items on top. The Bosch mixer is used many days of the week. I have a wood cutting board and bread hidden on the side of the fridge along with a basket for Rob's misc stuff (keys, etc).
The stool has become Cara's most beloved item in the kitchen. I bought it because of all the help the kids give me, and they certainly use it for that, but it's most often used as a little table. Caroline sits on the bottom step and puts her food on the top and eats most of her meals that way.
I like to use a pepper grinder and a little salt bowl that was handmade and given to us.
Cara doesn't eat most things but she has recently decided to love kiwi. I buy the big packs and she eats them all. And yes, her poop is very green.
This is going to sound a little odd but I need to give some love to this silly soap dispenser. We've gone through many dispensers and this is by far my favorite one ever. I got tired of the metal ones rusting and making marks on my countertop. I got tired of the fake metal ones peeling and looking gross. This plastic one has a soft, rubbery touch that feels nice. It can also be washed without any issue. The perfect amount of soap comes out and the spout doesn't get all gunked up. I like it so much that I may replace all my other dispensers with the same one. It comes from Target in many colors for like six bucks. I'll get off my literal soapbox now ;)
And a plant. I had two in the pot but one has already perished.
I'm just as minimal on the top of my cabinets. The framed "HISTORY" canvas is something I took years ago on a photowalk downtown. It was displayed at the
Eccles Community Art Center during a black & white art competition in 2010. I thought putting something white higher up would draw the eye upward and also make the white in the room look more intentional.
I don't know the technical name of this guy but I always thought these things were fun. I bought it a couple of years ago when I saw a mass of them in a bin at Ikea. I felt sorry for the trapped little wooden people and rescued one of them. I didn't have anywhere in mind to put him (pretty sure it's a him) but when I was looking around my house for top-of-the-cabinet decor I thought he would bring a bit of whimsy and kookiness to my personality-less kitchen. Honestly, he might be my favorite part of the whole thing...up there waving to us below.
Now for the part the threw me for a few months. What do I do with the window over the sink? I didn't have enough fabric left over from the drapes. I'm not a valance person. I needed to keep the blinds because the sunlight is super harsh in the afternoon. After musing
houzz photographs time and time again I finally got up enough nerve to just paint the window surround the same color as the other wall. I needed to carry that color somewhere else in the room anyway and it's more up my minimal alley. It took me a couple days to decide that I actually like it.
As for the scrolly thing over the window, eh, I had it and the size worked. Same with the mirror on the opposite wall. The mirror was actually given to us as a wedding gift and has been painted 5 different times.
The silver tray was passed on to us from Rob's grandparents. I believe it is handmade from their stint in Pakistan and is beautiful.
I ended up just covering up our old, cheap, scuffed-up table with a tablecloth I made from fabric I already had on hand. It's not the fabric I would have chosen at the store, but why buy when it's already on hand? Hmmm. Now that I'm looking at the picture I can see that it's way too short...maybe I'll be buying other fabric after all.
Here is our solution to no mudroom or even coat closet. It's not the prettiest system, especially being right in the eating area, but it's practical for us.
Oh, how I wish that it always looked so clean!! You know what we said when we were younger, "Take a picture, it'll last longer." Here's to hoping that's true!
