Heart of The Home

Today I am linking to Shelia @ Note Songs for her wonderful Heart Of The Home Party.  This is where we all get to show off our kitchen.  I can't wait to see all of your wonderful kitchens and kitchen decor. Be sure to join in the party, Sheila is such a sweetie, and you don't want to miss her kitchen or anyone else's either.  I just know there will be inspiration galore.

I know most of you have seen all these pics, so just excuse me for showing them again.  Our previous home sold so fast that we only had 3 weeks to find a new house and move.  We found a builder basic spec house that had a floor plan that I could work with, but definitely no character or distinguishing factors.  The challenge has been to make it fit us since it is about half the size of the one we were selling. (Downsizing is sooooooooooo hard to do.)  The kitchen was almost invisible with it's really light maple cabinets, beige formica and white appliances against white walls.   All that white was not a pretty kitchen and not one that I wanted to be in. The best feature of the kitchen was the amount of storage and the beautiful Travertine floors.  I wasn't blogging at the time, so the first picture I have is after I painted the walls Ralph Lauren Soul Chocolate so the cabinets would maybe show up and look better.


Then I heard about Dark Paste Wax and how it is often used to finish furniture. The brand I bought is Brie, but there are several in a lot of colors. I bought some in a very dark walnut color and immediately polished all the cabinets. Huge difference. They look so much darker and so much more alive. Not bland and dull. I also found some hardware on line at about half the price of the big box stores and put them on all the cabinets. These two things made a big improvement.


Then I received the most wonderful present, GRANITE!! My daughter had all of her counters done and the place she used had some remnant pieces that they were selling at about 1/3 the normal price. We picked out a piece that would go with my floor and she had it done for me for Mother's Day and my Birthday. Fantastic present don't you think!!! This is a picture just as they finished installing it.


I bought a really heavy stainless steel sink and new faucet to go with my new counter. Love them and I love the movement in the granite.


Really deep sinks. Love the sleek design of the faucet.  It has a pull out spray that is wonderful too.


We enlarged the overhang on the island, so we had to install corbels before they put the top on. I painted them to match the wall and then glazed them to show off the carving.


My vignettes on the counters and especially the island are constantly changing.


Different vignette again.


Current vignettes.










I know we don't always wind up with the kitchen of our dreams, but I do think that any kitchen can be improved and on a very tiny budget with just a few changes. Even if you can't afford granite for all your counters, doing just the island makes a big difference.

Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to go visit Shelia @ Note Songs to see all the wonderful kitchens everyone has to share.  I know you will find some fabulous eye candy and inspiration.

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