Ah, the kitchen...  The heart of the home, and my favorite spot in the new house.  It's the room I cannot stop dreaming about.

In a previous post, I already showed the inspiration photo that I have had pinned in my Home Renovations board for months.  Here it is again:

This sweet, cottagey kitchen with it's warm and inviting colors. ♥

This is my springboard.  I love the color of the island, the warmth of the copper and the earthy wood tones.

Kitchen Photo 1 via Realtor Listing

And here is my canvas.  I want all of the lower cabinets in the main prep area to be done in that aqua or maybe an even slightly bluer color.  The upper cabinets will be Swiss Coffee which is white with a hint of tan.  I would like the floors to match the beams on the ceiling and to have butcherblock countertops of the same color.  See that doorway and than another one through it in the middle of the picture?  That's the pantry, and I was thinking I would like that door to be the same color blue as the lower cabinets.

Kitchen Photo 2 via Realtor Listing

Here we have some mismatched appliances, there is a dishwasher on the other side of the peninsula that you can't see and it does not work.  That green sink is a sight with it's many gadgets and gizmos; it actually has two faucets.  I already have the new faucet and the farmhouse sink is ordered.  I'm kind of sad that there isn't a window to look out of while I'm at the sink but maybe a window mirror could work.  

Kitchen Tile & Paint Samples

Here is a photo I took with my phone of the backsplash tile and paint chips for the kitchen.  The lighting in Home Depot is not the best for photos, but the iridescence can be seen in the tile.  I think this kitchen is going to be quite pretty when it's all done.

Kitchen Photo 3 via Realtor Listing

This desk is going to be removed and my red hutch is going to take it's place.  I'm hoping we can do something about these hip walls and spindles while we're at it.  Oh, and those dated little corners that are all over the house must go too.

Kitchen Photo 4 via Realtor Listing

I am really looking forward to sitting at my kitchen table and watching the wildlife play in my backyard while I sip my tea and write in my journal.  The cabinets on the left will become a coffee, tea & cocoa bar.

Laundry Room Photo via Realtor Listing

The Laundry Room is pretty basic but will also serve as a mud room.  I could add hooks to the wall and a bench to change shoes.  I would like to take out this lower cabinet and put in a wider utility tub that I could give the dog his bath in, instead of leaning over into the bath tub.  The kitchen sink is directly behind the washer and behind the camera is the large closet that will become the pantry.  The door straight ahead is the garage and there is a door directly to the right of the camera that goes to the yard next to the deck.  

Bathroom #1 Photo via Realtor Listing

Here we have some blue that will need to be taken care of eventually.  The sink is blue too.  I'm just glad it isn't pink or green.  This is to be the bathroom that I planned on putting my Joanna Gaines shower curtain in, along with the pretty daisy picture my sister painted for me.  All of the upgrades in here will be pretty strait forward.  Vinyl plank floors, new tub, tile, toilet and sink...

Bathroom #2 (Master) Photo via Realtor Listing

Now this bathroom is going to be a challenge.  The shower is smaller than it looks in the photo and to the right of the camera is a lower cabinet unit wedged into a cubby.  Above the cabinet is a window but the top of the cabinet has a big hole in it.  Like a planter or something.  It's almost like a sink but it's actually just a big metal pan that's about eight inches deep.  I'm not crazy about this vanity with it's sink all the way to the one side.  I would prefer a larger shower and a smaller vanity in this little bathroom so this will eventually be a tear out and start over kind of project.

Okay, so that's it for the inside for now.  Tomorrow I'll be doing a walk around outside with a whole new list of things that need to be fixed up.

One More Week

Whew, the time really is flying!  It's only 6 days until closing, 7 days until the U-Boxes get delivered and 8 days until the movers haul all of our stuff into the house.  I'M SO EXCITED!!!

First and foremost in this whole process will be to get started on the painting.  Every room is going to be the neutral colors of Creamy Mushroom and Swiss Coffee as was the Arizona house.  So as soon as we can get into the new place, we're going in with painting supplies and starting in the master bedroom.

Master Bedroom via Realtor Listing

(Note: All of the photos are from the original listing and all I have at this time).  As beautiful as this bedroom set is, it's WAY too much furniture for the space.  I'm very much looking forward to making it my own with lighter pieces.  I'm thinking my bed will go below the window on the right and my antique dresser will go on the wall where the bed is.  That is all we brought from our room; we gave everything else away.  That bathroom door is going the wrong way.  If the bathroom is too narrow for the door to swing inward, then I will put in a pocket door OR one of those sliding barn doors would be awesome!  I've always wanted one of those...

Bedroom #2 via Realtor Listing

I am so happy that all of the bedrooms in this house are larger then the bedrooms in our old house.  This is going to be the guest bedroom sans everything in this photo.  There will be no pink carpet, no wallpaper, no chair rail, no seafoam green paint...

Bedroom #3 via Realtor Listing

BLUE!!!  This is going to be my craft room/office for the time being but will eventually be a second guest room.  Craig wants to finish the basement and make a craft room for me down there with cabinets, countertops and an island.  Wouldn't that be awesome?!?!  But with all of the other projects and plans, that one might take a while to get around to.  Again, this room will be painted like the others and all three will have the same carpeting.  Something I didn't have in my previous house that this one has, is light sockets in the ceilings of bedrooms 2 and 3.  We had to use floor or table lamps in those rooms.

