Seating for four please

Monday, August 24, 2015

Traditional Home
I mentioned in my last post that the onset of Fall has my decorating juices flowing again.  They are seriously on overdrive and probably driving my sweet Hubby crazy.  We have a beautiful kitchen in our 2 years young builder home, but it is not my dream kitchen.  I don't love our backsplash or our granite.  I don't love the fact that our island seats 3 people and we are a family of 4.  But it is very hard to justify making big expensive changes to a brand new kitchen.  I have been dreaming up ways to increase the size of our island, without having to redo the whole kitchen. It could be a huge domino effect, bigger island means new counter top on island so why not replace all of the counters and the backsplash while we are at it???  But I am trying to reign it in and limit the costs while coming up with a solution.

One solution is to add legs to the end of the island and replace only the island granite with butcher block countertop that has a bow shape since that can accommodate more stools.
Crownpoint Cabinetry

Another idea is to shift the granite towards the dining table and add a butcher block insert.


DeGraw & DeHaan Architect

Or we could add on a table extension like the one below.  I think this would be an extremely difficult look to pull off as I don't want the extension to look like an after thought.
Flourish and Design Style
I love the shape of this island, the white cabinets and grey paint.  This is the look I am going for minus the crazy bold floral.
Martha O’Hara Interiors


Here is our kitchen now.  I do love the look of our giant cutting board on the island, which makes me think that butcher block on the island is the way to go.

You can't tell from this photo, but we have a banquette bench at the end of the island now for folks to sit on while we eat at the table. This photo makes me LOVE our kitchen.  Too bad it doesn't always look like this. 


How do you cope with your not quite perfect kitchen?




Trouble spot

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Hey yall!  Are you ready for Fall yet?  I am beginning to dream about chilly football Sunday's eating chicken and dumplings. Just the thought of Fall has my decor brain wheels a turning!  I guess the hot weather clogs that part of my brain in the Summer.


Don't worry!  This blog post is not about Christmas.  I am not jumping ahead that far.  I just wanted to show the full teal accent wall with the buffet cabinet on the left and the desk on the right.  

 I struggle with how to decorate the left side outside of the Christmas season.

Above is a picture of the current mantel styling.



This is the current decor on the cabinet side, but it just does not do it for me.  I love the mirror, the tall white statue thingy (what do you call one of those?) and my Reader's Digest books.  Everything else can be swapped out. I had it decorated as a bar of sorts but now I have a bar cart.  Plus we don't even drink liquor.

 What would you suggest putting on top of the cabinets? 

Missing in Action

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

I know I have been MIA for a couple of months.  The truth is that I started a new position in my real life job.  Quite honestly my work schedule has been crazy and draining and has left little time for the blogging that I love.

If you need a spot to host an event or group in Raleigh, please come visit me at the brand new Courtyard & Residence Inn Raleigh-Durham Airport/Brier Creek!


This Summer hasn't been all work and no play though. We went to Wrightsville Beach in May.



My parents visited us twice in June since the Hubby had to travel for work.


My Dad has had some fairly serious health issues of late so we went home to see my parents this past weekend.  We went to see both my Mom & Dad's art show awards, played in the pool, spent time with Uncle Hugh and Yvette and went bowling.  It was a jam packed Saturday!  We all had a good time.



Nick's parents are coming this Friday so I am sure it will be another fun filled weekend!

Sunday Ramblings

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there but especially to my Mom and my Mother-in-Law. I have been really under the weather, but thankfully I am starting to finally feel better.  We were pretty lazy this morning. Then I remembered that we had not put our new outdoor rug/mat in the screen porch so I got to work.

Please pin from original sources.


#1 Cassie's Master Bedroom ORC

 Have you seen Cassie's bedroom from the One Room Challenge on Hi Sugarplum!  You should check it out!  The super dark walls and spotted drapes are dreamy.

Source

#2 Outdoor Mat from World Market

 A full reveal of the porch updates coming soon, but here is a sneak peek. This rug is a great deal!  I love the idea that we can just hose it off when it gets dirty and should not stain.  Plus it is surprisingly soft underfoot.


#3 Calendars as Wall Art

 I ordered the American Cities 2014 Calendar from Anderson for the Boy's TV room.  I framed and matted them over the weekend, but they still need to be hung.  Below are some awesome examples of other calendars framed as art.

Source
Source


#4 BHG 14 Ways to Improve Your Deck
Source
My favorite porch perk up is palm trees. They brighten up a space and plants have been proven to make you happy.  At least that's what I read online :)  If nothing else, they will remind you of the beach and life is always better at the beach.  My second fave is pillows.



Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )