Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Home Sweet Home

by Amy Platon


So many of us are “stuck” in our homes for the long haul, we’ve had to hang up our ruby red slippers and quit house dreaming.

Many of us thought we’d only be here for a couple of years. Back when the market was hot (in my area anyway) we took what ever we could get. We were consumed by a tornado of fear that the house we wanted would be lifted up by it's roots out of our reach. Buy now, lock in your rate, so what if you don’t love it, you can always upgrade later…spun in our heads as we signed on the dotted line.

But here we are, another year in the house we rushed to buy - Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Things aren’t perfect, but definitely workable.

And nothing can make you fall in love with your home all over again like a cute redesign. I think we did an effective job at making our cookie cutter home right for us. But, I have that one room I’m out of ideas for. And no matter how many magazines I flip through, I can’t think of an easy solution.

That room, for me, is my kitchen. I want it to feel like the rest of my house. It feels hollow, blank, and cold even.

Here’s a tour – come in, and follow the yellow brick road.

When you walk in our front door you are greeted with the subtle feel of water, or the ocean. The tropical beach theme is totally us. Hubby is from the Pacific Islands and I grew up on the coast.













Then our dining room is themed after a sandy beach. I call that my driftwood dining table.













Here’s our patio. It's like a lagoon, which Todo completely approves of.













And I wanted our upstairs living room to feel like a treetop, so green, green everywhere!













It was all moving along so nicely. Once we got to the kitchen, we painted the wall like a sunset (or sunrise) and then I ran out of ideas. I had a bad case of decorators block. I’ll stand over here with the crickets while you take a look at the picture.













I think we can all agree, this tin man needs a heart! I would like a suspended horizontal cabinet over the bar with glass doors that open on either side so it feels light but tucks the room in a bit. And I guess we should break down and buy some handles for the cabinets. An area rug is out of the question though. We have a dog and two kids remember.














Hum, what else?

I’m not replacing the cabinets. They are new and I would never tear them out to add to a landfill unless they were rotting. I don’t think I can refinish them because they are coated in some sort of slick material and that makes them super easy to clean.

…So, maybe a cool light fixture over the sink?

Anyway, you see my problems… I’m totally indecisive. Oh, if I only had a brain... And just when I was coming to terms with having a kitchen I don’t love. (Is that so bad after all?) I realized that Layla (my Dream Catcher) offers her services for just this kind of dilemma.

Well then, back on the bicycle Dorothy, because we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of OZ.

I’ll keep you updated. I’m so excited to have her input. I’ll post here with her results. And if you need a little sprucing up, then you need to consider her. She’ll work in any budget (even $0) and her ideas are complete treasures.

Auntie Em! Auntie Em! I’m finally home!


UPDATE! The pictures are in from my consultation: Kitchen Inspiration


Related Posts:
Dream Catcher: Lalya Palmer
Swimming in Circles
My New Stray
Tales From the Sidelines

21 comments:

  1. Your house is absolutely beautiful you should both be very proud! I am soon to move into my first home, luckily the market in the UK has died down a little and I can get a 2 bedroom apartment at fairly reasonable price!

    Nice to see you will get your kitchen spruced up, I can't wait to do my apartment up how I like it, Im very jealous! Hopefully I can get it a little bit as stylish as yours ! :D

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  2. Tear. Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully it will all come together!

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  3. Hey - great Wizard of Oz imagery. The kids just watched it the other day. (on the $5 VCR we just got at a garage sale - I know, I think I'm going back in time technologically...). Can't wait to see what she suggests!

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  4. I love your house! It's so cool yet warm um if that makes ANY sense. The kitchen is missing something though and a flashy light fixture might just be the answer.

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  5. Stopping in from UBP09. I love your blue lagoon patio!

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  6. The light fixture is a great idea. To spruce up our kitchen we added under cabinet lighting, a new funky faucet and 1 inch glass tile backsplash which was not as hard to do as it looks! Rest of your place is very nice as well.

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  7. Blog hopping via UBP!

    Well, I have no ideas for you. All the walls of my house are 1 color and I have nothing hanging on my walls. We've lived here for 3 years. lol

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  8. Here from UBP (juniandpip.blogspot.com)...

    One thing you might try instead of cabinets over the bar (which will block your sight-lines, even if they're glass)...
    Where you have the picture on the wall to the left of the sink, install some open shelves instead. Then use those shelves for practical but pretty things (like wine glasses or canisters). Will free up some space in your cabinets and help spice up the wall. A previous homeowner had done that in our first house and I loved it.

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  9. I think this is where I say you don't know me, but....and I don't know how I found your blog, but.....
    I agree with the open shelves idea, I also would add pendent lighting above the sink and raised bar area. Also try hanging a different window treatment and hang it almost from the ceiling. I love the cabinets I think you should consider bronze hardware. Just my two cents worth.

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  10. I think the problem with the kitchen is the sand color. I think bringing in the blue would be pretty. More contrast. And maybe one of those herb - plant things that goes in the window to bring some greenery in. And more kitchen themed decor on the walls. The picture doesn't fit in there. Maybe a big blue bowl on that big empty expanse of counter filled with fresh fruit. Just some ideas off the top of my head that would be inexpensive.

    Good luck with the project. See you around the party!

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  11. Hmm, bronze handles sounds great.

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  12. Stopped over from Blissfully Domestic. Love Layla, she and I are both in AL & got to meet up yesterday. She's very talented.

    Right off the top of my head, I think with your light cabinets and the color of your countertops, I can definitely see a pretty soft robin's egg blue on the walls. I think that would fit your vibe & look great with both counters & cabinets.

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  13. Love your blog, but love your reno more! :) Visit me for family travel tips.

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  14. Hello. I stopped by for the Blog Party. Yes, so many of us are stuck, whether we like our homes or hate them, moving is difficult or impossible because of the economy in many markets all across the U.S. Your house is quite photogenic. Glad you found someone to help you find a decorating theme for your kitchen. I think the soul of a kitchen is very important.

    Stop by for a visit. You might find something yummy to bake in that kitchen.

    Joy
    http://joyofdesserts.blogspot.com

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  15. Beautiful house! I love your kitchen!

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  16. The floor in your patio is gorgeous!

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  17. Love your house and the themes, great job and I love how you have each room accented with plants sago palms, am I correct?

    Decorating is so not my thing, so I am no help with the kitchen.

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  18. Your narrative while taking us through your house really made me smile. And I like how your rooms have themes, like "treetop" green. Love Layla's ideas for your kitchen and can't wait to see what you do with it!

    Thanks for joining my blog party--hope you're having a great weekend! :-)

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  19. The house is so fun! You've done a great job. As for the kitchen, my first thought was some unique knobs for the cabinets. Looking forward to seeing pics when you've done some more work with it!

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  20. I'd put long pendant lights over your bar instead of cabinets. Then you'll keep the open feel to your kitchen.

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  21. Love your house! I especially love how you did a 'theme' per room...very creative! I like GreenJello's suggestion - pendant lights would look perfect over the bar unless you're in need of extra storage...

    Happy RTT a day late! :)

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