I have been looking at houses for many months and even though I have seen hundreds of them, either online or in person, I have yet to see one with the perfect layout.  I'm starting to think the industry needs a few good architects.  Anyway, even the soon-to-be-ours sweet little casa in the woods has its wonky spaces and issues.  Some of these are easily dealt with and others we'll just have to live with.  Unless I win the lottery...

Great Room via Realtor Listing

Case in point, the area in front of, this side of, the fire place.  Notice how the fireplace sits crooked in the large great room.  The living room area is obvious, the dining area is to the left under that chandelier, and notice the lights hanging to the far right; I have no idea what this is about and, wait for it...

Great Room via Realtor Listing

There is a hole in the wall with spindles in it.  If you were to look into that hole, you would see the basement stairs and there is no door at the bottom.  This will be one of the first issues we address.  Anyway, I have no idea why this is set up this way or if there even was an intended purpose.  I thought maybe I could make it into a cozy sitting area.

Living Room via Realtor Listing

Here is the opposite side of the fireplace.  For some reason there is no mantle on this side but the hearth is elevated.  This set-up doesn't make a lot of sense because there is really no cozying up to this side of the fireplace.  This picture was taken just inside the front door.  All of the furniture will be facing the television.

I've always wanted a big picture window in the living room for my Christmas tree and this house has one.  But if you look at the floor next to the first fireplace picture, you'll see an indention in the carpet.  That is an outlet, which means I could put my Christmas tree there and it would be seen from just about any common area of the house and also from outside.  I have options and am already looking forward to decorating for the holidays.  :D

Okay, that's it for today.  Tomorrow will be a more comprehensive look at the kitchen, pantry, laundry room and bathrooms.

14 Days And Dreaming

Here are some inside pictures of the former house in Arizona just before piling the rest of our stuff into moving pods.  This is how it was staged for the open house.  The decor is mine but very little of it was used.  My little house felt huge at this point because the majority of my belongings were crammed in the garage.

AZ house

The good part about seeing my house in this light is knowing that I love the basics of my color choices.  Creamy Mushroom for the walls and Swiss Coffee for the cabinets and trim.  Love my neutral tones that I can throw color at.  I still prefer white painted cabinets over stained wood cabinets, especially for newer homes that don't have the beautiful, heavy woodwork like my mother's 100 year old house has.  LOVE her woodwork!

Below are photos that I've pinned to my Pinterest dream boards.  These represent the feel that I would like to accomplish, as well as some smaller ideas that would work for the new house.  For today, I'll only be focusing on the kitchen area.

KITCHEN

This sweet, cottagey kitchen with it's warm and inviting colors. ♥

I love this!  Since the new home does not have a kitchen island, but is a U-shape, I'm thinking of painting all the bottom cabinets this color.  Craig is all for it.  I'm just a little freaked out about painting outside of a neutral pallet.  

Unfortunately the ceilings are vaulted, otherwise I would absolutely be doing a pot rack.  However, above the upper cabinets is empty space all the way up to the ceiling.  I could do some wood and copper up there for a similar look.  I just love the warmth of the copper.

Oh, and I absolutely have to add the Ikea bracket and hooks to the end of the counter.  I have pinned that look, decorated in so many ways, more times than I'm willing to admit...

PANTRY

The dream pantry

Oh, how I would love a pretty pantry that looks like an old fashioned sweets shop!  Sigh...…! 

But reality says I can do something a bit more similar to this one instead.  Right now, it's a dark coat room which is right off the laundry/mudroom and the kitchen.  With some paint, wood, hardware and good ol' fashioned elbow grease, I'm pretty sure we can make it perfectly functional, organized and cute at the same time.  I used to have to store most of my canned goods in the garage so I'm really excited to have a real pantry!

COFFEE/TEA/COCOA BAR

Coffee makes me happy. ♥

The new house has so many cabinets, there are 40 cabinet doors in the kitchen alone.  Eight of those doors belong to a built-in hutch in the kitchen eating area which is to become, in part, the coffee bar.  OMG, I'm over the moon about this.  I'm even more excited to see what I can do with it for the holidays.

LITTLE THINGS

These little touches my be insignificant but, to me, can make a huge amount of difference in how much time I want to spend in my kitchen.

Cutting Board Convenience

I saw this and thought it was the best idea since cream cheese.  The new kitchen already has one of those slots with the hidden cutting board.  If all goes according to plan, I should be able to cut a hole in the board and then install one of those garbage bin sliders in the cabinet below.  BOOM!

A Drawer For The Odd Sizes

I've had this pinned to my Home Renovation board for years.  This is genius!

I ♥ Country Baskets

I'm pretty sure I'll have a little bit of wall space for something like this.  This could also be used for paper plates, napkins, kitchen towels...

Elevated Doggie Dishes

One less thing to pick up while vacuuming and mopping is pretty okay in my book.  

14 Days until move-in.  :D  The time is actually going by more quickly than I had anticipated.

I will be posting more about other rooms of the house in the next couple of days.