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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Montmartre-top 3

So it's been quite a while since my trip to France, and there's still a lot to share.

You may remember i had a top three for Paris. Number 1 was seeing the Eiffel Tower in its full glory, and waiting til nighttime to see it shimmer. Number 2 was climbing to the top of Notre Dame and taking awesome pictures amongst the gargoyles. Number 3 is Montmarte, a hilltop district accessible via a funicular ride which drops you at the base of Sacre Coeur. If you've ever watched Amelie, this is where the movie takes place.



Rick Steve's recommended restaurant, and my own personal fondue. French fondue people!

The artist square, with people selling art work of the city and caricatures. I almost bought one that showed 2 cats gazing at the Eiffel Tower, but i was holding off for something else.

Is this not the sweetest street? This is the very reason i loved it here, it was very quaint and authentic, once you ventured past the souvenir shops on the way up and actually walked around past Sacre Coeur, which you can see peeking out above the homes.

The restaurant where so many scenes from Amelie take place.


The tiniest little creperie, just that little stall.

 

 

Montmartre's roots in art still linger, like this neat sculpture that shows a man emerging from a wall.

Ah, the Moulin Rouge. At the base of the district, after returning down from the hilltop, it gets a little seedy. And this is where the Moulin Rouge is.

This picture taken from Notre Dame shows how much higher Montmartre is from the rest of Paris, and location relative to the city center. Even though it seemed far out, this also proved to me how large and how small Paris is.

Have you ever been to Montmartre? On a side note, i visited a fashion blog thru a link party b/c the blogger was standing in the middle of a curved street, and i thought i bet that's Montmartre. It was! Am i good or what?!

You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here, My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff, shaken together, Garay Treasures  Thrifty Decor Chick

My living room corner is having a moment

Oh man, i fully realize this is a million of practically the same exact photo.

Usually i get really exasperated by people who post a million photos of the same thing.

Like, here's my decorated tray. here's my decorated tray zoomed in. here's my decorated tray zoomed in but focused on one specific item with everything else blurry. here's my tray, on my ottoman, but still. the tray. here it is. but maybe with an overall room, instead of one item, it warrants a million photos. maybe.

You may have noticed the blue wall is no longer. When we removed part of the wall for the kitchen reno, it obviously affected this wall, and since there was spackling and repairing on both this and the half moon table wall, we repainted. Did i want to repaint all 4 walls so there was no more tan living here, sure, sure. but my pro wouldn't do that. So this is second best.

 

I'm not 100% sure about the artwork situation, if it needs one more piece or not. If you are just looking at the wall then i say yes, but when you take in the opening to the kitchen, i say no.

This is reading as boring. It's not in person. Grr.

Corner moment!

With or without? (I feel like i'm ordering cheesesteaks in the city.) I see the merits of both sides of this argument, but i like without.  Without speaks to less clutter, doesn't stop your eye the way another art piece does, allows the corner to be a whole moment. Zooms right past wall into kitchen.

 Less zooming, more wall focusing. More visual clutter.

The wall is not that orangey. Grr again.

Gone are the baby blue accent wall days. Hello neutrals, i'm relieved to see you. Also, yeah green thumb!

Paint Color-Rawlings, Finneran Hailey matched to Benjamin Moore
Artwork-Minted via Domestically Speaking. Thanks MaryAnn!
Stripe pillow cover-Ikea
Blue ottoman-Amazon
Rug-RugsUSA
Arc Lamp-Home Depot
Gorgeous cats-Rescues.

You can find me all sorts of here: Molly, Coastal Charm, BNOTP, Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co. , Stories A-Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Stroll Thru Life, Kim Six, Stone Gable, Domestically Speaking, Shanna, Blissful Bee, Savvy Southern Style, Handy Man, Houseologie, Charm of Home, No Minimalist Here, My Romantic Home, Somewhat Simple, Mustard Seed, Just us 4, Wetherills Say i Do, Shabby Nest, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, French Country Cottage, Chic on Shoestring, LollyJane, Overflowing, House by Hoff

Cat Logic

Cat logic:

Empty, fluffy, comfy cat pillow in front of the vent....

Pile of floorboards from kitchen reno, vacuum, plant stand and reciprocating saw in front of the vent.  Clearly this is the better and more comfortable option for getting warm.

Or perhaps here, where she will absorb the heat full blast and come away smelling burnt, while also sitting on the hard wood floor instead of the comfy cushion.

Sisters. At least the younger one knows what the cushion is for.

What do your pets do that defy logic?  Or defy human logic, at least?

kitchen reno phase 1

Let it be known that i love my little cape.

When we turned the fourth bedroom into the dining room, we created this wonderful flow on the main floor. But flow is not the same as open concept. Open concept isn't even what i want exactly... i want sight lines.

As this is not a major renovation, "as much as i can" is the name of the game.  I want the living room to feel more open and connected to the kitchen (as much as i can), i want more natural light shining into the kitchen, and i want to see (as much of the dining room as i can) from the kitchen without having to stick my head out a doorway.  And most of all i want to see from the front of the house to the back. Sight lines. Connectedness. Light.

These older pictures give a better sense of the closed off dark space.

 Separate kitchen.
 
 Landing area (not really a hallway, but a spot with 3 doors and 3 openings). I refer to it as the vestibule.

 
 Separate (super old photo) living room.

-NOW-

Let there be some mutha flippin' light!

Hey, front door!

Hey sight lines!

Hey back door!

Not much, but still a view into the kitchen from my spot on the couch.

Hey living room!

Hallway/vestibule certainly seems bigger.



We are either adding a trashcan cabinet here, and the new countertop would go all the way, or we are leaving it as is. We added the (just framed) half wall behind the club chair, because otherwise that's weird and there's a club chair in your kitchen. You can see the how far out the wall came with the unfinished floor.

So bright!

So connected! Standing in my kitchen, behind the club chair, and able to see into the living room!

Hey sliver of dining room, but you are more than i had before! (Hey silly Lily).

All is good, all is bright. This girl's happy. Hope whatever project you're tackling lately, it's making you happy.


















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