Modern Gray kitchen mock ups

Alright already. Let's look at some kitchen progress and some kitchen plans.

The sight lines were improved when this wall was partially removed, allowing for more light and more connection between all the spaces.

Hallelujah, can lights. Pot lights. Recessed lights. Whatever you wanna call them, we desperately needed them. It was so dark in here with the green walls and these cabinets, so we repainted the walls Sherwin Williams' Modern Gray. It's a very very subtle gray. Also, scrolly piece above sink is gone!

It's the small things.

Added a light switch at the back door and removed it from right above the table.

Love seeing the front door from here, when before it was completely closed off.

We got a quote from the cabinet maker for a trashcan cabinet, to be added where the current trashcan is. This would extend the countertop and be great prep space, as we are also losing the toaster oven.

Guess how much one cabinet would be.

You'll never guess.

$2500 bucks. Say whaaaattt?!!

To hold a trash can???  No. N.O.

Apparently, these are really good cabinets (which we knew, it's why we aren't replacing them) but we didn't know they were that fancypants.

To get our cabinets in today's market would cost, according to the cabinet company (who referred to the cabinets as "furniture") a whopping $40,000.

USB outlets, my one request, and the relocated light switches. This wall will be topped with the same counter tops as the rest of the space.

You can see the unevenness in the floor here between the kitchen and the vestibule.

BTW, is a vestibule still a vestibule if it's not a separate space anymore???

You can also, apparently, see Giraffe, Lily's favorite toy.

I can't deal with this blog spacing, I hope it isn't deterring you from reading. It's deterring me from blogging, I can tell you that. Don't know how to fix it.

Realistic renditions of outcome.  I told the boyfriend before we ordered appliances (namely, the range hood) that i needed to see it in the space. He whipped these bad boys up, but i told him this wasn't realistic. But oh, how I wish it was. I wish we had square cabinet doors on top and bottom, not arches on the top. So he swapped out the squares so i could get the correct feel...and it'll do Donkey, it'll do.

It was either the range hood above or this one. I feel like this one, with the arches, reads as country or traditional, and i'm not going to let those arches tell me what to do.

I will not pander to the arches!

We also liked the idea that you'd see more backsplash with the hood above. Notice the extended space to the left of the stove, where the trashcan cabinet would be (that he will likely make, as we are not spending $2500). Ain't nobody got time for that.

The flooring and the appliances are all ready to go. Can't wait for more!

What's your favorite thing about your kitchen?

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A Midcentury Modern Makeover

Finally!  For four years i have been lamenting the tv stand situation, and for 4 years this beauty has been sitting in our garage.  She was piled on top of, piled around, and parked in.  Can't tell you what finally motivated the boyfriend to drag her in the house and start working on her, but whatever the reason-here she is!

Do i have a before?  Nope.  Just picture something more orange, with a veneer top, grimy handles, and all drawer fronts and you have your before.  Settle in, we're taking a nice long look.

The handles are the originals, with a coat of silver spray paint.

Since we hardly use the receiver, we concealed it in a drawer front that just folds down.  This makes me the most happy. Hide the uglies.

Advice on chair legs-paint them? Stain them to match?  Leave as is?  Metal? No one's noticing, so who cares?

 This wall needs some round shapes.  Er, circles. Yes, i knew there was a word for "round shapes."

Cat outtakes-the very best part!

Bad before, or early after-whatever you choose to call it-i'm glad it's gone!


Loving the after.

A refresher on the other half of the room.
 

See, it's even more Emily Henderson-esque than the last time.  I could not be loving this living room more. Have you added any mid century pieces to your home recently?  Was it sitting in your garage for 4 years, like mine?  Probably not, you guys are good.
B






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Go Big or Go Home garage wall

Usually the thought of how much flowers actually cost every year aggravates me. And so usually i get the cheapies, and then impatiently wait for them to grow in, and get mad at myself for having gone the cheap route.  This year, i told the boyfriend it was Go Big or Go Home for the pots on the wall, and i loooove the instant gratification of these zinnias all colorful and large, like they've been growing there for some time. 

I never liked the wrought iron scrolls that were on either side of the window, (remember when we de-scrolled the railings?) but needed something that took up a lot of space and helped with the whole "i'm staring at a cinder block wall of ugliness" since the boyfriend refuses to paint it and yet we do nothing about stucco except lament the cost.  These herb planters were a clearance find at the end of last summer, take up a lot of visual space, and modernize the wall as only geometrics can.

 And i'm excited about my basil.  Yeah, i got a lot of basil.  I got confused-i couldn't find lettuce, which i wanted for the window box, and i was in a rush.  So i got 2 different kinds of basil. Times two.  I am leaving the top 2 boxes empty because i can't reach to water them, so they're for decorative purposes only.  #shortgirlproblems.

I'm never sure what colors to go with for my annuals-do they all need to be the same color? Does that look too monochromatic or nicely cohesive? Is that boring or pleasing? My neurotic nature of second guessing loved the colorful blooms all in one plant.  Since i knew i was using the big black wall squares, i repainted the terracotta pots from lively spring green to the darkest free sample i could find, which is Valspar's English Tea Party. 

