kitchen konspiracy

Despite my natural tendency to dislike oak cabinets I found the images at Bluesky and am re-thinking my kitchen remodel.  The remodel for the home I don't yet own....that one....

bitch in the kitch

I don't know if I have been convincing myself that I love this home in yachtclub town that I looked at on Friday night or if in fact I am falling in love with this home.  When I walked out on Friday night I felt a huge wave of disappointment.  The home was not all that I had imagined it would be.  Then the practical side of me took over and made a laundry list of all the positive points of said home.  Boy, did I come up with a lot.  I made a bullet point list of all the undesirables in the home and what I would change.

For instance, the kitchen is bathed in rose paint, wallpaper, corian counters...this is where rose goes to die.  The faux wood paneling and faux oak door didn't help the situation in the kitchen.  What you can't see is the floral border above the kitchen table.  I threw up a little in my mouth when in the kitchen.  The overwhelming rose turned my stomach and burned my eyes.

However, the kitchen is actually in pristine condition...not counting the rose overkill.  Take the above mentioned pictures with rosey goodness and picture something more like this.....

Some white paint, new hardware, subway tile, dark countertops, stainless steel appliances and we're in business.   The total transformation is possible without gutting the kitchen and staying within a budget.  The possiblities I am starting to envision within the plaster walls of this house are promising and make me hopeful that I could be taking up sailing by spring.

what makes a house a home?

Busy, busy, busy.  We have been scrutinizing every house we come across to see if maybe it's the one for us.  We reviewed our short list of homes and realized that they were not the homes for us.  So it was back to the drawing board. 

Friday night was date night with our realtor.  He took us into a small sleepy town in Main Street, America to show us a house.  The living quarters seemed a little tight in areas but overall was more than my husband and I actually need.  It had a very small yard but big enough for the terror with teeth.  It came equipped with a porch, small deck, first floor laundry, eat in kitchen, finished attic, basement and three bedrooms on the second floor plus your standard bathrooms, living room, dining room.  It was updated in the mid 80's and so perhaps the laura ashley floral borders need to be removed and the cheap bathroon fixtures.  Other than some minor cosmetic work, it looks to be in pristine condition on the outside which is much more important.  Yet, I wasn't in love with it.  It didn't feel like home.  So what makes a house a home?  Is it the feeling you get when you walk inside a house?  Or the feeling you get when you walk inside the home that actually belongs to you?  Is it the neighborhood?  The town?  The sweat equity of fixing up your own house to make it your home?  I'm left wondering....

In the meantime, I have been looking at the desirable qualities of the town and seeing if it is really someplace I could live.  Most of my answers are a resounding yes....

The town hosts an annual fourth of july celebration equipped with a parade, house decorating contest, greased pole climbing, river raft race, soap box derby and the list goes on and on.  I love a town that boasts good flavor and 1950's values!

Since the town is situated along the river, it is home to one of the country's oldest yacht clubs.  No great shakes to me personally but I suppose that the husband and I could always take up sailing or we could just watch from the shoreline.  I suspect the latter of the two.

It is also home to beautiful stone churches and victorian gas lamps.  My heart sings at the pictures below. 

It has a small main street but nothing that I love.  That area seems to be lacking in my opinion.  After much thought about the main street, I came to the conclusion that with less restaurants and stores, my husband and I had less opportunity to walk into town and spend money frivolously which is a bonus!!  It has a yoga studio that I have actually practiced at with two of my favorite teachers only a short walk from the house!  Yet with all of the benefits and bonuses of the house, the town, the proximity....I have reservations.  Reservations about the house?  The town? Maybe just reservations about the commitment that comes with buying the house?   I'm not even sure.  I suppose this is only natural though....

short list

These homes have also made my recently acquired short list of homes to tour.  We are calling the realtor to set up an appointment today.  They are in better neighborhoods and are comparably priced to the one we have already looked at.  As you can tell, I have a knack for the the Main Street America house and town....

home inspiration



what is...




what could be...



I don't know that we would re-face the brick underneath the siding necessarily (although if my husband let me I would!) but I have the above picture on my desktop at home for inspiration.  I have always had a love of capes, bungalows, victorians, etc.  When I find one that sings to my heart I usually save a picture of it.  I love the garage door in the second house and think it is so quaint and charming.  The planter boxes and the small shrubbery also suit the house well.  Can you see the potential?