good long while

copper countertops

I like everything about this kitchen.

{ from here, via here }

house updates

I've been pretty bad about posting house updates. We've been plugging away and here is some of our progress. I would have liked to spend a little more time on the photos, but with the baby napping I had to be quick about it.

+ Shelves in the entry way. It took a while to figure out how to configure them. Originally we were going to do three shelves running the length of the wall. Once it was set up like that we realized it was dangerous to turn the corner from the hallway. After a few different variations (and opposing opinions) this is what we arrived on. We have an egg press bird + produce calendar, that I love, in the frame. The books have just been thrown on the shelves at this point. I may fuss around with that someday.

+ My brother gave me a cool andrew bird poster with a cicada/violin a while ago. I finally framed it. This photo is bad but the poster is silkscreened and the background is metallic gold and the wings are a transparent white. It's a fantastic image.

+ Finally, here are some kitchen photos. We still have a few small things to do but it's pretty much done. Originally we planned to paint the cabinents, which was going to be a big job at the end of a long project. In the end, with new hardware and the new configuration, we decided the wood looked good enough.

{More about the kitchen here here and here}

kitchen glimpse

Have I told you that we have a working kitchen again? We're not done with the remodel but we have things like appliances and countertops these days. The backsplash might get tiled this weekend so I'll wait and show you more peeks of our progress soon.

Yesterday I was able to put a few of my favorite dishes and bowls on half of our open shelving (the other half houses cook books and pantry staples). Here's a glimpse. I'll admit that I get great joy out of organizing and displaying things. All those years of retail.

hot tub

I recently read this article about wood-burning hot tubs which made me nostalgic for the backyard tub at our old Portland house. We set it up with both hot and cold water so were able to use it year round.

catching up

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I'm planning to post a few updates soon!

the kitchen, continued

My biggest complaint about the original kitchen in our house was how dark it was (the corner sink that caused the countertops to dig into my hips while doing dishes was a close second). In all of the decisions that we've made for the kitchen so far, the goal of creating a light space has guided us.

We're working on the cabinets right now. We decided to reconfigure and reuse the original cabinets. They should go in sometime this week. Then we'll paint them and wait for new countertops. We're using the picture above for color inspiration. Light colored neutrals should keep the space simple and bright.

{argh, this is the one image in my kitchen file that I don't have a credit for. It's most likely from remodelista}

kitchen floor

Hooray! The kitchen floor is in. There is still a lot of work to be done but we're making progress.

the kitchen - part one

Have you heard the phrase "to make an omelet you need to break some eggs"? That's what's been going though my head as we make it through our first week of the kitchen remodel. Everything came out of the kitchen early last week. A hole has been cut in one wall and it already feels like a nicer, and brighter, space. Now we'll work on putting it all back together. Maybe a new floor by next week....we'll see.

Above are some photos of what everything looks like right now. Below you can see some of the "before" pictures. I can't wait for the "after," although I know it might be a while. In the meantime, we've got the camp stove set up in the laundry room. The fridge is in the living room. And we'll probably find lots of excuses to eat out.

kitchen inspiration

 

We are about to embark on a big project on our house - a kitchen remodel. The existing kitchen in pretty sad so I'm looking forward to a much lovelier space. Details still need to be sorted out but we're getting close to starting.

I grabbed a few images of the heath stores in LA (top photo) and SF (bottom photos) and stuck them in my inspiration folder. I love the natural wood and the pop of color and texture from the tile. Of course open shelves brimming with stacks of heath ceramics doesn't hurt either.

We're heading a different direction with our space but maybe some kind of inspiration from these images will work its way into our new kitchen.

nesting

We're not the only couple getting ready to welcome the next generation at our house. A pair of stellar's jays have been building a nest under the eave of our roof over the past few days.

You can see the nest from one of our living room chairs. I've been enjoying watching them show up with sticks, grasses and pieces of shredded paper (they must have found someone's recycling bin).

Jesse put that little platform up last spring when two robins were unsuccessfully trying to build a nest on top of our down spout. It was hard to watch their efforts repeatedly slip to the ground. They must have picked a new spot because they never ended up using the platform or the down spout.