Here's the ol' cape from the font.  Nothing is in bloom yet, so right now it's lush and green.

 Except this.  What is this, and how did it get here?  Is it hydrangea?  Lilac?

It's pretty, but we'll have to move it to a less crowded spot.

We started work on the patio, since we have tons of free brick and figure we should put them to good use.  I don't really want more brick, but i'd rather not have to move the table and chairs to mow the lawn like we've been doing for years.  Plus, i can finally get a pretty outdoor rug.  The only problem is my neighbor's fence.  It's wonky. 

Perhaps this helps you understand.  For us to make the patio straight, it creates a weird triangle that is not ours, but is not being claimed by then.  We have looked at the property lines and have no idea why they made their fence like this. You can see the white stakes, marking the straight line.

You can sorta make out the string line which marks where the patio will go, and you can see how the fence narrows where our trash cans are.  This stressed my perfectionist darling out and he had a tough time figuring out how to make the patio look right for us and work somehow with the fence.

It took him 1.5 hours to dig out that grass on his own, but when i "helped" last night we got the rest of that half done in a half hour.  Which is interesting, as my "help" was handing him different shovels and loading the lighter pieces of sod into the wheelbarrow, but it clearly made a difference.

Mostly, though, i just took pictures.

What are you all planting this year?  Do you do a color scheme?  Did you know you were reading the blog of a neurotic person?  I think you actually might have known that already.

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No scroll left behind

Am I in the twilight zone or something?  Is there a boyfriend doppelganger in my midst, one who does crazy things like make window boxes and removes iron scrolls from railings at mere suggestion?  Clearly that can be the only explanation....I'll be testing it out tonight, when I request a home cooked meal cooked by someone other than myself.

Out came the grinder.  Look at those pretty sparks fly!  Be gone, scrolls, be gone!

Yes, yes, these scrolls were very harmless, but they "fuddy duddy-ed" up the whole look of the cape to me. I feel like they scream "I'm a house made in the '50s.  Don't confuse me with anything more modern." What, you don't hear see it?

Alternating patterns of swirled and straight rods, but to me, it's better than scrolls.

Good thing there was nothing in those pots, as this was taking quite a direct hit (yes, this was done before I went on my green painting frenzy.)

Now in the backyard, we switched to the sawzall and chopped those puppies right off.  Unlike the front where the railing was still in place, we had to replace this with something.  Can't have little children falling off and wrecking my plants. Or, you know, hurting themselves.  Sure.... 

At Home Depot we got some straight rods that you just cut to your desired length and weld to your space.

A little spray paint and 36 dollars later, we're rocking a more streamlined look.  Still needs touching up, but a huge improvement over the ornate pattern that was there.

 

So yeah, you saw the cute boyfriend with the safety glasses, and there was a welding mask when that was happening, but still, he ended up with metal in his eye.  A sleepless and stressful night and an opthamologist later, the metal was removed.  It left an indentation and a scratch, and thankfully, with eye drop antibiotics, he's fine now.  No eye patch necessary, though he couldn't go to work for a few days.  The computer nor the sun would have been good for him.  The piece did not fly in when he was welding, but somehow got transferred there after, maybe when he rubbed his eye or changed his shirt. Just a word of caution.  Eyes are serious business. 

 

Zero scrolls, one afternoon, two eyes.  

 

All is well.    

 

 

 

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I got the need. The need for green.

Springtime gives me what i like to call the "itching for the greens." It's like the running of the bulls, but with a lot less goring. I get in a "what can i make green" or "where can i add green" or "man, i want more plants but my cats will eat them" mindset. I need green!

Enter free sample of paint called Herb Cornucopia.  Springy green goodness?  Oh yes. You down with OPPP? Other people's painted pots? It was time to paint some of my own.

Oh heck yeah. 

Loving this punched up view of the garage!

So why the green love?  Just look at how well these front flower beds are growing.

Not bad for someone who has no idea what they're doing, eh?

And inside, the best green space, and the best place to observe nature but be removed from it (oh yes)

Le sunroom.

Le sigh.

Anybody else get the itching for the greens?  Not to be confused with poison ivy, or anything...


I'm partying here: Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick, Pinterest Challenge @ Bower Power, Power of paint @ Domestically Speaking, Outdoor Extravagnaza @ Living Savvy, Sundays @ Suburbs Mama Craftomaniac,  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,  Anything Goes, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, home stories a-z, Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, tabletop tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. sugar and spice @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman, beyond the picket fence,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts, 52 mantles, spring into spring, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, charm of home, vintage thingy thurs @ the colorado lady, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, hooking up @ house of hepworths, open house @ no minimalist here, share awesomeness @ 36th ave, tutorials and tidbits, simply link @ simply designing, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, happy hour @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now, free for all @ 5days5ways, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, frugalicious friday @ finding fabulous, potpourri @ 2805, thrifty things fri @ the thrifty groove,  overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming., shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,   a round tuit