September 20, 2011

Up Top

Alright, so I know that the fact that I have not finished painting my kitchen cabinets has probably brought great dishonor on my family, but…well, no excuses. It should have been done a long time ago, and now I’m looking at an extremely busy week and possibly an extremely busy next week and it just looks like those puppies are going to have to wait a little while longer.
But that doesn’t stop me from imagining how they’re going to look eventually (someday…maybe…hopefully). It also doesn’t stop Denny from worrying that the whole place will look goofy and unfinished (haha—like it doesn’t now?). I know he has some doubts about this look (and maybe you do, too), but I’ve gone ahead and scrounged up some examples of just how spiffy open kitchen cabinets can look.

Here’s a wide-angle perspective that shows how open cabinetry can add to the kitchen as a whole. Although our kitchen will end up having quite a bit more color in it, I like this overall look. One thing that I find really interesting is that, in order to bounce even more light around the room, these homeowners have put mirrors in the back of some of their cabinets. It’s hard to see the mirrors specifically, but it’s easy to see the bright open effect that it creates.

I bet you can’t guess what I like about this example…Alright, you probably can. It’s the collection of books on the top shelf above the sinks. It seems like a lot of open cabinets end up filled with white ceramics and nothing else, but I plan on incorporating a little more color into mine, starting with some shelves full of books.

Again, the colors in this example are very subdued/non-existent and there seems to be an awful lot of white ceramic going on, but I like the fact that a collection of specialty plates are propped up in the top shelf and I also like the potted plant above the cabinets. Since we have a lot of open space above our cabinets, I hope to eventually place some greenery above ours, as well.

This one ties with the bookshelf-example for my favorite out of the bunch. Again, the reason is probably very obvious: it’s a “cappuccino corner.” Oh, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about (she says in her Gru voice). This picture has me ditching the idea of making the dining room nook (which I’ve apparently never taken a picture of—sorry, guys) into an entertainment bar, like this one:

Instead, I’m now thinking that a cappuccino bar is definitely the way to go. First of all, we don’t drink much hard liquor, and second, I’m thinking that since we do drink copious amounts of coffee, it would definitely be a better use of space. I’m all about it. Okay, okay, though. All coffee-mongering aside, it is lovely, is it not? Warm grey cabinetry, different shades of cups and mugs, a collection of teapots…le sigh. It’s very inspiring for both the someday coffee nook and for our eventual cabinet styling.
Oh, and one more thing…

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!!!!!!! Yes, it’s my lovely mother’s birthday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it down for the day-of, but we did get to spend last weekend together doing all the fun and relaxing things that we normally do when we hang out, like catching up on Project Runway, eating ‘Bache to our hearts’/stomachs’ content, and swapping design and decorating inspiration.
Speaking of decorating, this week may be a little sparse as far as DIY projects go, just so you’re prepared. I’m probably going to be spending quite a bit of time working on projects for Amanda’s upcoming renovation and, while I promise to give you a full breakdown after we get it all put together, that means I probably won’t have too much time for my own stuff. So, please don’t boycott me if I do a few more lame-o posts, ok? I solemnly swear that next week I will be up to all kinds of good.
Photo Credits:

First Kitchen from the Lettered Cottage
Second Kitchen from TheKitchen.com
Third Kitchen from Perfectly Imperfect
Cappuccino Corner from Martha Stewart
Bar Cart from Livejournal via Pinterest
Puppy from FunnyPuppySite.com

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