If you
live in a home you probably have a kitchen but as varied as
personalities can be so can the differences in kitchens, and how they
function.
When I think of a kitchen I think of all the details that go into making a pretty, and functional kitchen…
Design
Decoration
Function
Today I am going to take you on a tour of my very own little kitchen. It is truly the hub of our home and it is very well used.
The Design
The
design/layout of this small kitchen is one of the reasons we purchased
this home over 34 years ago. There were three things I wanted in my
kitchen….
…..A breakfast bar large enough(3ft.X6ft.), to seat three little boys.
A back window to watch my three son’s swim in the pool.
A front window to watch my three son’s play ball in the court .
I
also loved the fact that the kitchen sink was at an angle making the
design a little more interesting than a typical U-shaped kitchen.
Times
have changed since we had three little boys sitting at the kitchen bar,
or playing ball out front, but this is the little kitchen that still
keeps on giving.
The boys are all grown up and the kitchen still remains giving to my family and friends.
1978
Gone
are the days of the wood stained cabinets, linoleum flooring, recessed
fluorescent lighting. The cupboard that once hung over the breakfast bar
is no longer there either.
DECORATION
When we decided to make some cosmetic changes to our 1978 kitchen we thought painting would make a huge difference.
Since
there were no existing moldings on the cupboards we decided before we
painted it would be a good idea to add some character.
We started by adding a small crown to the top. At the bottom edge of all the cupboards we added a skirt molding.
We also added a molding square on the end of the bar area where it was just flat and plain.
Let me tell you this made such a huge difference in the appearance of our kitchen.
Next
came the feet! I wanted feet like you see on furniture pieces. After
looking on line I found them to be very expensive. I put on my thinking
cap and decided that the look I wanted looked like brackets.
We purchased $2.00 shelf brackets and placed them under the skirt molding on the bottom edge of the cupboards.
I discovered it made a difference how much the detail would show up once it was shadowed by the cupboard.
It is important to keep that in mind when choosing any detail. Shadowing can make or break the detail.
Next came the jewelry of the room, the knobs and pulls. I wanted a little sparkle so I went with glass.
Restoration Hardware
had the perfect knobs, and pulls. I chose these particular ones because
of the oil rubbed bronze backing that tied in with the hinges and the
touches of black I like to add to my décor.
We also decided to change out two of the cupboard doors next to the kitchen window with glass paned doors.
Inside the cupboards we placed strip lighting. I chose this type of lighting because of the warm glow it gives at night.
There
are mirrored backs on the inside of the cupboards to reflect more light
and it also gives a window effect to that part of the kitchen.
The
other addition in this part of the kitchen was adding the vintage
crystal chandelier where there use to be plastic panels hiding the
fluorescent lighting.
You all remember that beautiful lighting we all had in the 70’s, don’t you?
Instead
of fighting with the open box I decided to make it a feature by adding
stacked moldings and a frame around the opening to finish off the edge.
We
placed a medallion in the center and hung our small vintage crystal
chandelier. You will also notice the molding treatment we used to frame
the kitchen window above the sink. It just finishes it off nicely.
We
had more than enough cupboard space, but we added a very large pantry
in the dining room. It is hiding behind the mirrored doors……
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I
had a pantry in my first home so when this home was being built we
extended a wall in our dining room to accommodate a large pantry.
This is where Design and Decoration meets up with Function!
As
you can see it is a multifunction pantry, it holds food, dishes and
appliances it is big enough to hold it all and I love it!!
Here is a close up of the shelves.
FUNCTION
I recently read a quote from the designer Barbara Barry that
articulated perfectly how I feel about my home as a whole, but
especially my kitchen!!
In a passage called "Inner Beauty", Barbara writes,
"As
much as I love the part of my work that is all about what is seen when
we walk into a room, I also love the part of my work that is about what
is not seen. Or at least not by everyone- the inside of the cabinets,
the full refrigerator, the silver drawer, and the well-stocked pantry;
they too can be things of beauty, artfully arranged to inspire when
given a cursory glance."
I could not agree more!!
I love to see pretty bottles, and produce inside my refrigerator so I do what I like to call, “FRIDGESCAPING!”
There
is nothing I love more than fresh produce in pretty bowls in my
refrigerator. I will always have several choices for my family and
guest. I also love to have a good variety of cold drinks on hand.
Inside
the door you will find what you might need for a cup of coffee, hot
chocolate or tea. The cute little bottle with the stopper holds simple
syrup for your drinks.
Speaking of drinks let’s take a look at my coffee bar that I use daily……
Now it is time to pick out your choice of hot drinks……
When
I have company I put out a tray next to the coffee maker on my stove
for easy access to anything they might need to add to their hot drink of
choice……..
The next very functional feature in my kitchen is the spice rack……
I ordered these handy-dandy little clips Here! I highly recommend them! They are extremely functional.
My sweet little kitchen is pretty in my eyes and it has functioned beautifully throughout the past 34 years for my family and friends.
This concludes the tour of all the In’s and Outs of my little kitchen!
Don't miss the rest of the kitchen tours this week!
Thursday, August 22
Friday, August 23
And now for the giveaway!
There
will be two winners for this giveaway! Pfister generously donated a
prize for this giveaway, so one winner will receive a free faucet worth
up to $300, and a second winner will receive a $250 Visa gift card!
To enter for your chance to win, just follow the steps below, and good luck! (drawing for US residents only)
Step 1:
Follow one or all of them on Pinterest in order to get more entries in the giveaway!
Step 2:
Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter link below! Follow one or all of them in order to get more entries in the giveaway!
Good Luck Eveybody!!
Winners will be announced on:
August 30th
SHELBY PATTERSON BALTZLEY IS THE WINNER Of:
The $300 Pfister faucet
MICHELE UNDERWOODIS THE WINNER OF:
The $250 Visa Card
CONGRATULATIONS LADIES
and
THANK YOU FOR JOINING IN ON THE FUN!!
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