nesting part I

If there's any room in our house I'd love to get "just right", it's definitely the kitchen.  Not only is it the sunniest room, but there's no denying I have to spend a lot of time in there.  Thankfully it has already come a long way since we moved in - gone is the black peel-and-stick plastic flooring and the back door has been removed so we can use the back cubby as a pantry.  Originally the cupboards were various shades of white that sported terrible brass hardware, but a coat of oil paint and new hardware made a dramatic difference.  The layout works great, so at this point it's only about appliances and finishing details.  Unfortunately for me, the finishing details can take me forever to figure out.

Here's main issue number 1: the cupboards, like all the woodwork in the house, are a nice off-white (Cameo White by Para).  However the stove, range hood and fridge are all bright white.  This may not bother other people, but it drives me bananas, especially during the day when the sun is shining in.  It makes the cupboards look dirty, and truthfully I find regular white appliances boring.  I'm not keen on stainless appliances either (the black sides are problematic for those of us who have to have the sides exposed) and I think black would feel too dominant in the small room.  So right now, we're considering a retro-inspired fridge in bisque by Northstar.  In our layout, the fridge stands on its own, so we'd rather have a piece that feels more like sculpture and makes for a nice view from the living room.  This leaves the stove.  Not too many manufacturers make bisque stoves anymore, except maybe Kenmore.  So I probably could get a regular bisque stove and (a nicer) range hood, keep the black dishwasher and go with the fancy fridge.  Not inexpensive, but way less money than starting fresh overall.

Issue number 2 is harder: the finishing details.  The kitchen has only been painted this dark grey for a year now, but it's not right.  I think painting the walls off-white, but a with a hit of colour somewhere would be nice.  Maybe a section of the fridge wall?  Aqua, like the chair?  Wallpaper?  I love the window blind fabric, and the wooden floors will stay as they are.  I've painted the backsplash tiles 6 times now (seriously) and I think this is a reno project we could take on ourselves.  But what would we put there?  Subway tiles in a simple ivory?  Glass?  Marble?  Marble would be my first pick, but that's probably WAY out of any budget.  It's the grid pattern of what we have that bothers me most, but painting was a big improvement over the pink and grey cloud pattern that lies underneath.  And the counter is a black laminate - practical, but showing its age.  Again, I don't know what we'd go for otherwise. I'm completely open to suggestions, for everything!

At least there is inspiration aplenty out there.  I love Flickr for this, especially the Domino group.  Today I'm inspired by this simple table setting (and the blog that it came from), the ivory goodness here, the colour palette and fabrics in this living room, this great vintage stove, the compactness of this kitchen space, and even though this isn't a kitchen at all, I just love this space.

Two things are for sure: I should never take photos when groceries are all over the kitchen and there's clutter everywhere, and I'm officially nesting now.  Clearly.